When Simon Adler came out of the shower, his eyes subconsciously darted to the small coffee table near the bed.

The coffee table had been tidied up, and the rug...

’Wait, where is she?’

His hand, which was drying his hair, froze. His heart tightened as his gaze frantically searched the room. Just as he was about to call her name, he suddenly spotted a lump on the bed.

On the large bed in the center of the room, someone was lying on her stomach, playing on her phone. He couldn’t tell if she was chatting or playing a game, but either way, she was clearly having a good time.

Of course, from this angle, he couldn’t see her face at all.

But he could see her small feet dangling and kicking in the air.

She was wearing jeans, the cuffs hugging her ankles but unable to hide her fair skin.

So small.

Simon Adler’s thin lips pressed together. He tore his gaze away and walked toward the sofa.

As he walked, he deliberately made some noise to let her know he was out.

Sure enough, Mia Grant turned her head and glanced at the sofa near the foot of the bed.

Simon Adler sat down on the sofa. The other side was occupied by his blankets and pillows, so he could only sit in the corner. His tall frame looked a little pitiful at that moment.

Mia Grant blinked, feeling no sympathy for him.

"Are you going down to eat now?"

"Yeah." Simon Adler put the towel down and looked up at her, frowning. "You..."

He looked like he wanted to say something but was holding back.

Mia Grant tilted her head, all ears.

"Your stomach... does it not hurt anymore?"

"It’s a little better." Mia Grant didn’t know why he was asking. "My second brother brought me some medicine just now, so it’s much better."

"Then try not to lie on your stomach. You just ate, it’s not good for digestion."

"But if I don’t lie on my stomach, it’s uncomfortable."

"..."

"I... I... Didn’t Lee bring you a hot water bottle or a heat patch during the day?"

Mia Grant was puzzled. She thought about it carefully, then shook her head. "I don’t think so. I don’t remember."

"What about that bag she gave you?"

"What bag?"

"...Feminine hygiene products."

"If you mean sanitary pads, just say sanitary pads." Mia Grant didn’t understand why a grown man like him was so embarrassed.

She wasn’t the one feeling ashamed.

Lifting her chin, she pointed. "There, on the stool. What, you need one?"

"..." Taking a deep breath, Simon Adler looked her straight in the eye. "Can you not talk to me like that?"

"Sorry about that." Mia Grant shrugged, still unfazed. "Me? I’ve always treated people the way they treat me."

"If you think I’m being rude to you, then you’re the one who should be reflecting, not me."

"Instead of wasting time lecturing me, maybe you should find the problem with yourself."

Simon Adler choked. ’When was I lecturing her?’

Mia Grant turned away and went back to her little game. This time, she even turned the volume all the way up, making it clear she refused to communicate with him.

For a moment, the quiet room was filled with the sound effects of some match-three game. Staring at her back for a good while, Simon Adler let out a laugh of exasperation.

He’d said before that communicating with Mia Grant was as difficult as talking to his little niece who was still in kindergarten.

Now it seemed she was even worse than his little niece.

At least chatting with his niece wouldn’t piss him off half to death.

To ensure he lived a few days longer, Simon Adler decided not to get the cold shoulder for his trouble. He grabbed his phone and got up to go downstairs.

Amidst the noisy game sound effects, his footsteps were barely noticeable.

As he passed the low stool by the bed, he couldn’t help but slow his pace. His gaze searched around, past the clothes she had piled next to it, and landed precisely on the bag.

It still had the logo of some supermarket on it.

"Hey," he called out.

"Mia Grant?"

Still no response.

Simon Adler’s chest heaved. Resigned to his fate, he walked to the foot of the bed, bent down, and rummaged through the bag, finally pulling out a heat patch and a hot water bottle.

Two minutes later, Mia Grant vaguely sensed someone approaching.

They brought with them the fresh scent of shower gel.

She stopped what she was doing. Just as she was about to look up, a bag of something was tossed down beside her hand.

"What’s this?"

"A heat patch. If you don’t want to use it, use the hot water bottle. Just stop bothering me."

Tossing out that petulant line, he turned and left without a single glance at her.

Mia Grant turned her head, her gaze following his cold back for a few seconds. She raised an eyebrow.

"Simon Adler."

"I said, don’t..."

"You’re swinging your arm and leg in sync."

"..."

The door slammed shut with a BANG, cutting off the girl’s unrestrained laughter.

Simon Adler leaned against the door, panting in embarrassment.

After forcing himself to calm down, he immediately went downstairs.

「The Dining Room.」

Everyone was already there.

Simon Adler explained himself to the old gentleman, who waved his hand dismissively. "We’re all family. It’s okay to be late once in a while. Hurry and sit down."

"Why is your face so red?"

Hearing the old gentleman’s words, Silas Grant and Hayes Hughes both looked up at him.

Simon Adler’s movements stiffened slightly. He sat down nonchalantly and explained, "I just took a shower, so it’s a bit hot."

The old gentleman nodded, then turned to chat with Hayes Hughes again.

Silas Grant was sitting to the old gentleman’s right, with Simon Adler next to him. Hayes Hughes was on the old gentleman’s left.

At first, he asked about some work-related matters, but the topic soon shifted to Silas Grant.

"Your older brother’s marriage is about to be settled. You might as well stay a few more days and leave after the wedding."

Hayes Hughes instinctively looked across the table.

Meeting his gaze, the smile on Silas Grant’s face didn’t falter.

Hayes Hughes frowned slightly, then asked, "Which family’s daughter is it? They’ve only just met, and they’re getting married so soon?"

"Your older brother isn’t young anymore. With a suitable match, it makes no difference whether it’s settled sooner or later."

"If it’s settled sooner, I might even get to hold a great-grandchild."

"Once your older brother’s marriage is set, the next step will be to consider yours."

Hayes Hughes lowered his eyes. "I don’t have any such plans at the moment."

"Hayes, you’re not young anymore either." 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

"I know." Logically, this wasn’t the time to be contrarian.

But...

’If I act weak now, if I don’t dare to resist... what right will I have to stay by Mia Grant’s side in the future?’

"I’m sorry, Grandpa. I already have someone I like. I’ll bring her to see you when I have the chance."

"Which family’s girl is she?"

"She’s from Jynsia."

"What does she do?"

"She’s still a student."

Just as he finished speaking, the inopportune sound of a knife and fork scraping against a plate came from across the table.

Hayes Hughes didn’t need to look up to know who was responsible.

"A student? Then..."

"Grandpa."

The low voice was devoid of any clear emotion.

The old gentleman turned his head to meet Silas Grant’s smiling eyes.

"Was the young lady from the Cameron Family the one you told me this morning to make time to meet tomorrow?"

"Yes." ’His purpose in bringing this up right now is too obvious.’

The old gentleman was a little disappointed. ’He shouldn’t have gotten so flustered. He’s been playing it safe for so long, only to expose his feelings at a time like this.’

*Sigh.*

However, the old gentleman still did him the courtesy.

At least he had agreed to the meeting.

"I had someone who knows you very well pick out three candidates for you from a list of potential matches."

"You’ll meet Iris Cameron first tomorrow."

The old gentleman chuckled. "She said you’ll like her."