Hearing this, the smile on Yates Donovan’s face froze. He looked thoughtfully at the girl across from him, her eyes vacant.

The atmosphere was gradually growing uneasy.

"At first, everything was fine. I thought my mom and I had both found someone to rely on."

"Later, my stepfather started drinking and became abusive. My mother seemed to change into a completely different person, too."

"My mother would curse and hit me for no reason, grabbing my hair and slamming my head against the cabinets. My stepfather would tear at my clothes and say vulgar things to me."

"Wait." Yates Donovan stood up straight, the smile now completely gone from his face.

It was as if Mia Grant hadn’t heard him. Staring at the light on the ceiling, she continued her story. "My stepbrother would steal my allowance and my clothes, hide my textbooks, and get some little thugs to corner me on my way home from school..."

"Then one time, I injured one of those boys. It was clearly self-defense, but my stepbrother refused to testify for me. Later, my mother begged my stepfather to give them some money as compensation. But the price was that my stepfather said the family had no extra money for my education, so I had to drop out of school."

"I started working, but since I was underage, I could only get part-time jobs at small shops. One time, after I got home, my stepfather nearly raped me. After that, I took the only three hundred yuan I had and my ID card, and fled the city that very night."

"After that, I lived alone and worked alone. I had no friends and crammed myself into a tiny rented room."

"That entire room wasn’t even as big as the bathroom upstairs we just saw. It was maybe a third of the size."

"But the good thing is, those hard days didn’t last too long. Because not long after..."

She suddenly looked at Yates Donovan and smiled faintly.

"I died."

"..."

DING.

The elevator arrived at the first floor.

A staff member by the doors looked up into the elevator. The two people inside were standing face to face, staring at each other across the small space.

Neither of them moved or made a sound. The atmosphere was a little strange.

"Mr. Donovan?"

The silence was broken.

Mia Grant’s lips curled into a smile, and she was the first to move. "Let’s go. What are you spacing out for?"

Just as she was about to step out, Yates Donovan reached out and pressed the button for the top floor. The elevator doors closed, and it began to ascend again.

Mia Grant froze, whipping her head around to look at him. "What are you doing?"

The man watched her, his expression blank, his gaze a mixture of scrutiny and suspicion.

"What you just said... was that a dream you had?"

"Yeah." Mia Grant blinked. "What else? Could it be my past life?"

After a long silence, Yates Donovan asked, "Do you remember your parents’ names from the dream?"

"It was just a dream. Who would remember that kind of thing?"

"But last time, you dreamed that Silas Grant was injured, and it came true."

"...It was just a coincidence. Isn’t that what you told me back then? Or are you saying my dreams can predict the future now?" 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

Mia Grant shrugged, feigning indifference. "The only reason I mentioned the dream is because, whether in that dream or in reality, I’ve never received a single ounce of normal fatherly love."

"So..."

"An older brother is like a father. Do you understand what I’m saying?"

She was answering his earlier question.

Why she was so afraid of Silas Grant, yet... didn’t want to leave him.

She feared the feeling Silas Grant gave her, but she was also drawn to it.

"I understand. But right now, I’m more concerned about this dream of yours."

"..."

"None of it was real."

Mia Grant let out a resigned sigh. "Even if it were to come true, I’ve told you about it now. If you have even a shred of a conscience, you’ll have plenty of opportunities to stop those things from happening."

Yates Donovan stared at her, lost in thought.

The elevator stopped at the top floor. Mia Grant stepped forward and pressed the button for the first floor again.

Throughout the descent, Yates Donovan didn’t say a word. He just stared at her, his gaze so intense it felt like it could burn right through her, allowing him to analyze the soul within.

The doors opened again. Yates Donovan’s thin lips parted, a few words already on the tip of his tongue.

But someone always had to spoil the moment.

Mia Grant’s foot, already moving to step out, froze. Seeing the figure outside the elevator, she instinctively frowned and asked in a hostile tone, "What are you doing here?"

She rarely showed such naked hostility toward anyone. Yates Donovan collected his thoughts and quickly looked outside.

Simon Adler had appeared out of nowhere; he definitely hadn’t been there a moment ago.

Now he stood outside the elevator like a brick wall.

’Anyone who didn’t know better might think he was here to catch a cheating spouse.’

But Yates Donovan wasn’t flustered in the slightest. ’Please,’ he thought. ’I’m the main consort here!’

He stood up, stepped forward, and placed a hand on Mia Grant’s shoulder, guiding her out.

"I’m surprised you haven’t gone back to Portia yet."

His posture was protective, easily creating a barrier between the other two.

He looked as if he wouldn’t hesitate to get rough if Simon Adler dared to come any closer.

Simon Adler’s gaze lingered on the two of them for a few seconds before shifting away.

"What do you want with me? If it’s about work, we can talk tomorrow."

"This has nothing to do with you," Simon Adler said, his tone flat. His gaze passed over Yates and landed directly on Mia Grant. "I’m here to pick her up."

Yates Donovan’s dark eyes narrowed. He was still smiling, but the aura around him had changed, now exuding a dangerous chill.

Simon Adler knew what he was thinking but couldn’t be bothered to rise to the bait. He stated bluntly, "Silas Grant sent me to pick her up."

At his words, both of them froze.

Hearing the name of the person they had just been discussing felt a bit strange.

Mia Grant and Yates Donovan exchanged a look. She was the first to speak. "To take me to Portia?"

"Yeah." Just like her, Simon Adler’s eyes held a trace of disdain as he looked at her.

"You’re the only one who gets this kind of treatment."

Ignoring his passive-aggressive tone, Mia Grant stepped forward. "When was this decided? How come I don’t know anything about it? Or do you have any proof? A chat log, for example."

"Unfortunately for you, we spoke on the phone. He’s in a meeting right now. But you can confirm with Eric."

Simon Adler motioned for his assistant, Simon, to make the call.

A moment later, Simon smilingly handed over his phone. The screen showed Eric’s name.

On the other end of the line, Eric’s voice was crystal clear. "Yes, Miss Grant. Mr. Grant said that if it’s convenient for you, you can come to Portia with Mr. Adler."

"...Did he say what it’s about?"

’Didn’t he say we shouldn’t contact each other anymore?’

Eric paused before saying in a low voice, "I think you know."

Mia Grant’s heart sank.

"But I have a lot of classes lately."

Sensing her hesitation, the person on the other end sighed and added, "Miss Grant, to be honest with you, Mr. Grant has practically been living at the office recently. The wound on his hand got infected yesterday, but he didn’t see a doctor. On top of that, he isn’t eating properly and has to attend social engagements every day. So..."

"I understand."

Mia Grant handed the phone back and looked at Simon Adler again. "Are we leaving now?"

Simon Adler flicked the ash from his cigarette. "As soon as possible."

Mia Grant turned to Yates Donovan. "Are you coming with me?"

Yates Donovan glanced at Simon Adler before his gaze finally rested on her. He smiled. "I have to go back and see my grandfather first."

"Don’t worry, I’ll have someone keep an eye on you."