Free Web NovelChapter 329: Chapter 327: A Man’s Primal Impulse for a Woman
For the first time in his life, Simon Adler felt defeated.
Nothing had even truly begun.
He hadn’t even made a formal confession, yet he’d already been handed a death sentence.
It wasn’t just defeat; it was a feeling akin to helplessness. What it was, exactly, he couldn’t quite pinpoint at the moment.
A surge of emotion could easily crush a man’s pride.
But he didn’t leave.
After a long silence, he asked, "Did you dislike me from the very beginning?"
"I’m not the type to fall in love with everyone I meet. If you think I am, that just proves we’re not on the same path at all."
"Actually, I know. From start to finish, you’ve seen me as someone who toys with men and leads them on. So, your ’liking’ me isn’t because you discovered I’m not a bad girl, but because you developed that... so-called primitive impulse men have for women."
"We can call it desire, but I don’t think it’s love."
"I heard from Simon and the others that you’ve never been in a relationship. In school, you focused entirely on your studies. After graduation, you were obsessed with surpassing Silas Grant, turning into a workaholic with no time for romance."
"So, because you’ve never experienced this, you naturally interpret these feelings as ’like’."
"But that’s wrong."
"You shouldn’t be asking me. You should be asking yourself."
There were things Mia Grant had wanted to say for a long time. But back in Portia, Simon Adler had been of some use to her—though it was more of a mutually beneficial arrangement. So, she’d held back the harsh words, swallowing them time and again, not having the heart to burst his bubble.
Now, however, they had no relationship to speak of, so she no longer needed to hold anything back.
She could finally speak her mind.
"You were biased against me from the very start. Calm down and think carefully about what I’ve said."
She put down the milk tea she had only taken a sip of, not planning to take it with her.
"Wait."
Simon Adler spoke up just in time.
Mia Grant tilted her head, giving him a chance to speak.
"What you said makes a lot of sense, and I did think that way at first. But when it comes to my feelings for you later on... I think I’m the one who knows them best."
The man’s gaze was intense, locking onto her figure.
The smile Mia Grant had been maintaining slowly faded from her face.
’This guy is unbelievably persistent,’ she thought.
’So everything I just said, that whole long speech, was for nothing, huh?’
Simon Adler’s expression was unreadable, and he seemed to struggle for a moment before saying, "I should apologize to you for being biased."
Mia Grant let out a slow breath. "It’s not like I need your apology."
"Plenty of people have wronged me. ’I’m sorry’—I’m sick of hearing those two words."
’My ears are going to start bleeding. Can’t they come up with something new?’
"If you can forgive them, why can’t you forgive me?"
"..." Mia Grant froze, then gave her head a slight shake, her confused expression looking utterly adorable.
Simon Adler stared at her for a long moment before continuing, "Before all this, didn’t they all do things to wrong you, too?"
"I was only biased against you at first. Compared to them, my crime doesn’t deserve this, does it?"
"And I don’t think you like them that much, either. Not enough to forgive them out of love."
So, she didn’t need to try and fob him off with some nonsense about love.
He had indeed figured out her methods, so he cut off her escape route in advance.
Mia Grant’s gaze slowly sharpened, as if pulling herself out of a memory.
"It seems you’ve found out a lot."
Simon Adler didn’t deny it. "Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated."
"Mm," Mia Grant said with a smiling nod. "But you’ve chosen the wrong opponent."
"You’re not the one trying to date them. Why waste so much effort on them?"
"And what about me? How much did you find out?"
"Not much." That was just for show. He then proceeded to recount her past as if it were his own family history. He’d even uncovered some fragmented trivialities that Mia Grant herself had forgotten.
Mia Grant listened with a smile, then slowly nodded. Her expression looked as if she were commending a valiant knight.
At least, that’s what Simon Adler thought. Seeing her satisfied smile, he felt that maybe he wasn’t completely without a chance.
This just went to show he still didn’t understand Mia Grant well enough.
If it had been Yates Donovan, seeing her smiling like that, he would have known she was most likely angry.
This topic could not continue.
Getting a slap would be a minor issue; getting kicked out of the game entirely would be an ugly ending.
"Did you know? Of the four things I hate most, you’ve already done two and a half."
"What?" Simon Adler hadn’t expected her attitude to take such a sharp turn.
The girl looked at him, her face devoid of expression. "I hate it when people threaten me. I hate it when people test me. I hate it when people investigate me. And I hate it when people pester me."
"Ask me a hundred more times, and my answer will be the same as it is now. There’s no chance for us."
"As for how I get along with them, that’s something for my future self to worry about. Just because I can accept them doesn’t mean I can accept you or anyone else."
"It’s not the same concept."
"The fact that I chose them doesn’t mean I’m easy. I have things I need to do, and I have my own considerations. So you don’t need to trouble yourself with testing me."
"I can tell you with absolute certainty, even if they weren’t in the picture, I still wouldn’t choose you."
"Of course, sometimes it’s not that you’re not good enough. It’s just bad timing."
’If you want to blame someone, go blame the original author of the book.’
’After all... you’re not one of the male leads she wrote. You’re just a random passerby.’
’Dealing with these few male leads is already spreading me too thin. I really don’t have the energy to handle any extra relationships.’
’In her eyes, Yates Donovan was already half an exception.’
’I can’t afford any more complications.’
Some words were indeed too cruel, but they had to be said.
That weekend, Hayes Hughes took Mia Grant to Shenlyn. The weather was pleasant, with temperatures in the teens Celsius—much warmer than in Jynsia.
The only thing was, Shenlyn was right across from Portia.
Looking into the distance, Mia Grant could almost remember the scene of her escape by helicopter that night.
The next time she heard news of Simon Adler, she was setting up a tent with Hayes Hughes.
Since she wanted to go stargazing, she had simply said she wanted to go camping.
Hayes Hughes found a campground and was setting up the tent himself.
She claimed to be helping, but it would be more accurate to say she was causing trouble.
One moment she would snatch away the rope, the next she’d hide the tent stakes, and then she’d wander off to the side to play with the hammer.
When a tool went missing, Hayes Hughes didn’t get angry. Every time he was in the middle of using something and turned to find it gone, he would just ask her for it with a gentle smile.
"I don’t have it," she’d say. "I didn’t see it. A little squirrel probably ran off with it."
Hearing this, the smile in Hayes Hughes’s eyes deepened. He didn’t expose her clumsy lie, only asking her to help ask the nearby squirrels when they would be done with it so they could have it back.
He said that it was getting dark, and if they didn’t finish setting up the tent, Mia would have nowhere to rest later.
His gaze was so indulgent, it was as if he were looking at a mischievous child.
It was clear he was in an excellent mood.
