The Double or more Life of the Fake Heiress (Mirabella) novel Chapter 154

Summer was caught off guard when Mandy brought up the competition again. There was a brief pause before she replied, "...I think she advanced to the next round."

Mandy's brows knitted together in mild disbelief. "Her scores were good enough not to get kicked out?"

After a moment of silence, Summer said, "I actually mentioned last time that her grades weren't that bad."

Mandy vaguely remembered the conversation but didn't dwell on it, quickly moving on. "The next round of the contest must be coming up, right? Make sure you go over the material your dad's friend from the Education Association gave you."

Summer nodded, eyes cast downward. "Yeah, I will. I'm going to head back to my room now."

"Alright, off you go," Mandy said with a dismissive wave of her hand.

***

Delilah and Shawn had been swamped with the renovations of their villa, leaving early and returning late. Concerned they couldn't look after their daughter properly, they hired a part-time housekeeper, Marian, to prepare meals for Mirabella.

That day, as Mirabella walked in the door after school, Marian had already finished cooking. Marian was taking off her apron as she said, "Mira, I've got to dash because of an emergency at home. Oh, and I picked up a package for you this afternoon. It's in the storage cabinet." Pointing towards the cabinet, Marian didn't wait for a response before hurrying out.

Mirabella set her bag down and glanced at the storage unit but didn't rush to check it out.

The table was set with a homestyle spread—an all-American meatloaf, buttered green beans, mashed potatoes, and a bowl of chicken noodle soup—Mirabella pulled out her phone and dialed Zach's number. Zach, who had been coming home for dinner every night, would typically be home by now.

The call connected quickly, and Zach's voice came through, "Mirabella, I won't be home for dinner tonight. Got to head out of town for a few days."

There was an edge of anxiety in his voice. Mirabella's brow furrowed as she asked, "Is something wrong?"