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

Chapter 313 - 311: Guiding-Type Lover

Late that night, Hayes Hughes was called back to the hospital.

Before he left, his gaze lingered on Mia Grant for a long time. He glanced one last time at Silas Grant, and knowing she would be safe with him there, he was finally able to relax, grab his coat, and leave.

Once he was gone, only Mia and Silas Grant were left in the dining room.

Mia didn’t say a word, eating her meal in silence. She hadn’t even looked up when Hayes left.

She was used to constantly thinking and deliberating, especially in moments like this when she felt backed into a corner.

This time, however, she wasn’t concerned with anything else. Her mind was blank as she focused on eating.

Silas sat diagonally across from her the entire time, not saying a word, but his eyes never left her.

Hayes had made four dishes and a soup, and in the end, Mia finished every last drop, even the soup.

She ate with a vengeance. After finishing everything, she slumped back in her chair and let out a heavy breath.

Silas poured her a glass of warm water. "Want to go for a walk?"

Mia froze for a second, then looked up at him. "Do you have any idea what time it is?"

She had never used such a tone with him before. Even when she was drunk, her words were just a sweet, clingy mumble.

But Silas wasn’t angry. Instead, he chuckled. "Six minutes past twelve."

"After eating so much, you probably don’t want to sleep just yet. Want to see a movie?"

Mia didn’t answer.

After a moment, she finally said, "I don’t want to go out. You should leave."

Silas looked at her intently. "I’ll stay and keep you company tonight."

Mia frowned. "I don’t want you to."

"I know," he said. "But I’m worried about you being alone."

After a pause, Mia added, "There are no spare rooms, and I don’t want to share a bed with you."

"I’ll sleep on the floor. You can pretend I’m not here."

"..."

Mia’s eyes widened in stunned disbelief. "But..."

The words tumbled on the tip of her tongue. After a long moment, she changed her mind. "Do whatever you want."

Mia really couldn’t sleep. Her stomach was uncomfortably full. She sat down on the edge of the sofa, turned on the TV, and found a random program.

She didn’t know what Silas was doing and didn’t care to pay attention, only vaguely aware of some noise by the door.

A little while later, someone sat down beside her.

Mia glanced sideways, a little surprised.

The man, dressed impeccably in a suit, was now curled up on his knees in the space between the sofa and the coffee table.

It was obvious he was uncomfortable.

First, his upbringing had taught him that such behavior was inherently impolite.

Second, he was so tall that he had no room to stretch out his legs.

The rug beneath him was warm from the underfloor heating. Mia opened her mouth to say something, but then she saw him pick up a wet wipe from the table to clean his fingers, followed by a tissue.

After busying himself for a moment, he took a box of tablets from his pocket, shook out two, and before she could react, he pressed his thumb against her lower lip and used his forefinger to push the tablets past her teeth.

"Digestive tablets."

"..." Mia lowered her guard and bit into a tablet. It was, indeed, sweet.

Silas smiled and withdrew his hand, rubbing his fingertips together as if he could still feel the warmth of her tongue.

"Being cautious is a good thing, and it’s understandable that you’re guarded around me now. I just don’t want you to deny everything that happened in the past."

Mia crushed the digestive tablet with her teeth and said indistinctly, "I can’t make you any promises."

"That hardly seems fair."

Mia’s expression was cold as she hugged her knees and stared at the TV screen in front of her.

It was a shopping channel, and the host was still promoting a product. She appeared to be watching intently, her eyes fixed on the screen.

"That’s because you’re the only one who knows my secret. So this is what you deserve."

Instead of getting angry, Silas laughed. "Good thing I didn’t expose you sooner."

"If I had exposed you sooner, what were you planning to do to me?"

Without a moment’s hesitation, Mia’s voice was frigid. "Kill you."

He listened quietly to her words, then suddenly let out a muffled laugh. His chest vibrated, making his shoulders shake as if he were mockingly suppressing some other emotion.

Mia’s hands, wrapped around her knees, tightened. To her, his laughter was no less than torture.

’I should explain,’ she thought, but she didn’t want to talk.

The living room fell silent once more, leaving only the host’s saccharine voice from the television.

A long time ago, she had grown used to this kind of dead silence.

For a very long time, this had been the backdrop of her life.

Later, after meeting them, she hadn’t felt this kind of loneliness in a long time.

Taking a deep breath, she found she couldn’t stand the silence after all and opened her mouth to speak—

Perhaps he saw the trembling of her shoulder blades as she struggled, but a second before she could speak, a warm palm came to rest on her back.

He praised her, "You did well."

"..."

It was like a balloon, puffed up to its limit, had suddenly deflated completely.

Mia slumped forward, resting her head on her knees.

People always said they could see a shadow of Silas in her.

She had always dismissed it.

But thinking about it carefully, it was true.

All things considered, the two of them hadn’t spent much time together.

He was in Portia for long periods, so they rarely had the chance to see each other.

He hadn’t taught her much directly, only offering her some principles and simple solutions indirectly.

The reason they were so alike was that she was always secretly and unconsciously observing him, emulating him.

She hadn’t even realized it herself.

They rarely had heart-to-heart conversations, not like the closeness she shared with Hayes.

So when Silas said he understood her, she didn’t take him seriously.

’But now it seems that while I was observing him, Silas was observing me, too.’

’And I actually thought he had some special ability to see through everything and everyone.’

’How else could he always predict my next move based on a single, subtle reaction?’

Thinking of what he had just said, a pang of sorrow pricked Mia’s nose.

’You did well?’

’Well in what way?’

’Was killing him something that deserved his praise?’

’He was being far too lenient with me.’

"Do you know why I fell for you?"

The movement of Silas’s hand stilled. His gaze lowered, and from the side, he looked into her eyes, which were glistening with moisture in the flickering light of the television.

Fat tears welled up, filling her eyes. She stubbornly held them back, not even daring to make a small movement like blinking.

He let out a silent sigh in his heart. ’What am I supposed to do with her?’

After a long moment, he replied.

"I have an idea."

It was as if she hadn’t heard him. The moment he spoke, she just continued on with her own thoughts. "It’s because while you were always patient with me, you also always managed to teach me things."

"You’re an excellent partner, the guiding type."

"I hate being lectured, and I hate people who are more powerful than me."

"But you were the exception."

"Because I could vaguely sense that your guidance and your strength weren’t a threat to me."

"Only vaguely?" He shook his head. "It seems I didn’t express it clearly enough, then."

A moment like this was perfect for a kiss.

The intimate connection between lovers could always conquer any inner turmoil.

But Silas didn’t.

He just continued to gently stroke her back, silently giving her strength.