Yates Donovan had thought about it long ago.

If he had only seen Mia Grant as a plaything, he would have made his move impatiently long ago.

’But she’s just so wonderful.’

’Yes, wonderful, not perfect.’

She wasn’t perfect at all.

She had a pile of flaws, too many to count.

She liked to throw her weight around, was calculating, pretentious, and a skilled liar. She never gave her heart away easily.

Without a doubt, she was flawed.

But it was precisely because of those flaws that she was so vibrant and alive.

He had seen too many perfect people, as if they had been mass-produced on an assembly line.

Perfect, but without souls of their own.

It was just like his first impression of Mia Grant when he was very young.

She was beautiful and elegant, but like a lifeless doll in a shop window, to be arranged at will.

He had never lacked for friends, nor for women.

His eyes had seen too many beautiful faces.

In comparison, Mia Grant was shattered.

But the Mia Grant of today had the most interesting soul he had ever encountered.

Even if her soul was incomplete, he was still drawn to her.

He had asked her before if she was only truly happy and unrestrained when she was with him.

In truth, it was the same for him.

He loved being with her.

The atmosphere they shared... even without a single meaningful exchange, he would still feel like ’today wasn’t a wasted day.’ He even found himself looking forward to tomorrow.

Logically, he should have made her his.

But he was always one step behind.

’If, at the very beginning, I hadn’t agreed to call off the engagement...’

’I could have pulled her out of that mire...’

Unfortunately, things didn’t go as planned.

That was why he said he owed Mia Grant a debt.

After the engagement was broken, many people had reached out to help her.

So, if one were to truly assign blame for the current situation, he had brought it upon himself.

He was the one who pushed her away first.

Therefore, he had no right to possess her soul for himself alone.

Yates Donovan raised his eyes, meeting Simon Adler’s pensive gaze.

It was clear that Simon Adler seemed conflicted.

He had warned Simon Adler the last time they met in Portia, but clearly, the man hadn’t taken his words to heart.

A thought occurred to Yates Donovan, and he sneered, "Let me offer you a piece of advice. Don’t be so cheap, or you’ll get your ass kicked."

"..."

---

Back in the banquet hall, Yates Donovan searched around but couldn’t find Mia Grant.

He raised his hand and gave a casual wave toward a corner. A figure in a waiter’s uniform quickly approached.

"Young Master."

"Where is she?"

"She just went to the restroom."

"The restroom? Did you have someone follow her?"

"I had two of the hotel’s female cleaning staff go in after her, and there are people at the door as well."

Only then did Yates Donovan relax.

He took a glass of wine from the man’s tray and was just about to drink when he caught sight of a familiar figure out of the corner of his eye.

Hayes Hughes...

"When did he arrive?"

"Mr. Hughes arrived not long after you stepped out."

"Have they met?"

"Yes. A moment ago, Miss Grant and the young master of the Sinclair Family went to offer Mr. Hughes a toast."

Upon hearing this, Yates Donovan raised an eyebrow and let out a soft "Ah."

"What a shame. I missed such a spectacular scene."

Hayes Hughes had noticed him as well, and their eyes met mid-air. The other man gave a slight nod, a silent greeting.

Yates Donovan smiled and raised his glass, his expression full of schadenfreude.

A few minutes later, however, he wasn’t smiling anymore.

Because Mia Grant had returned. She was walking toward him with Felix Sinclair, claiming that since he was an honored guest, they had to offer him a toast.

"..."

’Karma’s a bitch.’ He’d just been enjoying the show, and now it was his turn.

"What did you say?" Mia Grant hadn’t heard what he was mumbling.

"Nothing." Yates Donovan nonchalantly clinked his glass against hers, his smile blooming like a peony—dazzling and unrestrained.

Anyone who didn’t know better would have thought he was the male lead of the evening.

When it was Felix Sinclair’s turn, before their glasses could even touch, Yates Donovan pulled his back and downed the drink in one go.

Felix Sinclair’s movement faltered for a moment, but in the next second, he raised his glass high.

"That’s enough, just a sip is fine." Seeing that he was about to finish his drink too, Mia Grant grabbed his hand to stop him.

Felix Sinclair said softly, "It would be impolite not to finish it."

Mia Grant shot him a reproachful look and whispered, "He’s a seasoned veteran with a high tolerance for alcohol. Why are you trying to compete with him?"

As she spoke, she glared at Yates Donovan.

The latter looked completely innocent. "Hey, if he can’t handle his liquor, he can’t handle it. How is that my fault?"

Mia Grant couldn’t say more, but she knew Yates Donovan was far from innocent.

’He’s full of nothing but bad intentions.’

With a few elders still around, Mia Grant and Felix Sinclair didn’t linger by Yates Donovan’s side for long.

Bored, Yates Donovan found a place to sit, his gaze following her figure. He watched her weave through the crowd, smiling radiantly on the young man’s arm.

’It’s just an engagement party, yet the formalities are so tedious.’

’Anyone would mistake it for a wedding.’

’It really feels like a newlywed couple, having received their guests’ blessings on stage, now making their rounds to toast and thank everyone one by one.’

The sea of flowers swayed in the breeze, and the girl’s smile was more beautiful than any blossom.

Yates Donovan was mesmerized for a moment.

When he came back to his senses, Mia Grant had already walked far away.

---

Mia Grant’s alcohol tolerance was average, a fact she was well aware of.

So, while she was making toasts, she was really just taking small sips, going through the motions.

After all, the toasting wasn’t the goal; getting to know these influential figures was the most important thing.

But for some reason, she was gradually starting to feel hot.

The gown she was wearing wasn’t made of heavy fabric, and it was backless. Even with the heating on, it shouldn’t have been hot enough to make her back break out in a sweat.

Taking a deep breath, she glanced at Felix Sinclair out of the corner of her eye. He seemed fine, not sweating at all.

’It seems like I’m the only one who feels hot.’

Shaking her head, Mia Grant walked to the side and drank a glass of ice water to cool down.

When the event finally came to an end, she let out a sigh of relief.

"Are you not feeling well? Why are you sweating so much?" Felix Sinclair noticed her cheeks were a bit flushed. "Are you drunk?"

Mia Grant shook her head slightly, then nodded. "Maybe."

"Then don’t go back to the school tonight. I’ll take you upstairs."

"The wind has picked up outside. You’ll catch a cold if you go out."

Mia Grant thought for a moment and agreed.

Felix Sinclair went to inform his parents and then escorted her upstairs.

"Will you be okay by yourself?"

In the dimly lit room, Mia Grant lay on the sofa, struggling to keep her eyes open.

Felix Sinclair was worried about her being alone. "I should stay. There’s a spare room here."

"I’m fine, really. You should go back. I’ll just have a glass of water and go to sleep."

Her tone was normal, with no discernible hint of anything wrong.

In the end, Mia Grant had to practically chase Felix Sinclair away.

The second the door clicked shut, Mia Grant’s body gave way. She slumped to the floor, her breathing rapid and her entire body frighteningly hot.

The System was blaring warnings in her mind, telling her she had drunk something that had been tampered with and that she should take a cold shower while she was still lucid.

Mia Grant scrambled up from the floor. She had barely taken two steps when a knock suddenly sounded at the door behind her.

She thought it was Felix Sinclair. "I’m really fine, you should go back. If I don’t feel well, I’ll call the hotel..."

The knocking paused for a few seconds, replaced by the sound of a key card being swiped and the door being pushed open.

Mia Grant turned around sluggishly.

’Wait, that’s not Felix.’

’Felix doesn’t have a key to my room...’