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Chapter 566
Mirabella set the bottle back on the table, turned her head with a playful gaze, and smirked at Asher. “Did you use my recipe to brew this potion?”
Asher shifted uncomfortably under her scrutinizing eyes, his fingers twitching but not daring to retrieve the bottle.
He knew, of course, that Dane’s potion was concocted following Mirabella’s instructions. But what of it? If it worked, that was all that mattered, right?
Nikolai, overhearing the exchange, suddenly fixed his eyes on Mirabella’s face. After a brief pause, his attention darted to the bottle on
the table.
He moved quickly, almost clumsily, bumping into his chair in his haste. Johnny, sitting nearby, jumped to his aid, worried that Nikolai might cause a scene.
Nikolai barely noticed Johnny. He grabbed the bottle, unscrewed the cap, and inhaled deeply. He wasn’t an pharmacist, but his knowledge of pharmacology was extensive, and he immediately recognized the ingredients of the pills.
Nikolai remembered the recent weeks when Dane had been holed up in the pharmacy, concocting who knows what. He had asked Dane about it, only to receive a vague response about research. Nikolai hadn’t pressed further. So, it was Mirabella’s master recipe he’d been using all along…
Leaning against the table edge, Nikolai was, for the first time, at a loss for words. Pure research would have been one thing, but this was theft, plain and simple. Suddenly unsteady, Nikolai fumbled with the bottle, which fell with a clatter onto the table and rolled onto the floor.
Asher stood hastily and moved to Nikolai’s side. Before he could utter a word, Nikolai’s hand struck him across the face. “A complete disgrace, he spat.
Nikolai’s voice was hoarse, and he shook his head, disappointment etched across his face. He wondered how the Reeves family had come to harbor such unprincipled individuals.
Asher stayed silent, knowing better than to provoke further ire. He had only wanted to hand over the potion to Owen in front of Mirabella and be done with it. He hadn’t anticipated Owen’s refusal or Mirabella’s scrutiny.
The room was steeped in awkwardness.
Mirabella sighed softly, bent down, and picked up the bottle from the floor, placing it back on the table. “To brew potions is one thing,” she mused dryly, “but this… this is amateur hour.”
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James glanced at Mirabella, sensing her thinly veiled patience. Despite her composed exterior, he knew better. His gaze swept over Asher with a glint of annoyance. The Reeves family, he mused, all seemed to lack the makings of leadership, save for Nikolai. Rising gracefully, James casually draped an arm over Mirabella’s shoulder. She turned to him, questioning.
“Weren’t we heading to the library?” James‘ voice was light, prompting her.
Mirabella blinked and nodded. “Oh, right. Let’s go then.”
With a soft affirmation, James turned back to Nikolai. “We’ll be taking our leave, Nikolai.”
Without another word about the potion, they offered him a graceful exit.
Nikolai, struggling to maintain his composure, couldn’t look them in the eye. “Yeah,” he managed to say, his voice strained. James collected Mirabella’s coat from the rack and handed it to her. Moments later, they left the room together, side by side. Though they said nothing more, Nikolai knew their relationship was forever altered.