The Double or more Life of the Fake Heiress (Mirabella)

Reid's gaze turned steely, his voice losing its earlier warmth. "Grady's tied up with some urgent stuff right now."

There had been some chaos in the southern sector that morning, and Grady needed to be there pronto. Jaime was probably pulling strings behind the scenes.

With Grady out of the picture and Keir's recovery up in the air, Reid knew he had to tread carefully to keep any mischief at bay.

"Oh, really? He's got time to juggle other things at a moment like this?" Jaime said, feigning surprise.

Reid didn't take the bait.

Jaime chuckled, turning to the elders standing with him. "Looks like Keir's not too banged up; otherwise, Grady would've shown up by now."

That only made the elders more determined to see Jim.

"Reid, move aside. We're seeing Keir today, no two ways about it," one elder declared, dropping any pretense of politeness.

With Grady away, they felt no need to hold back. The elders started to push forward confidently.

Reid tilted his head a smidge, and his men instantly lined up, blocking the corridor. Their weapons were up, ready for action.

The elders felt the sting of this defiance.

"How dare you!"

Just a servant, acting all high and mighty? "To see Keir, you'll have to get past us first." Reid sneered.

He and his crew were decked out in matching black tactical gear, the air around them thick with tension, like a storm about to break.

"Keir treats us with respect. Who do you think you are?" one elder shot back, laughter tinged with disbelief.

Reid didn't flinch, refusing to engage further.

They only took orders from Keir and

Grady, not worried about stepping on the elders' toes. Furious, the

elders thought about pushingnoveldrama

through but hesitated, eyeing Reid's men and their ready weapons.

Beside them, Jaime's lips curled into a subtle, knowing smile.

Grady's team was doing exactly what he expected. Let them rile the council; when the dust settles,

40

we'll see how Jim's side handles the fallout.

The standoff dragged on in the hallway for a tense five minutes.

Just as Jaime was about to stonet

Sin

and play peacemaker, the elevator behind them chimed.

That ding and the doors sliding open seemed louder than ever in the charged atmosphere, drawing everyone's gaze.

As the doors parted, two figures stepped out.

One was a young woman clutching a medical report, seemingly deep in

conversation with Dr. Ray beside her.

Feeling the tension and the eyes on her, she slowly lifted her head.

Dr. Ray, spotting the crowd and especially Reid's men with their weapons, was visibly startled despite having seen similar scenes before.

His face blanched a bit.

The woman talking to Dr. Ray was none other than Mirabella. After giving the gathered crowd a calm once-over, she stepped out of the elevator.

Dr. Ray, still feeling the weight of the moment given the formidable crowd, instinctively followed Mirabella as she moved.

Reid's icy demeanor melted into respect when he saw Mirabella. He approached her and dipped his head slightly. "Miss Mira."