"..."

Simon Adler glanced down. For a moment, his vision went black. He hastily took a step back, ducking back into the walk-in closet.

Mia Grant tsked, biting back a sarcastic comment.

She replied to what he’d just said, "I know. I’m not a three-year-old."

"That would be for the best."

"If you cause me any more trouble, I’ll tell Silas Grant you’re here," he threatened, so flustered he was practically rambling.

"...You’re insane."

Mia Grant muttered to herself and ignored him, looking down to continue replying to Felix Sinclair’s messages.

"Don’t worry about coming over. At this hour, my brother would get suspicious if you did."

"My brother is seriously more vigilant than you think. The slightest sign of trouble won’t escape his notice."

"I’ll definitely be back before the end of the month. As soon as my brother’s marriage is settled, I can come back."

"I’m perfectly safe right now. I’ll call you if anything happens."

She fired off several messages in a row.

「In Jynsia,」

Upon seeing her messages, Felix Sinclair sighed quietly and deleted what he’d typed in the text box, character by character.

"Okay. I’m a light sleeper, so you can call me 24/7."

After a pause, he continued typing: "You can call me even if nothing’s wrong."

A few seconds later, Mia Grant sent back a cat sticker making an "OK" sign.

Staring at the sticker for a moment, Felix Sinclair put down his phone.

’Not as cute as her.’

Across from him, seeing that he’d finished chatting so quickly, Ian Sinclair’s eyebrows shot up. He quickly put down his game controller. "You’re done already? That only took a few minutes. Did she ignore you?"

At that thought, Ian Sinclair grinned, gloating. But on second thought, Mia Grant not replying wasn’t a good thing.

If they lost contact with her, it could mean her life was in some kind of danger.

"She’s eating," Felix Sinclair said, his tone flat.

Ian Sinclair let out a breath of relief and fell back onto the sofa. "What did she say to you?"

"She said it’s very likely we’re all under her big brother’s surveillance right now, and that it’s best not to leave Jynsia and just live normally."

"Once her brother’s marriage is settled, she can come back."

Hearing this, Ian Sinclair frowned and put the controller he had just picked up back down again. "Don’t you think something’s weird?"

"What?"

Felix Sinclair lifted his gaze.

Ian Sinclair rarely used his brain, but that didn’t mean he didn’t have one.

"Her big brother is monitoring us just to keep tabs on her?"

"Yes."

"But as her brother... and they aren’t even blood-related. In fact, Mia has already left the Grant Family. So why is he, the ’brother,’ so fixated on this ’fake sister’?"

"Also, what does her brother getting married have to do with her? Why would old Mr. Hughes invite her over? What role could she possibly play in all this?"

"Even if they were inviting family to Portia for the wedding, shouldn’t Serena Grant be the one invited?"

"But I ran into Serena Grant in class yesterday. She was laughing and joking with her friends, and they were making plans to go skiing for Christmas. It was like she had no idea her brother was getting married. Otherwise, shouldn’t she be in a hurry to get to Portia?"

Ian Sinclair just felt that something was off.

Felix Sinclair lowered his eyes, showing no intention of commenting.

Ian didn’t know Mia’s brother, but he certainly knew his own.

"You know something, don’t you?"

"Did she tell you something else?"

"Are you two hiding something from me?"

"No." Felix Sinclair’s expression didn’t flicker, his eyes as placid as still water. "Now isn’t the time to get hung up on these questions."

"Just do as she says and don’t cause her any trouble."

"When she gets back to Jynsia, you’ll have plenty of opportunities to ask her in person."

"Of course, you also need to understand something. You’re not in a position to demand a definitive answer from her about everything."

"If she doesn’t want to talk about it, then let it go. Don’t investigate. It will make her unhappy."

Ian Sinclair’s jaw dropped, his expression one of utter disbelief.

Was this still the same brother who had been lovesick to the point of desperation over Mia?

Why was he being so considerate and magnanimous now?

"I guess becoming her fiancé really elevated you to a new level, huh."

Ian Sinclair sneered, "But you have no right to say that to me. Whether I want to ask, and whether she wants to tell me, that’s between the two of us. Stay out of it."

"With all that spare time, you’d be better off figuring out how to actually marry her."

"After all, you don’t have many chances left."

At his words, a faint smile touched Felix Sinclair’s emotionless face. He gave a slight curl of his lips.

"What are you smiling about?" Ian Sinclair frowned.

"She was right."

"What?"

"You really are childish."

Ian Sinclair froze, his eyes widening the next second. "You!"

Felix Sinclair didn’t want to waste any more words with him, so he got up and went upstairs.

***

「Late at night.」

「The old Donovan estate.」

Inside the ancestral hall, Yates Donovan shifted his numb legs.

The door behind him was left open. In early winter, Jynsia was already approaching freezing temperatures. A bitter cold wind poured in, relentlessly beating against the man’s back.

Fortunately, his build wasn’t slight, so he didn’t cut too pathetic a figure.

The old butler hurried over, dismissed the servants waiting outside, then went in and shut the door, blocking out the cold wind.

Without turning around, Yates Donovan knew who had arrived.

"Has the old master gone to sleep?"

"Yes. The old master stays up late, otherwise I would have come sooner. Quick, quick, put this blanket on and rest for a bit."

The old butler draped the blanket over him from behind. Yates Donovan grabbed the corners, slumped to the side, and lay right down on the floor to rest.

He glanced sideways at the old butler who was ladling soup for him and asked with a grin, "How’s my second uncle? Is he dead?"

"..." The old butler turned his head, making a sound of dismay. "Young Master, don’t say such dreadful things. And look where you are!"

’To say such a thing in front of all the ancestors...’

"So what?"

Yates Donovan was unconcerned. "If they want to blame me, let them. The worst they can do is curse me to drop dead tomorrow."

"Don’t say that! Don’t!" the old butler exclaimed, his hand trembling so hard the bowl nearly shattered.

"Oh, young master."

The old butler was both angry and helpless.

Yates Donovan found it amusing to watch him press his palms together, bowing to the ancestral tablets while muttering, "Forgive his foolish words."

"My life is worthless. Why care so much?"

"Sigh, what a thing to say. Even if you don’t do it for yourself, you should think of others."

"Others? The old master might seem to be on my side, but Yael Donovan is his own flesh and blood, after all. The only son who’s stayed by his side all these years. He can’t bear to punish him too harshly, I know that." 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

"It’s not just for the old master’s sake. Think about... ah, yes, about that Miss Grant."

Hearing that name, the man slowly opened his eyes.

"If you just admit you were wrong, you’ll be able to go see Miss Grant, won’t you?"

"She’s in Portia right now."

"Isn’t that perfect? Tell the old master you want to go to Portia to check on the Second Master."

Yates Donovan rested his head on his arm, his expression indifferent. "She might not need me right now."

The old butler laughed. "Couples always make up after a fight. You’ve never been this dramatic before."

Yates Donovan eyed him sideways for a few seconds, then broke into a grin. "You’re right. I can’t be the only one this bored. I’m going to go find her and have some fun."

"You handle the old master. I’m leaving."

"???"