chsdbacks Chapter 315 - 313: Overwhelming Killing Intent, A Visitor with Ill Intent
Chapter 315 - 313: Overwhelming Killing Intent, A Visitor with Ill Intent
Mia Grant ignored him, her head lowered as she quietly prepared the seasonings.
While she was busy at the stove, Hayes Hughes kept busy as well, cleaning up the cutting board and condiment bottles behind her.
Mia Grant never once looked back at him.
At the dining table, Mia Grant put down the fish, untied her apron, and sat down.
Hayes Hughes sat down to her right and handed her the chopsticks.
Mia Grant took them with her left hand and, without waiting for him, started picking up food and eating.
Hayes Hughes watched her hold the chopsticks somewhat awkwardly, pursed his lips, and said, "I really never noticed you were left-handed before."
Mia Grant tasted a bite of the fish and nodded in satisfaction. "It tastes pretty good."
’My skills haven’t gotten rusty.’
Hayes Hughes also picked up a piece and put it in his mouth, praising, "It’s delicious. Much better than my cooking."
"I picked up a trick or two just now. I’ll give it a try next time, and you can tell me how it tastes."
Mia Grant ignored him, silently shoveling rice into her mouth.
She ate very quickly, putting down her chopsticks in less than ten minutes.
Meanwhile, Hayes Hughes had only taken a couple of bites the entire time.
Seeing her stop, he paused for a moment, then also put his chopsticks down.
"Are you finished?"
"Mhm." Mia Grant nodded, glancing at the dishes on the table before finally turning her gaze to his face. "You take your time."
Hayes Hughes was about to respond when he heard her next sentence:
"When you’re done, you can go home."
"..."
Hayes Hughes pursed his lips, looking at her. "I’m off today. I don’t have work."
"I know," Mia Grant replied. "Go home after you eat."
She said the same thing again.
"I won’t bother you. I’ll just stay in the living room. If you want to be in the living room, I’ll go to the kitchen or the balcony. Anywhere is fine."
He thought it was because she didn’t want to see him.
But that wasn’t what Mia Grant meant.
She let out a slow breath. "Never mind. Why don’t you go take a nap in my room in a bit."
"I’ll be staying in."
She was telling him to rest without worry.
Hayes Hughes froze. After it registered, he hesitated for a second, then smiled and nodded. "Alright, then. Thank you for letting me use your room."
Mia Grant stood up, went back to the living room, sat down on the rug, and turned on the TV to continue watching.
It was the same shopping channel from last night. The host was selling a wok.
She watched for a while, then took out her phone and placed an order.
After watching the program all afternoon, Mia Grant had placed over a dozen orders one after another.
It was as if the packages were delivered by rocket; not long after the sky darkened, they had already arrived at her door.
Mia Grant had been bored for a long time and had finally found something to pass the time—unpacking packages.
Hayes Hughes only slept for two hours. He left the bedroom door open the whole time, just to keep an ear out for any noise outside.
Hearing a noise, he quickly put on his shoes and came out to check.
Mia Grant was sitting on the living room floor, surrounded by a circle of cardboard boxes.
A quick glance revealed a massage device, a foot bath, all sorts of kitchen utensils—a random assortment of everything.
"Did you go out shopping this afternoon?" Hayes Hughes was annoyed with himself for sleeping so soundly that he hadn’t heard a thing.
Mia Grant held a screwdriver and secured a pot lid. "Nope. Bought them from the TV."
Hearing this, Hayes Hughes finally noticed the television a short distance behind him, still playing commercials.
This kind of program was geared toward middle-aged and elderly people. At that moment, the host was introducing a blood pressure monitor.
Mia Grant heard it, stared at the phone number on the screen for a few seconds, then picked up her phone, dialed, and ordered six of them.
"..."
Hayes Hughes didn’t stop her. Instead, he crouched down and helped her clear away the empty cardboard boxes.
"What do you think?" Mia Grant finished assembling the pot lid and held it out for him to see.
"It’s great." Hayes Hughes tested its weight. "But it’s a bit heavy. I’m worried you won’t be able to lift it."
"I didn’t say it was for me," Mia Grant said with a wave of her hand. "You can take it home with you later."
Hayes Hughes froze. "For... for me?"
"Yep." Mia Grant rummaged through the pile of "junk," found a juicer and a set of kitchen knives, and tossed them into the pot in his hands. "All for you."
Hayes Hughes nearly dropped it all. Staring at the pile of "gifts," it took him a long moment to find his voice. "All for me?"
"Yeah. You like to cook, don’t you? Take them home and have fun with them."
Her words were ambiguous, their true meaning difficult to discern.
"Are these for other people, too?" Hayes Hughes asked softly, looking around at the other boxes.
"Oh, right." Mia Grant took a moment to point at the TV behind them. "That blood pressure monitor from just now—there’s one for you, too. You can pick it up tomorrow when it arrives."
"..." Hayes Hughes nodded slowly, his reaction delayed. "Okay."
He smiled and thanked her.
Mia Grant unpacked the other items one by one to show him. "This massage device is for Silas Grant."
"This foot bath is for Kian Keller."
"These portable reading glasses are for Felix Sinclair, and this waist-twisting disc is for Ian Sinclair."
"And this senior-friendly cell phone can go to Yates Donovan."
"..."
Hayes Hughes watched her present these items as if they were precious family heirlooms, a complicated mix of emotions swirling within him.
"Are these things no good?" Seeing his silence, Mia Grant tilted her head.
Hayes Hughes snapped back to himself and nodded with a smile. "They’re very thoughtful. I’m sure they’ll love them. Let me help you pack them back up."
"Mhm," Mia Grant agreed, sitting to the side and watching him put each item back into its box.
Hayes Hughes worked quickly. He stood and stacked the items neatly in a corner of the living room.
"Do you want to go out and walk around tomorrow?"
"I have class tomorrow."
Mia Grant picked up her glass of water, took a few sips from the straw, and then added, "But I’m free next weekend."
"Alright, then," Hayes Hughes said. "We can go for a walk in the park. The lake there is frozen over; we can have some fun on the ice."
Hearing that, Mia Grant looked up. "Then let’s go now."
"Now...?" Hayes Hughes turned to look at the dark sky outside. ’It should be closed by now.’
After a pause, he said, "Alright."
"Go change. Make sure to dress warmly."
"Okay." Mia Grant immediately scrambled up from the floor and trotted back to her room.
As soon as she disappeared through the doorway, Hayes Hughes immediately pulled out his phone to make arrangements with the park.
「Half an hour later.」
Mia Grant was fully dressed and sitting in Hayes Hughes’s car.
The heat was on in the car, and it was a bit warm.
Mia Grant struggled to pull her head out from under her scarf. Noticing this from the corner of his eye, Hayes Hughes smiled, reached out, and helped tug the scarf down from where it covered her mouth and nose.
’Mia Grant really is a good kid.’
From the moment he’d met her, she had always been a quiet, well-behaved kid in his eyes.
That’s why he firmly believed that whatever conflict had happened between her and Kian Keller, she couldn’t possibly be the one at fault.
「Airport.」
Kian Keller saw Silas Grant the moment he deplaned. It was clear he’d been waiting for a long time.
Noticing the stare, Silas Grant nonchalantly raised his dark eyes and stubbed out the cigarette in his hand.
One look was all it took for Kian Keller to understand why he was there.
The killing intent was palpable; this was no friendly visit. Aaron and several others instantly moved in front of Kian Keller, forming a protective barrier.