Mia Grant eagerly asked the System, "Is my big brother here to get me?!"
Her tone was filled with an excitement she hadn't even noticed herself.
'Silas Grant is too controlling, even pathologically so, but compared to the emotionally unstable Kian Keller, Silas's controlling nature isn't so hard to accept anymore.'
"No, they're discussing a project collaboration," the System replied.
"Didn't you say they were going crazy looking for me? How could Silas Grant possibly be focused on work?"
"He's a tycoon. They have to work as long as they're still breathing," the System commented. "Got to maintain that dominant CEO persona."
Speechless.
'So, Silas Grant hasn't discovered my presence yet. In that case, I'll just have to stage another 'accidental' return from the dead!'
Mia Grant impatiently jumped off the bed and pushed down the handle, trying to open the door. It was locked.
"Host, even if you get past that door, you can't leave this floor," the System warned. "The moment you step out of the room, the alarms for the entire building will go off."
"If all else fails, just jump out the window! This is a courtyard house!"
"Great idea!" Mia Grant exclaimed, lifting her skirt as she ran to the window.
WHOOSH! She yanked the heavy curtains open and leaned on the windowsill, gazing into the distance—
A few seconds later.
"System, are you sure... if I jump from here, I won't end up in pieces all over the ground?"
This was a courtyard house, true, but it was a modern-style one. The building containing Kian Keller's master bedroom was a full four stories high!
"Or can you offer some new feature? Like one that would let me fly down?"
"Host, I'm not a wishing well," the System replied.
With that, the System silently assessed the height. After a long pause, it said:
"My apologies, I wasn't paying attention earlier. From this height... forget you, Host. Even Jesus himself would die here today."
Mia Grant took a deep breath.
'Who the hell sent this dumbass system?'
"If all else fails, this humble servant has another stratagem! Just spit up blood again and cause a commotion. Silas Grant is so clever, he's sure to notice you."
"...Alright, what's your employee ID? I'm going to file a complaint."
TAT
—
「Front Courtyard, Tea Room」
"Kian Keller."
The floral-patterned jade gaiwan was set down with an ill-timed clatter, a clear sign of its owner's displeasure.
At the sound, Kian Keller looked across at him. "Yes?"
He had been openly spacing out, completely unabashed.
In response, Silas Grant slowly and deliberately adjusted the frame of his glasses.
He sat alone on the sofa, dressed in a three-piece bespoke suit. With his jacket unbuttoned as he sat, a perfectly tailored black vest was visible underneath. Through his gold-rimmed glasses, his eyes were deep, and the smile on his face didn't quite reach them, carrying instead a hint of ice.
The man's every move exuded an aristocratic elegance and a powerful, innate aura that felt out of place amidst the room's traditional, antique Chinese style.
As such, it was hard for anyone to believe these two men had been friends for many years.
Of course, it was for this very reason that he tolerated it. If anyone else had shown such an arrogant attitude, Silas Grant, despite the gentlemanly demeanor he'd cultivated growing up in Portus, would never have treated them so cordially.
"What has you so engrossed? I called your name several times and you didn't hear."
"I was thinking about the project in the outer suburbs," Kian Keller said, lifting his teacup for a sip.
"Is that so?" Silas Grant's smile was that of a sly fox, his expression utterly impeccable. "I thought you were thinking about our Mia."
"..."
Silas's gaze drifted down to Kian's hand, the one holding the teacup, as if he'd noticed something interesting. "Where are your Buddha Beads? I thought you never took them off."
"They broke."
"How strange." The dark eyes behind his lenses narrowed for a moment before returning to normal. "And what happened to your hand?" Silas Grant asked with concern.
A layer of gauze was wrapped around Kian Keller's palm.
"Just a scrape. It's already been treated, it's nothing serious."
'When Mia Grant suddenly spat up blood and fainted, he had stumbled to the bedside to unlock her restraints. He discovered, however, that his hands were shaking too much to even hold the key.'
'So, in a panic, he'd simply yanked the chains binding her wrists and ankles until they broke.'
'That was why the crimson soaking the Sanskrit characters on the Buddha Beads wasn't just Mia's blood.'
"I see," Silas said. "No wonder your men showed up at Hayes Hughes's hospital today. They were fetching a doctor for you."
"Your personal physicians can't even handle a small task like bandaging a wound these days? You might as well hire a new team."
Kian Keller's expression remained unchanged, as if he hadn't detected the mocking tone in Silas's voice.
The two locked eyes. After a moment, Silas was the first to smile. "My parents are arranging for Mia to be interred at the cemetery on the west side of the city. The funeral is scheduled for the day after tomorrow. Be sure to attend."
When Kian Keller heard that the Grant Family had collected some seawater for the burial, he found it absurd. "There are no ashes. Is this really necessary?"
"Besides, don't you also believe she isn't dead? Why agree to hold a funeral?"
"It's been two months. If she were still alive, how could there not be a single clue?"
"We have to give her a home, don't we?" Silas Grant took off his glasses and began to slowly wipe them. His voice was so soft it seemed it would scatter on the wind. "She's afraid of the dark, and she's so timid. She can't stay at the bottom of the sea forever."
As he spoke, a vicious glint flashed in the man's eyes.
His fingers tightened silently, bending the temple of his glasses under the strain.
Kian Keller wasn't blind. He registered Silas's reaction and sneered inwardly. "Since you're angry too, why did you stop me from beating up Hayes Hughes back then?"
That was right. Mia Grant's "ashes" had been scattered into the sea by Hayes Hughes and his friends.
Neither Silas Grant nor he had agreed with it at the time.
But unfortunately, they had been a step too late.
In the end, not even a speck was left. The urn itself had sunk to the bottom of the sea along with them.
At the time, he'd had his men surround Hayes Hughes and all the others. There was no doubt in his mind that if Silas Grant hadn't intervened, he would have sent them to meet Mia—or rather, her "ashes."
"Angry? Why would I be? He's my younger brother, after all."
Silas Grant put his glasses back on, a faint smile on his lips, as if the vicious glint from the moment he'd removed them had been nothing more than Kian Keller's imagination.
"It seems today is not a good day to discuss business. I'll be leaving now. Remember to be there the day after tomorrow."
Fearing Kian Keller might refuse, he didn't forget to add as he was leaving, "No matter what, she used to call you 'brother.' You should come and see her off."
The assistant waiting outside, not expecting Silas Grant to finish his meeting so quickly, hurried forward to open the rear passenger door. "Mr. Grant."
"Did you find out?"
"We've run into a bit of trouble," the assistant said, hesitating.
Kian Keller's men were still nearby, so Silas Grant gave his assistant a look and bent down to get into the car.
For no apparent reason, his chest tightened. As if guided by some unseen force, he paused and turned his head, looking toward the solitary building that rose up from the rear courtyard.
From the floor-to-ceiling windows on the top floor, he could tell it was Kian Keller's master bedroom.
Unfortunately, the glass was treated, making it impossible to see inside from the outside.
Even the courtyard compound itself was in a remote location, far from the city center. It was extremely private, perfectly suiting Kian Keller's nature.
'He didn't know if it was just his imagination, but he had the distinct feeling that behind that window, someone was watching him...'
Top Floor.
The girl's nightdress was in disarray as a man pressed her against the floor-to-ceiling window.
"Look, Mia, he's looking at you."