Janice simply couldn't fathom it.

Lemira thought back to her last encounter with the Sinclairs. The sheer madness in Mrs. Amelia's eyes made it obvious she would never go down without a fight.

But she hadn't expected the woman to be this ruthless.

Lemira looked at Stella, puzzled. "Sophia is an adult now. If she flat-out refused, there's no way anyone could force her into this."

Was Sophia genuinely willing to do this?

Stella shook her head. "That part I don't know. Maybe the Sinclairs have their own twisted reasoning."

Lemira didn't dwell on it. It was the Sinclair family's mess, after all.

Still, Sophia latching onto a powerful backer was undeniably causing headaches for her side. If Hale hadn't survived that attack by sheer luck, she would be the one dealing with a massive crisis right now.

The next day, Lemira received a call from Rowan. "Hey, are you busy?"

"No, what is it?"

"Let's grab dinner tonight. The Jones family agreed to back out of your situation. I want you to come over and be a witness to it."

Lemira's eyes widened in surprise. "They actually agreed? But what about the Sinclairs?"

The whole reason Sophia had sold herself to that old man was to resolve her family's legal crisis.

Remembering what Sebastian had told her yesterday, Lemira wondered if Rowan had actually struck some kind of backdoor deal with Gregory.

She paused. "Alright. Send me the time and place."

Since he had extended the invitation, she had to go see for herself.

But she couldn't shake the feeling that this was too easy. Sophia had sacrificed everything for this alliance. If Gregory was going back on his word, the fallout was going to absolutely destroy her.

After some thought, she called Sebastian to fill him in.

Over the phone, Sebastian chuckled. "That's great news. Go enjoy the show. If the Sinclairs find out about this, they're going to lose their minds."

Lemira smiled faintly. "Most likely."

Losing everything and getting nothing in return-anyone would snap.

But Lemira didn't feel an ounce of pity for Sophia. Not a single drop.

After hanging up, Sebastian felt quite smug and decided to forward the news to Orion.

Reading the message, Orion frowned at first, but then a faint smirk touched his lips.

Did this mean he now had another informant?

He didn't reply to Sebastian. Instead, he dialed Thaddeus. "Quick question. Have you ever heard of VitaLife Pharmaceuticals?"

"Yeah, of course. They've been

blowing up in our circles lately. Word

on the street is they've developed way to reverse aging and extend lifespans. A lot of billionaires are digging into it. Supposedly, the guy running it is that Langston brother."

"Right, Rowan Langston is back in town. Look into their background."

Orion had zero interest in miracle cures But if Rowan was using this as bait to strike a deal with the Joneses, he needed to know exactly what was going on.

With no classes that afternoon, Lemira went shopping with Stella and Janice.

"Lemira, ever since you got tangled up in your family drama, you haven't hung out with us at all," Janice said as they walked.

Lemira smiled warmly. "Then everything is on me today. Pick whatever you want, don't hold back."

The three of them strolled through the mall and stopped at a boutique to help Stella look at clothes.

Stella picked up a dress. "Lemira, this would look absolutely stunning on you."

Just as Lemira took the dress and held it up against herself in the mirror, a haughty female voice cut through the air. "Wrap that dress up for me."

Lemira turned around, coming face-to-face with the Sinclair mother and daughter.

Mrs. Amelia stepped forward and aggressively snatched the dress right out of Lemira's hands. "Hand it over My daughter wants this What gives you the right to hold it?"

Janice immediately bristled. "Excuse me? We had it first. Have you never heard of

'first come, first served"?"