Mia Grant was speechless.

"You’ve... got some principles, huh."

"Didn’t you say you like me?"

"That’s why I won’t tell Silas Grant."

Seeing him get so serious all of a sudden, Mia Grant decided to tease him. "And what if I say no?"

"My target *is* the Hughes Corp. How about we work together—you on the inside, me on the outside? I’ll even promote you when the time comes."

Simon Adler put his hands on his hips and laughed. "You’ve really got some nerve."

"If I were in a position to help you, why wouldn’t I just go solo?"

"But you said it yourself. You like me."

"So?"

"So, you’ll become my dog."

"..."

Simon Adler’s expression faltered. In the next second, he reached out, squeezed her cheeks, and leaned in with a frown. "Have I been going too easy on you lately?"

Mia Grant kept her smile and slapped his hand away. "You’d better keep this attitude. Otherwise, I won’t be so nice to you in the future."

"Now get lost. I’m going to sleep."

"..."

Mia Grant lay down, pulled the blanket around herself, and turned over to sleep.

"Are you like this with them, too?"

Simon Adler stood by the bed, staring at her back and seething with frustration.

And yet, there was nothing he could do.

He could only let her do as she pleased.

’If this keeps up... what she said might actually come true.’

’And the one who’d put him in this humiliating predicament was none other than himself.’

"Why are you comparing yourself to them?"

At her words, Simon Adler’s expression softened. Finally, something reasonable.

But in the next second, with her back still to him, she added faintly, "You’re not even qualified."

"..."

"Aren’t you afraid I’ll sell you out right now?"

"Go ahead. We’re in the same boat. If I go down, you’re coming with me."

Simon Adler was about to say something else, but before he could, he heard her say in a helpless, cold-blooded tone, "Just go to bed. Stop being so dramatic."

"..."

"If you’ve got a problem with it, you can go upstairs right now and find the old man or Silas Grant."

The words had barely left her mouth when the person by the bed really did move, his footsteps gradually fading into the distance.

Mia Grant’s eyes flew open.

’Seriously? Is he really that fragile?’

’What a sore loser, can’t even take a little teasing???’

CLICK. The lights in the room suddenly went out.

Mia Grant froze for a moment before her eyes quickly adjusted to the darkness. She looked toward the foot of the bed.

On the sofa not far away, a tall figure shifted slightly, then lay down quietly.

She blinked. Realizing what had happened, Mia Grant raised an eyebrow.

’Heh. This guy.’

After all that commotion, she suddenly wasn’t sleepy anymore.

After a moment of hesitation, she called Hayes Hughes.

「Meanwhile, upstairs.」

The two brothers stepped out of the elevator, one after the other.

The long corridor was quiet and empty, with only the two of them in sight.

Silas Grant walked ahead, with Hayes Hughes following silently.

Their rooms were next to each other. Hayes Hughes was the first to stop, pausing in front of his bedroom door and turning the lock.

As he pushed the door open, a sliver of light spilled out from within.

The phone in his pocket vibrated faintly. Hayes Hughes stopped opening the door and pulled out his phone to look.

He had only pulled the door open a crack when the man behind him stopped. Silas’s voice rang out, seemingly at an inopportune moment. "Resting already?" 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

Hayes Hughes looked up. His finger slipped, and he accidentally answered the call.

He didn’t notice, simply stuffing the phone back into his pocket and turning to the side. "Did you need something from me, Brother?"

"Can we talk?"

Silas Grant stood to one side. The warm, yellow light from overhead fell upon his shoulders, making the slight upward curve of his lips seem unusually gentle.

Hayes Hughes considered it for a moment, then nodded. "Alright."

"My room is a bit of a mess. Is yours convenient?"

Hayes Hughes glanced at his door, pushed it wide open, and gestured for Silas to enter.

Inside the room, Silas Grant sat down on the sofa, and Hayes Hughes went to pour him some water.

"Don’t bother. I’ll be heading back after we talk for a bit."

Hayes Hughes relented and sat down across from him.

His gaze swept casually around the room, finally landing on a suitcase nearby.

Hayes Hughes never let the staff pack his suitcase; he always tidied it up himself.

Now, the suitcase was lying open on the floor. He had likely opened it upon entering, hastily grabbed something, and then left without having time to put it away.

"When are you planning to head back to the capital?"

"Didn’t Grandfather say I should attend your wedding?"

"We still don’t know when that will be. Aren’t you busy with work?"

"I am. It’s the end of the year, so things are piling up."

"I see." As the elder brother, Silas Grant didn’t forget to show some concern, offering a few pleasantries.

Despite the picture of brotherly harmony, Hayes Hughes was not moved.

He knew this wasn’t Silas Grant’s true purpose.

Sure enough, it wasn’t long before the man across from him smiled and asked, "Did you see her before you came?"

Her.

It took almost no thought; the understanding between them was tacit. Hayes Hughes’s expression shifted slightly. "I saw her on the day of the engagement party. We spoke on the phone before I came—she asked me to bring her back some Portuguese egg tarts."

"And you actually went."

"Yes. As her brother, I couldn’t be absent at such an important moment, when she needed to be celebrated."

The smile on Silas Grant’s lips deepened. "Does she need to be celebrated?"

"Brother, that’s not the point. You know what my attendance meant."

"She needs... us."

"Is that so?" Silas Grant’s voice was faint.

Hayes Hughes frowned.

He had shown up to give Mia Grant some backing.

He was worried she’d be bullied, manipulated, or taken advantage of that day.

Taking a deep breath, Hayes Hughes tried to avoid an argument. "Is that all you wanted to ask, Brother?"

"I haven’t heard anything about her in a long time, so I wanted to ask you."

"Then why don’t you just call her?"

"Or even just send her a text."

"I don’t have time."

’Forget it.’

Hayes Hughes sighed and changed the subject. "So, are you really getting married, Brother?"

"What choice do I have? You can refuse, but do I have that option?"

Just now, in the dining room, Hayes Hughes had the gall to refuse the old man to his face.

’Could I do that?’

’I could. But not now.’

’The time isn’t right yet.’

"Then have you considered that she might find out?"

"She won’t."

The man’s tone was absolute.

"But no secret can be kept forever. You’re the heir to the Hughes Family. News of your marriage will be exposed by the media sooner or later." Hayes Hughes felt a sense of powerlessness. "When that happens..."

"It won’t," Silas Grant interrupted softly, still smiling.

Hayes Hughes looked at him, his disappointment palpable. "Brother, after all these years, I still can’t figure out what you’re thinking."

"You might have your own ideas, your own plans, your own considerations."

"And there’s nothing wrong with that."

"But I hope that while you’re considering your own needs, you’ll also care about the feelings of others."

"You’re right."

Silas Grant nodded slightly, his tone faint. "But I don’t need you to judge me."

"But you’re getting married. What about the future? Will you let her go? You won’t."

His dark eyes lifted from behind his glasses, the smile not reaching them. "We’ll see about that."