novelraw Chapter 294 - 292: We Are a Family
Chapter 294 - 292: We Are a Family
The inside of the car fell silent.
Felix Sinclair was the first to look away.
After a moment of silence, he quietly apologized. "I’m sorry."
Mia Grant seemed to be startled by the sound of his voice. Snapping back to reality, she hesitated before speaking. "Ahem, you... Never mind, I won’t ask."
"But there’s something I need you to understand."
At her words, Felix’s eyelashes trembled, and he turned to look at her.
Their eyes met. Mia looked at him with a serious expression. "No matter what you do, please, think of yourself first."
"I don’t want to see a sad ending."
"You have to be okay."
The girl’s lips curved into a smile, her voice both gentle and firm.
A flicker of light crossed Felix’s eyes. The waves in his heart churned, even more turbulent than the ones he’d seen from the shore the day she disappeared into the sea.
Seeing him look down without a word, Mia frowned, leaned forward, and cupped his face in her hands, forcing him to meet her gaze.
"You have to promise me."
After a long moment, the young man gave a slight nod. "I understand."
Only then did Mia’s lips curl into a smile. She gently patted his cheek. "Good boy."
"You just landed after such a long flight. You must be jet-lagged. You should go home and get some rest."
"Mm," Felix agreed.
Mia leaned over and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. Just before getting out of the car, she placed a small, palm-sized box in his hand.
She was gone in a flash. Felix, holding the box, stared blankly after her retreating figure.
When he came to his senses, he quickly called out to her.
Mia smiled, holding the car door as she ducked her head back in. "Don’t get out."
"This..."
He held up the box, a look of bewilderment on his face.
This gift was even more sudden than the kiss.
Mia let out a small "ah." "It’s a return gift."
"A New Year’s present for you."
"Good night, and Happy New Year."
The girl gave a little wave, then closed the car door, pulled her coat tight, and ran off into the distance.
Felix pushed the door open and got out, his gaze following her figure all the way until she disappeared into the hotel lobby.
Inside, the night security guard greeted her. She gave a polite nod in return before stepping into an elevator.
A long time passed before Felix finally looked down at the box in his hand.
The car door clicked shut. Felix cupped the box in both hands, resting his wrists on the steering wheel as he leaned forward to examine the red container.
The box wasn’t very heavy.
He gave it a gentle shake. Something rattled inside, and he immediately stopped, afraid he might break whatever it was.
After who knows how long, he carefully opened the box.
It was a mechanical watch.
The brand was familiar—this was a new model. He estimated it cost no less than six figures, maybe even seven.
Felix’s eyes widened in astonishment. He instinctively glanced out the window.
But, of course, that fleeting figure was long gone.
She was like a small butterfly, whose gentle flap of wings had unleashed a silent tsunami in his heart.
His gaze softened as his fingertips traced the cool watch face.
She had no idea when he was coming back. To everyone else, he’d said he wouldn’t be able to make it back for the Spring Festival.
And he hadn’t told her that he had a New Year’s gift for her, either.
And yet, despite all that, she had a gift ready for him.
A gift of this value was no small sum for her.
Back in high school, she had always been short on money, not at all like the young lady of the Grant family.
He remembered how Ian Sinclair had once asked her to treat everyone, but she’d kept saying she had no money. Because of that, Ian always called her a penny-pincher who wouldn’t spare a dime.
And now...
---
Mia Grant closed the door and turned, only to bump straight into someone.
She cried out, stumbling back two steps and nearly falling to the ground. Fortunately, the person in front of her quickly reached out to steady her by the arm.
Julian Vaughn let go, looking her up and down with a puzzled expression. "What were you doing out so late?"
Mia stammered, "Uh, I went out to buy something."
Julian glanced at her empty hands.
She quickly patted her pocket. "It’s in here."
Julian nodded, looking unconvinced.
"Why are you... still awake?" Mia was surprised to find him still in the living room.
Julian said, "I just got out of the shower. I was by the window and saw a familiar-looking car downstairs. I was actually thinking about going down to check it out."
"..." Mia was at a loss for words.
"Well, no need to look now. It’s late, you should get some rest."
Julian smiled and nodded.
"..."
Mia took off her coat, dropping the act. "If you knew, why did you even ask?"
"If I didn’t ask, wouldn’t you have overthought it even more?"
’Fair point.’ Mia’s lips twitched.
"Go get some rest." Julian turned to the side. "I saw it was starting to snow a little and was thinking of bringing you an umbrella."
"It’s snowing?"
Mia looked out the window in surprise. The next second, she trotted over and pressed her face against the glass to look down.
She hadn’t even noticed on her way back.
"It just started." Seeing that she seemed to be in high spirits, Julian asked if she wanted anything to drink. "How about some warm milk?"
Mia nodded distractedly.
A moment later, hearing a sound from the kitchen island, she turned her head.
The man had his back to her, busy at the counter.
The car downstairs finally drove away.
Mia’s attention shifted back to Julian.
"I don’t know how I should address you. Calling you ’Brother’ now... probably isn’t right. Is it okay if I just call you by your name? I noticed you call Carla by her name, too."
"Of course." Julian didn’t look at her as he continued pouring the milk. "It’s just a name. Call me whatever you feel comfortable with. I call you Mia. Do you mind?"
He glanced at her as he finished speaking. Mia shook her head.
He smiled and looked away again. "So, you don’t have to be so formal."
"We’re family, aren’t we?"
"You seem to have accepted my existence very quickly."
"Not exactly." Julian’s voice was gentle, like the kind she used to hear on a late-night radio station before falling asleep, back before she was transmigrated into this book.
"Actually, when I was very young, I heard Grandpa say that I had a younger sister. And before I first struck up a conversation with you at the art exhibition, I had already been watching you quietly from a distance for a long time."
"You were wearing a mask at the time, but your eyes... they were so much like the ones in the photos of my mother I saw when I was a child."
"It wasn’t that they looked identical, it was their spirit. Later, when I worked up the courage to approach you, your every word and action also left me in a daze."
"You could understand our mother’s paintings."
"In the beginning, neither Carla nor I could understand them. We only found some answers after going through some of our mother’s belongings. But you knew what she was trying to express at a single glance."
"After that, I tried to keep tabs on you, but I could never find any trace of you."
"The next time I heard news of you was when I found out you were my sister."
"I was shocked for a moment, but then... it just felt right."
Mia watched his busy figure and asked curiously, "So, are you really happy to have me here?"
The man stopped what he was doing and turned to look at her. After a long pause, he said, "We’re family."
Mia stared at him intently. "Then if one day, someone tried to hurt me, would you stand in front of me to protect me, just like Carla would?"
Julian put down what he was holding, faced her, and answered with sincerity, "Of course."