"Mia, let’s go home, okay?"

"I can take you back right now."

"Don’t be scared."

The man’s voice kept coaxing her through the receiver, sounding like he was wheedling, but with an added touch of helplessness.

For some reason, Mia Grant’s eyes suddenly grew hot.

She lowered her eyes, feeling wronged, and fought back a sob before speaking. "You don’t have to."

"I’m really okay."

"Where are you now? Near the Hughes Family’s estate?"

Yates Donovan fell silent.

She said, "Go back."

"Wait... Wait until after my big brother’s wedding, then you can come get me."

"Are you really planning to watch him get married?"

"If you don’t want to, I can..."

"Really, you don’t have to, Yates Donovan." Seeming to know what he was about to say, Mia Grant cut him off directly. "I don’t like multiple-choice questions."

"So, I allow anyone to weigh the pros and cons and make the decision that’s best for them. No matter what needs to be discarded in the process of reaching that decision, I will support and gladly accept it."

"And it’s not just him."

"You’re the same."

"I don’t want to be an option on anyone’s test."

Her voice was firm, landing like a heavy hammer blow in Yates Donovan’s ears.

Almost instantly, without any hesitation, he let out a huff of laughter—part pride, part showing off, and part fishing for praise. "Please, I’m different."

"Don’t compare me to them. We’re not on the same level, okay?"

"You’re making me look cheap."

Mia Grant was amused by his deliberately comical tone. "You know those fish you see in the supermarket?"

"Hm?"

"The kind that are on sale, three for ten dollars. They wait until no one is looking, then desperately leap out of the water and into the twenty-one-dollar-a-pound tank next to them."

Yates Donovan sighed helplessly. "Maybe it was a twenty-one-dollar-a-pound fish to begin with, and someone with bad eyes just sorted it into the wrong category."

"Are you insulting me?" Mia Grant frowned.

"Hm? You figured it out that quickly?"

"...Yates Donovan!" 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

"Ah~ okay, okay, my mistake." Yates Donovan gazed down at the brightly lit Hughes Family estate, his chest heaving once. "You’re really not leaving?"

"Just a little longer."

"It’s too late. Go back and get some rest."

"I’ll contact you when it’s over."

"It’s not like you don’t know me. I’m terrified of dying, so I won’t let myself be too passive."

"It’s because I know you..." ’...are terrified of dying that I’m so worried.’

’She’d have to be crazy not to be scared, being on edge here all day.’

Yates Donovan closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

Even though he didn’t finish his sentence, Mia Grant knew what he meant.

"Forget it, forget it. I’m leaving."

Mia Grant snapped back to reality and replied with a smile, "Okay."

"Your... Do you need to see a doctor for your period?"

Before leaving, he was still worried and asked again to be sure.

"I’m fine."

Only then did Yates Donovan turn to leave. "You’re still not tired?"

"Yeah, I slept too much during the day."

"Then chat with me for a bit."

"You should get some rest."

"It’ll take me half an hour to get back. Let’s just talk for a little while."

"...Okay."

Mia Grant sat down on the chair in the bathroom. She leaned forward, resting her arms on the sink counter opposite her.

The marble was a little cold, making her shiver.

After a moment’s thought, she pulled a nearby towel down and placed it on the counter.

She switched hands to hold her phone steady. "Are you in the car yet?"

"Listen." Yates Donovan rolled down the window a bit, letting her hear the sound of the passing wind.

The weight in Mia Grant’s chest finally lifted. "Why did you suddenly come over today? Because of me?"

"Because of my second uncle."

"Oh."

"Fine, it was because of you."

Mia Grant blinked.

"Happy now?"

"Not really."

"You little rascal, you’re hurting my feelings."

"Is that so?" Mia Grant stared at the mirror in front of her, her finger idly tracing circles in the condensation. "Alright then, I’m very happy."

Inside the car, Yates Donovan was lounging against the window. On one side was the biting winter wind of Portia; on the other was her soft, muffled voice, which sounded like it was coming from under a blanket.

"You sound like a little pufferfish talking."

"Who?"

"You."

Mia Grant corrected him, "No, you are. You were the one who started talking in that weird tone first."

"Isn’t it cute?"

"It is cute. So you’re the pufferfish."

"Fair point. If I’m the pufferfish, what are you?"

"I’m the cat that eats you."

"Ah, but pufferfish are poisonous."

"I don’t care. You won’t survive either."

"Hahahahahaha, is this a suicide pact, baby? I love it."

"But, I can’t quite handle such an intense expression of love right now. So let’s stay alive, baby."

"And you?"

"As long as you’re alive, I’ll be here."

Mia Grant seemed to recall something and asked, "What if... if I died, would you join me in death or get revenge for me?"

"Which one would you prefer?"

"I’m the one asking. Be serious."

"But I don’t feel like answering."

"..."

"Why must we have this hypothetical?"

"...We just got to this topic in our conversation, that’s all. I’m just asking. It’s not like it’s really going to happen."

"Is that so?" Yates Donovan made a noncommittal sound, his tone hard to read. "You’re always discussing this kind of thing. It makes me feel like you’re hinting at something. I don’t like it."

"You’re avoiding the question."

"Whatever you say. In any case, I refuse to answer."

"Then I refuse to talk to you too. Goodbye!"

"Hey? How did you get mad all of a sudden? Come back."

Yates Donovan called out to her.

Mia Grant hadn’t intended to hang up anyway; she was just waiting for him to say something.

"I’m not avoiding it. I just think it’s bad luck to talk about these things too much. It’s tempting fate."

"But aren’t you the one who’s always talking about life and death?"

"I’m different."

"How are you different this time, pufferfish?"

"I don’t care about that stuff."

"Then why are you..."

"But I never said I don’t care about you."

"..."

His tone seemed to have changed, no longer as lighthearted as before. Perhaps it was because the topic had become too heavy.

"I don’t really want to make you a promise about something like this."

"But if you’re looking for peace of mind... when you go, I will definitely go with you."

"But when I jumped into the sea, you seemed pretty carefree, didn’t you?"

"Mm, I forgot last time. Next time for sure?"

"..."

"You really are..." Mia Grant rolled her eyes, not knowing what to say to him.

Yates Donovan laughed.

Inside the car, the man lowered his eyes, the laughter completely gone from them.

"In any case, just stay alive, baby."

’Whether he’d join her in death wasn’t an urgent matter.’

’Because first, everyone else had to die.’

After a long silence, Mia Grant felt she had to confide in him. "Tonight, Simon Adler came to see me."

"What did he say?"

"He told me to leave you guys."

"And then? Run off with him? Are people these days all this blatant about poaching someone else’s girl?"

"No," Mia Grant said, exasperated. "He told me to leave."

"Actually, it wasn’t just him. Second Brother mentioned it too."

"So?"

"Then why have you never said you’d take me away?"

"Do you want me to?" Before she could answer, Yates Donovan added:

"You don’t."

"You still have a lot of things to do, even though I don’t know what exactly you’re..."

Mia Grant cut him off. "Do you want to know?"