I Faked My Death—Now I Have to Tame the Crazy Men I Left Behind

Chapter 314 - 312: A Clean Strike

In the end, Mia Grant didn’t cry.

Her tears dried before they could fall. Silas Grant stayed with her, watching nearly two hours of infomercials.

Finally, she couldn’t hold it back any longer and rushed to the bathroom, where she threw up for a good while.

With her stomach partially empty, she finally felt a little less sick.

Silas Grant gave her two more pills. Seeing her in such a wretched state, he ultimately decided not to say anything.

’She deserved a lecture, but he could let it slide for today.’

The ordeal lasted until four in the morning, when Mia Grant finally fell asleep.

As promised, Silas Grant lay down on the floor next to the bed.

But he wasn’t used to it and couldn’t get comfortable. He ended up making do on the two-seater sofa in her room for the night.

Early the next morning, Hayes Hughes finally got back.

He ran into Zero the moment he got out of his car.

Hayes Hughes recognized him and could tell the man had something to say. He stopped. "Is something the matter?"

Zero hadn’t slept all night, worried sick. He had no idea what had happened, but Zelo kept calling to say that Mr. Keller and Miss Grant had apparently argued, and that he should go check on her.

But it had been too late, and with Silas Grant there, he couldn’t find an opportunity to go upstairs.

"Is Miss Grant... all right?"

Zero explained, "Mr. Keller is a bit worried about her."

Hayes Hughes’s lips thinned. He stared at Zero for a few seconds before saying, "It’s nothing serious."

Knowing Hayes Hughes wouldn’t lie, Zero breathed a sigh of relief. "There might just be a small misunderstanding between Miss Grant and Mr. Keller..."

Hayes Hughes held up a hand, cutting him off. "You don’t need to tell me any of this. I can’t act as a mediator for them."

Zero faltered.

’Just as I thought. Hayes Hughes may be mild-mannered, but he’s not stupid. He figured out my goal after just one sentence.’

"This is their private affair. An outsider trying to explain things won’t get to the bottom of it, nor would it show any sincerity. They should wait for him to return and talk in person."

Zero hurried after him. "Mr. Keller is already on a plane, on his way back!"

Hayes Hughes froze. "Isn’t he undergoing treatment abroad? Is he even allowed to come back now?"

"Technically, he’s not supposed to. But he was calling last night, and Miss Grant never answered. He’s worried that if this drags on... it will damage their relationship."

Hayes Hughes’s chest heaved slightly. He handed a portion of the breakfast he was carrying to Zero. "You go get some rest. Nothing will happen to Mia Grant here."

"I don’t care what happened between them. But I do know she’s put up with Kian Keller for a very long time. For her to suddenly lash out like this, she can’t just be throwing a tantrum for no reason."

—

The moment Hayes Hughes walked in, he saw Silas Grant coming out of Mia’s room.

Their eyes met. Hayes Hughes asked, "Is she okay?"

Silas Grant closed the door. "Still asleep."

Hayes Hughes nodded and closed the front door behind him.

Silas had broken the bedroom door down yesterday, so now it could only be left ajar. Luckily, security in the complex was good, so they weren’t worried about intruders.

’Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been able to come and go as he pleased.’

"I bought breakfast. Do you want any?"

Silas Grant stared at the steaming bags of food on the table, but he had no appetite at all.

He simply lit a cigarette.

After taking a few drags, he watched Hayes Hughes busying himself and asked, "Are you really not curious?"

Hayes Hughes finished portioning out the breakfast, placing the food meant for Mia Grant in the kitchen to keep it warm.

He only paused after a moment to reply, "I am. But I can wait for her to tell me when she’s ready. It doesn’t matter to me whether I find out sooner or later."

"You always seem so uncontesting," Silas Grant said with an inscrutable laugh.

"I just know what’s most important."

Hayes Hughes calmly retorted, then added, "I ran into one of Kian Keller’s men downstairs just now. He said Kian is on his way back. Given the travel time, he should be landing around dusk."

"She won’t see him right now."

Silas Grant thought for a moment. "Do you have plans today?"

"No, it’s my day off."

"Then you stay here and keep an eye on her."

Hayes Hughes looked up. "Are you going out? Or heading home?"

"To have a little chat with Kian Keller."

"..."

Hayes Hughes had a good idea of what that "chat" would entail. "His health is poor. They just had a misunderstanding; it doesn’t mean they’ve broken up. Silas, you should exercise some restraint."

"Besides, if she asks where you’ve gone..." He wouldn’t lie; he would have to tell her the truth.

But Silas Grant just said, "Don’t worry. She won’t ask."

—

Mia Grant slept until the afternoon. When she finally woke up, her head was splitting.

It took her a long time to gather herself before she could climb out of bed.

The mess in the bathroom from the previous night had already been cleaned up.

Mia Grant knew at a glance that this wasn’t Silas’s doing.

She vaguely remembered someone moving around her while she slept. Their footsteps had been light, and she thought she recalled the faint smell of disinfectant on them.

Mia Grant took a shower, changed her clothes, and came out of the bathroom.

Hayes Hughes was in the living room, sitting on the sofa and resting his head in his hand.

He was a light sleeper. Or maybe he hadn’t dared to fall into a deep sleep, knowing she would be up soon.

He opened his eyes the instant he heard her footsteps.

When he looked up at her, his eyes were still hazy with sleep.

He stood up, swaying for a moment before steadying himself. The exhaustion was plain on his face, but he still smiled as he looked at her.

"Are you hungry? I bought some soup dumplings this morning and made a few simple dishes for lunch. Everything’s still warm. See if there’s anything you feel like eating?"

He walked toward the kitchen as he spoke. "If not, I have other ingredients in the fridge. Just tell me what you want, and I’ll make it for you now. It won’t take long."

He brought the dishes out and arranged them neatly on the table.

Glancing at the food, Mia Grant guessed he probably hadn’t taken a single bite.

’He’s been waiting for me.’

When she didn’t say anything, he deftly picked up a nearby apron.

Mia Grant watched him for a couple of seconds. "What else is in the fridge?"

Without opening it, Hayes Hughes listed off several ingredients.

’He must have bought all of them.’

Mia Grant was silent for a moment before walking over to him. "Lower your head."

Hayes Hughes obliged.

As he watched in astonishment, Mia Grant took the apron from him and put it on herself.

"Let me."

"I won’t make anything else. I’ll just cook that fish for you."

She tied the apron behind her, then opened the fridge and took out the live fish.

The fish thrashed wildly in the sink, splashing water onto Mia Grant’s sleeves.

She casually rolled them up.

Watching her struggle to lift the fish from the sink with both hands, Hayes Hughes quickly stepped forward. "Let me handle this part. You can do the cooking."

Before he could finish, Mia Grant slammed the fish onto the cutting board. Before he could even move to help, she grabbed a nearby cleaver and brought it down hard on the fish’s head.

Hayes Hughes froze.

Mia Grant didn’t so much as frown. Her movements were clean and swift as she quickly killed and cleaned the fish, then began to prepare the other ingredients.

Mia Grant spared him a glance. "Aren’t you leaving?"

’He’s just been standing there the whole time, like a statue. I wonder if I scared him.’

’Probably.’

Mia decided not to dwell on it.

Before she could turn her head away, she suddenly felt a warmth on her cheek.

She lowered her gaze and saw the pad of Hayes’s finger gently wiping away a speck of blood.

The fish’s.

He said, "You should wear gloves next time. You could cut yourself."

He had no intention of leaving. Instead, he smiled and said, "It’s a perfect chance for me to learn a few of your cooking secrets."