Chapter 232
Emmitt shook his head dismissively. “It’s nothing.”
“Let’s talk inside,” Leo said, striding over to the door. He lifted his hand and pressed his thumb against the scanner. With a click, the door swung open.
Mirabella followed him in, and after a moment’s hesitation, Emmitt stepped over the doorway into the house.
Once they were settled in the living room, Leo fetched two bottles of water from the fridge, eyeing his siblings, who had taken their seats on opposite ends of the couch. Emmitt was staring blankly at the coffee table while Mirabella was nonchalantly flipping through her phone, one leg crossed over the other.
These two… from the moment they met up, something seemed off. They were siblings, but they might as well have been strangers sitting in the same room.
Leo furrowed his brow in confusion, placed the water bottles on the coffee table in front of each of them, and took a seat. He cleared his throat and broke the silence, “Emmitt, you mentioned on the phone that you needed to talk to me?”
Emmitt looked up, glanced at Mirabella, then turned his attention to Leo. After a brief silence, he said, “It’s nothing major. Just checking if you’ve signed up for a reality TV show live stream.”
Leo’s brow creased instinctively. Collins had just handed him the contract earlier that day. How did Emmitt know about it? And why would Emmitt be the one to ask about it on someone’s behalf?
*Did Summer send you to ask?” Leo’s thoughts immediately went to her. Though he couldn’t fathom how Summer knew about his new gig, it wasn’t a stretch to imagine, given Emmitt’s
fondness for her.
Hearing Summer’s name, Mirabella didn’t look up from her phone, her face expressionless.
Emmitt nodded. “Yeah.”
“Let me guess, she wants me to bring her along?” Leo’s lips curled into a wry smile, a hint of
frost creeping into his voice.
After a pause, without waiting for Emmitt to respond, Leo continued, “Tell her it’s not
happening. The show’s concept is about family participation, and she’s not my sister.” His tone left no room for argument, his stance unequivocal.
At Leo’s words, Mirabella’s beautiful eyes narrowed thoughtfully. A reality show? Were they featuring family members?
Emmitt, taken aback by Leo’s strong reaction, swallowed the retort that had been on the tip of his tongue, settling instead for a simple, “I got it.”
Leo was slightly surprised by Emmitt’s lack of protest, which was uncharacteristic of him when
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it came to Summer. He decided not to dwell on the issue and asked casually, “Had too much work lately, Emmitt?”
“It’s manageable.”
“I’ve moved back home for now. You can just come over if you need to talk. It’ll save you from waiting like today,” Leo said in a softer tone,
At that, Emmitt’s fingers twitched slightly, but his expression remained neutral as he responded. with a noncommittal hum,
Leo glanced at Mirabella, noting the strange tension between her and Emmitt. Hoping to lighten the mood, he forced a topic, “Mirabella, when’s your national competition again?”
Caught off guard while gaming, Mirabella paused her fingers on the screen and, without looking up, replied, “Next Saturday and Sunday.”
Nationals?
Emmitt’s expression flickered with surprise, and he instinctively looked up at Mirabella. His sister had made it to nationals?
