stjorthotic Chapter 261 - 259: You Can Go Seduce Kian Keller
Chapter 261 - 259: You Can Go Seduce Kian Keller
Mia Grant was very much looking forward to the hot spring trip.
Even though it was just in the city’s outskirts, she was still excited.
The next day, she made a point of waking up early.
Kian Keller, a man of steady habits, was woken up by her.
On the vast bed, she seemed to have been abnormally energetic since the night before.
She sat up, checked the time, and kept urging him to hurry.
Kian Keller opened his eyes, watched her for a few seconds, then reached out and pulled her into his arms.
"There’s no rush. Sleep a little longer."
It was rare to hear such words from him.
Mia Grant was also taken aback for a moment.
It wasn’t their first time sharing a bed. But every other time she’d woken up, the space beside her was empty, not even a trace of warmth left.
It just went to show how early he usually woke up.
Mia Grant didn’t listen. She struggled out of his embrace, hopped off the bed to wash up, and said, "Hurry up and get out of bed."
When she came out, Kian Keller was indeed no longer in bed.
’He must have had the butler wheel him back to his own room to get ready.’
The servants had taken their luggage to the car. After finishing breakfast by herself, Mia Grant sat in the living room waiting for him.
"What’s taking him so long?"
A servant explained, "The Master is taking his medicine."
"Alright then." Mia Grant stopped rushing him. She put down her magazine and began to wander around as if inspecting her territory.
Her tea set was still there. In fact, a few new pieces had even been added while she was away.
But something felt a little strange.
"When was the furniture in the foyer replaced?"
The servant was surprised she could tell. "About two weeks ago."
Mia Grant crossed her arms and studied it for a few seconds, a little confused.
"If you’re going to replace it, why not just get a different style and color? This looks no different from the old one. What’s the point?"
The servant hesitated, seemingly trying to figure out how to answer.
Soon, Mia Grant’s thoughts turned to her tea set in the cabinet.
After Serena Grant had used it last time, Kian Keller had someone replace it with a new set, even specifically finding an identical style in an attempt to pass it off as the original.
’Ah...’
Mia Grant narrowed her eyes.
’So, Serena Grant has been here?’
The realization soured Mia Grant’s mood.
She started wandering all over the first floor, wanting to see what other furniture had been replaced.
"Stop following me."
"Am I a prisoner? Why do you follow me everywhere I go?"
"Am I going to get lost if I walk around by myself?"
"Or is your Master hiding something shameful in here?"
"...No, no." The servants were terrified. "Please, feel free."
They were all well aware of the young miss’s temper.
Ever since she first came to stay, the Master had let her do as she pleased.
Whether her actions were intentional or not, the Master never cared.
The worst time the young miss threw a tantrum at the Master, he ignored the blue-and-white porcelain she had smashed, stepped over the shards, and carried her straight upstairs.
They had assumed the Master was taking her upstairs to discipline her.
But a moment later, the butler told them to bring all the vases from the collection room to the master bedroom.
When they pushed open the door, they saw the Master sitting on the edge of the bed with one arm around the young miss, using his other hand to take a vase from the butler and place it in her hands.
The young miss shot him an angry glare, took it, and smashed it violently on the floor. "Did you think I wouldn’t dare break it!"
"Throw it towards the other side." The Master didn’t even furrow his brow. As he spoke, he pulled her closer, as if to shield her from flying shards.
Then, the Master handed her a twin-handled vase.
Perhaps because the Master’s composure was so impenetrable, the young miss finally gave up, bursting into a fit of tears and sobs out of pure frustration.
—
Mia Grant had intended to go upstairs to inspect the bedroom, but she pressed the wrong button in the elevator and went straight to the basement.
After a moment’s hesitation, she stepped out of the elevator.
’Might as well go check on that room from before.’
’I wonder if he dismantled it or not.’
’He probably did. After all, I said what I said that day.’
’There’s no way he’d still be indifferent, right?’
The basement had many rooms, and Mia Grant didn’t know which one she had been locked in before, so she decided to peek into every room she passed.
One of the rooms was different from the others; it had a small glass window on the door.
Curious, Mia Grant leaned in and peered through the window.
The next second, a figure suddenly pressed up against the inside of the door.
Mia Grant screamed, stumbling backward in fright. Her ankle twisted, and she fell right to the floor.
Before she could recover, the person inside started pounding violently on the door. "Mia Grant!"
’!’ The voice was not unfamiliar.
Mia Grant froze, her head bowed, a look of confusion in her eyes.
The person’s voice was shrill. Seeing Mia’s lack of reaction, she finally dropped her pretense. Her vitriolic nature was revealed as her next words became a torrent of curses and insults.
Mia Grant sat stunned on the floor, staring up at the small, square glass window, as if she had been transported back several months.
She had always thought she had long since escaped...
But now, it seemed she was still trapped in that basement room.
Her fingers curled weakly, clenched, then clenched tighter.
"Enough!"
Mia Grant’s chest heaved. She scrambled up from the floor, forced her back straight, and glared at the figure inside. "Why should I let you out? Was I the one who locked you in here?"
"You brought this on yourself!"
It was clear that Kian Keller hadn’t been too cruel.
Even locked in here, the figure inside still looked impeccable, with a healthy complexion and no sign of mistreatment from head to toe.
At most, it was just psychological torture.
’And what about me, back then?’
"Do you dare swear that you’re in here because of me?" Mia Grant stepped forward, meeting the hate-filled eyes at close range.
At her words, the person inside instantly fell silent.
"You were the one who didn’t give me a way out! You’re the despicable one!"
"At most, this is you reaping what you sowed. What does it have to do with me?"
The person inside suddenly laughed. "Is this the same face you make when you’re seducing them?"
"Do they know this is what you’re really like?"
"Mia Grant, you can lie to others, but don’t lie to yourself. They love me! You just became my shadow! That’s the only reason they’re bewitched by you!"
"You’re just a fake!"
"..."
A tremor went through Mia Grant’s heart. The next second, she smiled too. "My apologies."
"From beginning to end, I have only ever been myself—the one and only Mia Grant."
"I never usurped your identity. On the contrary, it was your appearance that trapped me."
"Search your heart and ask yourself, who is trying to replace whom right now?"
"You always say I seduce them."
"Fine." Mia Grant nodded. "I admit it. And now everyone is on my side. Are you happy?"
"Bitch!"
Mia Grant gave a nonchalant smile. "Want to get out? You could try seducing Kian Keller, just like I did."
"Maybe he’ll have a soft spot for you, just like your brother did, and let you out."
"Oh, and by the way, don’t make that face. It’s too ugly. He doesn’t like it."
Mia Grant put on a wronged expression. "I’ll only teach you this once. You have to look like you’re on the verge of tears. That’s what’s most alluring."
She flicked her hair back, her tone both bewitching and cruel. "Also, you should have a better attitude when you’re begging someone. After all, compared to staying alive... dignity is worthless."
Seeing that her words had actually sunk in, Mia Grant’s face turned cold as she delivered the final blow:
"Serena Grant, now *you’re* the fake."
Mia Grant turned with a smile.
Suddenly, her eyes met a profound gaze, and the smile instantly froze on her face.