Chapter 212: Chapter 210: His Little Lover

On the other end of the line, the man’s familiar voice beat against Mia Grant’s eardrums.

In stark contrast to his relaxed tone, the atmosphere on her end was utterly stifling.

Her breathing was faint; she didn’t dare to even draw a heavy breath, terrified he might hear something.

Silas Grant was just too perceptive. She had nowhere to hide from him.

"Why aren’t you saying anything?"

The man’s tone was gentle, as if he were chatting with his lover.

For a fleeting moment, Mia Grant was bewitched by his tone. The word "Brother" was on the tip of her tongue, but she caught herself at the last second and forced it back down.

The call disconnected.

He had been the one to hang up.

Her phone slipped from her grasp and fell onto the bed. Mia Grant paid it no mind, simply letting her body fall back. She collapsed onto the mattress and exhaled in relief, as if a great weight had been lifted.

This was the first time she had heard his voice so vividly since they had last parted.

Familiar, intimate... but unfortunately, none of it was meant for her.

Staring at the ceiling, Mia Grant blinked. ’By all accounts, he should be meeting Miss Cameron today.’

’He must be just as gentle and chivalrous with every woman he meets.’

An unknown amount of time passed before the phone by her ear suddenly rang again. Mia Grant took a deep, deliberate breath and exhaled forcefully before fumbling for the phone and answering the call.

This time, it was Simon Adler himself.

"Did you just call me?"

"I did. He told you, didn’t he?"

Simon Adler pinched the bridge of his nose. "He knows it was you?"

"No, I didn’t say anything."

Only then did Simon Adler let out a breath of relief. "He just told me my girlfriend had called and that he’d answered it."

For a second there, his heart had stopped.

He’d thought Silas Grant was just trying to get a rise out of him, but when he took the phone and looked, the call duration was four and a half minutes. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

His vision went black.

And yet, he’d had to act completely nonchalant and unbothered in front of Silas Grant. After seeing him off, he immediately found a quiet corner to call Mia Grant back.

He knew Silas Grant had been observing his reaction the entire time.

Likewise, he had been observing Silas Grant.

But that old fox was as inscrutable as ever, giving nothing away. As a result, Simon couldn’t immediately tell whether Mia Grant’s cover had actually been blown.

Thank god. "Even though you didn’t say anything, he’s probably suspicious. Can you go meet Miss White by yourself today? I’ll have Lee go with you."

Mia Grant thought for a moment, then agreed. "I can."

"But you said he’s already suspicious. What do we do now?"

"Have you found anything on the old gentleman’s end yet?"

"I need a little more time." Simon Adler paced back and forth, then said after a few seconds, "I’ll figure out a way to allay his suspicions. You just focus on the blind date."

That afternoon, Mia Grant and Lee left right on time.

Her meeting with Miss White was scheduled at a private club.

The moment she walked in, Miss White gave her a strange look. Mia Grant, already used to this reaction, explained that she had been sent by the old gentleman.

Miss White nodded and gestured for her to come in and sit down.

From the moment Mia Grant entered, Miss White’s gaze never left her.

"Miss White, why don’t we get to know each other a bit first? Is there anything you’d like to ask?"

The other woman made no effort to hide the fact that she was sizing her up. She took a slow sip of her coffee and, after a long moment, finally spoke. "What do you think I need to know?"

Mia Grant thought for a moment. They were university alumni. According to the file, she and Silas had crossed paths back in college, so they weren’t complete strangers.

"Living habits, personal hobbies? What are you most curious about?"

"He and I have known each other for a long time. Everything you just mentioned, I basically already know."

Before Mia Grant could react, Miss White continued, "Did he not mention it? I pursued him in college. For a very long time, in fact. So, I know him extremely well."

That was a part of the story Mia Grant truly didn’t know.

’I didn’t look at the file that closely at the time,’ she thought. ’I wonder if it was mentioned in there.’

Silas Grant’s college life felt so distant to her. It was an era that was completely foreign, yet one that sparked her curiosity.

She couldn’t imagine what Silas Grant was like as a college student.

’Was he as mature and composed as he is now?’

’Did he have a childish side, too?’

All of it was his past, a past she could never touch.

"Instead of me, aren’t you more curious about him?"

"..." Mia Grant snapped back to reality. Her brow furrowed for a second before she put on an innocent, harmless smile. "You’re quite the kidder."

"Are you really just the person the old gentleman sent to attend this blind date for Silas Grant?"

"Who else would I be?"

"I just feel like you look very familiar."

"Familiar?" Mia Grant was confused. When she lived with the Grant family, she had rarely appeared in public as one of their daughters. After Serena Grant returned, she was even more thoroughly hidden away. There was no way this woman could have seen her.

Seeing that she was still playing dumb, Miss White set down her coffee cup and cut straight to the chase. "You’re Silas Grant’s ’fake’ little sister, aren’t you?"

"You’ve seen me before?" ’So she really has seen me.’

"In a way. I’ve seen a photo of you."

"On social media?"

"No. Your brother showed it to me."

"..."

Mia Grant froze.

That one sentence contained far too much information.

"At the last alumni reunion, I asked him if he was still single and if he wanted to just settle down together, since my family was also pushing me pretty hard. He said he already had someone he liked."

"Of course, I didn’t believe him. He has a whole routine for rejecting people. But right after that, he showed me your photo."

"It wasn’t a clear shot of your face, though. Afterward, I had someone do some digging based on my memory and eventually zeroed in on you."

"There aren’t that many young women who seem so close to him, so you were actually pretty easy to find."

"The moment you walked in just now, I thought you looked just like her. And sure enough, it’s you."

Miss White stared at her, her face devoid of expression. "So what’s this little drama supposed to be? The mistress comes to pick out a wife for him?"

"..." Mia Grant’s pupils constricted. The other woman’s words were blunt and piercing.

"It’s not like that."

"Not what?" Miss White let out a cold laugh. "Not here to vet a wife for him, or not his mistress?"

"Relax. Now that I’ve exposed you, I have no intention of making this ugly."

"He likes you, so he won’t be able to break things off with you anytime soon. It doesn’t matter. I can turn a blind eye and accept your existence."

"Of course, the prerequisite is that you don’t provoke me like you did today."

"There’s nothing to discuss about my marriage to Silas Grant; it’s a done deal. But I know that right now, your opinion will influence his decision."

"It’s ironic, really."

"So, rather than being at each other’s throats, it’s better if we’re amicable."

"It’s better for both of us that way."

"You can continue to stay by his side. It may not be a respectable position, but it’s certainly a more intimate relationship than being his ’fake sister’."

"You get a lot more out of being his mistress than you do his fake sister."

The other woman’s tone was magnanimous and considerate, as if she were the rightful wife being gracious.

Mia Grant’s lip suddenly curled into a smile. Her shoulders shook with silent laughter for a moment before she slowly shook her head. "You’re just so thoughtful, aren’t you?"

"What a pity. I’m not the sharing type."

"No matter how delicious the cake is, sharing it just spoils my appetite."