Chapter 241: Chapter 239: I’ll Sleep With You

It felt like a dream.

The man who had just been chatting with her and wishing her a Merry Christmas suddenly appeared right before her eyes.

The man landed, steadying himself. He glanced at her through the whistling wind.

The light was faint, but she could still make out the expression on his face.

Cold. Indifferent. 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

After just one look, he averted his gaze as if they were complete strangers.

Aaron stood by his side. Zelo jumped down from the helicopter and helped Zero to his feet.

He then scanned the surroundings before his eyes landed on her.

"Take her away."

The voice that rang out was utterly flat. If Zero hadn’t known it so well, he would have thought he was hearing things.

"Yes."

Zero and Zelo walked toward Mia Grant.

"Miss, let’s go."

Mia Grant froze. She was about to say something, but Ian Sinclair, who was beside her, cut her off. "Get on first. We can talk once we’re out of here."

The rope ladder was lowered, swaying in the air with the helicopter’s rocking motion.

Mia Grant was helped to grab onto the ladder and began the difficult climb up.

Her strength was almost completely gone.

Halfway up, she looked back and saw dozens of people gathered below.

A dense, dark mass, like a black hole ready to suck her in at any moment.

And there was Kian Keller, leaning on his cane with one hand, standing in opposition to the crowd. The wind tousled the hair on his forehead and whipped at the hem of his overcoat.

Yet his posture remained as straight and unyielding as a pine tree.

Mia Grant opened her mouth, wanting to call out to him, but the cold wind that rushed in choked her, making her cough several times.

From below, Ian Sinclair grabbed her calf to help her up. "Hold on tight!"

Mia Grant tore her gaze away and mustered all her remaining strength to keep climbing.

As she neared the cabin door, Zero reached down from above and pulled her up.

Immediately after, Ian Sinclair followed her up.

She had barely been helped into a seat, still not fully grasping what had happened, when the helicopter lurched and sped away.

By the time she came to her senses and looked out the window, the figure on the ground had shrunk, eventually becoming a mere speck of ink.

"He... he’ll be okay, right?"

"Don’t worry, Miss." Zero brought over a first-aid kit and began treating the scrapes on his own hands, smiling as he spoke. "They wouldn’t dare lay a hand on the Master."

"But he just barged in with such a grand display... I’m worried he’ll face repercussions from his family."

"Our Master is the family’s sole heir. As long as he isn’t hurt, the elders won’t give him a hard time."

"And for that very reason, they won’t harm the Master."

Mia Grant pressed her lips together. Noticing her hands were still trembling, Ian Sinclair squeezed them tightly and said in a lighthearted tone, "The Keller family’s power has been rooted in Jynsia for many years. So what if the Hughes Family is formidable in Portia?"

"Don’t forget, Jynsia is the center of power."

"And if worse comes to worst, you still have the Sinclair family. You’re our family’s daughter-in-law, you know. When it comes to anything involving you, our family will absolutely not stand by and do nothing."

The young man lowered his gaze to meet her eyes, the faint smile within them silently soothing her restless anxiety.

But only for a moment.

Mia Grant didn’t relax completely.

Her head ached terribly.

’It’s like I’m at a crossroads, facing paths that lead in every direction, and I’ve completely lost my way.’

’I don’t want to take any more risks.’

’I don’t want to be responsible for anyone else’s life or death anymore, only my own.’

’I just wanted to protect them as best I could while keeping myself safe.’

’Why is it so hard?’

In that moment, she realized just how naive she had been.

A pawn is just a pawn. No matter how much you struggle, you can’t escape the complicated chessboard. No matter which way you move, your fate is to be manipulated and controlled by others.

The only difference is whether you die a little faster or a little more comfortably.

Mia Grant didn’t say another word until they landed.

After disembarking, she realized they had already left Portia. Her location showed she was in Shenlyn, across from Portia.

Stepping onto the mainland again, Mia Grant felt like a survivor who had cheated death, but the feeling didn’t last long.

Across the winding river, she gazed at the brightly lit city on the other side.

’If I have any say in it, I’ll never go back to Portia again in my life.’

She had always dreamed of escaping Jynsia, but by comparison, Portia felt more like a prison.

At the hotel, Ian Sinclair led Mia Grant into their room.

In the living room, there was a floor-to-ceiling window that looked out directly at Portia.

Seeing her staring blankly out the window, Ian Sinclair stepped forward and pressed a remote, drawing the curtains closed.

The view vanished. She snapped out of her daze and looked at Ian Sinclair.

He stood with his hands on his hips, smiling at her. "Are you hungry? I can have the hotel send some food up."

Mia Grant shook her head.

"Then how about sleep? Want me to stay with you?"

Mia Grant shook her head again.

Ian Sinclair scratched his head. "It’s okay. You can sleep in the bed. I’ll make a pallet on the floor and watch over you, alright?"

He didn’t know the full extent of what Mia Grant had been through tonight; she hadn’t said a word on the way here. But from the moment he found her, he could sense her unease.

Mia Grant looked at him and shook her head once more. "I can’t sleep."

"How about a game, then?" Ian Sinclair knew she liked to play tile-matching games to pass the time when she was bored.

That seemed to remind her of something, and she felt her pockets.

Her phone was gone.

’I must have dropped it in the room when I escaped through the window.’

All she had on her was the watch Zelo had given her and a burner phone.

But the burner phone only had two numbers saved on it.

One was for Zelo and his team, and the other was for Kian Keller.

Mia Grant turned it on and looked at the screen. After a long hesitation, she still couldn’t bring herself to make the call.

Before they entered the room, Zelo had instructed her, "The Master has people with him right now. He’ll call us when he’s free. If we hear anything, we’ll let you know immediately. Please get some rest. We leave for Jynsia tomorrow morning."

Putting the phone away, Mia Grant sat down on the sofa.

Her whole body went limp, her shoulders slumping. Then, she listed to one side, collapsing onto the sofa and slowly closing her eyes.

"Ian Sinclair."

"I’m here!" he replied instantly, crouching in front of her like a puppy wagging its tail.

Her face was smudged with dirt, and she looked a mess. He didn’t seem to mind, grabbing a wet wipe from the table and gently cleaning her face, stroke by stroke.

"Maybe I really shouldn’t have gone."

He sighed. "Why are you still agonizing over that?"

"The outcome would have been the same whether you went or not. Didn’t you say that old man wanted to kill you? Your life would have been in danger whether you went or stayed in Jynsia."

"You’re a living, breathing person with your own life. Even if you had stayed in Jynsia, you couldn’t have just hidden yourself away forever."

"None of this is your fault."

"If anything, it’s our fault for not protecting you well enough."

"If we were strong enough to fight back, you wouldn’t have been put in such a difficult position."

"Besides, this trip wasn’t for nothing."

"You got to know Carla Sinclair, didn’t you?"

"I can tell she really likes you."

"She’s already preparing to get involved with this whole business with the old man."

The cool, damp wipe swept across her brow and eyes.

Mia Grant’s eyelashes fluttered, and she slowly opened her eyes.

"Is she serious?"

"Of course." Ian Sinclair continued, "She said that she’s your sister. Since your mother is gone, she has to take on the responsibility of an elder. It doesn’t matter whether you acknowledge her or not. She feels it’s her duty to do these things for you."

"So, you should be happy, baby. Our baby has family now, besides just us."