I Faked My Death—Now I Have to Tame the Crazy Men I Left Behind

Chapter 258 - 256: Lining Up with a Number for Love

Yates Donovan froze, then subconsciously did as she said.

He lowered his head slightly, his gaze falling on her soft pink lips.

A faint sheen of moisture from their kiss was still visible on them.

The fingers on her waist grew bolder. He furrowed his brows as a tingling numbness, like a jolt of electricity, shot up from his tailbone.

His Adam’s apple bobbed, swallowing repeatedly, his movements growing more impatient.

He leaned down again, seemingly unable to wait, wanting to take the initiative and touch her lips, to taste their fresh dew.

Just as they were about to touch, a hand suddenly covered his mouth.

Immediately after, a sharp pain shot through his waist where someone had pinched him hard.

While he was wincing in pain, a certain someone, her prank a success, laughed and slipped out from under him.

She huffed, lifting her chin haughtily like a proud black swan. "Next time you do that, I’ll pinch the inside of your thigh!"

"..."

In the end, though, she didn’t get away. He caught her from behind, pulling her into his arms and kissing her fiercely for a good while.

In the end, he was the one who changed her clothes for her.

As they went downstairs, a certain someone followed her out, looking utterly satisfied and at ease.

The more Mia Grant thought about it, the angrier she got. She shot him a resentful glare, her eyes aiming low. "I should have just kicked you."

He lazily brushed away her raised leg. The movement was so light it was more like a caress.

"Even if you break it, I won’t let you go."

"I’ll still have to drag you back and f— you hard."

Before she could glare back and start cursing, Yates Donovan squinted, a placating smile on his face. "My bad. I have a big mouth."

"..." Mia Grant was left speechless.

"It’s snowing. Don’t you want to play for a bit before you go?"

After saying goodbye to the old master, Mia Grant strode outside.

Yates Donovan had to take his grandfather for a check-up later, so he could only have the family driver take her back to school.

"I have exams."

"Alright, alright, you’re the good student~"

"Later, have the old man light a few extra sticks of incense and thank our ancestors. The Donovan family’s ancestral graves must be smoking with good fortune for us to finally have a top student in the family."

"..."

"Why are you walking so fast? Are you going out for New Year’s Eve?"

"No."

"Is it because you don’t have time, or did you make plans with someone else?"

"I actually don’t mind joining you guys."

"...I mind." She didn’t have any plans, but his obnoxious words made Mia Grant want to contradict him just for the sake of it.

Yates Donovan pressed down on the car door she was opening, closing it.

He leaned against the car, sizing her up. "Who asked you out? Hayes Hughes? Or your little fiancé?"

"Or his younger brother?"

Seeing her flat reaction, Yates Donovan had his answer. He pressed his tongue against his back molars, and his words came out dripping with acid.

"That damned monk is so crippled he can barely walk, but instead of resting and healing up, he actually has the nerve to ask you out."

’He actually moved faster than me!’

Mia Grant hugged her bag and forced a perfunctory smile. "A small correction: he didn’t ask me out."

"Then who else could it be? It can’t be that dog surnamed Yue..."

Before he could finish, Mia Grant said, "I asked Kian Keller out."

"..."

Seeing his cold expression, Mia Grant felt she’d won back a point. She smiled smugly and patted his shoulder lightly. "It’s okay. Next time, just take a number and get in line earlier."

"But you can still ask me out for the Qingming Festival next year. No one’s asked me out for that day yet."

"Why would I ask you out for the Qingming Festival?"

"To dig up graves, of course." Mia Grant looked at him. "Don’t you just love ’tomb raiding,’ Sister Yates?"

"..."

’Oh, great.’ Yates Donovan laughed. Another one of his own insults had come right back at him.

’Who the hell ever said Mia Grant had a bad memory? No one remembered old scores better than she did.’

「Back at school」

Mia Grant focused on studying for her exams.

These past few days, she’d had little contact with the outside world. The person she saw most often was Ian Sinclair.

