Collins nced again at the dossier in Mirabe''s hands, momentarily ignoring his curiosity about how she got such detailed info. Right now, he needed to figure out how to handle this mess.


    Emerson was definitely involved, which meant Jay was likely tangled up in it too.


    He turned to Leo, who was zoning out, and gave him a nudge with his foot to snap him back to reality.


    Leo wiped his face with his hand and said, "Back when Jay and I were on good terms, Emerson used to drop by our training room sometimes. He didn''t say much, kind of shy and introverted. I had a pretty decent first impression of him. Later on, he even helped me out a few times."


    A self-deprecating smirk tugged at his lips. He never would''ve guessed that someone who seemed so harmless could be so malicious.


    Mirabe settled back into her chair, resting a hand on Leo''s shoulder, her face puzzled. "So, Leo, how does someone as naive as a one-episode TV character manage to survive in showbiz, huh?"


    Leo, lost in his thoughts, was jolted by his sister''s blunt jab. Seriously?


    He felt like tweeting a poll to see if everyone else''s sisters were as good at taking digs at their brothers.


    But Mirabe''s teasing did the trick, lightening Leo''s mood considerably.


    Collins gave her a silent thumbs-up from the sidelines. His sister was impressive —if it were up to him tofort the ''little prince'', it would have taken half the day with questionable results.


    Clearing his throat, Collins spoke up, "Sis, send me that file, will you? This is a matter of life and death. We can''t afford to be lenient."


    Nodding, Mirabe grabbed her phone and forwarded the information James had sent directly to Collins.


    Once Collins had the files, he recalled Leo''s recent poisoning and voiced his suspicion, "Do you think Leo''s poisoning might be tied to Jay?"


    Mirabe thought for a moment before shaking her head. "No."


    Though she had only skimmed through Emerson''s personal details, the poison in Leo''s system didn''t match anything within the spheres of Jay and Emerson.


    Collins, though unsure why his sister was so convinced, instinctively trusted her, especially after witnessing her disy of hacking prowess.


    "Alright then, I''ll keep digging. You two get some rest. I''ve got to catch up with Zach and handle a ton of other stuff, so I''ll head out now," Collins said as he stood up, shutting down theputer.


    "Take care," they replied in unison.


    Collins had barely stepped out when he paused, doubling back to add, "Oh, and one of my buddy''s colleagues, aputer programmer, asked if he could add you on Messenger."


    Mirabe blinked in surprise.


    Collins coughed awkwardly and added, "Ahem, I think he''s just impressed with your tech skills and wants to get to know you."


    Before Mirabe could respond, Leo, stone-faced, interjected, "Tell him my sister doesn''t have Messenger. She''s not adding anyone."


    Collins'' mouth twitched with a suppressed smile. Brotherly protectiveness or just in interference? He had a hunch that the mysterious block on his Messenger contact list was Leo''s handiwork.


    "Don''t you have a ton of stuff to deal with? Get moving and let us rest."


    Leo was already on his feet, ushering Collins out of the room with impatience


    before mming the door shut with a resounding thud.


    Collins stood in the hallway, half-amused, half-exasperated. The story continues...