Free Web NovelChapter 361: Chapter 359: Something Really Happened
Yates Donovan found it absurd. He nodded, half-convinced, half-skeptical. "So, that’s why you haven’t been going out lately?"
"Don’t you get bored?"
Mia Grant replied matter-of-factly, "That’s why I bought model kits online."
"..."
She just liked being alone sometimes; it wasn’t that she was a homebody. ’Of course I get bored.’
Yates carefully recalled the reports he’d received from his subordinates about Mia Grant’s schedule over the past few days.
He finally peeled back the layers and found the source of the issue.
’Right, she went to a temple a while back.’
He hadn’t paid it any mind at the time, assuming she was just praying for that fake monk again.
After all, the two of them had made a special, lovey-dovey trip to that most sacred temple in Jynsia.
’Tsk.’
Perhaps he was still bothered by Kian Keller, or maybe... he really was a little jealous.
So, he hadn’t looked too closely at the details back then.
Connecting that to what she just said, Yates frowned. "Did those monks fill your head with some nonsense?"
Mia frowned. "Watch your mouth. What do you mean, ’nonsense’?"
Hearing this, Yates was certain. The root of the problem was exactly what he’d thought.
He took a breath and asked, "So, what wisdom did these ’masters’ impart to you?"
"Why shouldn’t you go out?"
Mia Grant took a perfectly chilled bottle of water from the small fridge nearby.
"It’s cold," Yates said, trying to stop her.
As if she hadn’t heard him, Mia twisted the cap open and took a few sips.
Seeing this, Yates could only give a helpless quirk of his lips. He never actually moved to stop her.
Thankfully, Mia didn’t drink too much. Before she could screw the cap back on, he snatched the bottle from her hand.
The man tightened the cap and casually placed it on the armrest console. "Drink less cold stuff. You haven’t been eating properly lately, you’ll upset your stomach."
"How do you know I haven’t been eating properly?" Mia patted her flat stomach. "I even gained a few ounces recently."
’A few ounces, ha.’ Yates really wanted to roll his eyes at her. ’She has the nerve to mention that like it’s something.’
Despite his disdain, his body was quite honest as it covered her hand with his.
His hand completely enveloped hers, his fingertips easily reaching past hers to circle over her stomach.
The touch tickled. Mia couldn’t help but shudder, and she quickly slapped his paw away. "What are you doing?"
Her voice was delicate and soft, just like the smooth, tender skin beneath her shirt.
Yates pressed his tongue against his back teeth, the look in his eyes as he glanced up at her suggesting he wanted to strip her bare.
’He’d probably turn into a beast right here in the car,’ Mia thought without a shred of doubt.
But in the end, he just awkwardly pulled his hand back, lightly brushing his fingers against the tip of his nose. "They told me you haven’t even been going to the cafeteria," he said softly.
"That’s because my roommates bring me food."
"I doubt they’re bringing you all three meals a day. You’re not eating properly. Your body..."
Yates’s voice came to an abrupt halt.
The old man, just like any other elder, loved to nag him.
Things like not wearing long johns in the winter, not eating on time and being a picky eater, having a chaotic schedule.
He used to find it incredibly annoying, so he never wanted to become that kind of person.
But now, in the middle of their conversation, he’d started nagging without even realizing it.
Yates finally understood how the old man must have felt back then.
Especially when he saw the completely unconcerned look on Mia’s face, his frustration flared up.
’How can someone be so careless about their own health?’
But he couldn’t hit her or scold her; he couldn’t even nag a little.
Yates couldn’t help but wonder. ’If we really have a daughter or son just like her in the future, I’d have two of these difficult little ancestors to deal with at once. Heaven would truly be blessing me.’
Luckily, he managed to rein in his thoughts before they strayed too far.
He thought for a moment and decided not to say any more. ’Instead of nagging, I’d be better off putting more effort into her three meals a day.’
"So what did that master say?"
The topic finally, painstakingly, returned to the main point.
Mia was surprised he still remembered. After a moment, she said, "He didn’t say much, just warned me that I might face a bloody disaster soon."
Hearing this, Yates’s brow furrowed slightly.
Seeing him zone out again, Mia propped her chin on her hand and admired his god-like good looks for a few seconds. She was about to tell him she’d bought an Amulet to turn misfortune into good fortune and that everything had been fine so far, so he shouldn’t worry needlessly.
But he spoke first.
"Let me take you back to school."
"..." Mia was taken aback. "Huh?"
"You really shouldn’t go out for a while. It’d be best if you skipped your classes too. I can get you excused, can’t I? Then you can leave campus and stay at... no, on second thought, stay in your dorm. With your roommates there, it’ll be safer."
"Even if you lived off-campus, I could arrange for people to look after you and ensure your safety. But then there’d be no one to keep you from getting bored... Hey!"
Suddenly, an idea struck him. He looked at her with an expectant expression. "Why don’t you come abroad with me?"
"..."
Mia hadn’t expected such a strong reaction from him. "It’s not like it’s any safer abroad, is it?"
"True." Yates’s brow tightened. ’If something happened, even though I have a gun, I’d be afraid of her seeing a bloody scene.’
’Forget it, forget it.’
"Staying at school is better."
"Should I get you excused from class?"
"No need." Mia thought he was making a mountain out of a molehill. "I’m eating well, sleeping well, and I have a stable routine every day. Besides going to class, all I do is eat and sleep. What could possibly happen?"
"I was perfectly fine before you came back, wasn’t I?"
Yates nodded hesitantly.
"You don’t need to worry so much. If you’re going to be like this, I won’t tell you if something comes up again in the future."
"No, no, no." Yates cried out, grabbing her hand. "It’s just that my worry is clouding my judgment."
"You know how it is. When I’m abroad and something happens to you, I get the news so late, let alone the time it takes for me to get back."
"Sigh. Thankfully, the other guys aren’t just for show."
Mia couldn’t help but laugh. "Don’t worry, I’ll be fine."
But sometimes, you really shouldn’t jinx it.
Some things are better left unsaid. The moment you say them, something bad is bound to happen.
Mia never thought her luck could be this bad.
The next morning, Yates Donovan was at the international airport.
Five minutes before his plane was scheduled to take off, he received a phone call from a subordinate.
At the same time, he was bombarded with texts and WeChat messages from another subordinate.
And a notification from the airline’s flight attendant.
Several people were trying every possible way to get the message to him.
This huge commotion made Yates, who was still on the grounded plane, start to feel uneasy.
It was like the intense feeling of weightlessness during a plane’s initial ascent; his heart began to pound, faster and faster.
Almost instantly, he stood up and started walking out without hesitation, answering the call at the same time.
The closed cabin door reopened.
Yates’s steps were frantic. By the time he was crossing the jet bridge, his fast walk had turned into a jog.
The moment the call ended, he unbuttoned his cumbersome jacket and broke into a full sprint.
Mr. Payne and two bodyguards behind him could barely keep up.
