Chapter 239
After leaving the hospital, Mirabella hailed a cab and headed straight home.
Aside from Marian, who was busy in the kitchen, the house was still home to just one other person – Leo, who had begun to accept his new role as a couch potato.
Every day after school, Mirabella had a little ritual of popping by the bakery downstairs to pick up a slice of strawberry cheesecake, and today was no exception. She walked through the door and handed the sweet treat to Leo.
Looking down at the strawberry cheesecake in his hands, Leo gave his sister a look that was hard to decipher. “My agent says I’ve been packing on the pounds.”
Without missing a beat, Mirabella slung her shoulder bag onto a nearby cabinet, glanced at him. and said offhandedly. “A little extra fluff makes you cuter.”
Leo looked baffled. Since when did gaining weight equate to cuteness?
Mirabella realized she might have chosen her words poorly but was not inclined to correct herself. She plopped down on the couch. A Messenger notification pinged, and she fished the device out of her pocket.
It was a message from Nikolai, whom she had recently added as a contact.
Nikolai: Young lady, take a peek at the proportions in this recipe. Do you see anything amiss? {image}]
Mirabella opened the image to find a common cold and flu remedy but didn’t overlook that one ingredient’s dosage had been deliberately increased by a few grams.
After pondering for a couple of seconds, she replied. [Is this some kind of special concoction?]
On the other side, Nikolai received her message and instinctively stroked his long white beard. He was puzzled – given the young lady’s knowledge of herbs, she should’ve been able to deduce the purpose of the mix. After a moment, he typed slowly.
Nikolai: [It’s for the common cold.]
Nikolai: [Look at the amounts again, more carefully.]
Meanwhile, Leo, who was fiddling with his phone, sat down next to Mirabella and asked, “Hey. sis, do you like music?”
As she replied to Nikolai, Mirabella looked up briefly and answered, “Ah, I listen to it now and then.”
Leo touched his nose, somewhat disappointed. No wonder his sister always seemed oblivious to his career. With that in mind, he brought up one of his tracks and hit play. “What do you think? Is it good?” He cranked the volume to the max as if concerned she wouldn’t hear it properly.
Chapter 239
The sudden blast of sound startled Mirabella, nearly causing her to send an unfinished message. She massaged her temples and said with a hint of exasperation, “Leo, my ears work just fine.”
Leo persisted, “But is the song good?”
She nodded. “It’s great, really great,” her tone dripping with nonchalance.
Leo, sensing her attention was elsewhere, turned off the music with a sulky motion and leaned in to see whom she was chatting with so intently.
Mirabella didn’t bother hiding her Streen. Without looking up, she said, “Some old–school alternative medicine practitioner.”
Leo glanced over the chat. It was full of incomprehensible jargon, and he quickly lost interest, retracting his gaze.
After sending the last message, Mirabella put her phone down and finally turned to Leo, a beat too late, asking. “Why’d you stop the music?”
“As if you don’t know why,” he thought, but Leo didn’t dare voice his thoughts aloud. He was about to share his latest recording when Marian’s voice carried over, interrupting him.
“Dinner’s ready.”
Instantly, Leo switched off his phone.
Mirabella stood up. “Come on, Leo. Let’s eat.”
She couldn’t resist ruffling his thick, curly locks as she passed by – they were as soft as wool, just as she’d imagined. Satisfied, Mirabella smiled to herself.
Leo, baffled by his sister’s behavior, simply followed her to the dining table.
