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

Chapter 112 - 110: Run, Run Now

"Miss Grant, are you all right?"

Mr. Payne moved closer.

Mia Grant clenched her fists, then looked up with a smile. "I’m fine. Luckily, you warned me in time. It just grazed my shoulder a little."

"Where’s the restroom around here?"

"The restroom..." Mr. Payne scanned the area and pointed. "But we’re not comfortable with you going alone."

Last time at the hospital, she had just gone to the restroom and then disappeared.

’If she pulled the same trick again, how could he possibly answer to the big boss?’

"Just stand guard at the door. They wouldn’t dare try anything in here." ’After all, this is an SAR Government office building. The Hughes Family would have to be insane to make a move here.’

"All right, then." Just in case, Mr. Payne had a cleaning lady go in and check the restroom first.

"There’s no one inside. The windows are all sealed shut, and there are bars on the outside."

Only then did Mr. Payne relax and let Mia Grant go inside.

"We’ll be waiting right outside. If anything happens, just shout and we’ll hear you."

"Okay."

Mia Grant entered a stall.

A few seconds later, there was a soft tap on the partition wall between the stalls.

"Who are you?" Mia Grant said, crossing her arms as she stared at the partition.

"I work for Mr. Grant. I’m here to take you to see him."

It was the voice of the person who had just bumped into her. Mia Grant tossed the slip of paper into the toilet and flushed.

"And I’m just supposed to take your word for it?"

"Mr. Grant is unable to contact the outside world right now. But he placed people around you a long time ago to protect you in secret. That’s why we knew the moment you landed in Portia."

"If you can’t contact him, how are you supposed to arrange for me to see him?"

"The Hughes Corp board meeting is tomorrow, and Mr. Grant has to attend. Come with us now, and we’ll keep you safe."

"Staying with Mr. Donovan will alert the old man very quickly."

"This is Portia—Hughes family turf. The men Mr. Donovan brought aren’t nearly enough. Not only can he not protect you, but he’ll also be putting himself in danger."

"Once the old man finds out, he won’t be able to leave Portia either."

"..."

Mia Grant processed the information the person had provided. It all sounded sincere and watertight, with no apparent flaws.

"Alright. I’ll go out and let Yates Donovan know."

"Will he let you go?"

"Of course."

The person on the other side of the partition fell silent for a moment before agreeing. "Okay, I’ll wait for you at the main entrance."

The person gave her the car’s model and license plate number.

"Okay."

Mia Grant pushed open the stall door, washed her hands, and went out to find Mr. Payne.

Mr. Payne breathed a sigh of relief when she finally came out.

The group returned to the lobby, but Yates Donovan wasn’t out yet.

Mia Grant stood to one side, playing with her phone. After a moment, she turned the screen in her palm to face Mr. Payne.

"Miss Grant?"

"Take a look at this person for me. Do you recognize him?"

Mr. Payne enlarged the photo and studied it carefully.

"I’ve seen him before, in the news. He must be a senior executive at the Hughes Corp..." Mr. Payne took out his own phone. "One moment, let me look him up."

A moment later, Mr. Payne relayed the man’s information. "He’s a general manager at the Hughes Corp, surname Adler. He and Mr. Grant have been good friends for years, and by all accounts, they’re very close.

"I don’t know if the Young Master told you, but when Mr. Grant first took his position, it was the Adler Family who supported him.

"This Mr. Adler’s father was a key figure in the Hughes Group, but he stepped down the year before last."

"Can you find any information about the people around him?"

"Family? Or friends?"

"Nothing that personal. Professional contacts are fine, like assistants, secretaries, or close subordinates."

Mr. Payne sent her a photo. "This is what I could dig up online. Basically, wherever Mr. Adler goes, these three are with him."

"I’m not sure about their positions, but they appear in photos with him very frequently."

Mia Grant zoomed in on the face of one of the women, raising an eyebrow with a smile. "Look familiar?"

Mr. Payne was very nearsighted. He adjusted his glasses but couldn’t recognize her.

The photo wasn’t very clear. "I can’t see very well."

"It’s fine." Mia Grant put her phone away. "What’s this Adler guy’s reputation like?"

"Publicly, he’s considered a pretty good guy, but I’ve never dealt with him personally, so I don’t know the specifics."

Putting her phone away, Mia Grant glanced around.

"Is there a back door here?"

Mr. Payne nodded. "Yes."

Mia Grant licked her lips. "You wait here for Yates Donovan. When the time comes, have your car leave through the main entrance."

"I’m already being watched."

"The old man’s people?" Mr. Payne was instantly on alert.

"Not sure. Right now, it looks like it’s that Adler guy. Based on what you said, he and Silas Grant are good friends, so he probably wouldn’t do anything to me..."

"But his people just lied and said they were from Silas Grant."

"The woman who bumped into you! She’s in the photo!" Mr. Payne immediately understood.

Mia Grant smiled. "She’s a trained fighter, too."

She pointed to her own hand. "When she touched me, I could tell she had calluses. If she’s always with that Adler guy, then she must be his personal bodyguard."

"I don’t know what their goal is, but since they’re not being sincere, there’s no reason to deal with them." Staring in the direction of the main entrance, Mia Grant clicked her tongue. "What a waste of my time."

—

Mia Grant had just gotten into the car when she saw Mr. Payne pull open the front passenger door and get in too.

"Why did you follow me?"

"The Young Master told me to stick close to you."

"If you’re here, then what about him...?"

"It’s fine." Mr. Payne instructed the driver to go. "Protecting you is the most important thing."

He paused, then added, "This is also what the Young Master wanted."

Mia Grant’s expression went blank for a moment.

"Don’t worry, we also have people keeping an eye on Mr. Adler."

"Thank you for your hard work."

"It’s my duty. After all, you are our Young Madam."

"I... Never mind."

’Explaining would be pointless.’

On the way, Mr. Payne answered a call, and his expression changed slightly.

He immediately instructed the driver to take a different route, then turned to Mia Grant. "Miss Grant, someone is watching the Young Master’s residence. We don’t know who it is yet. We’ll take you to a hotel to wait for him first."

"Okay."

The hotel Mia Grant was taken to was not one of the Hughes Corp’s properties. Mr. Payne led her upstairs.

"Take this." Inside the elevator, Mr. Payne secretly slipped a Butterfly Knife into her hand from his bag.

"The Young Master told me to give this to you."

"The Young Master’s exact words were: ’Don’t care who it is, just stab them. I’ll handle the aftermath. If I can’t, worst-case scenario, we’ll do time together.’"

Mia Grant: "..."

On the top floor, Mr. Payne swiped the key card twice, but the door wouldn’t open. "Strange."

Mia Grant looked up at the room number. They weren’t at the wrong door.

Mr. Payne motioned for the others to be quiet as he pressed his ear against the door, listening carefully.

The next second, he shot Mia Grant a look: Run! Run now!

Mia Grant froze for a second, then broke into a run.

A few muffled grunts sounded from behind her. Mia Grant’s breath caught in her throat, and she didn’t dare look back.

The fire escape was locked!

She quickly changed direction and ran for the elevators.

Not far away, the elevator doors slowly slid open.

Several bodyguards in black suits stepped out first. Mia Grant’s mind went completely blank, with only one thought remaining: ’It’s over!’

Before she could skid to a halt, the bodyguards parted.

A tall, slender man dressed all in black, leaning one-handed on an ornate, black and gold cane, stepped slowly out of the elevator...