Better Brother, Better Life のすべてのチャプター: チャプター 401 - チャプター 410

Gideon's heart clenched the second he thought it might be Phoebe. But when he glanced down at his phone, he saw it was just a message from work—not her.These past few days with zero contact from Phoebe had already put him in a shitty mood. Running into Connor on top of that—and getting his hopes up only to have them crash again—made everything feel ten times worse.The chill he radiated made the air around him drop by a few more degrees. Ian could feel it like a physical weight. He still had no idea what was eating at Gideon, but since the guy wasn't talking, Ian wasn't about to pry. Getting out of the auction house seemed like a smart move.But Gideon changed his mind. Ian was speechless.The auction kicked off. Up came a mid-20th-century oil painting—the highest-valued lot of the night. The starting bid was 500 thousand dollars.Gideon didn't jump in right away. He waited through a few rounds until the box where Connor was finally threw out a number. By then, it had climbed to

Phoebe's and Alexandra's seats were a few rows behind Vanessa's and Anthony's. The two of them were up front; Phoebe and Alexandra were farther back.As Vanessa and Anthony passed by on the way to their spots, everyone clocked each other. Vanessa did her usual thing. She barely spared them a glance, then pulled her eyes away with that signature look of mild disgust.Anthony and Alexandra had more or less fallen out last time. They'd never been super close anyway and had barely kept in touch in recent years, so they hadn't reached the full-on enemies stage.Their eyes met for a second. Then, both of them casually looked away like it was nothing.Anthony, though, couldn't help stealing a couple of extra looks at Phoebe now that he knew she was Connor's ex-wife. For the first time, he genuinely wondered if his judgment was off.Phoebe had this cool, distant vibe. She was very standoffish and the kind of person who gave off serious, no-nonsense energy. She looked nothing like the sche

Alexandra really wanted to talk Phoebe out of this, but she had already gone all in. She was dead set on snatching this calligraphy piece.Alexandra was already mentally bracing for the hit Phoebe was about to take to her wallet when, out of nowhere, Phoebe stood.Alexandra's eyes followed her, looking utterly baffled. What was she doing? Was she standing up to make one last dramatic bid to show that she was getting the piece, no matter what?Alexandra wanted to bury her face in her hands. The mental image alone felt like peak social suicide."What's with that look?" Phoebe asked, calm as ever, like nothing was up. "It's too expensive, and I'm out. Let's go."Alexandra's jaw dropped. She blinked, dumbfounded, and trailed Phoebe as they left the auction hall. The more she thought about it, the more puzzled she became. "Hold up."Phoebe stopped obediently. Alexandra gave her a once-over, then it clicked. "You were faking it?""Since Vanessa wants it, she can have it. But giving it

Phoebe blinked in surprise, caught off guard. She hadn't told Gideon that she was coming, so she had no idea someone else was already there to pick him up. Still, his flight was due to land at any minute now. She wasn't about to leave."You're not seriously here just to work, are you?" Jacqueline didn't even try to hide her mockery. "Model student much? Grinding away even on the weekend, huh? Do you always have to be number one in everything?"Phoebe lifted her gaze and gave Jacqueline a slow once-over.She had indeed always been at the top of her class in school, but playing along with that jab would just put her on the defensive. Besides, the whole point of pretending to be with Gideon was to borrow his influence and keep annoying people at bay.Jacqueline was Ian's younger sister, which meant that she definitely had status. But personality-wise, she didn't hold a candle to someone like Dahlia, who feared no one. Naturally, it was probably because Jacqueline was a bit older.So,

When Gideon walked with his eyes lowered, he radiated his usual chill like a walking block of ice. But the second he spotted Phoebe standing there, he felt the coldness around him melt away. He could literally sense it retreating.His heart hammered fast, and the sudden lightness in his mood said everything.He didn't want to look away, so he kept his gaze locked on her as he stepped closer, one measured stride at a time.Gideon stopped about three feet away, forcing himself to hold back. Any closer, and he probably would've opened his arms and pulled her in.With the height difference between them, he dipped his chin slightly and asked in a low voice, "Why didn't you tell me that you were coming to pick me up?""I texted you," Phoebe said.He wanted to say that it was impossible. He had waited a whole damn week for any sign from her, and he'd checked his phone right before boarding. Yet, he hadn't received anything.Still, he pulled out his phone to check. There it was, a messa