(POV: Ethan)
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Leo does this on purpose.
I'm convinced at this point.
It's the only explanation for why the most ridiculous things keep happening to him, and he just acts like it's nothing.
Right now, Sophia, Ava, and I were sitting at our usual café, enjoying some late afternoon coffee. The conversation had been normal—at first. Then, as always, something came up.
"So, Leo," Ava said casually, stirring her drink. "What did you do yesterday?"
Leo, who had just taken a sip of his coffee, barely glanced up. "Nothing much. Read for a bit. Went to a café."
Seemed normal.
Then Sophia, with the instincts of a detective uncovering a grand conspiracy, immediately narrowed her eyes. "Which café?"
Leo paused for half a second. "A small one near Westend Street."
Ava perked up. "Oh! I know that place! It's nice, right? Quiet, good coffee?"
Leo nodded. "Yeah. The coffee was decent."
That should have been the end of it. A normal conversation. A normal day.
But no.
Sophia was already squinting at her phone, scrolling with terrifying speed. "Westend Street… bookstore café… oh? Oh?"
Her eyes widened. She turned the screen toward us.
There, on social media, was a post from none other than Daniel Everett, the A-list actor himself.
> Daniel Everett: Shoutout to the random genius at the café today who unknowingly became our acting coach. Hope you don't sue us for using your advice.
#BestDirectorWeNeverHired
Below it?
A picture of Daniel and his co-stars. And at the edge of the frame, barely noticeable but still unmistakable—
Leo.
Sitting there. Expression blank. Holding his coffee. Looking like he had no idea why he was even there.
Sophia turned back to him, jaw slightly open. "Leo."
Leo waited. "Yeah?"
She pointed at the screen. "You were coaching Daniel Everett?"
Leo, completely unfazed, took another sip of coffee. "Not really. They just asked for my opinion on a script."
Ava and I exchanged glances.
"And you gave them actual advice?" I asked.
Leo shrugged. "They asked."
Sophia stared at him, clearly in disbelief. "Do you realize what this means?"
Leo blinked. "That… I got free entertainment while drinking coffee?"
Ava sighed, rubbing her temples. "No, it means you somehow accidentally got involved in the film industry. Again."
Leo tilted his head. "Again? When was the first time?"
We all turned to him.
"The time you unknowingly sat in on a script discussion between two famous actors."
"The time you ended up in the background of a celebrity's vlog."
Leo stared at us, as if running through all these memories for the first time. Then, with complete indifference, he shrugged. "Huh."
Huh, he says.
"How does this keep happening to you?" I asked.
Leo just sipped his coffee again. "Coincidence."
Sophia let out an exaggerated groan. "Unbelievable. I swear, if I ever randomly find a movie credit with your name on it, I'm going to lose my mind."
Ava, meanwhile, was still scrolling. Then, suddenly, she froze.
"…Guys?"
We all turned to her.
She turned her phone around.
The actress from the script reading—Ava recognized her as Olivia Brooks—had replied to Daniel's post.
> Olivia Brooks: No joke, we really should've hired him. The way he pointed out pacing flaws in under five minutes? Scary.
Underneath that?
A comment from a fan.
> Fan: OMG WHO IS THIS MYSTERIOUS GENIUS???
And then, the worst possible reply from Olivia.
> Olivia Brooks: Haha, we can't reveal our sources. It'd ruin the mystery.
I turned to Leo, slowly.
"You're going to become an urban legend at this rate."
Leo, still completely unbothered, simply picked up his fork and took a bite of cake. "Unlikely."
Ava laughed. "I dunno, Leo. This is how myths start."
Sophia shook her head in pure exasperation. "I give up. I don't even care anymore."
She cared. A lot. But I wasn't about to point that out.
I sighed, leaning back in my chair. "Let's just eat. Knowing Leo, next week he's probably going to accidentally advise a novelist or something."
Leo didn't confirm or deny that possibility.
And somehow, that worried me more.
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End of Chapter 9.