Free Web NovelChapter 355: Chapter 353: Mutton Dressed as Lamb
Mia Grant hadn’t seen Simon Adler in Portia, so she was surprised to see him the moment she got back to Jynsia.
After her class ended at noon, Mia saw a message from him.
He was at a coffee shop right across from campus. Mia thought for a moment before heading over.
It was lunchtime, so most people were out eating. The coffee shop was nearly empty, with only a few scattered customers.
Mia spotted Simon Adler right away, but she hesitated, not quite recognizing him. She stared for a moment before walking over.
After sitting down, she looked the man across from her up and down, making no effort to hide her surprise as she stared at him. "I almost didn’t recognize you."
Simon Adler glanced down at his clothes. He actually felt a little awkward but didn’t let it show.
"Is it that strange? I thought it was okay."
Mia stroked her chin. "It’s a bit like mutton dressed as lamb."
"..."
Simon Adler pressed his lips together. ’As expected, you can’t count on her to say anything nice.’
This time, Mia wasn’t deliberately trying to antagonize him.
The man, who was usually clad in suits, was dressed very casually today. He was covered in trendy brands, looking more fashionable than most of the guys in her class.
’Anyone who didn’t know better would think he was a model from some agency, about to walk a runway.’
Her gaze was direct and unwavering, and Simon Adler started to lose his confidence under her scrutiny.
This outfit was something Simon and Lee had egged him on to wear.
They’d said it would make him look younger and help close the distance between them.
The effect was obvious. Not only did it fail to close the distance, but it made Mia want to keep even further away.
As they walked together, Mia even made him walk ahead of her.
"Stop looking back at me. People will think I know you."
"..."
They relocated to a nearby restaurant. After ordering, Mia put her phone away and watched the man across from her, who was now changing into a jacket. Puzzled, she asked, "How on earth did Simon convince you to wear that?"
Simon had just brought the jacket in. He probably knew he was in for a scolding, so he dropped it off and bolted without even saying hello to her.
"He said it would make me look younger."
Mia couldn’t help but laugh out loud. "It does make you look younger. It’s just that I’m so used to how you normally look, so this is a little weird. But it’s not bad-looking."
Simon Adler straightened his collar, then looked up at her. "You would’ve been better off not trying to console me."
When they were about done eating, Mia asked him what he wanted.
’He didn’t seek me out just to have a meal, did he?’
Simon Adler called Simon in, and his assistant quickly handed over a document.
"This is from Carla Sinclair. It’s already been signed. I brought it over for you."
"Oh..."
Mia took it.
It was a shareholding agreement. His signature meant they were in the same boat now.
Mia had some trouble understanding the contract. She didn’t read it in detail, just scanned for the key information.
After confirming there were no issues, she nodded and asked, "Do I need to sign it too?"
"Yes, you’re Party A." As soon as Simon Adler finished speaking, Simon handed her a pen.
"You can also take it back with you to read carefully before signing."
’How considerate of him.’
Mia flipped through it. "There are no problems."
"Can you really understand it?" Simon Adler was skeptical.
"It’s in black and white. What’s so hard to understand?"
Some of the technical terms were a bit difficult, but she could manage.
Mia was incredibly glad she had poached him.
’I’m not cut out for business at all.’
After realizing this, she started to feel lost again.
’I can’t just spend the rest of my life as a slacker with no ambition, just endless money to spend, can I?’
She loved money, but the thought of doing nothing for the next few decades genuinely made her anxious.
’I guess I was just born to work.’
’Reaping the rewards of others’ work just isn’t for me.’
She couldn’t stay idle; she had to find something to do.
She just hadn’t found her direction yet.
In any case, she had temporarily given up on the path of business.
Rather than risk bankruptcy by doing it herself, it was better to hire a professional.
At least in this regard, Simon Adler was very reliable.
And with Julian Vaughn to supervise and provide support, she felt at ease.
"I heard you were sick and hospitalized a while ago?"
The business talk had only taken a few minutes. Simon Adler quickly changed the subject.
"Mhm." Mia nodded lightly. "Just the flu. I wasn’t careful and caught it when the seasons changed."
A month had already passed, and any trace of her illness was long gone.
Silas Grant had taken good care of her recently in Portia. She was eating well, sleeping well, and in high spirits.
As a result, her complexion looked very healthy.
But he wasn’t sure if it was his imagination, or if she seemed a little thinner now than the last time they’d met.
Still, she looked a bit fuller than she had in the photos from when she was sick, so she was probably recovering slowly.
Mia was sipping her juice. She met his gaze, paused, then took the straw out of her mouth and said, "My brother already knows about you ’betraying’ him."
"Betraying?" Simon Adler found the word choice novel, but on second thought, it was accurate.
"Yup. He knows you like me, and that I rejected you."
"Next time, you can omit the second half of that sentence. You don’t need to remind me every time we meet."
"I’m just worried you might still have some improper ideas." Mia spread her hands openly. "If that’s the case, things will get very awkward in the future."
At first glance, it sounded like a joke, but Simon Adler knew she was warning him.
’But what’s the use?’
’They’re called improper ideas for a reason. Who can control them?’
"You and Julian Vaughn will be starting your new positions next month, right?" Mia thought his expression had suddenly turned a little strange, so after a moment’s consideration, she changed the subject.
"Yes."
Mia stroked her chin. "In that case, can you keep an eye on him for me from now on?"
Simon Adler was taken aback.
"You don’t trust him?"
He knew that part of Julian Vaughn’s role was actually to keep an eye on him.
He never expected Mia to ask him to watch Julian Vaughn in return.
"That’s not it." Mia stared at him for a moment before deciding to tell him the truth. "I’m only telling you this. You’d better keep it a secret. If it gets out, I’m taking you down with me."
Simon Adler raised an eyebrow, his curiosity piqued.
"I’m not worried about Julian Vaughn being ambitious. Whether he wants the Sinclair Family’s assets or the Grant Corporation’s, it doesn’t matter. None of that is important to me."
"I asked him before if he knew Serena Grant. I’m not sure if he was lying, but I have a feeling he’ll be in contact with her in the future."
Simon Adler stared at her for a moment, his mind racing. "You think he’ll team up with Serena Grant to harm you?"
"Not exactly." Mia shook her head. "He wouldn’t hurt me."
Simon Adler was slightly surprised. "Even though you’re biological siblings, you’ve only known each other for a short time. You trust him that much?"
"Carla Sinclair has known him for so long, and she probably doesn’t trust him as much as you do."
"Because he has no reason to hurt me."
Mia never expected her words to come back to bite her so soon.
After they parted ways that day, Simon Adler specifically assigned someone to watch Julian Vaughn, and surprisingly, they found something.
Mia had just gotten out of class when she received the call.
"I have something on Julian Vaughn. Should we talk about it in person?"
"I have another class. Just tell me over the phone." Mia didn’t seem too concerned.
There was a moment of silence on the other end of the line, then the man’s voice came through. "I found out that Julian Vaughn’s assistant recently transferred a large sum of money from an overseas account to someone."
"That person has a record of entering and exiting casinos in Calyx multiple times in the last year."
