I Faked My Death—Now I Have to Tame the Crazy Men I Left Behind-Chapter 31 - 29: He and She Called Off Their Engagement

Chapter 31: Chapter 29: He and She Called Off Their Engagement

As a consummate master of the innocent act, Mia Grant’s every expression, gesture, and tone of voice was flawless.

The girl stood at the top of the spiral staircase on the second floor, her eyes still heavy with sleep. She must have rushed out, having forgotten her shoes; her bare feet rested on the carpet. She was now on her tiptoes, leaning against the ornate railing to peer down below.

Strands of her hair hung down, fluttering in the air with the hem of her dress, making her look as if she might topple over at any moment.

That simple act of leaning forward made the man downstairs’s heart clench. Before he even realized it, he had shot up from the sofa. "That’s dangerous! Stand still, don’t move."

The memory of her jumping into the sea was still seared into his mind, and he couldn’t bear to see her do anything so reckless now.

Mia Grant acted as if she hadn’t heard him, trying to get a better look at his guest.

Silas Grant’s voice startled the maids, and one of them quickly came forward to lead Mia Grant away from the railing.

Mia Grant blinked, a look of bewildered innocence on her face, as if she had no idea what had just happened.

Downstairs, Silas Grant breathed a sigh of relief.

He was about to head upstairs when he remembered there was still someone on the sofa across from him.

He turned his head and met Serena Grant’s shocked gaze.

"You should go home for now."

"..."

Serena Grant hadn’t yet processed what was happening.

Seeing that he was about to leave, she finally remembered to stop him.

"Brother, I was serious about everything I just said. Can you please go talk to Kian as soon as possible?"

"We really can’t delay this any longer."

"If we keep waiting, I’m worried things will get complicated. That wouldn’t be good for you either, Brother..."

’No! This can’t be happening!’

’I have to stop those two!’

"Brother~" Mia Grant wriggled free from the maid’s grasp and scampered down the stairs.

’It took me so much effort to get Silas on my side. Now Serena’s sticking her nose in. What if Silas agrees and decides to send me away again?’

’Wouldn’t that mean all my work was for nothing?’

’Those two have it all planned out, don’t they.’

’Treating me like I’m not even a person, huh?’

The words on the tip of Silas Grant’s tongue died when he saw Mia Grant coming downstairs.

He shot Serena Grant a look, signaling for her to disappear immediately, then turned to meet the approaching figure.

Mia Grant leaped from the last step and ran right into the man’s arms.

"Oof!"

She clutched her forehead and staggered backward, only to be caught by Silas Grant, who chuckled as he pulled her back by the waist.

"You’re sick, why aren’t you resting properly?"

"But I can’t sleep when you’re gone..."

Not far away, Serena Grant was being escorted out by the butler. Mia Grant peeked curiously toward the door and sighed in relief.

’Good, she left quickly.’

’If we had run into each other, I would’ve had to explain why I faked my death.’

’I’m already supposed to be sick. I really can’t handle any more drama.’

A shadow suddenly fell over her. Silas Grant was standing in front of her, and he glanced down at her bare feet with a frown.

"Why did you run down here without any shoes on?"

A maid timidly offered a pair of women’s slippers.

Silas Grant ignored her, wrapping one arm around the girl’s waist and lifting her up.

"Don’t squirm. Be good."

Mia Grant, now cradled in his arm, leaned in to wrap her arms around his neck, tilting her head to sneak another peek at the door.

Serena Grant heard the commotion, stopped in her tracks, and turned back.

Their eyes met. She saw Mia Grant flash a smile at her.

The smile was a taunt, as if to say, ’So what if you, Serena Grant, are the real daughter? Silas Grant will always be on my side.’

Serena Grant clenched her fists. She hadn’t gotten a clear look at the funeral.

This time, she saw her plainly. It really was Mia Grant.

She was really, truly alive and well.

Why...

Across from her, Mia Grant had already looked away.

"Brother, why did your guest leave? Did I interrupt you?"

"No, we were finished talking," Silas Grant said, carrying her upstairs.

