Chapter 223

Reece’s entire understanding of tradition was shaken. His mother actually did something like this? With a complicated expression, he asked, “Does my dad know?”

Hrenda raised an eyebrow. “Dad is way smarter than you.” But she didn’t seem to want to say much more about her father—probably worried that Soren might slip up and expose something by accident. Even though they had already made things obvious to him, there was no harm in being extra cautious, Phoebe added, “He’s actually worse off than any of you. He’s the conduit for siphoning your family’s luck. His life expectancy was never meant to be…”

“Not only is his fate uncertain, but every so often, he has to endure the pain of being used as a medium—and that kind of suffering is beyond what most people can handle.” That’s why Soren was trying to fight back—to reclaim his own life. Just like Andrea, who refused to be a pawn and was working to break free, unwilling to be another victim waiting to be slaughtered. If they could shatter the cycle, they could escape the fate that had been forced upon them and live for themselves.

But while there were people like Soren and Andrea—who wanted to take control of their own destiny—there were also people like Sienna and Edith. They saw stealing others’ luck as a shortcut. If it made them stronger and more fortunate, why shouldn’t they take it? They didn’t want to be normal people with ordinary luck. They craved power, status, and wealth. But instead of working for it, they chose the easy way out—taking from others. They willingly walked the path their mastermind had laid out for them, driven by their own greed, selfishness, and ruthlessness. No one forced them to become pawns. If they had wanted to break free, they could have—they didn’t have to destroy others to gain benefits. After all, if Sienna didn’t drain Phoebe’s luck, and Edith didn’t take Brenda’s, they wouldn’t die. At the end of the day, it was their choice.

Reece was silent for a long moment, his emotions complicated. Then he asked, “Is there still a way to save him?” He didn’t hate Soren. If anything, he felt a bit sorry for him. Maria’s favoritism had turned out to be the cruelest thing of all. She was pushing Soren straight to his death. And the worst part? He had no idea if she even knew what she had done.

Phoebe replied, “That depends on him. If Soren wanted to fight for himself and break free, and if he hadn’t done anything truly unforgivable, then they could work together—there was…” But if he’d already sided with the mastermind and willingly helped them harm others, then there was no saving him. “To do more good and accumulate good karma,” she said. “Otherwise, retribution is real—and it’s not a joke.” She glanced at Leon, then added, “You’re dealing with your own bad luck right now, and that’s because of the karma you built up yourself. So don’t…” If Leon hadn’t helped those two, she wouldn’t have had the leverage to fight back against Hilini. And if that hadn’t happened, he wouldn’t have been kicked out of his company and left waiting on the sidelines now.

Chapter 223

Leon rubbed his nose awkwardly. “I never said it was all your fault.” He had made plenty of mistakes. After some hesitation, he asked, “Do you think……it’s too late for me to fix things?” He had never believed in karma or retribution before. After living through it himself, he had no choice but to believe.

Phoebe responded, “You haven’t killed anyone, and you haven’t ruined anyone’s life beyond repair. If you really want to make things right, it’s not too late. Change your ways, make amends with the people you’ve hurt, and do more good.”

Leon nodded slowly. “Got it.”

Frank patted his shoulder. “Fixing yourself is the most important thing. Being a bad guy comes naturally to you, but being a good guy! That’s the real challenge.”

Reece added, “Yeah. Considering all the shady things he’s done, turning over a new leaf is gonna be the hardest thing he’s ever done.” Doing good deeds was easy enough. That bastard wasn’t short on money—he could simply donate sincerely every year or go out of his way to help more people.

Leon’s face darkened. “Get lost…” What kind of friends were these? They made it sound like he was some utterly depraved villain. He scoffed. “If you guys are my childhood friends, do you really think you’re any better?”

Brenda clapped her hands in agreement. “Well said.”

Phoebe twisted the knife further. “At least you’re self-aware.”

Leon, Frank, and Reece were speechless. What kind of fake-ass brothers were these! They had completely embarrassed themselves in front of Phoebe and Brenda—again. Leon shot a glare at Frank and Reece. “You two shut up first. I need to talk.” Then he turned to Phoebe. “So how do we get rid of Sienna?” The more they had once adored her, the more revolting she seemed now.

Phoebe raised an eyebrow. “How should I know? That’s for you guys to figure out.” All she could do was warn them. And if circumstances required, she’d cooperate. But she wasn’t about to waste energy helping them more than necessary. What did they expect her to say! Tell them to kick Sienna out of the Jenkins family? If she suggested that, and things backfired, they’d probably end up blaming her for meddling. Or worse, they might assume she still cared about them. Besides, it was better for them to suffer a bit—let Sienna know the truth firsthand. Look how Leon, Joshua, and Jamar were already waking up to reality after getting burned.

Leun felt a headache coming on. How were they supposed to figure this out on their own! But he could tell that Phoebe still wasn’t in the mood to entertain them. So he didn’t push it. Instead, he asked, “Can I at least tell the rest of the family about this?”

Phoebe thought for a moment. “Telling Elliot is fine. Joshua and Jamar too! Those two had already realized that Sienna was bad news.”

Chapter 223

3:17 PM

It would be good for them to know more—otherwise, they might let their guard down and agree to give her their luck. But then her tone shifted. “Don’t tell anyone else for now.” Elliot was rational about Sienna, so he wouldn’t be swayed by emotions. But Lydia, Ollie, and Cain! They hadn’t yet been directly betrayed or harmed by Sienna. That meant there was still a high chance they’d let their emotions take over. She emphasized, “Especially Cain. Don’t tell him. Do you really think he wouldn’t run straight to Sienna and spill everything?” That guy’s brain was still completely waterlogged.

Leon sighed but agreed. “Yeah… I actually believe that. Cain would totally do something that dumb.” Otherwise, how else could he have pissed off their mom so much she passed out and had to be hospitalized abroad? But he hesitated. “Still… if we don’t tell him, won’t he just end up getting played by Sienna?” Sure, their brotherhood was mostly surface-level, and screwing each other over was good for character development. But they couldn’t just stand by and watch as their little brother got burned alive.

Phoebe smirked. “And if you tell him, do you think he won’t get played? If Cain had that much common sense, he wouldn’t have made a fool of himself abroad.” She leaned back lazily. “I heard he’s even planning to accompany Sienna for the next season of the variety show. No need to stop him—let him go and get scammed.” A faint amusement flashed in her eyes. “Maybe after a few burns, that water in his head will finally drain out. Look at Joshua—he got thrown under the bus by Sienna in this season’s show, and now he finally sees her for what she is.” Then she added meaningfully, “People only feel pain when the needle pricks their own skin. Let Cain experience it for himself. Don’t worry—until your luck is fully drained, none of you are in actual life-threatening danger.”

Leon sighed. Good grief. It seemed Cain was going to have to learn the hard way.