Chapter 52


    Mirabe was lost in her book, at least until she replied to James‘ message. After that, she just couldn’t


    get back into it. She gazed at the new message from him on her phone, pondering for a brief moment


    before tapping out a response: [Oh, just snagged it online. I can shoot you the link to the store if you


    want.]


    After a second thought. Mirabe opened up eBay, sifted through her favorites, and found the store she


    was looking for. She copied the link, flipped back to her Messenger app, and pasted it in for James.


    When James received her reply, he dove into the online store she’d mentioned. The shop had a solid


    five–star rating, a mishmash of products, not a dedicated Incense retailer by any means. But the


    sandalwood and agarwood Incense boxes looked strikingly simr to the wooden box that olddy had.


    The prices were low, just over twenty bucks.


    No exact matches were seen, but it was pretty clear that the calming incense the olddy had likely


    originated from this online vendor. However, if it was the legendary secret blend everyone whispered


    about, it wouldn’t be peddled on some random website, nor would it be that cheap.


    James closed the app, and felt a little displeased. In his dark eyes. It was hard to discern if it was


    disappointment or something else that dimmed their sparkle.


    In the blink of an eye, half a month had whisked by since Mirabe had started at Parkside High


    School.


    She was a bit of a free spirit, didn’t really mingle with the other students, and didn’t bother with


    extracurricrs. Her quiet demeanor had teachersbeling her as a paragon of obedience, while her


    peers saw her as the quintessential ice queen – a total enigma.


    Her academic prowess was a mystery, but her looks? They were beyond reproach.


    Lately, though, rumors had started to swirl that she must’ve pulled some strings to get into Parkside.


    In her own world, oblivious to the petty high school chatter, Mirabe didn’t pay any of it any mind. But


    Jenna, her desk mate, was fuming when she heard the whispers. She almost went to set things straight


    before she turned to see Mirabe, who was always with her nose in a book whether in ss or out.


    “I think they’ve got your whole vibe all wrong.” Jenna said seriously, propping her chin on her hands as


    she studied Mirabe.


    Mirabezily closed her textbook and turned her gaze on Jenna. Her eyebrows arched slightly. “Oh?”


    That casual look from Mirabe sent a little thrill through Jenna. She swallowed hard, then retorted,


    “You’re not an ice queen. You’re a total bookworm!”


    N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner.


    Flicking the corner of her book with a finger, Mirabe replied cryptically, “The path to wisdom is


    singr, and it’s paved with study.”


    ying with her fingers, Jenna sighed, “I feel like you’re hinting that I’m dumb, but I don’t have proof.”


    Mirabe just smiled and didn’t respond. Her phone on the desk buzzed, lighting up with two


    notifications for substantial money transfers. A quick nce was all it took for Mirabe to massage her


    temples in frustration. Again. It had been nearly half a month of daily transfers from that couple, as if


    they had money to burn. Jenna, who had been watching her, caught sight of those two ringlyrge


    transfer notifications and couldn’t help but quip. “Another day, another blinding glimpse of wealth.”


    Mirabe was speechless.


    That was right. Jenna had discovered a few days ago that her desk mate was getting these big–money


    transfers daily. and she had gone from initial shock to a numb eptance.