Chapter 444


    Upon hearing the distinctive tone of his customized notification chime, James swiftly fished his phone


    from his pocket. A brief look of surprise flitted across his face as he read the text from girl next door.


    The words from this morning?


    His piercing eyes squinted slightly as his fingertips paused on the screen. After a long moment, a faint


    smile crossed his chiseled features, and he replied, [Of course, my word is my bond.]


    Mirabe was referring to his earlier offer, “You cane over to my ce sometime. It’s peaceful. I’ll


    add your fingerprint to the front gate.”


    Mirabe pursed her lips as she read the response and typed back, [Are you home right now?]


    James replied, [Yes, juste over.]


    With that, Mirabe pocketed her phone and made her way next door, decisively choosing the


    handsome neighbor over the insufferable Donald.


    As Mirabe approached the vi next door, James stepped out to greet her, dressed in light casual


    wear, his handsome face exuding an air of serene elegance. He reached out to open the gate, eyeing


    Mirabe with an inquisitive intensity. “So, did Zach’s blind date wrap up?”


    “Yeah,” she nodded, stepping inside.


    James closed the door behind them without a second thought.


    “How’d it go? Anyone catch your eye?” he asked in a low voice, walking beside her.


    Mirabe hesitated briefly before admitting, “Nope.” Finding a match for the infamous yboy was a


    lost cause.


    They had just reached the entrance hall when James suddenly took hold of Mirabe’s arm. The


    warmth of his hand seeped through her clothes, causing her to look up in confusion.


    James quickly released her, a gentleman once more, and pointed to the small,puterized security


    system on the wall. “For the fingerprint.”


    Catching on, Mirabe moved closer to the embedded touchscreen with a look of mild surprise that


    faded as she remembered the tech–savvy Curtis.


    James had already pulled up the fingerprint entry settings. “Let me show you how,” he said, stepping


    aside to give her space.


    But Mirabe was already ahead of him, deftly navigating the screen andpleting the


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    process in under ten seconds, signaled by the system’s confirmation of a sessful entry.


    James‘ hand awkwardly lingered in the air. He nced at the screen, impressed by her proficiency.


    “Seems like you’re quite familiar with security systems,” he remarked.


    Mirabe curled her fingers slightly, her long, curledshes casting a shadow over her eyes. “We


    installed one at my ce recently. I picked up a few things from the installer,” she exined, then


    sidestepped toward the nearby shoe cab.


    James didn’t dwell on it, pulling out a pair of new, fluffy pink slippers and cing them before her.


    “Brand new.”


    Mirabe eyed the pastel slippers with a touch of resignation and slipped them on. Pink, everywhere


    she went.


    With her footwear changed, she followed James into the living room, which was conspicuously empty,


    save for the two of them.


    “Are your guys… I mean, Wyatt and Curtis not around today?” Mirabe tactfully swallowed the words


    ‘your two muscle–bound bodyguards.‘Property belongs to N?vel(D)r/ama.Org.