"Look, the Gilberts have nothing on you," Catherine said firmly. "Don't let them push you around just because of your grandma."
Mirabella nodded quietly, her eyes drifting to the car window, lost in thought.
After a few more minutes of video chatting, she urged Catherine to hang up and head home. The cold had turned her cheeks pale.
Leo, sitting beside her, turned and asked, "So, Catherine said your foster mom's trying to patch things up again?"
The call had been on speaker, so he'd heard everything.
Leaning back, Mirabella's eyes sparkled with a cold clarity as she shrugged. "Who knows."
Leo had never paid much mind to the Gilbert drama, but he remembered their snobby attitude when they showed up after the baby mix-up. It was unforgettable.
"Anyway," he said after a pause, "if any of the Gilberts come around, just ignore them. And if they get nasty, tell me. I'll handle it."
Despite his nickname for her, "Little Princess," he was fiercely protective when it came to his sister.
Mirabella gave him a half-hearted "okay" and looked away.
By the time they got back to the Davis estate, it was past eight. With school the next day, Mirabella washed up and went to bed early.
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