Chapter 243

Phoebe wasn’t surprised when she saw Leon’s message.

Phoebe: [Judging by the timing, it makes sense that he’s starting to have bad luck. When someone gives away a part of their essence, their body is bound to react negatively. Losing a third of his luck forcefully has left him in a kind of ‘hunger’ state – like something’s missing. He’ll constantly feel hungry, but it won’t be real hunger; it’s psychological. Feeling sleepy all the time? That’s even more normal. When a significant portion of luck suddenly disappears, the body experiences negative effects. Low energy leads to drowsiness. These symptoms will gradually fade once his streak of bad luck kicks in.]

Leon sighed in relief after reading Phoebe’s explanation. He hadn’t been home recently. Though staying elsewhere, he had assigned a servant to keep an eye on Cain and Sienna. He received updates on them daily.

When he heard that Cain was either eating or sleeping nonstop, he started to worry that the idiot would literally ruin himself.

Frank: [How exactly is Cain’s bad luck starting?]

Leon: [Yesterday, the water stopped mid-shower. When it finally came back, he finished showering – only to slip and take a nasty fall. At lunch, he ordered takeout and found a fly in his food. For dinner, he found a cockroach. This morning, he went out and got bitten by the neighbor’s dog. When he went for a rabies shot, a flowerpot fell from a balcony and hit him on the shoulder. Then he went home to sleep, and his bed randomly collapsed, messing up his back. The filming location he had secured for his latest project? The owner backed out at the last minute. Basically, it’s been one nonstop disaster after another.]

Leon read through the servant’s updates and looked at the secretly taken photos. For a moment, he almost felt sorry for Cain – but only almost. In the end, all he could think was: Serves him right. Joshua and Jamar had warned Cain. They had tried to stop him. But Cain had been too stubborn, convinced that sharing some of his luck with Sienna wouldn’t be a big deal.

Well, now he was paying the price. Leon was curious to see how long Cain would last before he regretted everything.

Phoebe: [This streak of bad luck will last him a good 10 to 20 years.]

Phoebe thought, ‘Giving away a third of his lifelong luck? Cain’s misery had only just begun!’

Leon: [Phoebe, can your talismans help suppress his bad luck?]

Phoebe: [Sure, but why would I help him? Even if he offered 1.5 million dollars, I’d only draw a talisman if I felt like it. If he begged me? Even for 50 million dollars, I wouldn’t sell him one. He brought this on himself – I’d rather enjoy the show.]

Cain had always been the most hostile toward her. Not to mention, he probably wouldn’t even believe in her talismans. Why should she bother helping him? She had only helped the other three idiots because, unlike Cain, they weren’t dumb enough to willingly give away their luck. Sienna had already taken enough.

Phoebe thought, ‘Cain has given up his share? Fine. Let him suffer. I have no intention of helping him suppress anything!’

Leon, reading this, felt a wave of gratitude – thank God Phoebe had drawn talismans for them. ‘Cain? He was just reaping what he sowed.’

Still, at the end of the day, they were brothers. Watching Cain suffer was amusing, but Leon didn’t want him to be completely ruined.

Leon: [If he regrets it later, is there any way to get his luck back? Like having Sienna return it through some kind of backlash?]

Phoebe: [If he had been tricked into giving it away or had carelessly agreed without truly meaning it, then yes – there’d be a way. It would be complicated, but some mystical techniques could reverse the transfer and reclaim most of his luck. But Cain? He gave it away willingly. That means it’s gone for good. He sowed this seed – now he has to live with the consequences.]

Leon sighed. Nothing he could do. Cain was an idiot. As his brother, he had done all he could.

Leon: [Alright, I guess he’ll just have to keep suffering. But with this level of bad luck, can he still go on reality shows?]

Phoebe: [Of course. If his bad luck gets too ridiculous, Sienna will probably lend him her new horoscope charm before the next show.]

Sienna had only one real protector in the entertainment industry: Cain. There was no way she’d let him go down that easily. She’d probably drag him along to the next show. Not only that – she might even use him to deflect trouble from herself. And since she wouldn’t want to be affected by his bad luck, she’d definitely find a way to suppress it for now.

Leon: [Wait… Cain? We’re talking about Cain?]

Phoebe: [Who else? Relax, you’re not getting off easy either.]

Frank: [Yeah, buddy, this streak of bad luck isn’t skipping you.]

Leon: [Screw off.]

Phoebe: [Glad to see you’re self-aware.]

Leon’s mouth twitched. So all five brothers were doomed to suffer? Fantastic. Then he suddenly realized something.

Leon: [Wait, if Sienna’s horoscope charm can suppress Cain’s bad luck… why hasn’t she lent it to him yet?]

Phoebe: [Because charms like that can only suppress bad luck for a short time – no more than a month.]

Leon: [Even a month of relief is better than nothing.]

So, maybe Sienna still had a sliver of conscience? Maybe she did care about Cain – at least enough to temporarily help him.

Phoebe: [Heh. You’re overthinking it. That charm doesn’t eliminate bad luck – it just delays it. Once the suppression period ends, the accumulated misfortune will explode all at once. Right now, he’s just experiencing minor inconveniences – frequent but not serious. But if his bad luck is held back for ten days, half a month, or even a full month… When it finally rebounds, it won’t be minor anymore. Think of it like a balloon – keep inflating it, and eventually, it bursts. If that charm really worked as a fix, Sienna would be using it on herself, not wasting it on Cain.]

Phoebe suspected that Sienna had some other talisman preventing the horoscope charm from affecting her own luck.

Leon immediately took back his previous thoughts. This wasn’t kindness — Sienna wasn’t sparing Cain out of goodwill. She was just using him to avoid dragging herself down. But in the long run? She was making things even worse for him.

Frank: [Damn. That’s brutal. Does she want Cain to suffer more?]

Honestly, the Jenkins family was unlucky to have someone like Sienna in their lives. Even Reece – who rarely commented – agreed.

Phoebe: [Well, he’s the one who spoiled her.]

Frank: [True. They all brought this on themselves.]

Leon was speechless.

These two just loved rubbing salt in the wound.

Leon: [Frank, laugh all you want now. I’ll be waiting for Edith to deal with you. And when that day comes, I’ll be sure to remind you – you brought it on yourself.]

Brenda: [Yep. You’re totally screwed too.]

This conversation was going nowhere.

Meanwhile, Cain lay in bed, groaning in misery.