Lahat ng Kabanata ng Better Brother, Better Life: Kabanata 481 - Kabanata 490

Phoebe nodded. "We should've come to see you sooner."Leona really liked that cool, unflappable edge Phoebe had. Sure, she gave Gideon endless grief, but he was undeniably good-looking and the type to turn heads.Phoebe handled being around him with total ease. She wasn't overly affectionate, but that was just her personality, aside from the fact that she probably didn't like Gideon as much as he liked her. Nothing rattled her enough to throw her off balance."You're probably not that interested in me," Leona teased. "You'd rather hear stuff about Gideon, right?"Phoebe knew Leona was only asking because she thought they were a real couple, so she played along. Of course, aside from the fake dating, Phoebe had already let Gideon in on pieces of her past. She might as well learn a little about him in return. "Ms. Blackwood, you should tell me some things."She glanced back at Gideon, then turned to Leona again. "He never tells me anything himself.""What's there to hide?" Leona sh

Leona had reached that rare place in life, after overcoming obstacles and weathering storms, where she could afford to be generous, even if she still minded Phoebe's past. Only someone with rock-solid confidence could pull off that kind of wide-open acceptance.But Phoebe had also seen her colder side.In just two meetings, Leona had showered her with money and expensive gifts. Phoebe couldn't deny that it was a form of care; she had no problem with love being shown through cash.But for people with real money, handing over cash was the easiest shortcut. It was convenient and low-effort. The real taste of that gesture probably hit Gideon the hardest.When a kid got hurt, and the parent skipped the comfort to go straight to throwing money at the problem… That wasn't exactly responsible parenting.Phoebe had grown up with a mother who loved her fiercely, so she was sensitive to whatever the elders gave her. She could tell the difference between genuine warmth and something else.Sh

Phoebe pulled her hand back pretty quickly. "Your hair's dry. I guess I took forever in there."Gideon just looked at her."…Let's watch a little more of the movie, then hit the sack," she said, settling onto the couch next to him, keeping about a foot of space between them.The living room lights were dim and low, perfect for winding down. Sleep was suddenly the most loaded topic of the night.Logically, since Phoebe and Gideon were just pretending to be a couple and didn't have any feelings for each other, sharing a room for one night should've been no big deal. It was something they should've expected when agreeing to start this act. They could've talked about it openly.But for some reason, the atmosphere felt strange. Phoebe couldn't bring herself to kick off the conversation. No matter who brought it up first, it felt like the oxygen would get sucked out of the room. It was so odd.She sat there, tasting the strangeness. Then she belatedly realized that this feeling was… ch

Phoebe nodded. "Yeah. Familiarity is safety."She let out a big yawn. "Give me a bit more time. I'll go get ready.""Okay." Gideon nodded and watched her walk off to handle her morning routine. He'd barely slept at all last night.The clothes Leona had told the household staff to bring over were classic old-money style—timeless pieces that would suit any age. Phoebe picked out a crisp white set and changed into it after washing up.She didn't forget to swap in the freshly washed underwear, of course. She couldn't just throw out the dirty ones she'd worn last night, so she gave them a quick rinse and hung them in the bathroom to dry.Gideon almost never stayed here. If the staff found them later, they could toss them or put them away. Either way, things were fine as long as nothing worn and dirty was left out for anyone to see.Leona had also set out makeup for her, but she only bothered with skincare. The white outfit made her skin look clean and glowing; a good night's sleep had

Phoebe had always figured that Flynn would find out by showing up at her place unannounced and catching Gideon there. She never imagined running into him right outside Leona's villa.Leona had to have heard the things Flynn had shouted earlier—they'd been right outside the villa, after all. That was why Phoebe couldn't explain anything on the spot. They had to get out of there before she could deal with him.Whether Leona would get suspicious… Well, that was Gideon's problem now. So far, though, it didn't look like Leona had picked up on anything.Phoebe honestly hadn't expected the fake-dating act to work this smoothly. They'd easily slipped past Leona's sharp eyes.Living together helped sell it, sure, but being face-to-face was the real test. They'd passed with flying colors, so there was no reason to drop the act halfway. Phoebe would keep it going.Besides, she only had to play the perfect girlfriend when Leona was around. Once Leona left, she and Gideon could snap right back