"That’s not exactly right."
"Let’s just say that, initially, you were indeed taken by your family’s enemies. But your grandfather found you almost imdiately. He just didn’t bring you back."
Miles Sinclair continued, "For a family like ours, Gwen York doing this ti and ti again was, without a doubt, a provocation."
"That’s why your grandfather decided he wanted her dead, which ended up involving you."
"But from start to finish, your father was truly innocent in all this."
Across from him, Mia Grant looked as if she’d been struck.
’Turns out the drama of wealthy families in real life is even more convoluted and ssy than what you see on TV.’
*Tsk.*
’Forget about other gossip-mongers; if she were just hearing this as a juicy story, she’d want to call it a brilliant performance.’
She took a deep breath.
Mia Grant tried to straighten out what he had just told her.
"Now that the key person is dead, there’s no way to verify anything. No matter what you all say, I have no way to confirm it."
All the bla was now being dumped on Gwen York.
It was completely unverifiable.
Miles Sinclair said, "There is a way to verify it. You can do a DNA test with that brother of yours. He’s related to you by blood, but he has absolutely no connection to your father."
"..."
’If that’s proven true, then Gwen York really did have an affair while she was married.’
"What else do you want to ask?"
"If he really cared about Ms. York that much, then all these years... the won around him..."
If she rembered correctly, the files had shown that Yuri Sinclair had gone through several wives over the years.
"That was all for show—for outsiders. Or rather, for your grandfather."
"After your grandfather passed away two years ago, all that nonsense stopped."
"Then why was he so insistent on grooming... that person, instead of Carla Sinclair?"
"That was also your grandfather’s wish."
Mia Grant didn’t understand.
"Because your grandfather, just like everyone else, was deceived by your father. They all thought that boy was his illegitimate son."
"Even though Carla Sinclair is the eldest grandchild, she is, after all, Gwen York’s child. Your grandfather was sowhat uncomfortable with that. That’s why Carla ended up going abroad."
"The truth is, Carla knows even less about all this than you do. But she still chooses to believe your father, which is proof enough that he is genuinely a good man."
"Perhaps in your eyes, he wasn’t a good husband or a good father. But to , he was a good older brother. And of all the people who have known him, not a single one has a bad word to say about him."
"The only thing your father did wrong all these years was not letting Gwen York go back then. His obsession was too strong, but it’s not an unforgivable sin."
"He hopes you’ll co back."
"I also hope you can give him a chance."
"Even if I’m not willing to cooperate with a paternity test?" Mia Grant asked with a smile.
Miles Sinclair watched her, his expression unreadable. "I did have my doubts. But he is absolutely certain you are his daughter. So, if you made such a demand of him, he wouldn’t object at all."
"If you can let this go, the Spring Festival is just around the corner. It would be a good ti to co back and celebrate with us."
Mia Grant’s lips curved into a faint smile. "Sorry, but I have no plans to go to Portia for now."
"Let’s leave it at that."
"You two should go. Once I’ve thought things through, I’ll call him."
"You have his number?"
Mia Grant pulled up her call history. "Is this his number for the mainland?"
Miles Sinclair was surprised. "He contacted you?"
"He called once, but he only said a few words. I didn’t know it was him at the ti."
Mia Grant didn’t say anything more and quickly pulled Kian Keller away.
She had noticed out of the corner of her eye that the person who had just walked in the door seed to be Yuri Sinclair.
She needed to go back and sort out her thoughts. She had no intention of having a direct conversation with him right now.
Back in the room, Mia Grant flopped onto the bed, her face a mask of exhaustion.
Kian Keller had been about to stay and talk with her, but the phone in his pocket suddenly rang.
He declined the call, but it imdiately started ringing again.
The intermittent ringing quickly caught Mia Grant’s attention. She tilted her head to look, then climbed off the bed to give him so privacy. "You should get that. I’m going to go for a soak."
She’d been here for half the day and still hadn’t had a chance to try the hot spring.
The pool wasn’t far. It was right outside the sliding glass doors.
Kian Keller didn’t have to worry about her going too far.
It was a bit cold outside, but as soon as she stepped into the pool, a warmth spread through her entire body.
This angle was perfect for enjoying the night view.
Mia Grant leaned back against the side, sipping a drink while sending a ssage to Ian Sinclair.
She urgently needed her little spy to do so discreet digging for her.
Miles Sinclair had given her a massive amount of information tonight. She needed to process it all, but she also needed soone to help her verify so of the details.
Puppy: [You guys t?]
[Sort of. I mostly just talked with Miles Sinclair.]
Puppy: [Stay away from him. That guy is weird.]
[I can tell.] Mia Grant was still typing when Puppy, moving faster, sent a voice ssage.
"Mom wants to know if you’re coming over for the Spring Festival. It’s no fun being alone for the holiday, what’re you gonna do in a hotel? Co to our place. The more the rrier."
After listening, Mia Grant’s eyes curved into a smile, but she still declined.
She copied him and pressed the voice ssage button. "No, it’s okay. I’m planning to go out and look around."
’They’re having a family celebration. What am I doing crashing it?’
’Better not to bother them.’
"Where are you going? I’ve been wanting to get out lately, too. Why don’t we go together?"
Mia Grant replied directly with a speechless emoji. [Your brother’s return is still up in the air. You should just be a good boy and stay ho with your elders.]
The ntion of Felix Sinclair made Puppy unhappy, and he sent another voice ssage that was a mix of whining and complaining.
The two of them chatted for a long ti, so long that Mia Grant drank two or three beverages without noticing anything strange happening to her body.
Maybe it was the high water temperature, but she only belatedly realized her head was feeling dizzy.
She put her phone on the tray and poured another drink, adding a few ice cubes to try and cool down.
Inside the room, the person on the other end of the phone was still talking.
As for what was said, Kian Keller hadn’t heard a word.
His gaze passed through the glass doors, landing directly on the figure in the outdoor pool with her back to him.
Silas Grant asked a few tis, but there was no response from the other end.
"Are you listening?"
At that, Kian Keller snapped back to reality. "It’s late. We can talk about whatever it is tomorrow."
He didn’t care at all what the other person was saying or wanted to do; he just hung up.
Picking up his cane, he opened the door and slowly walked out.
Mia Grant was resting, draped over the edge of the pool.
Beads of condensation trickled down the ice bucket. She hugged it, pressing her cheek against the cold surface with a sigh of relief.
Just as she was about to doze off, a flickering light made her force her eyes open.
Her eyes landed on a pair of leather shoes, though she couldn’t tell whose they were. The cane beside them, however, looked familiar.
Realizing who it was, she tilted her head back and squinted up at him.
The black straps of her swimsuit were tied in a neat bow around her snow-white neck. As she looked up, her chest pushed forward, a dazzling expanse of white.
Mia Grant had no idea how alluring she looked at that mont, her cheeks flushed and her smile sweet. "Kian, you’re done with your call?"
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