Chapter 158 - 156: Too Intimate
The next day, there was a lecture at Jynsia U.
Her dorm head worked in the student union and got tickets right away, giving one to each of her roommates.
Mia Grant had no interest in this kind of lecture. She was supposed to go to the Sinclair family home for dinner with Felix Sinclair tonight, which was making her nervous.
’Even if the engagement is fake, meeting the parents is real.’
But everyone in her dorm was going. "Come with us, Kitty! We don’t have classes this afternoon anyway. It’s so boring to just hole up in the dorm!"
"No, I was planning to go to the library."
Her roommate was speechless for a moment.
In the end, Mia Grant was still dragged along.
It wasn’t until she sat down in the auditorium that Mia Grant realized she had no idea whose lecture she was there to attend.
"He’s an upperclassman from a few years back. You probably haven’t heard his name," her roommate helpfully explained, but the dorm head cut her off.
"No, I think Kitty would know him."
Mia Grant unwrapped a piece of candy and popped it into her mouth. "Who is it?"
"His surname is Adler. Simon Adler. He’s the current general manager of the Hughes Group headquarters. The one from your... older brother’s company."
"..." CRUNCH. Mia Grant bit down too hard, and the fruit candy shattered between her teeth.
"He sounds a little familiar."
She blinked, trying her best to feign ignorance. "He graduated from Jynsia U, too?"
"Yep. He did his bachelor’s, master’s, and doctorate all in one go here."
A stunned look crossed Mia Grant’s face. When her roommates weren’t looking, she quickly pulled out her phone.
Opening WeChat, she scrolled down and found Simon Adler’s message, which had been buried.
Simon Adler had sent her a message that morning, but she’d been half-asleep. She’d glanced at her notifications upon waking up and then rushed off to her 8 a.m. class.
’I think... I forgot to reply.’
[Are you on campus today? Let’s meet and talk.]
He sent it last night.
But she had gone to bed early.
This morning, he’d sent another message.
[If it’s convenient to meet, I’ll be at Jynsia U this afternoon. I have a thirty-minute window.]
[Reply when you see this.]
Mia Grant took a breath and replied with a "1".
They weren’t close. The only thing they could possibly talk about was the matter she’d asked him to bring up with the old master.
Tsk.
’Simon Adler... what to say about him.’
’She hadn’t interacted with him much, but she’d basically figured out his style and personality.’
’A workaholic, a sharp-tongued man who liked to put on airs, a typical elite, straight-as-an-arrow guy. The only difference was that he carried more of an aristocratic air than most.’
The Adler family of Portia was also a prominent clan. Their ancestral home was rumored to be in the Jynsia area, and if you went back a few generations, they were probably related to the imperial family. They later moved to Portia to go into business, and within a few years, they had established a firm foothold and grown rapidly.
Then, starting with Simon Adler’s father, they gradually allied themselves with the Hughes Family.
The old master greatly admired both Simon Adler and his father, so Simon and Silas Grant weren’t just superior and subordinate.
The two of them were much closer than Silas Grant was with Kian Keller or Yates Donovan.
Their bond even surpassed the one between Silas Grant and his own cousin, Hayes Hughes.
Anyone who could get that close to Silas Grant was naturally no pushover.
’That guy had more hidden thoughts than a lotus root has holes.’
The phone in her palm vibrated. Mia Grant snapped back to reality and looked down to unlock it.
A message from Simon Adler popped up in the chat window.
[I’m at Jynsia U now. I’ll have time in an hour.]
A moment later, he sent a license plate number and told her the car’s location.
[Hurry up. Get in the car and wait for me.]
Mia Grant typed back: [The campus is full of people coming and going, and you want me to get in your car?]
[That’s a bit too suggestive, don’t you think?]
’A luxury car with a vanity plate, no less. It’s way too conspicuous.’
[Just give me a call when you’re done. If you’re too lazy to type, we can talk on the phone just as well.]
The thing they needed to talk about wasn’t even that complicated.
’Either he helps, or he doesn’t. Simple as that.’
’Why is he making such a big deal out of it?’
’She had no idea what he was dragging his feet for.’
’Is he deliberately playing hard to get?’
At this thought, Mia Grant silently rolled her eyes. She really wanted to block him.
Two minutes later, he replied: [Silas Grant asked me to bring you something.]
[If you don’t come, I’m throwing it out.]
"..."
[Got it.]
The tickets from her dorm head were for seats near the front. Mia Grant’s looks were outstanding, so even without deliberately dressing up, she was still eye-catching in the crowd.
When Simon Adler walked on stage, he saw her almost the instant he looked up.
Third row from the stage, near the center. The girl was wearing a simple blazer with her hair in two small braids, her chin propped in one hand as she watched him with a blank expression.
Other than her face, her outfit was nothing special or attention-grabbing. And yet, he still noticed her at a glance.
Probably noticing his gaze, their eyes met. The girl gave a slight quirk of her lips—a smile that was as perfunctory as it could possibly be.
It was gone in an instant.
He could tell she didn’t want to deal with him at all.
Just like in their recent chat, she was reluctant and only agreed to meet after he mentioned Silas Grant.
For no particular reason, Simon Adler felt a pang of irritation.
He still didn’t quite understand it himself.
On the way over, Simon had raised his hand and sworn to him, "Believe me, Boss, you’ve totally fallen in love!"
He had retorted, "I’ve only met her three times, for a total of less than half an hour combined."
"Love at first sight is a thing, you know! You’ve already seen her three times, so you must be deeply in love by now. Makes perfect sense."
"..."
"She’s not my type."
Right, Mia Grant was not his type at all.
’Affected, prone to throwing little tantrums, and a bit shrewish.’
"She’s got nothing going for her besides a pretty face."
"Just admit it, Boss. You’re not as noble as you think you are. You’re just a shallow, ordinary guy."
"..."
Simon’s analysis was surprisingly coherent: "All that stuff about ’loving someone for their soul’ is bullshit. You usually fall for the face first. Hey, don’t argue with me, I’m speaking the truth."
"..."
"Come on, Boss, Miss Grant is such a beautiful and cute girl. There’s no shame in liking her. No need to hide it."
"She’s just getting engaged, that’s all. It’s not a big deal."
"The one in the best position gets the prize first. She’s Mr. Grant’s sister! With your relationship with him, he’d definitely be thrilled to have you as his brother-in-law."
Simon clapped his hands together and chuckled. "It would make your families even closer."
"So, like I said, if you like her, just go for it. It’s not like it’s illegal."
"..."
’Would Silas Grant really be happy to hear all this?’
’Heh.’
’He didn’t think so.’
However, Simon’s words seemed to have enlightened him.
He didn’t want to admit he was also captivated by Mia Grant, and it wasn’t because of her personality or the news of her engagement.
The main reason was Silas Grant.
The unknown eldest son of the Sinclair Family was no threat to him.
The threat had always been Silas Grant.
He had never considered turning against Silas Grant.
That would not be a rational decision.
’She’s just a woman. There’s no need to fight over her.’
’This is where it ends.’
Simon Adler steadied his emotions and no longer paid attention to the figure in the audience.
After it was over, he opened the car door and got in.
A familiar figure was sitting in the back seat, dozing off with her chin propped on her hands on the tray table. She looked like his Ragdoll cat, her head nodding bit by bit, her long eyelashes slowly drooping.
Her pink lips were slightly parted, her lower lip trembling lightly from time to time.
Just like in his dream, when she was lying on top of him, searching for food...