Chapter 236: Chapter 234: What Bad Intentions Could She Have?

Mia Grant’s mouth twitched sharply, her expression one of hesitation.

After a moment of silence, she decided not to mention her situation with Carla and instead used the opportunity to probe further.

"Do you know anything else about their family? Anything an outsider wouldn’t know?"

"Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone. I just want... to vet her for my brother."

"You know my brother has always been great to me. Now that he’s getting married off... Ah, pfft, that’s not right. He’s taking a wife, so of course I have to show some concern."

Mia Grant’s face was a picture of sincerity.

Ian Sinclair didn’t doubt her. He never had his guard up around her.

He took whatever Mia Grant said at face value.

Since she was asking...

Ian Sinclair rubbed his chin, thinking hard. "Nothing that special, really. Mostly just the romantic drama between her father and mother."

"And then there’s the matter of her sister."

Ian Sinclair then retold everything Carla had just told him about her sister.

Then he asked, "Does that count?"

Mia Grant looked up at him and asked softly, "So, that means they haven’t reunited yet. Is it that she doesn’t want to? Or is there some issue with the family?"

"I didn’t ask. But from what I know of her, she definitely wants to have her sister with her."

Mia Grant’s eyelashes trembled slightly. "But you just said her mother passed away right after giving birth to her sister. Wouldn’t she... hate her sister?"

Ian Sinclair wasn’t as sensitive or sharp as Felix Sinclair, so he didn’t think much of the question.

The moonlight was hazy, and he couldn’t see Mia Grant’s expression clearly. He missed the flicker of loneliness she quickly hid as her long lashes trembled and she lowered her gaze.

Ian Sinclair smiled. "Don’t be fooled by Carla’s cold demeanor. She definitely wouldn’t think that way."

"She’d definitely say her mother fought so hard to bring her sister into the world, so she should cherish her all the more. She would be too busy loving her; how could she possibly resent her?"

Mia Grant’s head snapped up, a flash of astonishment in her eyes.

To think those words had actually come from Ian Sinclair.

His words had comforted her, and he didn’t even realize it.

’Besides being shocked, why do I also feel a little relieved?’

Time was short, and Ian Sinclair didn’t want to keep talking about other people. Seizing the moment while she was lost in thought, he quickly squeezed in a question about how she was doing.

"You look thinner again. Are the Hugheses too poor to feed you meat?" Ian Sinclair teased, reaching out to touch her face. "There’s no flesh on your cheeks anymore."

Her cheek tickled, and Mia Grant slapped his hand away. "I’m fine. I was just on my period the last couple of days, so my appetite wasn’t great. I just didn’t eat much."

"Besides, we only last saw each other a few days ago. You’re exaggerating."

Rubbing her cheek, Mia Grant checked the time. It was time to go back.

"I’m going inside to say my goodbyes. I have to head back to the Hughes family soon."

"So early?" Ian Sinclair’s eyelids drooped, not hiding his disappointment in the slightest.

Mia Grant gave a helpless smile. "Yeah, the Hughes family has a curfew. But it’s okay, I’ll be back in Jynsia in a couple of days."

"Don’t stay in Portia for too long."

As if she could read his mind, Mia Grant put on a fierce look as she instructed him, making it seem like a warning.

"Also, don’t tell Carla you know me."

"Why?" he asked, looking like a confused puppy.

Mia Grant tugged his ear. "Just do as I say. Why so many questions?"

Ian Sinclair looked her up and down, tutting. "You haven’t fallen for her, have you? All that talk about your brother was just an excuse, wasn’t it?"

Her answer was a swift kick.

"I was just kidding! Why so worked up?" Ian Sinclair dusted off his pant leg. When he looked up, she had already run off into the distance.

"Slow down! Be careful you don’t twist an ankle in those high heels."

He hurried after her, yelling as he went, "Watch where you’re going! There are steps."

The moment the words left his mouth, the figure ahead ran even faster.

Seeing this, Ian Sinclair finally slowed down and couldn’t help but mutter, "Even Cinderella didn’t run that fast."

——

Back in the front hall, Mia Grant only saw Simon.

"Mr. Adler isn’t back yet?"

"He’s upstairs," Simon said, pointing. "Talking business with Miss Sinclair."

As he spoke, Simon sent a message to the person upstairs. [Miss Grant is back.]

Upstairs, Simon Adler heard his phone vibrate but didn’t even look at it. He moved to end the conversation.

"I’ve guessed at your relationship, but she doesn’t want to meet you face-to-face for now."

"Although I’m not sure why she’s being so timid, I suspect it has something to do with the Grant family."

"You’ve probably investigated most of it already. Her years in the Grant family haven’t been easy."

Carla Sinclair actually didn’t have much information on hand, so she was surprised to hear this. "She was nominally Silas Grant’s sister. Even without a blood relationship, it’s said that Silas Grant treated her even better than his own biological sister."

"Yes," Simon Adler nodded. "But you have to understand, Silas Grant is Silas Grant, and the Grant family is the Grant family."

"Outsiders, like you, all assume that growing up in the Grant family and living as their daughter for over a decade was a stroke of incredible luck, even for a fake heiress."

"However, what you all saw was only what the Grant family wanted you to see. As for Mia Grant’s true situation, whether her life was good or bad, only she can say for sure."

Carla Sinclair looked at him intently, her gaze scrutinizing.

’On another note, why do I get the feeling... that this Mr. Adler’s intentions toward my sister aren’t entirely pure?’

"How do you know so much? Did she mention this to you?"

"I know this is impolite, but I have to ask. Is she really with you? Does she not like Silas Grant?"

"..." Simon Adler never thought Carla Sinclair could be such a gossip.

After a pause, he said, "We have no relationship whatsoever."

"I don’t know who she likes. And I don’t know if she and Silas Grant were ever together."

It was unclear whether Carla Sinclair believed him. She stared at him for a moment before repeating, "So, she has mentioned her time with the Grant family to you?"

"No. I heard it from Silas Grant before."

"Mrs. Grant, that is, Yuna Hughes. She saw Mia Grant as a doll bought from a shop window. She needed a substitute for her biological daughter, so she demanded that Mia Grant always be perfect."

"Growing up in such a warped environment, you don’t even have to ask. You can guess how difficult these years must have been for her."

"The incident with jumping into the sea... is it true?"

"It is."

Carla Sinclair frowned.

"An accident? Or... deliberate?"

Simon Adler gave a short laugh. "The latter, I suppose. It was a suicide attempt."

"!" Carla Sinclair shot to her feet. "Are you sure?"

She had met Mia Grant twice now, and from their interactions, she didn’t think Mia was an emotionally fragile girl.

On the contrary, she was very strong and self-possessed.

"Yes. It’s somewhat related to the Grant family’s biological daughter," Simon Adler stated, stating the facts objectively.

Seeing the look on Carla Sinclair’s face, he added, "You can’t blame her, though. She didn’t mean to hurt Serena Grant..."

"That’s not the point," Carla Sinclair interrupted. "So what if it was deliberate?"

Simon Adler hadn’t expected this reaction from her. The Carla Sinclair he remembered was a very upright person.

"If she hadn’t jumped, given the way things were going, she most likely would have gone after Serena Grant eventually. You think that’s okay, too?"

"What’s wrong with that?" Carla retorted. "She has a pure heart. What malicious thoughts could she possibly have? It may have been an attack, but it was also self-defense."