CHAPTER 504: A BROTHER’S TREAT (PART ONE)

Life went on quietly, almost deceptively so. Micah’s days fell into a steady rhythm, classes and short visits between his apartment and Flora’s place. He spent most evenings with Darcy, Flora, and Nora, making sure things were fine. By the time the weekend rolled around, the familiar apartment building felt like his second home.

Darcy’s health had improved faster than Micah expected. The boy was stubborn to begin with, so it didn’t surprise Micah when he dismissed the carer without a second thought.

Micah didn’t push the issue. First, Aunty Jade, the carer Clyde had hired, was technically his employee. Second, he didn’t feel comfortable with a helper constantly being in his apartment in the first place.

Friday evening came, and Micah found himself standing in front of the apartment door again, jacket hanging loosely from his arm. "You really won’t come?" he asked for what must have been the Nth time that day.

Darcy didn’t even glance up from his computer screen. The faint tapping of his keyboard filled the living room. "No," he replied flatly, not missing a beat. His face was calm, but his shoulders were slightly tense.

Micah sighed, his lips pressing into a thin line. His gaze turned toward Flora, who sat near the sofa, folding some clean laundry. He hesitated for a moment, hoping she would back him up.

Flora caught his look and gave a helpless smile. "Go on, Micah," she said softly, shaking her head. "No one can change his mind once he has decided something."

Micah nodded. "Alright."

"Have fun," Flora added quickly.

Micah waved a hand and walked toward the door. Nora stood at the entrance, adjusting her ponytail in front of the mirror. She glanced at Micah through the mirror.

"Sorry..." Micah mumbled. "If things had not turned out like that, you would be going with him instead of me."

Nora straightened, raising an eyebrow. "I told you I don’t mind, but you won’t listen. My big brother is not into Mani or those fan meeting events anyway. So when you said he got me tickets, I already had my doubts," she said and gave Micah a look. "Well, it’s obvious you bought them."

Micah scratched the back of his neck awkwardly. "Ah...Sorry....I thought it would’ve been weird if I gave it to you myself back then."

Nora tilted her head with a playful grin. "Yeah. That would’ve definitely meant something else. A handsome man giving me something like that, it would be like a date," she teased, then waved her hand. "But now I know it’s from my brother."

"Yeah," Micah nodded, pleased by Nora calling him brother. "In that case, let me show you how a top-tier brother treats his sister."

Nora looked at him, puzzled. "Huh?"

Micah smirked mischievously. "This will be our little secret," he whispered, eyes gleaming.

Before Nora could ask what he meant, he grabbed her wrist gently and led her down to the parking lot. He opened the passenger door of a luxury car. "Please, Miss Edwood," he said, with a slight bow, gesturing for Nora to climb into the car. "Your chariot awaits, my lady," he said in an exaggerated formal tone.

Nora gasped and clapped her hands. "Oh my god!" she squealed, jumping into the seat.

Micah laughed under his breath as he got in and started the engine. The car whirred to life smoothly. "Seatbelt," he reminded her, and Nora obediently clicked it in place.

The drive to the hotel was filled with chatter, mostly from Nora.

When they arrived at the destination, Micah stopped at the entrance, gave the key to the valet, and came around to open the door for her. Nora stepped out, gazing up at the grand building. The tall glass windows reflected the evening sky, the interior lights glowing warmly through the panels.

"Are we in the right place?" she asked with uncertainty, glancing around at the well-dressed people going in and out.

"Yeah," Micah said with a confident grin. "We arrived early. So I thought we could have dinner here before the events start."

Nora paused. "Wait. Don’t tell me... you’ve got the special seats?"

Micah nodded, a smug look on his face. "Of course. The regular ones are far back. You can barely see the stage!"

Nora lunged at Micah’s arm, shaking it excitedly. "Ah! I can’t believe it!" she cried out, her face glowing with excitement. "You’re serious?!"

Micah chuckled and led her to the second floor. "You don’t have to line up. So let’s eat first before the crowd shows up."

Nora couldn’t stop smiling as they walked toward the elevator.

Nora began talking nonstop about what she had heard from the other fans: How some fans had been camping overnight just to find the best seat, how others had paid ridiculous prices for resale tickets. "It’s like a war," she said dramatically, waving her hands.

Micah nodded absentmindedly. As Nora kept chatting, something in the crowd caught his attention. His eyes narrowed slightly. He turned around to double-check it, but the familiar figure had vanished.

Nora stopped. "What’s wrong?"

Micah shook his head. "Nothing. Let’s go."

Micah tilted his head, thinking. No. How could he be here? It was Man’s birthday fan meeting, Leo’s rival’s event. There was no reason for him to show up. Why would Leo be here?

Even after they stepped into the elevator, the unease lingered. His thoughts drifted from Leo to his manager as Nora’s cheerful voice faded into the background.

Most of the preparation for his new entertainment company had been handled by Clyde. Micah had wanted to manage it himself, but the man had insisted, no more like pleaded, to let him take care of it. Said it was his way of making up for the other night. Micah hadn’t argued much. He knew he wasn’t good at business deals anyway. So he had simply transferred the money to Clyde. Let the man handle what he did best.

Moreover, Micah had arranged another meeting with Leo’s black fan, Azalea, for tomorrow. He wanted to show her the truth, to let her know who the real culprit had been and then keep her away from the storm.

After that, the plan was simple: leak parts of the evidence to the media first, then hand the full dossier to the police. That would take care of Leo’s manager once and for all.

That way, he could terminate Leo’s contract with Twilight Entertainment. The backlash against that company would be huge. Micah doubted they would come out of it unscathed. Especially after the way they had blackened Leo these past few months. No sane celebrity would ever stay in that company after seeing what they had done to Leo.