Chapter 230: Chapter 228: Buried on the Mountain

"Sigh. I’m just going to be ’sold off’ anyway."

"I’m better off alone."

Mia Grant had long stopped hoping for the warmth of a family.

The Grant family was one example. The Sinclair family... would most likely be the same.

’Pathetic.’ 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

’Now, I’m even starting to wonder if there was something fishy about Carla’s mother dying from an illness at such a young age.’

Anyway, based on the information I’ve gathered so far...

...aside from one record-breaking auction and a lavish high-society wedding, I haven’t seen any sign of that man’s love for Gwen York.

Outsiders might have been envious of all those magnificent, extravagant things, thinking Gwen York was lucky.

’But is that really love?’

He could have given anyone the things he gave Gwen York—he could have even given them more.

He had money to burn.

’None of it meant anything.’

But to an eighteen-year-old Gwen York, that was love.

If he’d truly felt even a sliver of love for her, he wouldn’t treat the daughter she left behind this way. Especially since she’s his daughter, too.

He could adopt his first love’s son and plan to leave his fortune to him, but he wouldn’t spare a single glance for his own daughter.

For a moment, Mia Grant was so angry she wanted to laugh.

’Men... So "devoted."’

Letting out a slow breath, Mia Grant decided to bide her time and act as if she knew nothing.

’I’ll wait and see what Carla Sinclair’s attitude is.’

[Host, there’s one more thing, and it’s related to your family background.]

"Hmm?" Mia Grant prompted it to continue.

[Yates Donovan has been investigating your background. He’s already contacted the director of the orphanage from back then. Beyond that, he’s using the things you said in your sleep—your ’dream talk’—to search for your so-called ’biological parents.’]

"..."

Mia Grant’s eyes snapped open. She was stunned for a full minute before it sank in. "You mean... in *this* world, he’s using my experiences from before I transmigrated into the book to search for traces of my past life?"

[That’s right. Because this world doesn’t match reality, his progress has been slow. He hasn’t made much headway. However, he hasn’t given up. He’s already contacted the police in over a dozen cities, trying to find missing children from that time who match the description.]

Mia Grant was stunned.

"H-How long has he been looking?"

The system checked and replied, "[Since the day you left Jynsia.]"

"..."

’Of course. He’d taken everything she said in her sleep to heart.’

’Why?’

For no reason, her chest tightened, a sharp pain pricking her with every breath.

’What a strange feeling.’

’I can’t describe it.’

After a long moment, Mia Grant called out to the system. "Hey, System."

[I’m here.]

"If my memories haven’t been tampered with, then I suspect the male lead who died at the end of the original novel might be..."

"[Yates Donovan?]" the system mused. "[That’s not impossible.]"

"[Is it because of your dream? But...]"

Mia Grant rubbed the bridge of her nose. "I know. A lot of things don’t add up."

"I’m not entirely sure if my memory is playing tricks on me. Before that, I don’t think I remembered what the person from that day looked like. Then that night I had the dream... and I saw it was Yates Donovan."

"I’m not sure if I just substituted him into the memory myself."

"It’s all a bit of a mess."

She took a deep breath. "So, I need you to give me an explanation."

The system fell silent.

[I’m sorry, Host. There are some things I can’t explain, just as there are many things that can’t be explained by science.]

"Then... do you know what happened after I died?"

Mia Grant had never asked this question before. She was too afraid to know the answer.

She had died in that tiny rented room, in that drafty garage.

’Maybe no one would have found me. Maybe my body would have rotted before the landlady came to collect the rent and discovered me.’

’Then the landlady would have cursed her bad luck while calling the police.’

’Pretty unlucky, all right.’

’But at least I had a lot of money left on me.’

’And that watch and a ring.’

’The landlady could have taken them and cashed them in.’

"Someone collected my body, right? My ashes weren’t just... scattered to the winds, were they?" Mia Grant asked with a bitter smile.

This time, the system was silent for a long, long time.

So long, in fact, that Mia Grant had given up hope and was about to drop the subject.

[Someone did.]

Mia Grant’s eyes flew open. "Really?"

[Yes. You were buried on a mountain, with flowers blooming before your grave. No one will ever disturb you there.]

[But you are not alone.]

Mia Grant blinked, then suddenly smiled. "I hope so."

’She didn’t believe the system was telling the truth.’

’She could tell it was just trying to comfort her.’

’Sigh. I have to admit, even though my little system always drops the ball at critical moments, it does have a human touch.’

’It’s not completely robotic.’

"What about that man? The one who beat someone to death outside my door. What happened to him?"

[I’m sorry, I don’t know.]

Mia Grant nodded. She wasn’t disappointed.

[Host, when this is all over, do you want to go back?]

[You can go back with the prize money and start your life over. You can go back to school, do whatever you want, and live happily ever after, never worrying about money again.]

"That sounds nice," Mia Grant said, her lips curling into a smile.

’It’s just...’

’How many chances does a person get to start over?’

’Her life was rotten to the core.’

A young sapling gnawed on by insects, its leaves yellowing and fluttering to the ground, leaving only withered branches.

An onlooker might think a little water could save it.

But they wouldn’t know that the roots, buried deep in the earth, had long since rotted through.

This was the main reason she had never given the system a straight answer about wanting to go back.

Humans are better at running from their problems than facing them.

Mia Grant had never wanted to be one to back down.

But now that the moment of choice was truly upon her, she still wanted to retreat.

’A cliff before me, the deep sea behind me.’

’If I jump into the sea,’ she thought, ’I might just survive.’

’Yes, at the very least, my body would be left intact.’

’Perfect. My face would be unrecognizable. No one would know who I was.’

The system said no more, respecting her choice.

After all, nothing was over yet. She would always have another chance to choose.

Night fell. Mia Grant slept until dusk.

If a maid hadn’t called her down for dinner, she might have slept straight through to the next morning.

When she got downstairs, she was surprised to find that the old gentleman wasn’t there.

Simon Adler, however, was back.

Seeing her flushed cheeks, still creased with sleep marks, he couldn’t help but ask, "Just how many hours a day do you sleep?"

’It seemed like all she did all day was eat or sleep.’

"What else am I supposed to do besides sleep?"

Mia Grant yawned, still not fully awake. Her expression was listless and her brow was furrowed. "I’d rather be back at school studying."

"Slacking off like this makes me feel uneasy."

"..."

Just then, the butler came downstairs. Mia Grant seized the opportunity to ask him,

"Where’s Grandfather?"

The butler’s expression was impassive. "The old gentleman has already eaten. Please, enjoy your meal."

After he left, the two of them in the dining room exchanged a glance.

’Something’s not right.’

Sensing a maid lingering nearby,

Mia Grant cleared her throat and asked in a low voice, "So, what did my brother want to see you about this afternoon?"

"We talked about his date with Quinn White last night."

"He said," Simon Adler added—Mia couldn’t tell if he was being deliberately provocative—"that after spending some time with her, he thinks she’d be a good person to marry."

"..."