novelnext Chapter 289 - 287: She Will Have Many Little Dogs
Chapter 289 - 287: She Will Have Many Little Dogs
The Sinclair residence.
Mrs. Sinclair was exceptionally warm. After stuffing a red envelope into Mia Grant’s hands, she pulled her inside to sit down, smiling as if she were seeing a beloved daughter who had been away for a long time.
After sitting in the living room for a while, Mia Grant finally found a moment to excuse herself while the elders were chatting. "I’m going to the restroom."
She walked slowly, texting Felix Sinclair as she went.
Someone started following her at the corner. Mia didn’t even have to turn around to know who it was.
Those eager footsteps couldn’t belong to a servant. The only person who would trail her so blatantly was Ian Sinclair.
"Who are you texting?"
An arm wrapped around her shoulders from behind. Mia shrugged, trying to shake his hand off. "What will people think if they see this?"
"Relax, there’s no one here."
"Besides, what’s wrong with this? What’s the big deal about me putting my arm around you?"
"Before you become my sister-in-law, you’re my... deskmate."
Mia’s eyelashes fluttered when she heard the first part, relieved that he added the second.
She shot him a glare and put her phone away. "Does Simon Adler know?"
"Of course." Ian’s memory wasn’t that bad. "Last time in Portia, didn’t you show up with him?"
At the mention of Simon Adler, the little puppy rubbed his nose with a sheepish look and mumbled, "That guy doesn’t look like a good person."
Mia raised an eyebrow. "And how did you figure that out?"
The little puppy froze, not expecting that kind of reaction from her.
She didn’t seem angry. It was more like... great minds think alike.
He raised his brows. "A gut feeling. The way he looks at you is weird."
"Weird how?"
"It’s like..." The little puppy stroked his chin, rummaging through his meager vocabulary. "Like a toad lusting after a swan’s flesh."
"Pfft." Mia couldn’t hold it in and burst out laughing.
"Your intuition is pretty sharp."
"Of course it is." The little puppy chuckled smugly. The next second, his smile froze on his face. ’Wait, something’s not right!’
Ian Sinclair stopped in his tracks, hooked his arm around her shoulder, and pulled her back.
Mia’s back bumped against his chest. She turned her head, looking at him with a bewildered expression.
"He’s really interested in you?"
"Isn’t that normal?" Mia blinked.
Ian: "..."
If it had been anyone else, he would have scoffed mockingly at how narcissistic they were.
Unfortunately, this was Mia Grant.
And the most infuriating part was that her reaction was actually correct! You couldn’t find a single thing wrong with it!
She really did have that kind of charm.
Something seemed to cross his mind. Ian pursed his lips and fell silent.
"What’s wrong?" Mia tilted her head, confused. "I don’t even like him. You’re going to get mad about that?"
"Why are you so jealous of everyone these days?"
"It’s not that." Ian pouted, looking aggrieved. "I just... I feel a strong sense of crisis."
"Because of Simon Adler?"
"No."
Mia crossed her arms, looking a bit helpless. "When did you start talking like your brother, only giving one-word answers?"
’Would it kill you to say one more word?’
Ian bristled and gave her waist a light pinch.
Under her gaze, the little puppy’s lips moved a bit unnaturally. He glanced around. "You could just beckon with your finger, and tons of guys would come flocking to you."
"You’re so amazing, they’d all be fighting to be your little puppy. With more options, I’d be the one getting eliminated."
Mia’s expression froze for a second before she burst out laughing. She pinched the little puppy’s cheek and tugged it gently. "You really overthink things. Do you see me as someone who’d take just anyone?"
"No one else out there is as good as you."
"What if one day, you decide they’re better than me? People always like the new and grow tired of the old."
The little puppy looked at her with a pitiful expression.
Mia lowered her hand and cupped his cheeks, squishing them. "What’s this? The fearless Ian Sinclair is now acting in some primetime soap opera?"
"I’ve been watching too many with my mom lately."
Mia laughed, then answered seriously, "I won’t."
"Don’t doubt yourself from now on."
After a moment’s thought, she continued, "And whether it’s because of me or not, don’t ever doubt yourself just for the sake of someone else’s affection."
"You’re wonderful."
Ripples stirred in the depths of Ian’s dark eyes. He leaned in to kiss her, but Mia laughingly blocked him. "Don’t get too carried away."
"But I’m sad."
"That little trick won’t work on me now." Mia turned and continued walking.
Staring at her back for a few seconds, the aggrieved look on Ian’s face slowly faded, his dark eyes turning as intense as spilled ink.
Soon, he caught up to her with a smile. "Actually, I’m not that anxious."
"Dogs are naturally alert. If another little puppy invades my territory, I’ll definitely be the first to notice and bite them to death."
"I’ll never give them a chance to get close to you."
"Besides, I’m confident I can keep things fresh for you forever. I won’t let you get tired of me, and I won’t get tired of you either."
"So, we’re a match made in heaven!"
Mia nodded perfunctorily with a smile. "Right, right, right."
Ian took the opportunity to lean down and plant a heavy kiss on her cheek.
—
After dinner, Mia found a moment to check her phone. Felix Sinclair hadn’t replied.
She frowned, scrolled through her contacts, and made a call.
「Portia.」
Simon Adler had been waiting since morning, and he was still waiting now.
It was hard to imagine that a man who worked even on holidays had spent the entire day spacing out.
He had accomplished almost no real work.
When the call finally came, Simon, who was standing beside him, had a bigger reaction than he did. His excited expression was like someone who had endured a long ordeal, finally waiting for the lottery numbers to be announced.
Then, as if checking his own ticket, he cried out: ’I won! I won! The ancestors are finally smiling on us!’
Simon Adler’s reaction was calmer than he himself had imagined. He knew Mia Grant would contact him eventually.
He just hadn’t expected the wait to be so long it felt like a century.
He glanced at Simon, signaling for him to shut up.
He calmly picked up the phone from the desk and answered.
"Simon Adler speaking."
Mia also identified herself. "Is this a good time?"
"It is."
"Did Felix Sinclair contact you?"
"We spoke once on the phone."
"Are you two close? Why would he contact you?"
’The only bridge between them was Carla Sinclair.’
’But if Carla had played a role in this, she would have definitely told me beforehand.’
’And Simon Adler wouldn’t have needed to go through the trouble of finding me via Hayes Hughes.’
’In fact, they had always had each other’s contact information and had never blocked one another.’
’Simon Adler hadn’t initiated contact, probably because he was still blaming himself for what happened last time.’
Mia did, in fact, feel he bore some collateral responsibility for that incident.
But now was not the time to settle scores.
"How much do you know about the Hughes family’s businesses?"
"Casinos, hotels, shipping docks, real estate, tourism... a lot of things."
"The Hughes Corp has a small subsidiary that has been operating at a loss for years, but there are no plans to shut it down."
"Why?"
"Because the Hughes Corp plans to enter the artificial intelligence industry. And that’s why Felix Sinclair came to me."