"James, you're here," the officer greeted, nodding respectfully while giving Mirabella a cautious once-over, surprise flickering in his eyes. James was never seen with a woman before.
James gave him a cool look. "I'm here to take someone with me."
The officer's eyes darted away, his face scrunching up with awkwardness. "I'm afraid that's not possible right now."
"Why not?" James asked, a slight furrow forming between his brows.
The officer lowered his gaze even more and explained, "Brack just got back and ordered no visitors."
No visitors allowed, let alone taking someone away.
James narrowed his eyes, exuding an aura of authority that needed no anger.
Seeing this, the officer quickly backtracked, "Of course, if you want to visit, James, that's no problem."
James thought for a moment, then turned to Mirabella. "I'll head to Brack's office. You..."
Mirabella, still looking pale and not quite recovered, waved a hand. "I'll go see Adler."
"Alright," James nodded, gently adjusting her coat, his voice soft. "Call me if you need anything."
Mirabella nodded back.
The officer, taking note of James's care for Mirabella, realized she was not to be overlooked. Once James left, he said to her with respect, "Let me take you there now."
Mirabella gave a polite nod.
Soon, they were making their way to where Adler was held.
As they walked, Mirabella casually asked, "My friend hasn't committed a serious crime, has he?"
The officer, knowing only that Adler was a researcher suspected of stealing data, replied, "I wouldn't call it serious."
The cool tone of her voice made Adler's eyes snap open. He turned around, and seeing her, he jumped up from the bed, a grin spreading across his face. "Boss, how did you manage to get in? They actually let you in?"
"There's a little trick called pulling strings," Mirabella said with a leisurely smile.
Adler's grin wavered, almost forgetting her strong ties with the Shepherd family.
"Weren't you the one who said no one would notice your research on radiation sources?" Mirabella teased, her eyes glinting.
Adler rubbed his face and coughed. "Yeah, didn't see that coming."
Which is why you shouldn't count your chickens before they hatch.
Mirabella nodded and asked, "Nobody's been giving you a hard time, right?"
At that, Adler's playful demeanor faded. "Not really, but this place isn’t right for you. You should head back soon."
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