Free Web NovelChapter 371: Chapter 369: The Baby Scent on Him
Dawn broke.
Silas Grant opened his eyes.
He instinctively looked down at the young woman sleeping soundly in his arms.
She was fast asleep, showing no signs of waking even when he brushed the stray hairs from her forehead.
At six in the morning, Silas broke from his usual routine of a morning workout. He was like a statue, gazing at the figure in his arms.
He did nothing, afraid to startle her. No kisses, no hugs—he just watched.
Fortunately, Mia Grant was sleeping so deeply that she didn’t notice.
At seven, Silas got up to wash and get ready.
He had a meeting later and needed to head to the company now. He wouldn’t have time to come back and be with Mia until the afternoon.
Before leaving, he double-checked that Mia was still asleep, then picked up the box from the bedside table and left the bedroom.
On the way to the office, Silas looked over the auction records Eric had pulled up for him.
When he saw the amount, Silas gave a wry smile. As expected, she had been thoroughly ripped off.
This was probably the largest sum she had ever spent of her own volition.
He had never been stingy with giving Mia an allowance.
He knew the Grant Family hadn’t intended to mistreat her, but with Serena Grant around, Mia was inevitably neglected.
So he had left her a credit card and would also periodically get her the latest clothes and bags.
Girls love to look good, no matter their age, especially during their teenage years.
Worried he couldn’t keep up with the aesthetic of her age group, he had specifically asked a few employees at his company to help pick things out.
But Mia rarely wore or used the things he bought. He later found out she had sold all of it.
She had built up her own little nest egg.
He wasn’t angry, just confused.
’She clearly likes money, yet she’s never once used the card I gave her.’
He never confronted her about it. He just kept sending the gifts, letting her sell them off and cash them out as she pleased.
He was curious to see what she was saving all that money for so desperately.
He had thought she might want something she really loved. It never occurred to him that she was saving up to run away.
At this thought, Silas chuckled softly.
From the front seat, Eric heard the sound and glanced back at him. He hesitated for a moment before asking, "You seem to be in a good mood today, sir. What gift did the young miss give you?"
Silas’s eyelashes fluttered slightly. "Don’t you already know?"
Eric’s expression turned sheepish, and he quickly apologized. "My apologies, Nike Grant. I overstepped. I shouldn’t have wildly guessed your intentions in front of the young miss."
Just as he had guessed, Silas was in a great mood today and didn’t hold it against him, only warning, "Don’t let it happen again."
Eric breathed a sigh of relief.
In truth, he had deliberately walked into the line of fire precisely because he’d gauged that Silas was in a good mood.
Having been by Silas’s side for so long, he knew just how shrewd his boss was.
Hiding it was impossible, so it was better to take the initiative when the other party was feeling magnanimous.
It was much better than waiting for his boss to be in a bad mood and dredge up old grievances.
If that happened, it wouldn’t be just a light warning of "Don’t let it happen again." He’d genuinely be looking for a new job.
Silas had always been the type who couldn’t tolerate a single speck of dust in his eye.
"Where should I book a restaurant for you tonight?"
"Have someone come to the house and make some of her favorite dishes. It’s raining today, so I don’t want her going out."
It had been rainy in Portis lately. Silas glanced out the window at the gloomy weather. She wasn’t fond of it.
Eric acknowledged the order and silently pulled out his tablet to check the menu in his notes, which listed all sorts of things Mia liked to eat.
From snacks and drinks to regional specialties.
Mia wasn’t a picky eater, but that wasn’t necessarily a good thing. It also meant there were very few things she truly loved to eat.
She could make do with anything, so Eric had gone to great lengths when compiling his information.
In the end, he had figured out most of Mia’s preferences by slowly observing her eating habits.
This memo of his was as important as a confidential company document.
In the future, it would be passed down the line.
After getting out of the car, Eric kept pace with Silas, reporting as he flipped through the schedule: "The meeting is expected to end at ten a.m., and you have lunch scheduled with Mr. Ford. As for the young miss, I’ve arranged for someone to..."
Suddenly, he stopped mid-sentence.
Nearby, the second assistant had already pressed the button for the private elevator.
Silas stepped inside, then turned to look at Eric, who was standing frozen outside. He frowned. "Zoning out at work? Didn’t get enough rest? Should I give you a half-day off?"
Eric quickly snapped out of it and followed him in. He first apologized, then explained in a low voice, "Mr. Grant, did you... change your cologne today?"
There was usually an air freshener in the car, and Silas had kept the window open. Plus, with the distance between the front and back seats, Eric hadn’t smelled anything.
But just now, when he got closer, he noticed something was off about Silas’s scent.
Silas was meticulous about his appearance, and wearing cologne had become a habit.
But in all these years, he had never changed his scent.
It was still a custom-blended fragrance.
It wasn’t overpowering, but it wasn’t a soft scent either. Its slight coolness seemed to form a natural barrier, warding off bothersome people.
Silas’s brow twitched. He tilted his head slightly and sniffed his collar.
He didn’t smell anything strange.
"No." After speaking, he frowned as something occurred to him.
It was true he hadn’t changed his cologne, but this morning... he had forgotten to put any on.
"Do I have a strange smell on me?" he asked.
Eric began to doubt himself and looked at the second assistant. "Did you smell it?"
The second assistant was standing a few steps away, but even from that distance, he could catch a cloyingly sweet scent. He nodded. "It smells like milk... and also like..."
"Like?" Silas’s brow arched slightly.
Seeing no sign of anger, only a calm question, the second assistant dared to say it: "And also like baby powder."
"..."
In the next second, both Eric and the second assistant looked at Silas.
Silas’s face was impassive, but in reality, he was just as baffled.
He thought about it carefully and only seemed to find the answer as they stepped out of the elevator.
"Hm. I was in a hurry showering this morning. I must have used the wrong body wash."
He didn’t say whose he had used by mistake.
Fortunately, some things were better left unsaid.
A milk-scented body wash was hardly a men’s product.
On impulse, the second assistant asked, "Should I go run a bath for you now? There should be enough time."
"No need." The words on the tip of Silas’s tongue took a different turn. "It’s fine. Let’s leave it."
In the conference room, Simon Adler had arrived early.
"You’re back?"
Silas greeted him as he walked in. Simon hadn’t officially resigned yet and was in the process of handing over his work.
This meeting was related to a project he was in charge of, so he had made a special trip back.
Simon nodded. Seeing Silas take a seat at the head of the table, he started to discuss business, but he had just begun when he suddenly wrinkled his nose. "What’s that smell on you?"
Silas raised an eyebrow, wiping his glasses before putting them back on. "What?"
"Are you wearing women’s perfume? I haven’t seen you in just a few days, and now you have a new kink?"
Simon shot him a look filled with intense condemnation, as if to say, ’Bro, you’ve changed.’
Silas just sniffed the familiar scent on himself and smiled. "No. I was in a rush this morning. Everything was together when I showered, so I wasn’t paying attention and used her body wash."
Simon’s brow twitched violently.
