novelraw Chapter 123 - 121: Personally Delivering Their Wedding Invitation
Chapter 123 - 121: Personally Delivering Their Wedding Invitation
Mia Grant’s back went rigid. Facing away from the door, she couldn’t see the person watching her from behind.
Silas Grant, however, unhurriedly raised his head. Not wearing his glasses, he instinctively squinted to study the obtrusive figure loitering in the doorway.
The person was staring straight at them, a gaze that felt like a branding iron searing a deep mark onto Mia Grant’s slender back.
Silas Grant wrapped an arm around Mia Grant and patted her back gently, then turned to her and said, "Go inside and get me a jacket."
Mia Grant murmured an acknowledgment and slid off his lap. Without a backward glance, she walked straight into the break room.
Only after hearing the door click shut did Silas Grant sit up straight. He gestured with his eyes for the person at the door to enter.
Simon Adler stepped inside, his face devoid of expression, and sat in the empty chair across the desk.
The doctor, having finished changing the dressing, was led out by Eric.
As soon as Simon Adler sat down, his eyes fell upon an apple sitting on the desk.
He picked it up, and a cloyingly sweet yet fresh fragrance filled his nostrils.
It wasn’t the scent of an apple.
While he was lost in thought, the apple was snatched from his hand.
"..." Simon Adler drew in a breath, his expression uncomprehending. "All this for a young girl? Is she really worth it?"
Silas Grant placed the apple within reach and put his glasses back on. "Your timing is perfect. I was about to come down and find you for a chat."
"About her?" Simon Adler knew this couldn’t be good. He didn’t even wait for Silas Grant to ask before laying it all out.
"I didn’t want to get involved in your business."
"You’re well past the age for dating. I wouldn’t care if you were seeing one woman, or even several at once. But why does it have to be *her*?"
"This is not the time to be having a falling out with the old man. It’s not a wise decision."
"The old man has most likely set his sights on her. If you do anything else unseemly for her sake, don’t blame me for siding with him."
Simon Adler and he were as close as blood brothers. Their bond was even deeper than the one he shared with Hayes Hughes.
Their personalities and principles meshed perfectly, which was why they got along so well.
That was why Simon Adler simply couldn’t comprehend Silas Grant’s current, utterly abnormal behavior.
Yes, he had to admit, the girl was gorgeous.
Her eyes were as bright and alert as a fawn’s in the early morning woods. And her personality was captivating—a bit like Silas Grant’s, even.
But, in the end, she was just a woman.
For men like them, what kind of woman was out of reach? All they had to do was beckon, and women would flock to them.
There was absolutely no need to get distracted and waste energy on a single woman.
He’d be better off spending this time figuring out how to deal with those annoying old fossils.
Silas Grant looked at him intently, as if trying to confirm something.
"What’s with that look?" Simon Adler asked, confused.
Silas Grant’s lips curved into a slight smile, his expression returning to normal. "It’s nothing. Thank you for the advice."
"But, as you said, I’m at that age. I can’t put off settling down."
"When the time comes, I’ll deliver the wedding invitation to you myself."
Simon Adler frowned. ’Was that what I meant?’
Hearing him talk about marriage, Simon Adler felt the man had truly lost his mind.
"What about the old man? Yes, the Hughes Corp can’t function without you, so he won’t really do anything to you. But what about her? If the old man decides to make a move on her, it would be as easy as crushing an ant."
"A lifetime is a long time. You can’t be by her side every second."
"What happens then? Are you going to count on someone else to protect her?"
"Who? What man?"
"Yates Donovan? Or that damned bastard Keller?"
At the mention of that son of a bitch Kian Keller, Simon Adler slammed his hand on the desk in anger. "Did you know that just yesterday, that Keller bastard nearly beat Lynn to death?"
Silas Grant merely smiled at his words. A flick of his thumb against the flint wheel, a leaping flame, and he lit a cigarette.
Simon Adler couldn’t stand his nonchalant attitude and scoffed. "Easy for you to say, since it wasn’t your man who got beaten. But did you know he gave Mia Grant a gun yesterday?"
The man’s movements faltered. He lifted his gaze, shooting a glance his way.
"Don’t believe me? Lynn saw it with their own eyes."
"And would his eyes deceive him?"
’He’s insane.’ Simon Adler couldn’t wrap his head around it. ’The eldest grandson of the Keller Family, handing over a gun... If that was discovered and exploited by the wrong people, the entire Keller Family would be ruined. All for one woman...’
"It’s one thing for them to lose their minds over a woman."
"At the end of the day, if the Kellers and Donovans are insistent enough, they can probably accept your so-called sister’s background."
"But the Hughes Family is different."
"I heard Hayes Hughes was involved with her too, right? See? The old man never even approved of those two, so how could he possibly..."
CLICK. The lid of the lighter snapped shut.
The man placed the lighter on the desk.
Simon Adler instinctively fell silent, watching him with bated breath.
"How’s Yael Donovan?"
The topic shifted so abruptly that it took Simon a moment to process. "Half-dead, I suppose."
"He’s reportedly still in the hospital. It’s touch and go."
"Was it handled cleanly?"
"Yeah, don’t worry. It can’t be traced back to us." Simon Adler picked up the lighter and lit a cigarette for himself as well.
"Then pick a good day." Smoke swirled with his exhale. "To see the old man off."
"..." Simon Adler’s hand froze, the flame of the lighter wavering away from its target.
He lifted his gaze, casting a tentative look at Silas.
Through the haze of smoke, the man was leaning back in his chair. His eyes were deep, his expression cold and devoid of any emotion.
He spoke as if the man in question wasn’t his own grandfather, but a complete stranger.
Simon Adler finally lit his cigarette and tossed the lighter back onto the desk.
The cigarette burned quickly, its ash scattering to the floor.
After smoking about half of it, he glanced at the closed door of the break room, a strange look in his eyes.
After a long moment, he clicked his tongue and uttered, "That girl... she’s pure trouble."
Silas Grant’s eyes grew cold as he stared at him.
Taking the hint, Simon Adler said with resignation, "Forget I said anything."
"Next time you see her, think before you speak. I’ll let it slide this time. She’s timid and scares easily."
"..."
Simon Adler mulled over his words. "Do you have some kind of misconception about her?"
’Or do men really see the women they like through rose-colored glasses?’
"She’s no pushover. She’s plenty intimidating when she’s got Yates Donovan backing her up. It’s more likely she’d be the one scaring me."
"She threatened to gouge my eyes out if I looked at her again."
He expected Silas Grant to be surprised, but instead, he simply flicked the ash from his cigarette and commented, "Good for her."
"..."
Just as Simon Adler was about to say something, Eric suddenly knocked and entered.
"Mr. Grant, Mr. Donovan is making a scene downstairs. Do you want to let him up, or..."
"Is he alone?" Silas Grant remained unfazed.
"He brought people with him."
Simon Adler frowned. "That Donovan has some nerve. This is Portia, does he really think he’s still in Jynsia?"
After a few seconds of hesitation, Eric clarified, "Mr. Donovan didn’t bring bodyguards. The ones with him are... the second young master and Mr. Keller."