I Faked My Death—Now I Have to Tame the Crazy Men I Left Behind-Chapter 15 - 13: I Only Like You

"Mia Grant."

A corner of the bed dipped. Mia Grant, who had been reading a novel and shaking with laughter, abruptly turned off her e-reader and threw it under the covers.

Kian Keller hadn’t given her a phone, but worried she’d be bored, he gave her an e-reader to pass the time.

Faced with a plot involving heart-digging and kidney-stealing, Mia Grant clicked her tongue. "Don’t you think this is ridiculous? The male lead is a total idiot."

"It’s not so bad. If the Host wishes to experience it, we can arrange..."

"No, no, no!"

She had been so engrossed in her reading with the System that she hadn’t even noticed someone had come in!

She pulled the blanket higher, turning over to reveal only a pair of large, watery eyes, warily sizing up the man sitting on the edge of her bed.

The girl’s eyes were still red-rimmed, shimmering with unshed tears, looking for all the world like she had just been crying.

Kian Keller wanted to explain but didn’t know where to begin.

During the long silence, Mia Grant had no idea what he wanted. Her eyes, sore from reading for so long, started to sting. She couldn’t help but rub them, and with a soft blink, a single tear rolled down her cheek.

Kian Keller’s heart tightened. The pad of his thumb brushed the corner of her eye. When he spoke, his throat felt scratchy, his voice strained.

"The Grant family has proposed a marriage alliance. My family’s elders are also in favor of it."

Mia Grant blinked, silently pulling the blanket a little higher to hide the corners of her mouth, which were curving up uncontrollably. Her large, pitiful eyes watched him in silence.

She still held a sliver of hope for Kian Keller.

’He’d never do something like two-timing.’

’If he has to choose, I’ll definitely be the one he gives up.’

She was ready.

’Time to test your acting skills, Mia Grant!’

She kept cheering herself on in her head.

’You have to cry later!’

’Your expression has to be perfect!’

’Your eyes must be full of emotion—ideally, three parts indignation, two parts reluctance, four parts understanding, and one part sorrow.’

’If I’d known this was coming, I wouldn’t have spent the last two months messing around with male models and college guys. I should have signed up for an acting class for the art school entrance exams!’

"I agreed."

Hearing that, Mia Grant knew it was time.

She let her emotions build, then slowly lowered her gaze. "It’s okay, Ethan. I understand. You and my sister are well-matched, a match made in heaven..."

Her emotions surged, and her voice began to choke. "I’m the one who shouldn’t have held on to any fantasies. Ethan, from now on, we shouldn’t..."

Kian Keller cut her off. "The marriage alliance isn’t with Serena Grant. It’s with you."

"Huh?" Mia Grant froze, the lines she had prepared getting stuck in her throat.

Huh???

’What are you even saying, man?’

"No, no, no." Mia Grant quickly sat up. "Ethan, you don’t have to comfort me."

’This can’t be happening!’

Mia Grant waved her hands frantically in refusal, her arms flailing in the air so wildly it looked like she was trying to hail a dozen cabs at once.

"I know you actually have feelings for my sister, too..."

"I don’t."

Kian Keller denied it without a second thought.

Mia Grant didn’t believe him and took the opportunity to bring up some old grievances.

"You don’t have to lie to me. You even gave my cup to my sister."

"What cup?" Kian Keller himself had no idea what she was talking about.

’This is a complete frame-up.’

"That beautiful, expensive glazed glass... it’s gone. You gave it to my sister, didn’t you?"

Kian Keller’s brow twitched slightly, as if he was just remembering.

"No. I accidentally broke that one."

Mia Grant shook her head, looking utterly disappointed. "You don’t have to lie to me. I know everything."

"The one the maid gave me today looks similar, but it’s not the original."

"Besides, those glazed glasses are always kept in the display cabinet. How could you have accidentally broken one..."

The cabinet with the glazed glasses was separate from Kian Keller’s tea set. Usually, only the maids would open it to get one for her.

Why did she assume he’d given it to Serena Grant?

The reason was simple. A couple of days ago, she’d overheard a maid mention that during the two months she was "dead," Serena Grant had been a frequent visitor at Kian Keller’s house...

That cup had been perfectly fine in the cabinet when she left. Now it had suddenly been replaced with one of a similar color and pattern; you wouldn’t even notice the difference if you didn’t look closely.

’This is obviously a sign of a guilty conscience!’

’If he had just accidentally broken it, he could have simply explained. Why go through all the trouble of finding one that looks so similar?’

’Hmph. The more he tries to hide it, the more obvious it is.’

Her crying gave Kian Keller a headache. He wondered if she was really made of water.

Ever since he’d known her, she could cry at the drop of a hat, the tears falling instantly.

Perhaps there was an element of performance to it, but he didn’t care. Her crying just left him flustered and agitated.

"The new maid didn’t know that was your cup, so she gave it to her to use."

The maid had only heard the housekeeper say that the cups in the cabinet belonged to Miss Grant and assumed it meant Serena Grant...

"I destroyed it immediately."

"I don’t like her."

"I only like you."

Before meeting Mia Grant, Kian Keller had disliked, even hated, spoiled and dramatic girls like her.

Or rather, he hated that kind of relationship dynamic.

It was too much trouble.

He could be doing so many other things with that time.

One person, plagued by insecurity, constantly needs to seek reassurance from the other, demanding proof of their love over and over again.

All that "I like you," "I like you the most," "I only like you," and so on...

The thought of having to say such cheesy things to make someone happy had once convinced him that his family’s decision about the marriage alliance was correct.

At least he wouldn’t have to provide that kind of emotional labor for a marriage partner.

Because there would only be mutual benefit between them, not love.

But who would have known that not only would he fall for such a girl, but he would also become the very person he used to despise.

Meanwhile, Kian Keller’s last words were replaying over and over in Mia Grant’s mind...

Before this, Kian Keller had never said anything like "I like you."

In her eyes, they had only ever been in that ambiguous, will-they-won’t-they stage; they had never actually been together.

Because Kian Keller had never confessed to her.

He had never admitted with his own mouth that he liked her.

"About the marriage alliance—I agreed because you are still a daughter of the Grant family. I was thinking of you. It was never about marrying Serena Grant."

"Ah..." Mia Grant’s thoughts were a mess, and she lost control of her expression.

"Let’s go downstairs and get something to eat, okay?" He took her hand, stroking it gently.

His tone had softened, as if he were coaxing her.

"Where’s my acceptance letter?"

Although she still hadn’t figured out how things had gotten to this point, Mia Grant hadn’t forgotten what was important.

"I’ll give it to you after we eat."

That night, Mia Grant slept while hugging her acceptance letter, terrified that Kian Keller would have a sudden fit in the middle of the night and rip it to shreds.

The next morning, Kian Keller drove her to the university.

Mia Grant refused to let him walk her in. "I can go by myself! You should get to your own business!"

Kian Keller frowned.

He couldn’t shake the scummy feeling that she was just using him and was about to toss him aside now that she had what she wanted.

Mia Grant must have sensed this, because she stood on her toes and planted a heavy kiss on his cheek. SMACK. He was successfully placated.

This was the university life she had dreamed of for two lifetimes. She was like a bird that had broken free from its cage, flapping its wings and soaring away from his embrace...

"Are you lost?"

The new Jynsia U campus was even bigger than she had imagined. Mia Grant was lugging her bag, sweating profusely from the heat, when a shadow suddenly fell over her.