I Faked My Death—Now I Have to Tame the Crazy Men I Left Behind-Chapter 89 - 87: How Many Children to Have With You
Mia Grant had to admit that she was, in fact, putting on a brave face.
She acted as if she had expected this all along, but in reality, she was even more surprised than Yael Donovan.
This was far too much of a coincidence.
It was so much of a coincidence that she couldn’t help but wonder if Yates Donovan had asked Silas Grant to come and save the day.
But that didn’t seem right.
Yael Donovan gave her a deep, meaningful look. He probably hadn’t guessed that this "stray dog" would be so important to Silas Grant.
Mia Grant stared back without a hint of weakness. She was perfectly composed, and at the same time, she savored a moment of sweet revenge.
This feeling of having victory in her grasp was so satisfying.
Especially after seeing someone so high and mighty lose everything.
If she weren’t trying to maintain her cool, she would’ve jumped up and cheered ages ago.
Outside the door, Yates Donovan had naturally heard the butler’s words as well.
He leaned against the doorframe with his arms crossed, glancing sideways at the butler. The butler nodded at him and mouthed, "It’s really Silas Grant’s people."
Yates Donovan’s brow twitched slightly, but a smile still lingered in his eyes, making it impossible for anyone to guess his true thoughts at that moment.
Soon, the closed door in front of him was opened from the inside.
Mia Grant was the first to walk out.
Yates Donovan raised his eyes slightly, his gaze sweeping over every inch of her before finally landing on the person following close behind.
Yael Donovan met his gaze and said, "You can see Mia out."
"Alright," Yates Donovan said, slowly getting to his feet.
The butler led the way.
The two walked unhurriedly behind them, their heads close together as they whispered. To any onlookers, they looked just like a young couple madly in love.
"Did you reach a deal?" Yates Donovan asked.
"Do you think that’s even possible?" Mia Grant shot him a look. "He was generous, though."
Her answer was what he had expected, but he still asked with a grin, "How much did he offer you? For you to not even take the deal."
Mia Grant held up two fingers and waved them in front of his eyes. Yates Donovan chuckled and caught them, his palm sliding up to envelop her entire hand in a tight grip.
Mia Grant struggled a bit, but Yates Donovan didn’t let go, saying shamelessly, "Stop struggling. The path here is winding. I’m afraid you’ll get lost."
"..."
"What were his terms? For you to leave Jynsia?"
"More than that." At the mention of this, a cold laugh escaped Mia Grant’s throat. Fortunately, it wasn’t loud enough for anyone else to hear.
Although the butler in front of them was one of Yates Donovan’s men, Yael Donovan’s assistant was following behind them, like a mobile surveillance camera.
"He told you to leave the country?"
"Mhm."
"So you didn’t agree."
"Obviously. If I had agreed, I probably wouldn’t even know how I died. It’s a lot easier to make a move on someone abroad than it is in the country."
"Then I’d really become a stray dog, hunted by everyone."
Mia Grant gritted her teeth.
"’Stray dog’? Why would you say that about yourself?"
He gazed at the moonlight and said, "You’re a princess."
Mia Grant glanced sideways, instinctively looking at him.
Yates Donovan looked back at her. Their eyes met for a few seconds, and in the deep moonlight, he read the silent sorrow hidden in her gaze.
In that instant, his memory seemed to be pulled all the way back to that winter night.
Back then, she had been lying in the snow, not speaking, her eyes closed as if she were asleep.
At the time, he had only thought, ’This person is so interesting.’
But as soon as he got closer, he noticed her emotions seemed very conflicted...
On one hand, she was letting her mind go blank, enjoying the tranquility in her own world. On the other, she seemed to be shrouded in an aura of lonely, sorrowful gloom.
That tranquility was like the silence after being abandoned by the entire world.
She was savoring it, yet also screaming silently.
So later, he had become uncharacteristically quiet. He didn’t say anything more, observing her even as they did all sorts of absurd things together.
He wasn’t sure why at the time, but when his second uncle urged him to return to the banquet hall, he had reluctantly gotten up. He’d wanted to say goodbye to her but discovered she had actually fallen asleep.
’I should have just left her there...’
’But in the end, I picked her up off the ground. Maybe it was a sudden burst of kindness.’
’I do so many rotten things usually, I figured I should probably build up some good karma.’
She seemed truly exhausted. He didn’t deliberately soften his movements or restrain his strength, but she showed no signs of waking the entire time.
After placing her in the greenhouse, he stared at her for a few seconds before sighing. "So young, yet so good at hiding her troubles."
As he finished speaking, the cool pad of his finger gently wiped away a tear from the corner of her eye.
She wasn’t sleeping peacefully. Unsure what terrifying thing she was dreaming of, her brows furrowed tightly, and she curled up into a ball.
Leaving the greenhouse, he returned to the banquet. His second uncle handed him the tiara and told him to personally give it to Serena Grant.
’Logically, I should have done as I was told.’
’But for some reason, as I stared at the ruby on the tiara, I suddenly thought of that teardrop.’
So, he turned on his heel and went in a different direction.
Beneath the girl’s window, he built a snowman and placed the tiara on its head.
’Hopefully, with this snowman here tonight, she’ll be able to sleep well and have sweet dreams.’
At that time, Yates Donovan didn’t know what she was afraid of, nor had he given the question much thought.
Now, he knew.
Her life with the Grant Family was not happy. It was a torment, both physical and mental—a double-edged torture.
She hated the hypocrisy and the life of living under someone else’s roof, but she had no choice but to endure it.
She hated the Grant family, but at the same time, she yearned for someone to love her.
Familial love, friendship, romantic love—anything would do.
A love for her that was wholehearted and without reservation.
It was because she knew this would never happen to her, because she knew people would always use the banner of "love" to exploit her, that she had become the person she was today.
She rejected all intimate relationships and disliked exposing her true self to the light of day.
"What are you daydreaming about now?" Mia Grant noticed his complex expression and couldn’t resist stomping on his foot to snap him out of it.
Yates Donovan cried out in pain. "Gently!"
"What were you thinking about while staring at me just now?"
His tone was casual. "I was just thinking about how many kids we should have in the future."
Mia Grant’s pupils contracted.
"The eldest will inherit the family business, we’ll send the second to the military, and the third will stay by our side. If we can..."
Seeing him planning out their future so seriously, Mia Grant stomped on his foot again.
"Snap out of it!"
"Alright, alright." Yates Donovan chuckled nonchalantly, his gaze shifting to the distance as he silently concealed the killing intent in his eyes.
At the entrance, Silas Grant’s men immediately stepped forward to greet them.
"Miss, are you injured?"
Mia Grant shook her head gently.
"Is my brother back?"
"Mr. Grant is still in Portia. He sent us to pick you up first."
Bypassing her, the subordinate took a step forward, looked at Yates Donovan, and said, "Mr. Donovan, if it’s convenient, please remember to return Mr. Grant’s call later."
Yates Donovan tilted his head, which served as his acknowledgment.
Turning his head, the subordinate looked at Yael Donovan’s assistant. "Mr. Grant asked me to pass on a message to Mr. Donovan."
"After the Mid-Autumn Festival is over, Mr. Grant will be sure to pay a personal visit."
"Also, Mr. Donovan is coming to Portia next week to bid on a new project, isn’t he? Mr. Grant’s message is that Mr. Donovan shouldn’t waste his time."
"..." Yael Donovan’s assistant instinctively tried to explain what happened tonight, but he was cut off by Silas Grant’s man.
"There’s no need for further words. Mr. Grant said that when it comes to right and wrong, our Miss’s word is the only one that counts."
