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

Yara looked up, a bit puzzled. "Someone special? No, Mom, why the sudden question?"

Kitty cleared her throat. "Riverdale's been tightening up on security lately. I just worry you might cross paths with someone sketchy."

"Mom, honestly, you're overthinking it. Other schools might have issues, but ours is as safe as they come," Yara said with a light laugh.

Kitty took that in and kept quiet. She'd never planned on letting her daughter know about her cousin, and now she was even more set against it. But if her sister's daughter tried to cozy up to them, Kitty wouldn't hesitate to shut that down.

Hiding her unease, Kitty stepped into the elevator.

*

Meanwhile, across town.

After class, Mirabella had Atlas drive her over to Adler's cottage. It was Atlas's first time in the area, and as they drove through the gated community, he noticed Mirabella had a resident's card. Surprised, he asked, "Miss Mira, did you buy a place here?"

Mirabella, in the middle of messaging someone, paused and then replied, "No, just visiting a friend."

Ah, that makes sense. Atlas nodded and didn't pry further.

They soon pulled up outside the cottage. Adler, with a bit of downtime lately, was waiting for Mirabella today. Spotting the car from the balcony, he hurried downstairs.

By the time he reached the yard, Mirabella had already let herself in. Adler waved hello and glanced at Atlas, who lingered by the car, exuding a strong presence even from a distance.

"Want to invite your friend in?" Adler asked.

"It's alright," Mirabella replied, shaking her head.

Adler took her word for it, and they both headed inside.

Once they were in the basement, Adler handed Mirabella a fresh set of protective gear before they entered the lab.

"Here's the auxiliary reagents you wanted," Adler said, retrieving a box from the fridge filled with several vials.

Mirabella nodded her thanks and took out the analysis solution Adler had worked hard to get. She opened the nearby extractor, poured half of the solution from the test tube into a container, and put the rest back in the fridge.

Adler watched curiously, unsure of her plans, but didn't interrupt. He observed as she methodically added auxiliary agents to the solution.

When the once-blue solution turned clear after some additions, Adler couldn't hold back his curiosity. "Are you tweaking the analysis solution?"

Mirabella kept her eyes on the solution as it reacted, noting the changes. After a moment, she nodded, "Yeah."

"Is there something wrong with the research institute's solution?" Adler asked, breaking a thoughtful silence.

He recalled Mirabella mentioning the solution was risky and against ethics.

Mirabella added another tiny drop of the auxiliary agent, her expression serious behind her goggles. "Human genetics aren't like plants or animals. Forcing a reversal just messes up the balance and can cause the whole life chain to collapse."noveldrama

Adler glanced at her, only half grasping the complexity but realizing this was no ordinary medicine.

No wonder the med school kept it so hush-hush.

There was definitely something going on.

Soon, Mirabella retrieved the modified analysis solution from the extractor. She pricked her finger with a needle and let a few drops of blood fall into it.