novelraw Chapter 133 - 131: I Love You
Chapter 133 - 131: I Love You
Their eyes met.
The young man’s eyes were filled with worry.
He hadn’t seen what Mrs. Grant did with his own eyes, but while dealing with the subsequent rumors, he had managed to piece together the entire scene from fragmented information and a few photos.
The Grant Family didn’t treat her well.
Of course he wanted to get engaged to her, to be bound to her for life.
Just the thought of it made his heart race erratically, like a bottle of sparkling water that had been shaken violently before being opened.
A dense rush of bubbles surged out—a strange mix of sour and sweet washing over his senses. The fresh scent of the soda filled his nose, spreading silently through every fiber of his being.
But she didn’t want to.
Her gaze, her movements, her hesitant words—everything about her rejected the engagement.
"No, no, don’t apologize. It was all just a misunderstanding. As long as it’s cleared up, everything’s fine."
"And the Grant Family didn’t do anything to me."
Looking at him, Mia Grant sighed inwardly.
’If only Felix Sinclair had been the one I was supposed to marry when I first transmigrated into this book.’
’Aside from being a little quiet, Felix Sinclair had no other flaws.’
’Good looks, good family background, good grades, and ambition.’
’He might not be the most romantic, captivating, or love-at-first-sight type among all the male leads.’
’But he was definitely the most devoted. He was sensitive and perceptive. Even if he didn’t know how to do something, he was willing to try for her.’
’Like... that small mole that suddenly appeared on his neck, identical to Ian Sinclair’s.’
’Also, his family environment seemed to be the most relaxed among the male leads.’
’She had never met them, but based on the System’s description, the Sinclairs were easygoing people.’
She was rarely chosen with such conviction.
’If she could go back to the beginning, she would have agreed without a second thought.’
But things were different now.
No matter which male lead she took this step with, it wouldn’t benefit her at this point.
It was like an expired lottery ticket.
She had won, but she had missed the deadline to claim her prize.
"I’m sorry," Mia Grant said, her lips curling slightly as she mimicked his apologetic tone.
Felix Sinclair pressed his lips together, his dark eyes fixed on her without blinking.
He knew what she was apologizing for.
Mia Grant’s gaze was open, but her heart was pounding. She couldn’t stop herself from stealing glances at his "blackening value."
Fortunately, it wasn’t fluctuating much.
He didn’t seem surprised.
So, he accepted it as a matter of course.
A car horn blared, startling Felix Sinclair.
He pulled his gaze away and followed the car in front of them.
The car fell silent. Mia Grant hesitated, wondering if she should bring up a more cheerful topic.
"Have you been busy with your club..."
"What if it were Ian Sinclair?"
Their voices collided unexpectedly.
Mia Grant turned her stiff neck to look at him. "What did you say?"
"If the person you were engaged to was Ian Sinclair, would you refuse?"
"..."
He seemed to care a great deal about the answer. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have insisted on asking again when she pretended not to hear.
Usually, whenever she came across a question she didn’t want to answer, he would notice immediately and thoughtfully change the subject.
This time, he was unusually persistent.
Mia Grant didn’t mind the question itself. After all, no matter how many times it was asked, or who asked it, her answer would be the same.
What she minded was Felix Sinclair bringing up Ian Sinclair.
She had noticed that every time Felix mentioned Ian, his "blackening value" would fluctuate violently.
’Sometimes she even wondered if he had a crush on her or on Ian Sinclair.’
Ian Sinclair’s name was like a switch for his emotions.
At first, whenever she mentioned him, Felix’s mood would become unstable.
Later, he was affected even when he mentioned Ian himself.
Of course, if it weren’t for seeing the "blackening value" constantly climbing, it would be difficult to tell he was jealous. On the surface, his expression never changed, as if nothing had happened and he didn’t care at all.
"I can tell you for a fact, it’s not just him. It would be the same with anyone else."
Mia Grant didn’t want to offend anyone. "In any case, it’s not your fault. You’re a great person. I just don’t want to have anything more to do with the Grant Family."
"Besides, you know we’re still young and have heavy course loads. There’s no need to settle something like this so early."
"Don’t you think?"
Felix Sinclair stared straight ahead, his eyelashes trembling slightly.
Mia Grant thought he would agree, but instead, it was as if a machine had suddenly gone haywire, gained a soul, and deviated from its programming.
He said to her, "No."
"For me..."
A sourness rose in his throat, and swallowing felt like he had thorns lodged in it.
"I would look forward to a formal contest with you. I would use it to settle down with you, even if it wasn’t honorable, even if it was through an engagement party that doesn’t really mean anything."
"Of course, that’s just my personal opinion. Everyone sees things from a different perspective and has their own concerns. There’s no right or wrong."
"I just suddenly wanted to tell you what I think."
"But I’m just saying."
"I wouldn’t do that."
"Because I love you."
Mia Grant’s breath caught in her chest.
"Because if... I love you, then everything I just said becomes meaningless."
"Your wishes will always come before my own."
"Life is short. You should just do what you want to do. You don’t have to wander through hardships with me."
"I will follow you."
It felt as if something in her chest was silently sinking, caving in.
Mia Grant gripped the seatbelt, her gaze flitting away.
For a fleeting, inexplicable moment, she wanted to say: ’Why don’t we just continue like this? Let’s not cancel the engagement party.’
But the System’s shriek snapped her back to her senses.
Her head ached. She never thought a confession could be this painful to hear.
The car entered the underground parking garage, and the interior grew dim.
The young man’s face was obscured in the shadows, but his voice remained clear and firm. "Of course, I was speaking hypothetically."
"You don’t have to take it seriously."
"You don’t need to worry about it."
"It was just a hypothetical."
"..."
——
「At the restaurant’s private room.」
Mia Grant didn’t know how she had gotten out of the car, walked inside, or sat down.
Her mind was in a daze, seemingly filled with nothing but Felix Sinclair’s seemingly insignificant words.
When she entered, Dixon was outside making a phone call.
When he came back, he spotted Felix Sinclair immediately. "You’re finally here! I thought you were..."
Before he could finish, he glanced at the person sitting next to Felix and his eyes went wide. "Is this your... your girlfriend?!"
Dixon felt like he had seen Mia Grant somewhere before.
Before he could remember where, the door to the room was pushed open, and Ian Sinclair walked in, complaining, "What kind of crappy place did Sutton pick? We had to circle around forever..."
Suddenly, he stopped mid-sentence.
Seeing him, Dixon quickly slung an arm around his shoulder and pulled him in. "Perfect timing! Look."
He pointed. "Your little sister-in-law!"