"Alright, you've been out playing for a few days, Mia. It's time for us to go home."
"Ethan likes his peace and quiet. We can't keep bothering him."
A battle was about to break out.
Mia Grant was caught in the middle, torn between two men.
Of course she wanted to go with Silas Grant, but she couldn't just choose him in front of the other.
The system had instructed her that as long as she wasn't the direct cause of their emotional turmoil, the male leads' corruption values wouldn't increase.
In other words, if she actively chose to leave with Silas Grant today, Kian Keller's corruption value would definitely max out.
But, if Silas Grant forcibly took her away, giving her no chance to choose, that indirect action wouldn't affect the male lead's corruption value.
The main reason wouldn't be her.
Even if Kian Keller got angry, he should go after Silas Grant, not her.
She had originally planned to conspire with Silas Grant beforehand, but who knew Kian Keller would show up so soon.
'Go home?'
Kian Keller heard that word and seemed to find it amusing.
"Mia Grant, you want to go back to the Grant Family?"
Mia Grant subconsciously shook her head hard. 'What, am I sick in the head?'
Kian Keller was very satisfied with her reaction. He held out a hand to her. "Come here. We're going back."
When it came to Mia Grant, Silas Grant had always been confident. He watched coolly from the side, ready to enjoy Kian Keller's humiliation.
"…" Mia Grant thought for a moment, then answered, "Okay."
Behind his lenses, the man's eyes narrowed, a dimness flashing through them for a fleeting moment.
Mia Grant turned around slowly, secretly putting her hands behind her back to give Silas Grant a chance to grab her.
One step… two steps… As she got closer and closer to Kian Keller, Mia Grant was burning with anxiety but couldn't let it show.
'Silas Grant, are you dead or something?'
'Just do something!'
'Don't tell me all those nice things he said just now were lies to trick me?'
'Was driving for thirty hours to come pick me up fake, too?'
She snuck a peek at Kian Keller's corruption value. It was the same as before he arrived.
His anger right now was directed entirely at Silas Grant.
Or maybe he blamed himself. Who else was to blame for being so arrogant as to let her out in the first place?
Mia Grant secretly breathed a sigh of relief. She couldn't reveal too many flaws in her act right now.
Kian Keller's eyes were like radar, scanning her back and forth. She had no way to send Silas Grant a signal.
The two men's gazes passed over Mia Grant, meeting directly in mid-air and striking sparks.
The smile on Silas Grant's face faded slightly. Before Mia Grant could return to Kian Keller's side, he adjusted his glasses and spoke in a low voice:
"The home I'm talking about isn't the Grant Family's. Mia can come with me to Portia."
"Haven't you always wanted to see the fireworks at Vexia?"
Then he turned to Kian Keller and said, "My apologies, Ethan. Our Mia is young and playful. She must have been a lot of trouble for you these past few days."
"Of course, I know you might not mind the trouble. But our Mia is only eighteen. Given your ordinary friendship, if she keeps living at your place, it will inevitably lead to gossip."
"…"
Mia Grant inwardly sighed in relief. 'You old fossil, you finally opened your mouth.'
"So you'll take her? In what capacity? And what is your relationship?"
His words sounded so grand and proper.
Kian Keller stepped forward. There was only one step left between him and Mia Grant. Unable to wait, he closed the distance and pulled her straight to his side.
"As her dear older brother?" Kian Keller looked him levelly in the eye. "If I recall correctly, before her accident, you had your parents sever ties with her."
"!" Mia Grant froze.
In every sense of the word, Silas Grant and Mia Grant were not siblings.
Mia Grant's household registration was not with the Grant Family. In truth, although she had carried the Grant surname for all these years, appearing in public as the family's daughter, she had no blood relation to them, nor did her situation constitute a legal adoption.
When the Grant parents brought her home back then, they did want her to become their daughter, even planning to add her to the family registry.
But the Grant family's old master disagreed at the time, so Mia Grant was, at best, a daughter in name only.
For so many years, the Grant Family had poured all the expectations and love they had for Serena Grant onto her, regardless of whether she liked it or not.
She was just a puppet, held hostage by the illusion of so-called familial affection.
"Mia Grant's stay with me may be improper, but is it any more justifiable for her to be with you?"
"I can marry her at any time to silence the wagging tongues."
"What about you, Silas Grant?"
"Your maternal grandfather isn't dead yet. Will he agree to you taking your own 'sister' home to hide away?"
The words had barely fallen when a muffled THUD suddenly came from outside the door, as if someone had bumped into something.
Mia Grant was facing the door. She lifted her gaze and, through the crack, immediately saw Serena Grant standing outside, a look of terror on her face, her hands clamped over her mouth.
She stood there, who knows how much she'd overheard...
But the two men were completely oblivious, or perhaps they simply didn't care about the interruption.
Serena Grant ran off.
——
Kian Keller normally disdained fighting over things, especially when it came to so-called romantic relationships.
He had previously seen a few friends fight bitterly over a woman, going from best friends to targeting each other at every turn in the business world, constantly trying to deal a fatal blow.
In his eyes, such behavior was no different from stray dogs fighting over scraps.
It was childish, idiotic, and laughable.
He couldn't understand those friends of his, who, like dogs, constantly orbited a single woman, letting her play them for fools and still enjoying it.
Forget a woman, he wouldn't even stoop so low and grovel like that for his own family.
But when it was his turn, he discovered that he simply couldn't *not* fight, *not* compete.
'She's right here in front of me.'
'How can I possibly just stand by and watch her leave with another man?'
'Not even for a brother.'
Silas Grant took off his glasses. "Ethan, it's rare to hear you say so much at once."
"But I don't have the patience to listen today."
With just one movement, Kian Keller understood his intention. Years ago, back when Silas Grant was still a student, he wasn't nearly as refined in private as he was now.
He knew that Silas Grant had studied kickboxing and Muay Thai since elementary school.
Even though he hadn't fought in years, it didn't mean he'd forgotten everything.
Kian Keller's expression didn't change. "My men are all outside. I don't mind letting them settle this with you right here."
"But that was Serena Grant outside the door just now, wasn't it? If you don't want to blow this out of proportion, you should go deal with your dear sister."
Silas Grant acted as if he hadn't heard a word. So what if they fought?
'He had to take her away, no matter the means.'
He didn't want to resort to violence; he now disdained solving problems with his fists.
But at a critical moment, when you really thought about it, violence was indeed the fastest way to achieve a goal.
Silas Grant gave off a strong "if you can't understand reason, then I happen to know a little something about fighting" vibe.
He looked at Mia Grant, giving her a look that told her to get out of the way.
The instant their eyes met, her pupils widened as if she'd seen a wild beast. She stumbled back half a step in terror, clutched Kian Keller's jacket, and shrank into his arms, trying to find a sense of security.
Silas Grant's brow furrowed slightly, and the corruption value above his head slowly rose by one level.
He called out softly to Mia Grant.
But she couldn't hear their voices at all.
Her ears were filled with the scolding Mrs. Grant had given her two months ago—
"You little bitch!"
"Did I bring you into our home so you could seduce your older brother?!"
"Take you away? I think he's completely lost his mind!"
A sharp slap landed hard across her face. "Bitch! Go to hell!"