As Mia Grant came out of the walk-in closet, she smelled a fragrant aroma.

It was freshly baked egg tarts, still steaming, the scent wafting through the air.

She froze, standing still for a long moment before walking forward.

The room was brightly lit, and she tried to take in the layout.

No one was there.

Her gaze grew cautious. She even paced over to the bed curtains to check again and again.

’There’s really no one here.’

Walking to the table, she looked down and examined the items on it.

A box of egg tarts and a cup of double-skin milk pudding.

"..."

They were from that familiar shop.

Mia’s hand trembled, and she nearly dropped it.

The only people who knew she liked this shop were Hayes Hughes and Silas Grant.

It couldn’t be the former.

Hayes Hughes had already returned to Jynsia.

Putting the items down, Mia clung to a final sliver of hope and went out the door.

Diagonally across the hall, Simon Adler was about to push his door open when he heard her door open behind him. He stopped and turned to look.

Mia called out to him, "Were you just in my room?"

"No." Seeing how tense she looked, Simon turned to face her fully. "Did you lose something?"

Mia shook her head, then asked again, unwilling to give up, "Are you sure you weren’t?"

"...Do I have a reason to lie about something like this?"

’True.’

Mia frowned. "Then did you see anyone go downstairs when you came up? Or anyone leave my room?"

"Neither." Simon took a step forward. "What’s going on? Let me go in and see."

"No, don’t."

Mia blocked the doorway, unmoving. After a pause, she looked up and asked, "Did my brother go see Iris Cameron today?"

"Yes, he did."

"How did it go?"

"They were originally supposed to have lunch, but he had a last-minute business engagement, so they rescheduled for tonight."

Simon raised his wrist to check the time. "Hm, it’s probably not over yet."

"..."

Mia fell silent.

Simon sized her up, not missing the change in her expression.

"You seem very unhappy."

At his words, she frowned at him. "It’s not that. I’m just wondering, are you sure he’s on a date right now?"

"What else would he be doing? Want to give him a call?"

"No..."

Before she could finish, the elevator down the hall announced its arrival, and someone stepped out.

Mia instinctively moved to hide, but a maid called out to her just in time, "Oh, Miss Grant."

Mia breathed a sigh of relief. "What is it?"

"I’m here to bring you some calming tea. You were in the shower when I came in earlier, so I left the food on your table. Please have it while it’s warm."

Mia was dazed for a moment, staring at the maid for a while. "You’re the one who brought it in?"

"Yes, the butler asked me to bring it up."

A glint flickered in Mia’s eyes. "...Who bought it?"

"The butler had the driver go out and buy it. He said you didn’t eat much for dinner. He heard from the Second Young Master that you particularly like the egg tarts from this shop, so he bought them for you to have a little something, hoping you’d feel better after eating."

After a brief moment of eye contact, Mia smiled, took the cup of calming tea from the maid’s tray, and thanked her. "Alright, I understand. Please thank the butler for me."

The maid bowed slightly, not wanting to interrupt their conversation, and left.

Simon finally understood what had happened and let out an ambiguous laugh. "He went on his date right after leaving the office. The location is nearly an hour’s drive from here."

Mia handed him the tea.

Simon glanced at it and raised an eyebrow. "What’s this for? I don’t drink this."

"I’m not asking you to drink it. Take it and pour it out."

"..."

Simon frowned, but he still took the cup.

"He almost saw me today."

"I heard. But Yates Donovan was quick. He wiped the surveillance footage immediately."

’Didn’t even give me a chance to show what I could do.’

Simon headed back to his room. "He most likely hasn’t found you yet, so get some sleep. You’re meeting Carla Sinclair tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?"

Mia snapped back to reality. "She agreed? Isn’t she only getting back tomorrow? I asked to meet with her, but she hasn’t replied."

"Mhm. You can’t handle someone like her on your own."

"Do you know her well?"

"We’ve crossed paths for work."

"You didn’t know her before? Portia isn’t that big of a place."

"She basically grew up abroad and only came back after graduating."

"I read in her file that she has a brother?"

"She does, but you shouldn’t bring that up tomorrow. The two of them don’t have a good relationship."

"Okay."

——

「Jynsia. The hospital.」

Yates Donovan glanced at the figure on the hospital bed. "Give me some kind of human reaction, would you? Didn’t you hear me?"

"Hayes Hughes is at the door, waiting for an audience, Your Majesty."

"..."

Kian Keller’s brow furrowed, and he shot Yates a look that could kill.

"What?" Yates acted as if he didn’t notice, maintaining his usual flippant attitude. "Is that your way of telling me to leave? We’re love rivals meeting, but you’re making it seem like some kind of secret affair. I don’t approve of that, you know."

"Nothing good ever comes out of that filthy mouth of yours," Kian Keller commented coldly, then looked up and gestured to the bodyguard. "Let him in."

A smirk played on Yates’s lips as he leaned back on the sofa, propping his head up with one hand and settling in to watch the show.

Hayes Hughes hadn’t expected Yates to be there. He gave a slight nod as a greeting, then his attention immediately shifted to Kian Keller.

The moment the Director walked in, he started apologizing, saying his daughter was young and immature, and asking Kian Keller not to take offense.

"Fine."

Kian Keller agreed readily.

The way both Hayes Hughes and Yates Donovan looked at him changed.

Then, Kian added, "As it happens, I have a favor to ask of Dr. Hughes."

As soon as the words were out, Yates burst out laughing.

’Knew it. Kian Keller is no saint.’

Hayes Hughes also knew Kian wouldn’t let the Director off so easily. Sure enough, this was what he’d been waiting for.

"It’s alright, we can talk." He gave the Director a reassuring look, motioning for him to leave first.

Once the man was gone, Yates’s laughter grew even more unrestrained. He started his running commentary right in front of them, like a walking comment feed.

"I knew you were up to no good. You’re such a petty person."

"When I heard you were letting the little girl off the hook, I thought I was witnessing a miracle. You know, ’a monk’s heart is full of compassion.’ It was a rare moment of you acting like a decent human being."

"Turns out, you’re just full of wicked schemes."

"And you, Dr. Hughes. He holds a serious grudge against you, and here you are, eagerly serving yourself up on a platter."

"Sigh, you’re Mia Grant’s precious treasure. If anything happened to you, she’d probably gut him to get revenge on your behalf."

These words were undoubtedly meant to stir up conflict.

Yep, he was doing it on purpose.

He couldn’t wait for them to start a fight.

He was ready to watch the show.

Unfortunately, neither of the two men across from him gave him what he wanted. They had no intention of satisfying his wish.

"You saw her." 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

Kian Keller was sitting up against the headboard. Despite his physical condition, his commanding presence was undiminished. His indifferent eyes stared directly at the tall figure opposite him.

His gaze was full of hostility.

"I did." Hayes Hughes had his hands in the pockets of his white coat, his expression gentle even when facing Kian Keller.

"Is there a problem?"

The two were a collision of polar opposites.

Kian Keller said, "Let’s make a deal."