Chapter 232: Chapter 230: The Rose He Raised Himself

Silas Grant got up and turned on the bedside lamp.

Mia Grant was sitting up in bed, leaning against the headboard.

Even in the dim light, he could see her beet-red cheeks.

His gaze wandered over her face, but it did nothing to dissuade him from his intention to apply the ointment.

He twisted open the tube of ointment with one hand and took out a cotton swab. "I put some on for you once this morning before I left. One more time, and it won’t hurt so much tomorrow."

He didn’t seem to think there was anything inappropriate about saying it.

They had done so many intimate things; there was no need to be so reserved.

But Mia Grant felt this was different.

"I... it doesn’t really hurt that much."

"Even if it doesn’t hurt, we have to apply it. Otherwise, the mark will be there for a long time. Or does Mia like this pattern?"

The man reached up to adjust his glasses, smiling harmlessly. "If that’s the case, I don’t mind it staying on you for a few more days."

"..."

Mia Grant hugged the blanket, wanting to say something but holding back.

By the bed, the man beckoned to her. He gently patted his own thigh. "Come here and lie on your stomach."

After a moment’s hesitation, Mia Grant said, "We’re only applying the ointment."

"What else?" Her words were met with a soft chuckle.

Fortunately, it wasn’t mocking, but more like doting.

Mia Grant pouted and shuffled forward on her knees. When she was still a short distance away, his long arm wrapped around her, pulling her into his embrace.

The man lifted her onto his lap and thoughtfully grabbed a pillow for her to hug.

Mia Grant settled into position, unable to see his face from this angle.

’Just as well. This way, she could avoid the uncontrollable urges that looking him in the eye would bring on.’

"Did you go out with Simon Adler today?"

"Mhm."

The ointment was cool, carrying a faint scent of mint.

The moment it touched her, Mia Grant’s body stiffened, and she seemed a little uncomfortable.

Whether Silas Grant did it intentionally or not, he chose that moment to speak, successfully distracting her.

"I met the daughter of one of the hospital directors on the old master’s medical team. I was planning to subtly feel her out, see if there’s something wrong with the old master’s health."

"I didn’t see the old master at all today; I heard he was resting upstairs the whole time. And Simon Adler told me that the reason the old master is in such a hurry to force you to marry is likely because of this."

"But we haven’t been able to verify our suspicions."

"When Hayes was here the day before yesterday, why didn’t you ask him for help?"

"..." Mia Grant hadn’t expected him to ask that.

"It didn’t occur to me."

Behind her, there was only silence. If it weren’t for the cool sensation on her skin, Mia Grant would have thought he was lost in thought.

The silence was unsettling.

Mia Grant clutched the pillow tighter and cautiously turned her head, trying to see his face in the dim light.

The man’s eyes were lowered, half of his face hidden in shadow, his expression unreadable.

"Brother... are you... angry?"

She tugged gently at his sleeve.

Just as he finished applying the ointment, the man tossed the cotton swab aside.

He glanced down at the hand on his sleeve, then his gaze shifted to her face.

The girl’s eyes were moist and glistening. As expected, she was trying to act cute to get her way again.

Her usual trick.

And yet, after all this time, he still fell for it every time.

"No." He heard himself say, betraying his true feelings.

’How could I not be angry?’

He had learned from Simon Adler that she and Simon had been trying to find the reason for their grandfather’s strange behavior.

For so long, and with no results.

And Hayes Hughes was undoubtedly a shortcut.

’She’s so smart; she must have realized it long ago.’

But in the end, Hayes Hughes remained uninvolved, completely unaware of what was going on between them.

He was always the exception, kept pristine and untouched, just beyond the edge of it all.

It was hard not to be bothered by it.

He had investigated the times Mia Grant and Hayes Hughes had been in contact more than once.

Neither the frequency nor the locations were anything special.

But she still paid special attention to Hayes Hughes.

It was as if no one could shake Hayes Hughes’s position in her heart.

His thoughts drifted, and by the time they returned, the person on his lap had already sat up. She was now kneeling in front of him, looking up at him with a lost and helpless expression.

Silas Grant chuckled softly and raised a hand to cup her cheek.

"I’m not angry."

"Mia can interpret it as... your brother’s love for you crying out."

His gaze swept over her eyes and brows before he leaned in and placed a kiss on the space between them.

It wasn’t a kiss of desire, but of pure adoration.

For a moment, Mia Grant was in a daze.

She even felt the urge to comfort him. But then she heard him say—

"Mia, stay in Portia. Stay by brother’s side."

"Soon, everything will be over."

"No one will disturb us anymore."

’A ferocious beast isn’t scary; what’s scary is a beast with the power to bewitch people’s hearts.’

Mia Grant blinked. "Okay."

The fingers on her cheek stilled. Silas Grant lowered his head to meet her eyes.

After a brief moment of eye contact, a low laugh rumbled in the man’s chest. "Mia has really learned some bad habits. Lying to brother again."

The rose he had raised with his own hands would naturally bear his shadow.

Mia Grant shook her head gently. "I’m not."

"I really mean it."

"But I have two conditions."

"First, I need you to give me something of yours in return."

"I want everything you have. Your reputation, your identity, your status, and the entire Hughes Corp."

"Second, I want... revenge."

"On your grandfather, your parents, and your sister."

"I want you to trade their lives for it."

The girl tilted her head and smiled, an expression both innocent and carefree. But her words were chilling to the bone.

Silas Grant watched her, motionless.

His dark eyes were fathomless, his thoughts impossible to guess.

Soon, Mia Grant smiled again. "I’m just kidding, Brother. I wouldn’t make you do that."

"I know what you care about most, so I won’t destroy it."

"It’s just a joke, you don’t have to take it seriously..."

"I can."

Her cheerful voice was abruptly cut off. Mia Grant froze. She saw the man’s eyes crinkling with a smile, his tone light as he said, "I said, I can."

He even asked her in return, "Are those the only two conditions?"

"..." 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

She suddenly had the feeling that the tables had been turned on her.

Mia Grant’s lips trembled slightly as she secretly studied his expression, trying to find any crack in his facade.

’He must be saying that on purpose.’

’He wouldn’t do something like that.’

’Silas Grant never played the game of choosing one thing over another.’

’If he had to choose between the inheritance and her, he would definitely discard her first.’

’He hadn’t given up on her so far only because he hadn’t faced a fatal threat; he wanted both.’

"Why are you hesitating?"

He saw her panic.

"If these things give you a greater sense of security while you’re by my side, then so be it."

"They’re all just worldly possessions."

"As for your second condition, I’ll need some time. I might not be able to do it exactly as you said right away, but I can start by taking away what’s most important to them."

’...He seemed to be seriously planning this.’

Mia Grant waved her hands frantically. "N-No, Brother, I... I was really just kidding."

"Don’t be like this. You’re scaring me."

"Next time you decide to bluff, remember to figure out your own escape route first."

She was so nervous she didn’t know what to do with her hands. Silas Grant smiled, took her hand, pulled her into his embrace, and lowered his head to kiss her.

"Don’t let it happen again."