The Double or more Life of the Fake Heiress (Mirabella) novel Chapter 567

The private dining room was winding down to an awkward silence, with only Owen and Johnny left lingering at the tail end of the evening.

Owen didn't prolong the inevitable. He rose to his feet, gave a nod to Nikolai and Asher, and muttered about it being time to head out. With a gesture for Johnny to follow, they were soon out the door.

Once the outsiders had cleared out, Nikolai finally caved to his weariness, collapsing into a chair with his face a shade of ashen defeat. Asher reached out, intending to lend support to his father, but his hand was brushed aside. "Dad..."

Nikolai, seated and seemingly spent, suddenly let out a soft chuckle. "Oh, Asher, you really shouldn't have done that today."

Asher pinched the bridge of his nose, but before he could utter a word, his father continued. "You probably don't know... that whiz kid Mirabella is an S-class pharmacist."

Nikolai's voice was faint, but it landed heavily in Asher's chest. His face mirrored sheer disbelief. "That can't be... An S-class pharmacist at eighteen?"

Nikolai's gaze fell to the carpet, his lips curling into a wry smile. "Nothing is impossible, son. Just because you haven't seen it doesn't mean it doesn't exist."

He had tried to bring up Mirabella, the alchemic prodigy, several times before. Still, Asher's prejudice against her youth had made him impatient and dismissive to the point that Nikolai eventually dropped the subject.

Now, those conversations seemed devoid of any significance.

With effort, Nikolai pushed himself up from the chair, not sparing another glance at Asher. His stooped silhouette edged with a certain desolation, slowly exited the private room.