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

Chapter 309 - 307: If You Argue Anymore, I’ll Jump

The call connected, and Kian Keller’s voice came through the receiver, crisp and clear.

The phone was on speaker, and a faint echo could be heard in the bathroom.

In the bathtub, the flames were still growing. Mia Grant sat on the edge of the tub with her knees bent, holding a thick stack of diary pages that had been torn out.

Honestly, she should have finished reading the parts she hadn’t gotten to yet.

Unfortunately, she no longer had the patience for it.

"You’re not asleep yet?"

Kian Keller asked.

"Nope." Mia Grant casually tossed a page into the fire. The flames licked up the densely packed words, leaving behind ashes that danced with the fire.

Once she was sure it had burned completely, she looked away and unhurriedly fed another page to the subdued flames. "Can’t sleep."

"Are you busy?"

"No." Kian Keller had already gotten out of his wheelchair and was sitting on the sofa.

Aaron and Zelo stood to the side, blatantly eavesdropping on his call.

"Oh."

Mia’s mood was low.

Kian Keller carefully considered what topic to bring up.

But then he heard her sharply inhale on the other end.

"What’s wrong?" Kian’s brow furrowed, and he sat up straight.

Mia Grant shook her hand, then came to her senses and turned on the faucet to rinse her fingers. She spoke casually to the person on the phone next to her, "It’s nothing, I just burned myself."

"Don’t move. I’ll have Zero come over."

His only response was the prolonged sound of running water.

Kian Keller gave a look, and Zelo was already sending a message to Zero.

Kian’s voice sounded again, but Mia still ignored him.

After a moment, the sound of water stopped.

Mia one-handedly pulled over a nearby towel to wipe her hand dry. It was only when she heard someone calling her name that she seemed to remember something, glancing at the phone on the cabinet and sighing.

"I’m fine."

"Are you cooking?"

"No." Mia glanced at the dying flames and quickly fed them two more pages. The fire danced and flared up again.

"What are you doing?"

The background noise on her end was hollow.

"I’m..." Mia hesitated for a moment before saying, "Destroying the evidence."

Kian Keller’s brow twitched slightly.

A soft chuckle followed over the phone. "Someone knew too much."

In an instant, only the sound of soft breathing remained on the other end of the line.

Mia waited. The flames before her made her eyes burn and ache. She blinked hard, and in the next second, she threw the remaining dozen or so pages in her hand into the fire all at once.

She picked up the phone beside her. "Tell Zero and the others to go back. I don’t want to see them again."

Kian Keller asked in a calm tone, "Is it only them you don’t want to see?"

Mia didn’t say anything.

His fingertips pressed forcefully against the Sanskrit engravings on the Buddha Beads. Before they had parted, the very same patterns had delicately kissed the veins of her wrist.

The intimacy from just a few days ago now seemed like nothing more than an illusory, beautiful dream.

His breathing hitched slightly as Kian Keller tried to smooth things over.

But Mia wasn’t going to give him that chance, cutting straight to the point: "I don’t know what you’re trying to investigate."

"Investigating my past, investigating my life... Whatever result you’re hoping to see, whatever it is you want to know, you could have just asked me directly."

"If I were in a good mood, I might have even told you."

"Oh, I almost forgot. Mr. Keller’s influence reaches far and wide. Investigating a nobody like me would barely take you any time at all."

Mia Grant sighed and leaned back, bumping into the faucet handle.

Water streamed down her back, soaking her white sweater.

Her body grew heavy, dragging her down.

Mia didn’t struggle. The fire in the tub had already gone out. She sank into a corner of the bathtub, letting the cold water wash over her and the charred remains.

That black mass, like her own shattered self, was swept away by the current into the dark drain.

’Yes, that’s where I belong anyway.’

Her thoughts drifted, and Mia slowly closed her eyes. "Actually, I’m more tired of this life than any of you. I’m so tired."

"If you’re always going to be this self-righteous, then I’m really going to have to call a stop to this game."

"It’s getting late. Good night."

The call was disconnected. With a CLANG, the phone slipped from her hand and fell into the water.

Mia lay peacefully in the tub, her legs hooked over the edge, letting her upper body sink into the cold water.

She looked as if she had fallen asleep, a faint smile gracing her lips.

The phone suddenly lit up in the water. It was Kian Keller calling back.

One call after another.

Until the screen finally went black, and the world was quiet at last.

Her consciousness began to fade, her breathing slowly evening out.

A nightmare was about to begin.

Mia had prepared herself to face it calmly, but just then, the bathroom door was violently smashed open from the outside.

With a loud BANG, Mia’s eyes flew open. As her head lolled, water splashed right over her face.

She choked and began to cough wretchedly.

The next second, a pair of large hands scooped her out of the water.

Mia wanted to raise a hand to wipe the water from her face and see who had come in.

’I didn’t even lock the door. Doesn’t Zero know how to knock?’

Her hand, raised halfway, was pushed back down. The person grabbed a bathrobe hanging nearby, wrapped her tightly in it, and lifted her into a bridal carry.

Her head rested against his chest, pressed right over his heart. A familiar scent filled her nostrils. Mia froze, subconsciously thinking it was impossible.

Coming to her senses, she struggled to open her eyes. Before she could get a clear look at the man’s face, she called out uncertainly in a hoarse voice, "Brother?"

The man didn’t answer her.

For once, Mia doubted her own judgment. Fortunately, her eyes were now open.

Water droplets rolled off her eyelashes. She frowned in discomfort. "My eyes... there’s water in them, I can’t open them."

She wanted to raise her hand to wipe them.

The man’s steps faltered slightly. He shifted her up in his arms, somehow freeing one hand. The slightly damp pad of his finger wiped at the corner of her eye.

Mia smiled and opened her eyes again, meeting the man’s familiar gaze.

Because of his British genes, the color of his irises was different from theirs, like a gemstone.

Silas Grant’s brow was furrowed, his dark eyes watching her grimly from behind his glasses.

He didn’t speak, but his gaze alone was enough to frighten her.

But this time, she didn’t shrink into his arms in fear, apologizing or trying to act cute like she usually would.

Her smile was jarring under the incandescent light. "What are you doing here all of a sudden?"

"I was just taking a bath. Even if you are my brother, you should knock first."

Her only answer was silence.

He placed her on the bed.

Her soaking wet sweater instantly dampened the quilt.

She lay down without a care, staring at the light on the ceiling as her vision blurred.

"Are you here on a business trip?"

"Why didn’t you call me beforehand?"

"Where’s my phone... Ah, right, it fell in the water."

The sound of footsteps grew more and more distant.

Mia didn’t look. Her mind was a mess, and the system was still blaring alarms, disrupting her thoughts.

"Shut up."

She closed her eyes.

"If you make another sound, I’ll jump from here."

Silence returned.