Niki paused mid–thought, recalling <b>Leo’s </b>pulse from earlier. “<b>But</b>,” he ventured, “you must have taken something else, haven’t you?”
The question was aimed at Leo, who fell silent for a couple of seconds before reaching into his pocket. He pulled out a ss bottle and ced it on the table. “Yeah, could you help me out here? I need to know if what was in this was for.”
The bottle was empty, but traces of the substance still clung to the ss. Niki took the bottle<b>, </b>unscrewed the cap, and took a whiff. His eyes widened almost immediately, and he turned to Leo with an excited tone. “Where in the world did you get this?”
Leo had a hunch about what wasing next. After a brief silence, he replied. “A friend gave it to me.”
“Is your friend in the medical field?” Niki pressed on.
“No,” Leo said, his voice tinged with uncertainty. The <b>medicine </b>hade from his sister, but if she wasn’t medically inclined, how could she have known he’d <b>been </b>poisoned and given him the antidote? Leo’s mind buzzed with questions, but in Niki’s presence, he forced them down.
Niki set the bottle aside. “Alright then,” he said, dropping the subject. He was disappointed but knew that whoever had concocted this remedy was no amateur in medicine–perhaps far beyond his own expertise<b>. </b>
Leo’s hands were clenched tight. He fixed his gaze on Niki, full of hope. “I want to ask your something else. If the poison in my body is gone as you said<b>, </b>is my spinal problempletely fixed?”
Collins chimed in with urgency. “Right, because he’s an actor, you know. He’s got to perform and dance…all that physical stuff. Is he all okay now?”
Niki took a sip of his herbal tea, and didn’t answer right away. “Seems like you don’t know much about your miracle–worker friend.” The implication was clear: such a trivial concern should not even need to be voiced.
Leo got the hint. Standing up, he nodded respectfully at Niki. “Thanks for your time today.”
Niki waved a hand dismissively. “Don’t thank me. I didn’t really help you with anything.”
After a few more questions, Collins and Leo thanked Niki several times before leaving the holistic health clinic.
Once in the car<b>, </b>Collins started the engine and turned to Leo. “So, that antidote–where’d you get it?”
Leo still held the ss bottle, his gaze lowered. “It was from my sister.”
“But wasn’t Zach the only one who knew about your condition? How did your sister…?” Collins
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was puzzled.
Leo looked at his manager with aplex expression. “Don’t ask. I don’t know either.”
He had taken the medicine because of Mirabe’s forceful insistence. How could he admit to being pressured by her without feeling embarrassed?
Collins shot Leo a disdainful look. “You don’t even understand your sister and call yourself a brother?<b>” </b>
Leo was lost for words.
“Anyway, you should be grateful you’ve got a sister,” Collins remarked thoughtfully.
At that, Leo couldn’t help but crack a smile. Yeah, his sister was like a lucky charm. Since she’de back, everything seemed to have changed for the better.
Right then, Leo’s phone buzzed. As he pulled it out and saw who was calling, his eyebrows knitted together immediately.