The supermarket.

Simon Adler held his phone in one hand and a pack of a certain brand of sanitary pads in the other, comparing them repeatedly.

This wasn’t the one.

He put it back and picked up the one next to it.

This wasn’t it either.

Standing by the shelf, Simon couldn’t help but yawn. "Boss, are you done yet?"

"If you keep staring, people are going to think we’re perverts."

Simon Adler’s expression darkened. He grabbed the last package and tossed it into the shopping cart next to Simon.

After checking out, Simon Adler’s grim expression still hadn’t softened.

Simon trailed dutifully behind him, carrying the bag. "Boss, are you going to deliver it, or should I have someone else do it?"

"Am I her servant?" In front of the car, Simon Adler planted his hands on his hips and turned to face Simon with a cold look.

Simon just looked back at him, avoiding a direct answer. Instead, he said, "But you already bought it. It wouldn’t hurt to deliver it too, right?"

"Besides, delivering it in person will earn you some brownie points."

"..." Simon Adler didn’t quite understand. "Why should I care about that?"

Brownie points?

What’s the use of that?

Simon thought his boss was just impossible. "Then why did you come buy this for her in the first place?"

"You could have just ignored her, couldn’t you?"

"Don’t you have any common sense?" Simon Adler frowned. "What’s a girl supposed to do on her period without these?"

Simon retorted, "Then couldn’t you have just told me to come buy them from the start?"

"..."

Seeing his boss at a loss for words, Simon coughed lightly, trying hard to suppress a smile. He shoved the bag into Simon Adler’s hands. "Go on, go on. It’s almost lunchtime anyway."

"Oh, right. If you go by way of Wyndham Street, you could get Miss Grant a hot drink. That’ll score you even more points."

The words had barely left his mouth when the bag came flying right at him.

He caught it with both arms. "Boss?"

His gaze followed Simon Adler, who was already bending down to get into the car, leaving him with nothing but a cold back and the deafening SLAM of a car door.

"So I’m delivering it?" Simon got the hint.

The car window rolled down a crack. "Find anyone to deliver it. Just stop bothering me."

"Alright." Simon sighed. "What about the hot drink? Should I still get it?"

"...Get lost."

A certain someone’s exasperated voice came from inside the car.

Simon shrugged. He really couldn’t figure out what was going on in his boss’s head.

’Some people are single for a reason.’

——

The Hughes Corp.

Just as he stepped out of the elevator, Simon Adler ran into Eric.

"Mr. Adler." Eric nodded in greeting.

Simon Adler put his phone away. "Looking for me?"

"Mr. Grant wanted to know if you’d like to have lunch together."

"Sure. Where?"

"The cafeteria."

Simon Adler had no objections.

During the lunch break.

When Simon Adler came downstairs, Silas Grant was already there.

After sitting down, Simon Adler looked him up and down. "What’s with the sudden urge to eat in the cafeteria?"

"Don’t you have a business lunch today? Wasn’t your meeting with Mr. Pierce from Huanyu scheduled for today?"

"Something came up on their end. We rescheduled."

Silas Grant asked if he wanted to add any other dishes. Simon Adler took a look and added two meat dishes.

Seeing this, Silas Grant smiled. "Have you been eating too plainly at the Hughes family’s place lately?"

"I have." Simon Adler knew this wasn’t just a simple meal. Silas Grant was probing.

He folded his napkin and got straight to the point. "I can’t leave just yet. It’s not that I absolutely have to stay at the Hughes residence, but the old master has started to get suspicious of us."

"He’s been pushing you to go on blind dates and rushing you to get married. Don’t you find that strange?"

Silas Grant calmly picked up some food with his chopsticks. "So what have you discovered at the Hughes family’s place in the last two days?"

"I leave early and come back late every day, what could I possibly discover... Does the old master’s recent poor appetite count?"

At this, Silas Grant looked up and met his gaze.

Simon Adler thought for a moment, then asked, "Has there been any news from the old master’s family doctor?"

"None."

"Then why don’t you go back and check on him?"

"I don’t have time."

"No time?" Simon Adler laughed. "No time, but you’re still going to Jynsia?"

"Didn’t you say you wouldn’t see her until the dust settles? It’s barely been any time at all, and you can’t hold back already?"

"I’m not planning to see her."

’I just want to see her from a distance.’

’If she spots me, I won’t be able to bring myself to come back anytime soon.’

"You just went out?"

Silas Grant changed the subject.

"Yeah, went to the supermarket to buy a few things." Simon Adler was very nonchalant. "You’re paying a lot of attention to me lately, huh?"

"Just curious. It seems like you and your girlfriend are getting along well."

"It’s so-so." Simon Adler didn’t want to say more.

’If we talk about this too much, I’m bound to slip up.’

He wasn’t naive enough to think Silas Grant was genuinely concerned about his love life.

From the moment he’d sat down, Silas Grant hadn’t stopped probing.

Simon Adler sighed silently. The truth was, before all this, there were almost no secrets between him and Silas Grant.

Whether bound by mutual interests or their twenty-plus years of friendship, they had never once gotten angry with each other, let alone hidden things or had a falling out.

They had always been open with each other, never on opposing sides, so there was naturally no need for probing.

But now...

Mia Grant.

It was all because of Mia Grant.

’Calling her a troublemaker isn’t an exaggeration at all.’

’I need to hurry up and figure out the old master’s motives.’

’If I keep hiding this, Silas Grant will find out sooner or later.’

’Me bringing it up myself and him finding out on his own are two completely different things.’

——

Mia Grant wasn’t feeling well. Aside from going down for breakfast in the morning, she hadn’t left her room all day.

In the evening, Lee quietly brought her some dessert.

Mia Grant was lying on the bed, sleeping groggily. Hearing a noise, she stopped Lee, who was about to leave. "What time is it?"

"6:16. I brought you some dessert. You can have some to tide you over if you’re hungry."

Mia Grant asked her to turn on the wall lamp.

A faint light illuminated a corner of the room.

Mia Grant sat up. "Is my second brother here?"

"Mr. Hughes? I just heard from the maids that he hasn’t arrived yet."

Mia Grant hummed in acknowledgment.

Seeing that she didn’t look well, Lee told her to keep resting. "The boss will be back around seven. He’ll bring you dinner then."

"Okay."

"Do you want the dessert now? I can bring it over for you."

"No, thanks." Mia Grant had no appetite. "You can go. I’m going to sleep a little longer."

At 7:10, Lee received a call from Simon Adler. He said something had come up and asked her to prepare dinner for Mia Grant.

When the elevator reached the first floor, Lee almost ran into someone as she stepped out.

A tall, slender man was standing outside the elevator.

He wore a khaki coat that fell below his knees, his hands tucked in his pockets. His head was tilted slightly as he listened intently to the butler beside him.

Hearing the commotion, the man glanced over. Even though he didn’t know her, he gave a polite nod in greeting.

Then, the man took a long stride into the elevator, his figure disappearing before her eyes.

Upstairs, candlelight flickered in the silent, long corridor.

A key turned in the lock, and one of the double doors was gently pushed open.

Light from the hallway spilled in, casting his tall shadow onto the bedroom’s Persian rug.