The room was spacious and silent. In the bedroom, past a short hall, a huge canopy bed sat right in the center.

Mia Grant had been lying on her stomach on the bed. As she talked with Kian Keller, she kept shifting around until, before she knew it, she had curled up on one side of the bench at the foot of the bed.

She wrapped herself tightly in a blanket, trying to find a sliver of security in that small corner.

Kian Keller’s words echoed in her ears. Mia Grant’s eyes drooped at the corners, and her lashes trembled softly at his words.

Silence fell on both ends of the line. If Kian Keller couldn’t still hear her soft, shallow breathing, he would have thought she had already hung up.

"Why aren’t you talking?"

"I don’t know what to say." Mia Grant sighed softly. "What am I supposed to do, praise you for your sudden enlightenment?"

"..."

Kian Keller pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Still, it’s a good thing you let me go in the beginning. Otherwise..."

"Otherwise what?"

"Never mind."

"Say it."

Mia Grant bit her finger, mumbling, "You’ll just get upset if I say it."

"I won’t get angry."

"Really?"

"Yes."

"If you had really locked me up, I would have found a chance to kill you."

"..."

"I hate being locked up. I don’t care who does it."

"I will always fight back."

"Otherwise, I wouldn’t have jumped into the ocean back then."

"But I wouldn’t do something that stupid now. I believe in solving problems at their source. Instead of risking my life to escape, it would be better to just get rid of you people. That would solve everything."

’Of course, only if the System agreed.’

As her words fell, an eerie silence settled over the line.

Mia Grant bit her finger hard and explained softly, "You’re the one who asked me to say it."

’I already said to forget it, but he was the one who insisted on hearing it.’

’He gets upset if I say it, but he gets angry if I don’t.’

’Sigh. Men.’

’Such troublesome creatures.’

"I wasn’t talking specifically about you, it’s just... it would be the same for anyone."

"I know," the man’s voice finally came from the other end of the line.

Mia Grant listened carefully. His tone didn’t sound unusual.

"You’re not angry?"

"No."

"Really?"

"Yes."

"Can you say more than one word?"

After a pause, Kian Keller spoke again. "This is good. I used to always worry that people would bully you wherever you went."

’I can’t let this conversation continue.’

Mia Grant asked him, "You haven’t contacted my brother, have you?"

"No."

"Oh, good."

"Stay away from that guy, Simon Adler."

"Okay. Do you interact with him much?"

"Not much. We’re not close. He’s bad news."

"But he and my brother seem really close. Thick as thieves, you know?"

"That’s just for show. You only see what he wants you to see."

"When it comes to personal gain, there are no permanent friends."

"A man like him will never be content playing second fiddle to anyone. So you need to be careful."

"The moment he gets any other ideas, you’ll become the first bullet he fires at Silas Grant."

Mia Grant’s eyes snapped up.

"Mia Grant, you must always be on your guard."

"Don’t put your trust in a stranger."

"...Okay, I understand."

Mia Grant didn’t notice when the call had ended.

Her mind was completely consumed by Kian Keller’s recent words. 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

Kian Keller’s words were a rude awakening.

’I can’t trust Simon Adler too much.’

It was just as Simon Adler himself had said before: if Mr. Hughes were to become completely disappointed in Silas Grant, then anyone could become the next head of the Hughes Family.

And Simon Adler would remain at the Hughes Corp through it all.

Leaders may come and go, but Simon Adler is a constant.

Given the relationship between the Adler and Hughes families, Simon Adler wouldn’t be affected no matter what happened.

What’s more, if he was truly ambitious, perhaps... he might even have a chance to usurp Silas Grant.

At this realization, Mia Grant’s temples began to throb. Sleep was now completely out of the question.

She opened her phone, scrolled through her group chats, and sent a brief reply to messages from Felix and Ian Sinclair before closing the app.

Scrolling to the bottom of her chat list, she found Simon Adler.

Her finger hovered over his name for a long time, but she ultimately didn’t tap it.

The current situation was crystal clear.

If this was a chessboard, she was a pawn for multiple players.

On the surface, Mr. Hughes was the one manipulating her.

But in reality, one wrong move and Simon Adler would prove to be the most dangerous person of all.

Mia Grant couldn’t sleep.

In the morning, a knock sounded at the door. The small form huddled on the bench jolted like a startled bird, her body trembling violently.

Mia Grant stared wide-eyed at the door.

The knocking continued. When she finally registered it, she moved her numb limbs and limped to the door in her slippers.

Outside the door stood a middle-aged woman in her forties, one of the manor’s maids.

"Good morning, Miss Mia."

Mia Grant nodded slightly, her curly hair a mess. "Good morning."

"Mr. Hughes is waiting for you for breakfast. It’s time for you to get ready."

"Ah... right." Mia Grant’s mind was still fuzzy; it was as if hearing that Mr. Hughes was waiting for her was the only thing that could reboot her system.

"Shall I have someone come and assist you?"

"No, no, that’s not necessary. I’ll be quick. Five minutes."

"Very good." The maid closed the door for her.

Mia Grant’s leg was still cramping, and her steps felt weak. With time running short, she looked almost comical as she braced herself against the wall, hobbling unevenly toward the bathroom.

Five minutes. Enough time to wash up and change.

By the time she hurried downstairs, the antique grandfather clock on the wall was letting out a deep chime.

The hour hand was pointing to seven.

’Only seven o’clock...’

’I didn’t even wake up this early in high school.’

Taking a deep breath, she followed the maid into the dining room.

At the head of the vast, long table, Mr. Hughes sat bolt upright. To his right was Simon Adler.

It was hard to tell if they had truly been waiting for her or had simply been in discussion, as the place settings before them were neatly arranged and showed no signs of use.

Hearing her footsteps, Mr. Hughes unhurriedly raised his eyes, his pitch-black pupils locking onto the figure by the door.

Mia Grant’s heart skipped a beat, but in the next second, a hint of a smile appeared in those dark eyes, making him look gentle and kind.

But she wasn’t fooled by this facade. Her heart was still pounding, and her palms were beginning to sweat.

"Good morning, Grandfather."

She stepped forward, dipping into a slight bow. Her smile was poised and graceful.

"My apologies, Grandfather. I went to bed rather late last night, so I didn’t hear my alarm. I’m sorry to have kept you waiting."

Mr. Hughes’s lips curled slightly. He gestured to the seat beside him. "It’s nothing. Sit."

Mia Grant took the seat to his left.

He noted her posture—back ramrod straight, hands folded obediently in her lap, eyes daring only to fix on the plate before her.

This time, Mr. Hughes’s smile seemed genuine. "No need to be so formal. It’s only breakfast. I don’t bite."

Mia Grant scoffed internally.

’If only that were true.’

Mr. Hughes picked up his silverware, and only then did Mia Grant pick up her spoon to silently eat her congee.

For a moment, the only sounds in the dining room were the soft clinking of silverware and the faint sound of breathing.

The maids all kept their heads bowed, not daring to look up.

The atmosphere during breakfast was incredibly oppressive.

Mr. Hughes spoke. "Mia, have you been in touch with Silas recently?"