Chapter 264

Leon immediately stepped away from Reece, eyeing him warily.

“Reece, you’re not trying to get me to break those two up, are you? Frank’s the expert at that kind of thing—you should ask him.”

Sure, this was about a brother’s happiness, but he had no intention of stirring up trouble with Phoebe over it.

Frank, sitting nearby, nearly spat out his drink. He shot Leon a glare. “What kind of nonsense are you spouting? Do I look like someone that sneaky?”

Then he turned to Reece. “I don’t do shady business like that.”

Reece was speechless. They were making it sound like he was always up to no good.

Annoyed, he said, “What the hell are you guys even talking about? I just want Leon to check where Phoebe and Maddox went before they got off the Jane. Were there other people with them? If so, we could find a media account to post some photos and clear things up.”

He simply couldn’t accept the idea of Phoebe being in a relationship with another man—he didn’t believe it either. If Phoebe and Maddox’s teams weren’t going to clarify the situation, then he would do it himself.

Leon rolled his eyes. “Are you serious? If their teams aren’t addressing it, why should we get involved? You must be bored out of your mind.”

Reece stared at him. “Are we still brothers or not?”

Leon deadpanned, “I’m fine with cutting ties temporarily.”

Reece was speechless.

“Just tell me, are you helping or not? If not, I’ll find someone else.”

Leon had more connections in the media, so it would be easy for him to handle. Reece could ask his own manager to help, but that would come with a long-winded lecture—too annoying.

Leon waved him off. “Go find someone else, then. I really don’t want to meddle in Phoebe’s affairs. With her personality, if she cared about this, she would’ve clarified things herself already. The fact that she hasn’t means either they’re actually dating, or she just doesn’t care about the rumors.”

Then he turned to Reece. “If you’re really my bro, don’t drag me into this. I’m due to see her tomorrow to buy another talisman. If I mess with her today, what if she refuses to sell it to me?”

Reece frowned. “Since when were you so afraid of Phoebe?”

Leon scoffed. “If you got beaten up and kicked across the room a few times, you’d be scared too. Not to mention, she’s already ruined my reputation and put my career on pause. I’m not taking any more risks.”

After everything he’d been through, there was no way he was going to get on Phoebe’s bad side again.

Reece sighed. “You’re such a coward.”

Leon shrugged. “I call it knowing when to back down.”

Seeing that Leon wasn’t budging, Reece had to compromise. “Fine, then just introduce me to someone who can do it.”

As long as people stopped assuming Phoebe and Maddox were dating, that was all that mattered to him.

Leon looked at him, exasperated. “You should’ve thought about this earlier.”

Despite his words, he still recommended two contacts for Reece. Krete immediately reached out to them.

Meanwhile, Frank turned to Leon. “Why do you need to buy another talisman from Phoebe!”

Leon’s face darkened. “It’s that idiot Cam’s fault. After Sienna drained a third of his luck, he’s been ridiculously unlucky every single day. The guy is losing his mind.”

“Then he heard from Joshua that I got a talisman from Phoebe, so he started pestering me for it. I told him straight up that Phoebe wouldn’t sell him one. But guess what? That dumbass stole mine when I wasn’t paying attention.”

Leon was visibly frustrated. “The moment he got it, he disappeared. I can’t even find him.”

“And when I called him, he told me that ever since taking my talisman, he hasn’t been as unlucky. So now he’s refusing to give it back.”

Leon sighed. “What am I supposed to do! I have no choice but to buy another one from Phoebe.”

Frank chuckled. “Wow, you really are a sucker.”

Hearing their conversation, Reece chimed in with an idea. “Then just contact Phoebe now and buy a new one.”

Leon raised an eyebrow. “What are you plotting now! Phoebe just got back from traveling—she’s probably tired. I shouldn’t bother her.”

Frank smirked. “Be honest—you’re afraid she’ll ignore you if you disturb her now, aren’t you?”

Leon glared at him. This guy is getting more annoying by the second.

Annoyed, he snapped, “Even if you see through it, can’t you just keep it to yourself?”

Frank shrugged. “I like speaking the truth.”

Then he turned to Reece. “You’re not trying to use this as an excuse to go see Phoebe, are you? She just got back today—she won’t welcome you.”

Reece sighed. “No. I just want Leon to casually ask about her and Maddox.”

Leon rolled his eyes. “You have way too much faith in me. Do you really think Phoebe would tell me anything? I’m not that delusional.”

Reece argued, “I’m just helping you find a reason to talk to her and get closer to her. It shows you care.”

Frank, eager for entertainment, egged him on. “He’s got a point. You should try.”

Reece quickly added, “Yeah, just ask—Phoebe won’t bite.”

Leon thought about it. “Fine.”

More than anything, he just really needed a new talisman. So, he tagged Phoebe in their group chat: Leon [Phoebe, Cain stole my talisman].

At that moment, Phoebe had just finished drying her hair and was lying in bed playing on her phone. She saw the message and replied immediately.

Phoebe [Has he gotten so unlucky that he had to resort to stealing your talisman?]

Leon [Yeah, he chokes on water or food almost every time he eats. Every time he walks, he bumps into something. He’s ridiculously unlucky—he’s losing his mind.]

Phoebe: Serves him right.

Leon [Exactly. He totally deserves it. But the bastard had the audacity to steal my talisman and run. And he said after taking it, he feels a lot less unlucky—is that true!]

Phoebe [Of course. That talisman had your energy in it, and since you’re blood-related, it actually helps him ward off misfortune.]

Leon hadn’t expected that.

Leon [No wonder he won’t return it.]

He figured as if it actually helped Cain, he might as well let him keep it. After all, they were brothers. So, he cautiously asked:

Leon [Can I buy another one?]

Phoebe’s reply carried a teasing undertone. [Are you sure you want to buy a new one instead of just taking the old one back!]

Leon suddenly had a bad feeling.

Leon: [Wait…are you saying that him taking my talisman is bad for me?]

Phoebe (Of course it is. He’s using your talisman to block bad luck, which means all that misfortune is coming straight to you instead. If luck could be transferred so easily, do you think the people behind all this would have gone through so much trouble? So are you ready?)

Leon was speechless. Ready for what? To be cursed with bad luck? Cain, that bastard—he had completely screwed him over.