touchnovel Chapter 272 - 270: They Love You Like I Do
Chapter 272 - 270: They Love You Like I Do
When Mrs. Keller came out, she saw Kian Keller.
She smiled faintly. "You should head back tomorrow. You still need to be home for the Spring Festival."
"The family won’t interfere or pry, but you still need to show them some respect. Keeping the peace is essential for maintaining balance."
"What did you two talk about?"
"It has nothing to do with you. It was just two women talking about what it’s like to be a woman."
"Go on in. I should be heading back as well. Mr. Wallace and his group will be stopping by soon, and I have to be there."
With the Spring Festival approaching, she was even busier than usual.
The Keller family was powerful and influential. As the new year drew near, visitors of all statuses would arrive in droves—four or five groups in a single day.
She could avoid the less important ones.
But for guests like Mr. Wallace, her presence was mandatory.
It was her duty as Mrs. Keller to organize all these banquets.
She wanted to retire, too. She had originally thought Kian Keller would marry and have children quickly.
Now it seemed that regardless of any obstruction from the Keller family, Mia Grant would not be the one to take her place.
’I wonder if that’s a good thing or a bad thing.’
Before she left, standing by the elevators, Mrs. Keller glanced back at her son.
"The girl is quite charming."
"Treat her well."
Kian Keller pushed the door open and went in.
Mia Grant was sitting on the sofa, eating something. When she heard a noise, she glanced at the door. Seeing it was Kian Keller, she breathed a sigh of relief and went back to her food.
Hunger had woken her up. The moment she emerged, she saw Mrs. Keller sitting in the living room.
Out of a sense of propriety, she hadn’t dared to touch the pastries and tea laid out before her.
"You were outside the whole time?"
"Yeah."
"Weren’t you afraid your mom would bully me?"
"She wouldn’t," Kian Keller said as he sat down. "She doesn’t concern herself with my personal life."
"Her visit today was just a formality."
Mia Grant snorted with laughter.
’Some formality,’ she thought.
"You should head back tomorrow. You’re supposed to be home for the Spring Festival, after all."
"Besides, you want to spend the holidays with me, and it’s not like this will be our only one."
Mia Grant cut a piece of flaky pastry and offered it to his mouth with a fork.
Kian Keller wasn’t fond of sweets, but he opened his mouth anyway.
Mia Grant poured him a cup of tea to cut the sweetness. "This’ll have to do."
"You’re staying here?"
’Kian actually wanted to take her back with him, but he could tell from her reaction that she would likely refuse.’
"Yep." Mia Grant nodded. "It’s a holiday. It doesn’t matter where I am."
Kian Keller said nothing, likely pondering the truth of her words.
’She was the fiancée of the Sinclair family. They must have invited her over for a time like this.’
’He couldn’t help but suspect that the moment he left, she would turn around and go to the Sinclair estate.’
"Will you go to the Sinclairs’?"
"Mrs. Sinclair did invite me, but I declined. They’re having a family celebration. Why would I intrude?"
"But Mrs. Sinclair insisted, saying that since I’m her goddaughter in private, it’s only natural for me to celebrate with them."
"Still, I don’t plan on going."
Mia Grant explained this to make it clear to him that the invitation had nothing to do with her status as a "fiancée."
She was repeatedly reminding him that the title was fake and he shouldn’t get hung up on it.
"Yuri Sinclair is still in Jynsia."
"Yep," Mia Grant replied, not understanding his point.
"Since he isn’t planning on heading back yet, he’ll most likely be staying at the Sinclair estate."
Mia Grant understood. "I haven’t decided if I want to see him yet."
"Oh, just forget it. You don’t need to worry about all this. Just go back tomorrow. I’ll let you know if anything comes up."
Mia Grant’s lips curved into a carefree smile.
—
With Kian Keller gone, Mia Grant felt much more relaxed.
The resort had plenty of recreational activities, so she never felt bored.
However, neither Yuri Sinclair nor Miles Sinclair appeared before her again.
Kian Keller said that Yuri Sinclair was indeed still at the resort, but Miles Sinclair’s whereabouts were unknown.
He had always been elusive, his movements difficult to track.
Mia Grant wasn’t concerned about him.
She told Kian Keller not to bother keeping tabs on him.
The next time she heard Miles Sinclair’s name was on the day of the Little New Year, when Kian Keller called her.
He had two pieces of news.
Mr. Hughes had passed away.
Mia Grant felt nothing. After all, it had been a foregone conclusion.
His body had already given out.
Then, she heard Kian Keller deliver the second piece of news. "He didn’t die of natural causes."
Mia Grant froze, subconsciously assuming Silas Grant was the one who did it.
"It wasn’t him."
"It was Miles Sinclair."
"..." Mia Grant’s eyes widened, and the mahjong tile in her hand fell onto the table.
The woman across the table urged her to make her move. Snapping back to reality, Mia picked up the tile and casually discarded another one. It was the exact tile the other woman needed to win, and she was grinning from ear to ear.
Mia Grant tossed her chips on the table and called for someone else to take her place.
She moved to a quiet place.
"How do you know? Was he caught?"
"No. He’s not in the country right now."
"But the news is out, and it’s having an impact on the Sinclair family."
Mia Grant frowned. After hanging up, she scrolled through her contacts. After a long hesitation, she finally made the call.
Carla Sinclair was swamped at the office and missed the call.
The call went to voicemail. Mia then called Hayes.
Hayes was still in Portia and hadn’t returned.
He had said last time that he would stay in Portia until after Mr. Hughes’s funeral.
It seemed now that he really wouldn’t be back until after the new year.
The call connected, and she could hear footsteps on Hayes Hughes’s end. He seemed to be walking outside to find a quiet spot before he spoke. "Mia? It’s me."
Hearing the exhaustion in his voice, Mia leaned against the wall, unconsciously picking at a loose strip of wallpaper. "Hayes... are you... okay?"
"I’m fine." A familiar, light laugh came through the phone, carrying the same reassuring power as always.
’She was the one who had called to comfort him.’
He paused, then added, "My older brother is at the company. You probably wouldn’t be able to reach him right now. How about later? When he gets back, I can have him return your call."
"Oh, no, that’s not necessary!" Mia immediately straightened up, flustered and embarrassed.
’Sometimes, she really felt that Hayes Hughes was almost *too* thoughtful.’
’He’s so considerate about everything. Does he really... not mind?’
Mia Grant pressed her lips together. "I heard about Mr. Hughes."
"You weren’t hurt, were you?"
’He was a doctor, and one in a relevant field. He must have been by Mr. Hughes’s side night and day.’
’So when the incident with Mr. Hughes happened, he must have been there.’
’She didn’t know what kind of methods Miles Sinclair used, but someone active in Southea... his tactics were bound to be less than friendly.’
"I wasn’t hurt. We’re all fine."
Hayes Hughes had used "we."
He knew Mia must also be worried about Silas Grant. Better to put her mind at ease now than to make her wait anxiously for Silas’s call.
That way, the wait wouldn’t be so agonizing.
"What about you? Have you seen them?"
He was referring to the Sinclair family.
Mia Grant wasn’t surprised that he knew.
"I met them once in Jynsia. I don’t know Miles Sinclair well, but Yuri Sinclair seems different from the rumors."
"That’s good." Even through the phone, she could almost feel the corners of Hayes Hughes’s mouth lift into a smile.
’Really?’ he asked. He sounded even happier about it than she was.
"Yes. It’s clear the Sinclair family cares a great deal about you."
"I’m very happy that there are so many people who love you as I do."