Free Web NovelChapter 353: Chapter 351: Kissing Works Better Than Medicine
During the three-day Tomb-Sweeping Day holiday, Silas Grant secretly brought Mia Grant to Portia for a vacation.
In truth, it was less a vacation and more a period of recuperation.
She didn’t go to the estate in Midcrest, as that place had left a lasting impression on her.
Silas Grant had her stay at another one of his properties—a four-story villa with more than enough room for the two of them.
That night, Mia was sitting by the pool, a straw held between her lips as she drank her milk.
Silas had intentionally cleared his schedule for the past few days to stay by her side.
Since he hadn’t been going to the office, he was still on a work call even at this hour, speaking from a room not far behind her.
The balcony door was open, and the bedroom’s sheer curtains billowed in the wind, brushing against her shoulder. The man’s voice drifted out along with them.
Mia didn’t mean to eavesdrop. She was just idly kicking her feet in the water. Her phone was charging inside, and while she’d wanted to ask Silas to get it for her, it was clearly not a good time. So, she listened in for a little while...
It didn’t take long for her to realize he was talking to Simon Adler.
She and Simon hadn’t been in contact since she’d recruited him over the phone last time.
After a short wait, Silas finally hung up.
As footsteps approached from behind, Mia finished the last sip of her milk at the perfect moment.
Her calves submerged in the water, she braced her hands on the poolside and looked back at him over her shoulder.
He smoothly crouched down beside her.
"Aren’t you cold?"
He touched her arm, which had grown a little cool in the wind.
He wanted to carry her back inside, but she refused.
She looked utterly content. "It feels nice."
The weather in Portia was pleasant this season. The evening breeze against her skin was neither cold nor hot—everything was just right.
"Are you meeting someone tomorrow?"
Mia asked.
She was smart. ’Even though I know Silas treats me like some kind of precious, protected species, I can’t push my luck. Otherwise, I’ll be the one to suffer.’
’Silas wouldn’t get angry openly, but he’d always find a way to torment me in private. Even when he was doing something cruel, he’d wear that ’perfect gentleman’ mask, ignoring my pleas for mercy. Or he’d pretend to be thoughtful, just to find new ways to torture me.’
’His dark side was buried deep and was usually unnoticeable, so it was easy to overlook the ways he vented his frustrations.’
Mia had no desire to become collateral damage, so she didn’t bring up Simon Adler herself.
"No." Silas shifted her further onto the edge of the pool so she wouldn’t fall in. "Simon Adler reached out, but I don’t have time."
He had turned him down.
He had promised to spend this time resting with her. Squeezing in a few work calls was already a violation of that promise.
Mia propped her chin on her hand, gazing at the Vexia skyline across the water. After a moment, she said, "If it’s something urgent, you should go. I’ll be fine on my own."
Her tone was perfectly understanding.
Silas glanced at her, knowing exactly what she was up to.
"You want to see him?"
"..."
Mia’s eyes darted to the side. "The way you say that makes it sound like we’re planning to have an affair."
Instantly, an arm tightened around her waist, and he lifted her from the water, sweeping her up into his arms.
Silas casually set her down on a low cabinet inside the room, right next to a flower vase.
He brought over a bath towel, wrapped it around her feet, and began to dry them.
Mia pretended not to notice what he was doing, lifting a hand to toy with the chamomile flowers beside her.
Knowing she liked flowers, he’d made sure fresh bouquets were placed throughout the villa every day—in the living room, dining room, master bedroom, study, gym, media room, and even the guest bedrooms she never used. What’s more, the arrangements were never repeated.
Every morning after waking up, Mia would go on a little treasure hunt, looking here and touching there. Then, like she was clocking in for work, she would meticulously photograph every single bouquet.
She took so many pictures that she’d been posting constantly to her social media feed over the last two days, having already shared five or six nine-photo grids.
No captions, no other content—just flowers.
Even so, there were people who tirelessly liked and commented on every post.
Mia pinched a petal between her fingers and was just turning her head to say something when Silas suddenly kissed her.
His kiss wasn’t rushed, but his gentleness was laced with a hint of dominance. He liked to cup the back of her neck when he kissed her—a gesture that permitted no refusal.
There was no escape.
Mia knew he was displeased.
’Of course. Even if I don’t say anything, he knows exactly what’s going on in my head.’
’But there’s really nothing between me and Simon Adler!’
"He—he did say he liked me."
The words struggled to escape between their lips. Panting, she seized a brief moment when their mouths parted to hastily add, "And I turned him down."
"Really!"
"You don’t like him?"
Their noses touching, he paused.
The evening breeze drifted in, rustling the flower petals. Mia caressed his cheek and pecked the corner of his mouth. "It’s you I like."
He caught her wandering hands, pinning them both against the mural on the wall.
Her body was forced forward, pressing them flush against each other.
When he leaned in to kiss her again, Mia met his lips eagerly, looking for all the world like someone with a guilty conscience.
Her efforts earned a soft chuckle from him. "Trying to butter me up?"
"Mhm," she hummed in response.
Silas’s breathing was heavy, as if he were ready to pounce, yet he continued his patient interrogation. "Are you afraid I’ll do something to him?"
Mia thought for a moment before answering, "Plenty of people have liked me, and I don’t like them back. It’s not a crime punishable by death. Besides, doesn’t he have a chance to redeem himself with good work now?"
"There’s really no need for you to be jealous."
"No need?" Silas took off his glasses, setting them beside the vase with a soft CLINK. He pressed forward, forcing Mia to shrink back.
"He was ’hiding in plain sight’ beside me, knowing full well about us, yet he still developed inappropriate feelings for you. If he’d had any respect for our relationship—his and mine—he never would have confessed to you."
’Some people truly deserve to die.’
’Kian Keller, Yates Donovan, and now Simon Adler.’
’The people closest to him, one after another, all falling for her.’
’In the end, all he could do was regret ever giving them the chance to meet her.’
Mia tried to soothe him. "People are naturally drawn to beautiful things. Him liking me just proves he has normal taste; it doesn’t mean anything else."
"He does care about his relationship with you. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have threatened me back in the beginning."
"With a ’prior offense’ like that on his record, you should know there’s no way I could ever like him."
Gazing at his thin lips, Mia had the sudden urge to kiss them.
’Over the past two days, I’ve discovered a very effective way to relieve my anxiety.’
’Kissing.’
’Maybe it’s just a distraction, but whatever the reason, it works every time.’
’The moment our lips meet, all my tangled thoughts just vanish into thin air.’
’It’s much more effective than any medicine.’
「The last day of the holiday, Tomb-Sweeping Day.」
Mia received a call from Julian Vaughn. He said he was going to visit Gwen York’s grave to pay his respects and asked if she was free.
The Sinclair family had gotten word of her arrival not long after she landed in Portia, so Julian knew she was currently in the city.
Mia had been cooped up in the villa for the past two days and hadn’t gone out at all, so after a moment’s thought, she agreed.
Before she left, Silas helped her into her coat. "I’ll come pick you up when you’re finished."
He sounded like a father sending his daughter off to kindergarten, unable to put his worries to rest.
Mia smiled and kissed the corner of his mouth. "Don’t you worry."
