"Who would fall for their brother..."

Mia Grant mumbled softly.

By the bed, the man’s figure stiffened. He looked down in astonishment, his gaze returning to her clear eyes. "What?"

"Huh?" Mia Grant blinked. Realizing what she’d said, she quickly let go of his hand. "Um, what I meant was..."

She scratched her face awkwardly, trying to explain, but was suddenly at a loss for words.

It only took a few seconds for Hayes Hughes to recover.

Something seemed to be brewing in his eyes, but he quickly suppressed it.

"I’ll go get a towel."

He turned his head away.

This time, Mia Grant didn’t stop him. She just watched him come and go, his figure receding into the distance.

Just before his figure vanished completely from sight, Mia Grant called out to him softly, "Hayes Hughes."

In her memory, she had never called him by his full name.

It was always "Brother" or "Second Brother" whenever she spoke to him.

It was just a name, but for some reason, hearing it from her lips now, it sounded inexplicably intimate.

Like a call from a lover—ambiguous and thrilling.

He stood at the end of the long hallway. Warm light from one side flowed silently down his shoulders, tangling with his shadow.

He didn’t turn around.

But he didn’t leave either.

He stood quietly, bathed in the light, and listened to her speak:

"It’s not the kind of affection you have for a brother."

Her voice was so quiet and soft, but thankfully, he still heard it.

If the room hadn’t been so quiet, he truly would have lost control and rushed back to her side to ask her again and again.

But he couldn’t go back. If he did, she would just withdraw into her shell.

"Actually... actually..."

She was hesitating, or perhaps just choosing her words.

His heart hammered in his chest. For the first time, Hayes Hughes understood what it meant for one’s heart to itch with unbearable anticipation.

’I really, really want to know what she’s going to say next.’

The feeling of desperate anticipation was more nerve-wracking than waiting for his exam results back in the day.

’I wish I could hide my clenched fists.’

Unfortunately, he had taken off his coat.

And so, his desperate feelings were laid bare in the open air, with nowhere to hide.

He didn’t know how much time had passed. It might have only been a minute or two, but for him, every second felt like a year.

Finally, amidst the silence, her voice struck his eardrums once more.

This time, her voice was louder, as if she were afraid he wouldn’t hear. She gathered her strength and began, "This might sound strange, but it’s the truth."

"A long, long time ago."

"Before you even knew me, I already liked you."

"So, these feelings were never for a brother."

"I don’t know if you can understand, but anyway, I knew who you were a very long time ago."

"Before we had even met."

"I don’t think I’ve ever said this, but when I jumped into the sea, I was so conflicted. I was sad that you didn’t appear at the last moment to stop me."

Hayes Hughes swallowed hard, his breathing growing difficult.

"But later, I felt incredibly fortunate."

"Because I knew that if you had really appeared, I probably wouldn’t have been able to leave."

"I’m not quite sure how to express my feelings for you right now."

"They’re a bit complicated."

Influenced by her "blackening value," Mia Grant couldn’t directly reveal her true inner thoughts.

Simply put, she used to be absolutely certain that she liked Hayes Hughes.

She had hoped that if he liked her back, they could run away to a distant place and start a new life together.

But now, she no longer had such thoughts.

Whether he liked her or not, or whether she liked him or not...

...none of it seemed that important to her anymore.

If it happened, it would be the icing on the cake. If not, it didn’t matter.

Besides, her feelings were complicated now.

All she could say was that she still liked him, but she wasn’t sure if he was the *only* one she liked.

’I mean, why get hung up on just one guy?’

’These trees should be the ones to bow for me.’

After a long silence, the figure in the distance stirred and slowly turned around.

From this distance, Mia Grant couldn’t see his face clearly, so she didn’t know what kind of expression he was wearing.

’He’s probably smiling.’

"I understand."

He really was smiling. "Liking me is enough."

"It’s my honor."

"I’m so happy to hear you say that. Other than finding out you were still alive, this is the happiest I’ve been all year."

"I know you’re in a difficult position. Ultimately, it’s because I wasn’t strong enough."

"If I had been able to protect you from the start, none of these problems would exist now."

"So, you don’t have to spare my feelings. I’m well aware of how this situation came to be, and I know I have my own ’contribution’ to thank for it."

"I won’t force you to make a choice. Not now, and not ever."

"As long as you want me to, I’ll always be by your side."

"Even if it’s as your brother."

"As long as you need me."

Mia Grant’s eyelashes trembled violently.

She understood Hayes Hughes’s words.

’He really knows everything.’

He knew everything about her. He knew that what she’d just said was her attempt to keep him from leaving.

So now, he was telling her clearly that even without an official title, he would not leave her.

From beginning to end, the thought of leaving had never crossed his mind.

Even when driven by jealousy, he had never forced her to do anything.

The only times he lost control were when they were close, and the deafening beat of his heart made him unable to stop himself from wanting to get closer to her.

Only at times like those would he say something like, ’Can you see me as more than just a brother...?’

He didn’t care about anything else.

Or rather, caring was useless.

She couldn’t become anyone’s accessory, and he didn’t want that for her either.

To put it simply, it was never that she couldn’t leave him; it was that he couldn’t leave her.

So, if he had to stay by her side under a "safe" identity...

...even if it was as a brother...

...he could accept that.

There was no need to fuss over those trivial details anymore.

He couldn’t make things difficult or awkward for her.

...

「Outside the door.」

Simon Adler slowly lowered his raised hand.

At the elevator, Lee came out and ran right into him.

"Oh, Boss? When did you get back? Didn’t you say you were working overtime?"

Before she could finish, the man opposite her tossed her the bag in his hand.

Glancing at the logo on the bag, Lee asked in surprise, "Is this dinner for Miss Grant?"

"No. It’s a late-night snack for you."

"Huh? Miss Grant should still be awake. I’ll go deliver..."

"Come back." Simon Adler pulled her back. "Go downstairs."

A bewildered Lee was shoved into the elevator, and she looked up to see him follow her in.

"Aren’t you going to check on Miss Grant? She wasn’t feeling well during the day. Going now would score you a lot of points."

Simon Adler lit a cigarette. "Someone’s already looking after her."

"Oh? Is it Mr. Grant? No wonder that car at the entrance looked so familiar."

"Who did you say?" CLATTER. The lighter fell to the floor.

"Mr. Grant. Didn’t you two come back together?"

"..."