Chapter 151 - 149: Kidnapping
After hearing her conditions, Simon hesitated and didn’t agree right away.
Mia Grant smiled. "It’s not that difficult, is it? It should be much simpler than Simon Adler getting you out of the city bureau, don’t you think?"
Simon spread his hands helplessly. "That’s true. But I don’t understand why."
"That’s not for you to worry about."
"Alright."
Simon sent her Simon Adler’s phone number, which was one of Mia Grant’s conditions.
Simon didn’t quite understand.
’But after thinking about it, it probably isn’t a big deal,’ he thought.
"Miss Grant, didn’t you exchange contact information with our boss last time?"
"No. Was there any need for me to?" ’He’s just a random stranger.’
Simon didn’t get it. "Then why this time?"
"I want to ’greet’ his entire family."
"Sending people to follow me, take my picture without permission, create a panic, and leave me in fear... I have to vent somehow, don’t I?"
Hearing this, Simon’s eyelids twitched heavily.
"Actually, my coming here today wasn’t the boss’s idea." Simon tried to clear his name, but Mia Grant gave him no such opportunity.
Simon gave up struggling. After a moment of silence, he asked, unable to let it go, "Miss Grant, may I ask something unrelated?"
"Hm?" Mia Grant looked over at him.
"You had a brief encounter with my boss last time. What did you think of him as a person?"
Mia Grant didn’t know why he was asking this question.
’So weird.’
But she was considerate enough to answer, "He’s quite good. He gives me the impression of being a master schemer who can’t quite figure things out."
"..."
When he heard the first few words, Simon thought there was hope. When he heard the rest of her comment, he felt like the sky was falling.
’It’s over...’
"Anything else?"
Simon shook his head repeatedly. "Take care, Miss Grant."
Mia Grant wasted no more time with him and headed back to her dorm.
Watching her leave, Simon let out a sigh of relief and took out his phone to check his email.
’Good thing they were quick.’
’The photos were sent back right after they were taken.’
「Meanwhile, in Portia, at the Adler Family villa.」
Simon Adler was holding a cup of coffee, standing by the floor-to-ceiling window and gazing at the bustling city below the mountain.
The phone on the table wouldn’t stop vibrating, shattering the tranquil beauty of the moment.
He opened WhatsApp. It was a message from Sean Cole.
[Image]
It was a blurry photo of someone’s back.
He could vaguely make out that it was a girl.
Simon Adler frowned, thinking the kid had sent it to the wrong person. Then he saw the text Sean Cole had sent below it:
[Boss, I’m in Jynsia, hehehe.]
[The weather in Jynsia is nice today. Sunny, with a gentle autumn breeze.]
[Great scenery, beautiful people.]
[I know this isn’t exactly ethical, but she’s really beautiful.]
"..." Simon Adler’s brow furrowed. His first reaction was to think Sean Cole’s account had been hacked.
His gaze lingered on the word "Jynsia" for a few seconds, and a bad feeling suddenly came over him.
[Who told you to go to Jynsia?]
Sean Cole: [Isn’t it a holiday? I was in and out of Jynsia in a hurry yesterday and didn’t get to look around, so I thought I’d come back to hang out today. I didn’t expect to run into Miss Grant!]
[...]
Simon Adler turned off his phone screen and casually tossed it onto the sofa.
’Idiot.’
Meanwhile, Sean Cole found a coffee shop, ordered a drink, and planned to sit and wait.
Based on his understanding of Simon Adler, the time it took to drink a cup of coffee would be enough.
’Ah, Mr. Adler, always saying one thing and doing another~’
"Sir, your coffee is ready."
Sean Cole put down his phone. "Thank you."
He picked up the cup, but before he could take a sip—his lips had barely touched the rim—the phone on the table vibrated, and a transfer notification popped up.
[XX Bank: Received 1,000,000 yuan. Memo: Travel expense reimbursement.]
Sean Cole’s face lit up with a grin. That little bit of grief Mia Grant had caused was all worth it!
He immediately opened his phone and sent another photo of Mia Grant. It was a shot of her standing sideways at a bus stop, waiting for the bus.
The girl was wearing an A-line trench coat, its hem flaring like a skirt and outlining her waist. She was holding a coffee, her head lowered as she bit on the straw. One of her little leather shoes was perched on the curb, tilting up slightly. Even though her eyes were downcast, you could still sense that she was in a good mood.
Sean Cole’s performance was as solid as ever; his candid shots were very skillful. Just as he’d said last time, he should enter these photos in an exhibition to win an award.
Simon Adler stared at the photo for a long time before finally saving it. Then, he irritably tossed the phone aside, as if trying to escape reality.
Not long after Mia Grant got back to her dorm, she received a WeChat friend request.
She glanced at it and saw it was from Mrs. Sinclair.
She accepted the request. Without another word, Mrs. Sinclair sent over a dozen pictures all at once.
Mia was still typing, her words of greeting frozen in the text box.
While she was still stunned, Mrs. Sinclair sent a voice message. Mia played it.
"Mia, dear, did you just get out of class? If you have time, come pick out a couple of dresses. They’re for the engagement party, you know."
"Because of the time crunch, we could only have a batch of ready-to-wear dresses flown in from abroad. I hope you don’t mind."
"Take a look at these dozen or so and see if there’s anything you like. Or you can just tell me what styles you prefer, and I’ll have them hurry up and find something."
"Even though it’s just a formality, there will be a lot of guests, so Mama wants to dress you up beautifully! You’ll definitely stun everyone there!"
"Of course, our Mia is already so beautiful. The dress will just be the icing on the cake!"
Mrs. Sinclair said a lot, ending every sentence with a playful tone, making it truly feel like she was talking to her own young daughter.
A warmth spread through Mia’s heart. She typed carefully, replying to each of Mrs. Sinclair’s sentences.
"Thank you for going to all this trouble. This one seems quite nice~ What do you think?"
She picked a little black dress and sent the picture.
Most of the dresses Mrs. Sinclair had chosen were light-colored—pale shades that shimmered faintly, meant to make her look like the bright moon in the sky.
But she hadn’t picked any of them, choosing the only black one instead.
As long as she liked it, Mrs. Sinclair had no objections.
She then asked if Mia had time tomorrow to come over for dinner.
Seeing the message, a flash of hesitation crossed Mia’s eyes. After a pause, she typed with a smile, "Okay, I’ll come over with Felix after class tomorrow. Thank you for having me~"
After the engagement details were finalized, the news gradually started to spread.
Mia Grant wasn’t surprised when she got a call from Hayes Hughes.
"Second Brother, let’s talk in person."
It was too much to explain in just a few words.
Hayes Hughes checked the time. "I still have a surgery to perform, so I won’t be back until later. Go to my place and wait for me. I’ll have someone send over some food."
"Okay."
Mia Grant quickly tidied up and went out.
The school wasn’t far from Hayes Hughes’s place, so she decided to walk. It wasn’t very cold today, making it perfect for a stroll.
After crossing the crosswalk, Mia stepped into an alley. Going straight through it was a shortcut to Hayes Hughes’s residential complex.
The girl’s steps were light. After just a few paces, her gaze suddenly fell on a shadow on the ground that was following her every move.
Someone was right behind her, closing in.
Mia held her breath. ’Don’t tell me... a kidnapping?’