I Faked My Death—Now I Have to Tame the Crazy Men I Left Behind-Chapter 44 - 42: Big Brother Is Here

"What?!"

Mia Grant thought her roommates had crowded around to get the latest gossip. Her fight with Serena Grant had been so dramatic, the school forums must be blowing up.

She was all ready to share the juicy details, but was she already behind on the news?

"Her... fiancé?" Mia Grant asked instinctively. "Which one?"

The classroom fell silent for a second.

Her roommates’ eyes went wide. "She really has two fiancés?"

"Someone posted your conversation on the forums, but I thought it was made up!"

"Yup," Mia Grant said, blinking. "So, who showed up? Is there a picture?"

’Kian Keller or Yates Donovan?’

’Kian Keller hurt his leg, so he should still be in the hospital.’

’Yates Donovan... I don’t know if he’s even back in the country.’

’Could it be a rumor?’

Mia Grant was dying for the gossip, but she also wanted to figure out who it was so she could make sure to avoid them.

Her roommates found a picture for her. "We saw this in the freshman group chat. It’s just a blurry photo of his back."

Mia Grant zoomed in on the picture and frowned. ’It’s so blurry, it’d be a miracle if anyone could recognize him from this.’

But the person wasn’t in a wheelchair and was in the middle of walking up a flight of stairs, so that ruled out Kian Keller.

"Are there any other pictures?"

"Nope."

"Where is he now?"

"He probably went to find Serena Grant."

Mia Grant hummed in acknowledgment, lost in thought.

’I kind of miss the System all of a sudden. If it were here, I’d know who it is.’

’I wonder when the System will be back...’

When she suddenly went quiet, her roommates looked at her with concern. "Kitty, are you and Serena Grant really sisters?"

"Yeah. She got lost when she was little, and Mom and Dad were heartbroken, so they adopted me."

"So is it also true that you were bullied in the Grant Family?"

Mia Grant was checking the forums. The original poster hadn’t exaggerated or added anything to what she’d said.

After confirming, she nodded lightly. "Mhm, everything that person said on the forums is true."

Her roommates fell silent.

A few seconds later, her top-bunk roommate slammed her fist on the desk. "That Serena Grant! I can’t believe I thought she was some pure campus belle. Turns out she’s so dark and twisted behind the scenes!"

"No wonder, Kitty! You never mentioned you knew Serena Grant or that you were a daughter of the Grant Family... So that’s how they treated you..."

"It’s not like that," Mia Grant said casually, still scrolling through the gossip while putting on her best manipulative, innocent act. "My sister is the true heiress, after all. I was the one who enjoyed what was rightfully hers. It’s only normal for her to take her anger out on me."

"But you didn’t do anything wrong!" a roommate said, defending her.

"That’s what Mom and Dad told me."

"Kitty, they’re totally gaslighting you!"

Mia Grant thought for a moment, then just shook her head without saying anything.

"You should cut ties with them!"

"Actually..." Mia Grant chose her words carefully. "I planned to leave the Grant Family right after the college entrance exams."

"Did you succeed?"

"For a little while, yes."

Mia Grant gave them a smile, and as they watched her with curious eyes, she explained, "I jumped into the sea during Serena Grant’s university acceptance party."

"!!!"

"Too bad I didn’t die."

"I was lucky to survive, but everyone else thought I was dead. Mom and Dad still don’t know. Serena Grant only just found out."

"That’s why I said I succeeded for a little while."

"Oh, and that includes Felix Sinclair. He was actually my high school classmate. When he came to see me this morning, he was probably trying to get a closer look to see if I was really Mia Grant."

"Oh my god!"

Her roommate covered her mouth.

"Kitty..."

Meeting their pitying gazes, Mia Grant offered a reassuring smile. "Don’t worry about me. I got into university, after all. Even if they know I’m alive, I won’t be going back there often anymore."

"They really are a family, aren’t they? Every one of them is horrible!"

On the forums, everyone was talking about her and Serena Grant.

Someone even derailed the thread to say they thought she was prettier than Serena Grant.

[No offense, but who even voted Serena Grant as the campus belle in the first place? Did she nominate herself? Mia Grant is obviously way better looking!]

[I think so too. Mia Grant has more of that ethereal, unforgettable first love vibe.]

[I was right there in the classroom and saw her up close. She’s seriously gorgeous! Her eyes are so beautiful and expressive, just like Juliet!]

[I feel like she’s as frail and delicate as Juliet, too.]

From that point on, everyone started calling her by the nickname "Juliet."

Mia Grant accepted it. This was her current persona, after all.

She wasn’t the least bit angry that people were calling her that.

’This is a validation of my acting skills!!!’

When class ended, Mia Grant packed her things, ready to go eat with her roommates.

She was already a minor celebrity on campus now. ’Mhm, so this is the perfect time to take a stroll through the cafeteria and solidify my public image.’

"Is Mia Grant present?" 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

The classroom door was pushed open, and a man who looked like a professor walked in.

Hearing her name, Mia Grant stood up. "Professor, are you looking for me?"

The man looked her up and down, then gestured for her to come out. "Step outside for a moment."

"What’s going on?" her roommates asked, worried. "We can go with you."

"No need." Mia Grant already had a good guess. "It’s probably about the posts on the forum."

The incident had blown up and was having a negative impact on Serena Grant. There was no way the school administration would turn a blind eye.

She was the heiress of the Grant Family, after all.

The Grant Family was also politically connected; Serena Grant’s grandfather was a war hero. Even though he had passed away, he had left the family with a wealth of connections and resources.

Serena Grant’s father was also a titan in the business world, and the Grant Family held a high status in Jynsia.

On top of that, Serena Grant’s maternal grandfather was a prominent figure in Portia, and Silas Grant was not someone to be trifled with.

Mia Grant often found herself sighing in admiration. ’The protagonist’s halo is truly something else.’

’With a background like that, all the world’s resources will automatically bend in the female lead’s favor.’

​

Out in the hallway, Mia Grant learned that this "professor" was actually the vice principal.

After a moment of shock, she explained the situation to him.

"We didn’t fight. It was just two sisters talking. You can check the posts on the forum—it wasn’t my account, and I didn’t even comment."

"It’s just a misunderstanding, sir..."

"Grant." The vice principal raised a hand, cutting her off. "I have a basic understanding of the situation. For now, I need you to come with me to the principal’s office. The principal and other administrators are waiting for you."

"..." Mia Grant was confused. "The administrators are waiting for me? Is this... really that serious?"

’I thought all I had to do was explain things clearly, and the school would just delete the posts.’

’There’s no need to make such a big deal out of it, right?’

"Under normal circumstances, it wouldn’t be this serious," the vice principal sighed.

He seemed to be in a difficult position.

"But?" Mia Grant sensed there was more to it.

"But, student Serena Grant’s parent is here."

"Her... parent?"

"Yes." The vice principal nodded, then corrected himself as if remembering something. "Oh, right. Your parent, too."

"May I ask who it is?" ’I wonder if Silas Grant is back. It would be great if it were him.’

She really didn’t want to face the Grant parents.

"I believe it’s your brother? He said his name is Hayes Hughes."

"!" A jolt shot through Mia Grant’s heart.