Free Web NovelChapter 370: Chapter 368: Why Do You Look So Small?
He froze and instinctively glanced at the bed.
Sure enough, the small lump under the covers stirred slightly. "Silas...?"
He sucked in a sharp breath.
"I’m here." Silas ignored whatever was on the floor, got into bed, and lay down beside her. He gently turned her over to face him, pulling her into his arms.
"It’s okay. Go back to sleep."
He knew she had trouble falling asleep from the last time he went with her to the doctor, but he hadn’t realized her sleep disorder was this severe. Even the slightest sound could startle her awake.
Feeling the stiff body in his arms gradually relax, Silas softened his own breathing, afraid of disturbing her.
The man’s hand gently patted her back in a soothing gesture.
Mia Grant woke up fast, but she also fell back asleep just as quickly.
In just a moment, her mind started to go blank again.
This time, however, she didn’t sleep for long before her phone suddenly vibrated by the pillow.
She wasn’t the only one startled awake.
Silas Grant’s reaction was even stronger than hers. He pushed himself up slightly, one arm around her, while the other reached over her head, fumbling for the phone she’d left on the other side.
Silas thought it was a call. ’What kind of lunatic is calling her in the middle of the night?’ he mentally cursed.
He figured it was probably Yates Donovan.
Because Yates was the only one who would pull a stunt like that.
But it turned out to be an alarm.
In the faint light, he saw the time displayed on the screen.
Midnight. Exactly 12:00 AM.
Before he could process it, the woman in his arms wrapped her hands around him in return. Her voice was soft with sleep. "Silas Grant, happy birthday."
The man froze, finally understanding the purpose of the alarm.
Like the lamp she had left on for him, it filled his heart with warmth.
Silas Grant turned off the alarm and lowered his head, holding her tighter. "Baby, I’m very happy today."
His words snapped Mia Grant wide awake.
The gift.
The birthday gift!
She gave the man on top of her a gentle push. "I got you a birthday present."
They created a little distance between them. Silas looked down at her. "I know."
"Not the belt. That’s not what I originally planned to give you." Mia pushed him again, this time managing to sit up.
She leaned over the side of the bed and looked around.
Silas took the opportunity to turn on the wall lamp, flooding the room with light as bright as day.
Soon, Mia Grant lifted up a long, rectangular box.
"Here."
The box was a bit heavy. Kneeling on the bed, she struggled slightly to hold it up, stretching to present it to him.
"I actually wanted to give you this first, but I thought you might not like it... That’s why I bought the belt instead. But I didn’t expect you wouldn’t like the belt either."
"It’s not that I didn’t like it." He took the box from her, explaining about the belt, "It was just a little... unexpected."
Mia Grant understood his implication and huffed. "You just thought I wasn’t being thoughtful, so you gave me the cold shoulder."
"I didn’t." Silas Grant smiled indulgently.
You could tell the old man was in a genuinely good mood this time.
"You did." Mia took the chance to list his crimes. "You were deliberately on the phone for a long time on the way here and wouldn’t talk to me. You kept replying to messages during dinner and didn’t put any food on my plate. And when we got back, you went to a meeting instead of watching a movie with me."
It was a bit of a tantrum, but Silas accepted it all without explanation, simply apologizing to her.
The contented old man was extremely agreeable now.
He was happy even before seeing what the gift was.
Mia Grant’s assessment of him: "Hypocritical. Materialistic."
Silas smiled and nodded. "Can I open it now?"
Mia, kneeling opposite him, just huffed in response.
Worried he wouldn’t see it clearly, Silas even picked up his glasses from the nightstand and put them on.
He was being so serious about it that Mia started to get nervous again.
He opened the box. The moment he saw what was inside, Silas’s expression froze.
Mia’s breath caught in her throat.
In that instant, she even regretted listening to Eric’s brainwashing again.
’How can a person trip over the same stone twice?’
When you pick out a gift so carefully, you naturally hope the other person will like it.
Fortunately, Silas was only stunned for a few seconds. He was always socially adept, and his expression shifted quickly. When he looked up at her, his eyes held an unspoken sense of resignation.
Yes, resignation.
Mia hadn’t expected to see that kind of emotion on his face.
She clutched the blanket. "You really don’t like it?"
She frowned. "Well, I already bought it, so it’s too late even if you don’t like it. I’m not getting you anything next time. You’re too hard to read."
"I like it."
"If you liked it, you wouldn’t have that look on your face."
"I do like it. It’s just... too precious." Silas stroked the pattern on the golf club and sighed. "You’re certainly willing to spend..."
He paused, then added, "Now I’m the one who’s feeling reluctant."
"Reluctant about what?" Mia was completely lost.
The man took off his glasses, his dark eyes fixed on her. "Reluctant to let you appear in front of them."
"..."
Mia was speechless. "I didn’t give you a gift to make you think that!"
Silas smiled and nodded. "Thank you. I really do love it."
"It’s been a long time since I received such a perfect gift. You must have searched for a long time, didn’t you? My dear Mia is so thoughtful."
He knew this gift didn’t just cost a lot of money.
Some collector’s items can’t be bought with money alone.
Because they’re so rare, many collectors are unwilling to part with them.
It doesn’t matter how high the offer is.
In this circle, no one is short on cash.
Mia looked at him. "Do you really like it? It seems like you don’t play much golf in your free time."
"Because I don’t have the time."
"But I’ll make time to play regularly from now on. I can’t let your good intentions go to waste."
Speaking of which, she leaned in closer, as if asking casually, "Have you ever gotten a hole-in-one?"
"A few times when I was younger, but not in recent years. Most of the time it’s for business, so my mind isn’t on the game."
It’s mainly for negotiating deals.
Mia’s brow twitched. She asked again, "So do you really give out red envelopes to everyone on the course?"
"I do."
Mia sucked in a breath.
Silas asked, "Does my Mia play golf too?"
"Nope."
"Then how do you know so much about it? Are you interested? That’s perfect, you can keep me company."
She shook her head. "I’ve seen it before."
Silas raised an eyebrow. He set down the golf club and pulled her into his arms, so they were face to face. "Seen who play?"
"Probably you, I think."
Silas froze. "Me?"
He had no memory of it at all.
In his memory, Mia Grant hadn’t come to Portia very often. And he had never played golf in Jynsia...
Mia’s tone wasn’t very certain either. "Maybe. It was a long time ago, I don’t remember clearly."
"Oh, let’s just go to sleep, go to sleep."
She abruptly ended the topic.
Perhaps because what one thinks about by day, one dreams of by night, Silas had a dream that very evening.
At a corner, people came and went.
The little girl stood obediently by the wall.
"Why does she look so young?"
"Is she even an adult?"
"Forget it, forget it. You go over there in a bit. Don’t you want to earn some extra cash? See those bosses over there? Be sharp, keep them happy, and you’ll even get a tip."
He walked past the two of them.
Returning to his spot, he took the golf club in his hand.
He glanced around, his gaze falling on a figure in the distance who was pouring tea for someone.
The next second, he swung the club with all his might.
THWACK.
The manager’s cheer rang in his ears—
"Hole-in-one."