He was like her shadow. If she had class, he’d tag along and bring her breakfast. If she went to the library, he’d save her a seat. If she went to the cafeteria, he’d eagerly get her food.

This daily three-point routine of class, library, and cafeteria had practically turned the young master into her personal "three-part escort."

In the cafeteria, Mia Grant took a sip of soup and looked at the odd figure of Ian Sinclair across from her.

Calling him odd wasn’t an exaggeration.

He couldn’t stand the cafeteria food, so he only came to keep her company while she ate. He just sat across from her, chewing gum to pass the time.

"What’s wrong?" Noticing her gaze, the puppy leaned in with a wide grin. "Finished? Want me to get you some more?"

"Aren’t you hungry?" Mia Grant asked.

He followed her around all day, but she never saw him sneak any food.

"I ate a big breakfast."

At first, he had suggested bringing her lunch or going off-campus, but she’d refused.

So, he could only accompany her to the cafeteria.

"Exams are coming up. You should go study. Why are you always following me?"

"This is a school. It’s not like anything’s going to happen."

"I know." The puppy propped his chin on his hands, his eyes sparkling as he looked at her, like a Samoyed patiently waiting for its owner to pat its head. "I just want to be with you. I feel insecure."

"I only feel at ease when you’re by my side."

That was certainly a novel reason. Mia Grant didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

"Then eat properly. And when we’re in the library, you’re not allowed to just stare at me anymore. You should study too."

"Okay." He was obedient enough, but what he promised and what he actually did were two completely different things.

’He was simply incorrigible.’

Mia Grant really didn’t know what to do with him. Since returning from Portia, she had already gotten her own emotions in order.

But Ian Sinclair still seemed very anxious.

Leaving the library, Ian Sinclair held her hand as they walked down. "Be careful, there are steps here. This carpet might as well not be here; it’s all covered in snow."

Once she was down the steps, Mia Grant started walking toward the dorms with him. "Has Carla Sinclair tried to contact you recently?"

"No."

Meeting her gaze, Ian Sinclair raised his hand and swore, "Really!"

Mia Grant pressed her lips together. "That’s strange. It’s been so long..."

’Could it be that she’s not from the Sinclair Family? Or was there a problem with the sample I sent?’

Carla Sinclair had been so enthusiastic just a little while ago. Why had she suddenly gone silent?

"Do you want to go back?" Ian Sinclair caught the fleeting trace of disappointment in her expression.

She thought she had hidden it well.

"It doesn’t matter anymore. Anyway, that old gentleman can’t threaten me now."

It was the same whether she went back or not.

’Acknowledging my ancestors and returning to the family isn’t my main quest, anyway.’

Yesterday, she had the system organize the blackening values of all the male leads.

Currently, Hayes Hughes’s blackening value was still the lowest.

Followed by Ian Sinclair, Silas Grant, and Felix Sinclair.

The highest was Kian Keller’s.

It was a little unexpected.

She had thought Silas Grant’s would be the highest.

And Felix Sinclair—how had his suddenly shot up so high?

She originally thought Felix Sinclair posed no threat, but now he had become a ticking time bomb.

Speaking of which, she hadn’t seen him at all in the days since she’d returned.

At school, where you were bound to run into people, she hadn’t bumped into him even once.

Her gaze shifted to Ian Sinclair’s face, and she seized the opportunity to change the subject, asking indirectly, "Have you been staying in the dorms recently? Or living off-campus?"

Compared to Felix Sinclair, Ian Sinclair stayed in the dorms more frequently. Especially recently.

"You’re asking about him, aren’t you?"

Mia Grant blinked, surprised by how perceptive he’d become. Her eyes darted away. "Who are you talking about?"

The puppy stopped in his tracks and looked at her with a wounded expression.

Seeing this, Mia Grant let out an "Oops!" and quickly tugged on his sleeve, admitting her fault.

The puppy remained unmoved.

Having no other choice, Mia Grant tilted her head up and gave him a peck on the cheek.

The puppy was very pleased by this.

But he still kept a straight face.

His mouth, however, was very honest. "He hasn’t been coming to class."