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

Wyatt had just wrapped up his call when he noticed Curtis zoning out at his computer screen. He couldn't resist breaking the silence, "Curtis?"

Curtis snapped back to reality, shut his laptop, and glanced at the middle-aged man sitting nearby. "I need to swing by the Weapons Bureau in the next couple of days," he announced.

Wyatt met his gaze, and with years of partnership under their belts, they could practically communicate through a single look. After a moment's pause, Wyatt nodded, "Alright, just watch your back."

Curtis gave a nod, grabbed his laptop, and headed out.

Once Curtis was gone, Wyatt called his team to deal with the middle-aged man. After dishing out instructions, he too made his exit.

**

Time flew by, and before she knew it, the end of the month was upon them.

The day before her overseas trip, Mirabella dropped by Zane's office to request some time off.

When Zane heard her asking for ten days of leave, he nearly leapt out of his chair. "Seriously? That's way too long! We're knee-deep in crucial talks with the DO Group. You can't be MIA!"

Mirabella seemed to have seen this coming and just sighed, "Professor, you must be swamped today."noveldrama

"Huh?" Zane was taken aback, not quite following her line of thought.

"I sent you some code last night. It's in your email. If the DO Group needs anything, just forward it to them," Mirabella explained with ease.

Zane hurried to his desk, logged into his email, and—sure enough—found the email from Mirabella.

Setting the mouse aside, Zane looked back at Mirabella and asked, "You're asking for such a long leave; there's gotta be a reason."

"I'm attending an academic conference," Mirabella said, without holding back.

"An academic conference?" Zane was puzzled. There weren't any department- organized conferences that he knew of.

Mirabella nodded, "Oh, I might have forgotten to mention, I'm double majoring."

Zane was floored. "You forgot to mention that?"

Although Zane wasn't a physics professor, he knew the sciences often overlapped. He suddenly recalled the annual spring conference held by the physics department.

"So, your second major is physics?" Zane asked, still a bit incredulous.

"Yep," Mirabella replied casually.

Usually, only the top-tier students or those with a professor's nod could attend such conferences. Yet, last semester, she seemed all in with their biology courses...

Zane pondered this, feeling a twitch in his cheek, and found himself staring at

Mirabella. "Who's your advisor in the physics department?"

Mirabella was startled by Zane's intense look, taking a moment before she slowly replied, "It's Dr. Elliot, I think."

Zane was stunned. Dr. Elliot wasn't just a Level I researcher; he was a fellow in the physics department. And this quiet student of his was under Elliot's wing too?

Zane felt a huge wave of surprise, similar to the time he learned Mirabella knew

the head of the DO Group-both shocking and exhilarating.

Mirabella seemed unfazed by Zane's bewilderment. "So, Professor, can I get the green light for my leave?"

Zane snapped back to reality and gave Mirabella a pointed look. "You're Dr. Elliot's student; do I even have a choice?"

If he dared to say no, Dr. Elliot might very well show up at his door.

"Great, Professor. I'll be off then," Mirabella said, making a quick getaway.

Zane shook his head, marveling once more at his luck in having such an unassuming yet remarkable student.