"Her voice sounded so familiar... Was that my sister?"

Mia Grant tilted her head to look into his eyes, curious about what his answer would be.

Silas Grant hadn’t planned on bringing it up, but since she asked, it was a good opportunity to discuss the topic.

"Miss Serena, this way, please." The butler stepped sideways to block Serena Grant’s path, shielding the scene from her prying eyes.

Serena Grant looked up, giving the butler a long, hard stare. "When did Mia Grant move in?"

"The Second Miss?" The butler looked startled, glancing around. "Isn’t the Second Miss... I, uh, perhaps you were mistaken?"

Silas Grant’s people were just like him: slick and sophisticated.

Serena Grant pressed her lips together and stalked outside in a huff. The butler followed, leaving her with a final remark as he opened the car door:

"Miss Serena, sometimes in life, one must learn to play deaf and dumb. Otherwise, just as you said yourself, it won’t be good for anyone."

"..." Serena Grant’s eyes darted away.

She knew it was a warning.

A warning to watch her mouth in front of the Grant family.

In the bedroom, Silas Grant placed Mia Grant back on the bed and then sat down on the edge.

Taking a warm towel from a maid, he took her ankle, rested it on his knee, and began meticulously wiping away the nonexistent dust from her foot.

The warm touch on the sole of her foot was incredibly comfortable. However, Mia Grant was very ticklish. As she felt his touch, her delicate toes curled instinctively.

She reflexively pulled her foot back, only for him to grab it again a second later.

After this happened a few times, Mia Grant started to get playful, but a single sentence from Silas Grant snapped her back to reality.

"Serena came to talk to me about the marriage alliance with the Keller family."

Mia Grant stared at him, choosing her words carefully. "My sister and the Keller family?"

She feigned ignorance, afraid of saying the wrong thing.

The man’s eyes were downcast, making it impossible to read the emotion in them.

After wiping her foot clean, Silas Grant handed the towel to the maid and went to wash his hands.

The mattress dipped as he sat back down. He met her probing gaze and continued the conversation. "Hasn’t Kian mentioned this to you?"

"A marriage alliance?" Mia Grant shook her head. "Are he and my sister getting engaged?"

"The agreement is just with ’the daughter of the Grant family.’ As for who specifically..."

"Who do you want it to be, Mia?"

The Hunter smiled gently, but behind his back, the dark muzzle of his gun was already aimed at his prey.

A little white rabbit wouldn’t notice.

But a little fox was a different story.

Staring at the gun hidden in the shadows, Mia Grant’s eyelashes trembled slightly. "With my sister, of course. I seem to remember her liking Kian, right? This way, everyone’s happy."

"But, didn’t my sister already have a marriage arrangement? If I remember correctly, it was with the Donovan family?"

"You still remember Yates Donovan?" Silas Grant raised an eyebrow in surprise.

Mia Grant thought for a moment, then nodded. "I have a faint impression of him. I remember he broke off our engagement, and I think it was because he was going to get engaged to my sister."

The marriage pact between the Grant and Donovan families was an old one, arranged by the elders of both sides. It specifically named the eldest Donovan grandson and the Grant family’s daughter.

Initially, the Grant family only had her, the "fake" daughter, so the engagement naturally fell to her.

After Serena Grant returned, Yates Donovan couldn’t wait to break off the engagement with her.

So, logically, the engagement should have passed smoothly to Serena Grant.

’But something about that doesn’t seem right.’

’From the very beginning, the marriage talks between the Grant and Keller families went unusually smoothly.’

’Yes, Silas Grant wants Kian Keller to marry Serena Grant, but Kian is using the situation to try and get engaged to me.’

’But no matter how much they interfere, why are the Donovans being so quiet?’ 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

’It’s impossible that they haven’t heard the news.’

’Their designated fiancée is about to be poached by someone else... A major family like the Donovans, who care so much about their reputation, shouldn’t be sitting idly by.’

’Could it be... that Yates Donovan and Serena Grant broke off their engagement too?’