Chapter 253: Chapter 251: Wifey~
Yates Donovan was probably the only person who would beam after getting an earful.
Seeing this, Aaron, who was standing beside them, became even more convinced that the man was a psycho.
But Zelo didn’t think so.
He silently wished for a clueless guy like Aaron to stay single forever.
Aaron didn’t understand.
Zelo said, "Do you really think she was cursing him out? To him, that’s just flirty banter."
"You know the saying, right? People tease the ones they love."
Aaron frowned but didn’t debate the point. "Let’s go. If we wait any longer, he’s going to get out of the car."
As the car drove away, Mia Grant let out a long sigh of relief.
Seeing her reaction, Yates asked, "Can you let go of my ear now?"
At his words, Mia Grant looked at him, then squeezed even harder. She only let go after he grimaced in pain.
"Why do you keep getting in his face for no reason!" Mia demanded, planting a hand on her hip, completely exasperated.
"So what?" Yates asked nonchalantly while rubbing his ear. "Does he own this land? Does he own this school?"
"..." Mia said helplessly. "You know exactly what I mean."
"Wait a minute. Why is he allowed to pick you up without so much as a word to me, but I can’t even come and see you?"
Mia felt like he was twisting her words. "I’m saying you shouldn’t appear in front of him. The two of you should not be seen in the same place at the same time."
"You’re the one who messed up his leg. He’s going to make you pay for that sooner or later. I’m just looking out for you."
"Stop showing up and flaunting yourself in front of him. Don’t forget, you two are mortal enemies."
"So what are you trying to accomplish by acting like you’re his best friend in the whole world? Who are you trying to fool? Me? Him? Or yourself?"
It all went in one ear and out the other. Yates wasn’t listening at all.
Mia’s head was starting to ache from anger. "If you keep provoking him, then let’s just not see each other anymore."
"You know what he’s like. And on top of that, his physical condition right now... Dude, just try to be a decent human being, would you?"
Kian Keller was already hard to placate.
But Yates just had to come and provoke him.
’Kian almost ended up permanently disabled. It’d be a miracle if he didn’t become twisted with resentment, seeing the mortal enemy who caused it all bouncing around in front of him, full of life.’
’Especially since, in the original book, Kian Keller had fallen into a deep depression and refused treatment, all because of Yates.’
’That’s why Mia had to be so careful now.’
When she finished speaking, she saw Yates staring at her without a word.
Mia felt exhausted. "I’m not taking sides. I just think less trouble is better than more."
"Before I came into the picture, I wouldn’t have interfered with whatever was going on between you two, and I wouldn’t have wanted to know about it. You could have done whatever you liked; it was none of my business."
"But now, some of your conflicts are because of me."
"It puts me in a very difficult position, stuck in the middle."
Mia sighed and rested her head against his chest. "Yates, I’m so, so tired."
"You should know that."
Putting himself in her shoes, Yates pursed his lips. "...Sorry, then?"
"You have to promise me you won’t show up in front of him again."
"Not even if he comes looking for me?"
Mia looked up. "Why would he seek you out? To start a fight? Then you absolutely can’t go."
"I know you can fight, but the guys he has with him are no pushovers."
"Alrighty~ Whatever wifey says, goes," Yates agreed with a smile, a cunning glint flashing in his eyes.
"..." Mia’s eyes widened. "Who are you talking to?"
"You, of course, wi—"
Quick as a flash, Mia lunged forward and clamped a hand over his mouth, glaring at him. "Shut up! You’re not allowed to call me that!"
"Mmph?"
Yates tilted his head, the laughter spilling from his eyes—radiant and unrestrained, like a peacock showing off its plumage.
Mia’s ears burned, and she used her other hand to cover his eyes. "Don’t look at me like that."
"Mmph?"
The moment Mia released his mouth, Yates took the chance to run it again. "You know, your reaction didn’t exactly scream ’I hate that nickname.’"
"You piece of—" Mia gritted her teeth. "Watch your mouth! Now I’m seriously starting to suspect you’ve had tons of girlfriends."
"You said before that all those past relationships were fake. Now it’s looking like *that* was the lie."
Yates blinked, his lashes tickling Mia’s palm. The moment she pulled her hand away, she heard him ask coolly, "Are you jealous?"
"Hah," Mia scoffed.
Yates decided to stop teasing her, knowing he’d pushed it far enough.
"Hayes Hughes and the others probably won’t be back until very late."
He suddenly switched to a serious topic, and it took Mia a moment to catch up. "How are things with the old man?" she finally asked.
"Let me see..." he said, mock-calculating on his fingers. "We can probably hold the funeral next week."
Mia’s eyes widened. "That fast? What did you... do?"
"Let’s just say heaven has a way of dealing with things. Wicked men like him don’t live long."
Mia read between the lines, took a step closer, and whispered, "What exactly happened?"
"Is it because he’s sick and doesn’t have much time left, so he wants to take me down with him? To eliminate any future threats?"
"No."
Mia frowned, not understanding.
"I told you he was a wicked man. He’s far more despicable than you can imagine."
Yates led her to a nearby bench and they sat down.
Mia adjusted the scarf around her face and listened as he continued.
When she heard that they had almost cut out her heart, she was stunned speechless. "Are you... serious? You’re not kidding, right?"
"This isn’t a funny joke at all."
She didn’t find it funny in the least. In fact, a chilling, delayed fear crept over her.
"It’s the truth."
Mia was silent. ’I always thought these melodramatic plots about harvesting hearts and kidneys only happened in novels... ah, wait. This *is* a novel world!’
She sucked in a cold breath, her voice trembling. "I can’t believe that was part of the story."
’This plotline didn’t exist in the original book, because the female side character died so early.’
’But now this event had materialized, and she had barely escaped it herself.’
’What was this supposed to mean?’
’She suddenly recalled something the system had said before: the plot had a self-correcting ability.’
’So, was she being invisibly pushed by the force of the plot toward Portia, toward that familiar point of death?’
’She’d thought that being shot to death was a tragic enough end.’
’She never imagined the old man’s plan... was to cut her heart out while she was still alive.’
’How cruel.’
’Did that mean that as long as she hadn’t completed her mission and left this world, she would always be subject to the plot’s interference, always in mortal danger?’
—
Her hand was suddenly clasped. Mia’s shoulders trembled, and she nearly cried out.
She turned her head to meet Yates’s questioning gaze.
His eyes, usually so full of playful teasing, were now completely serious.
"Are you scared?"
"That old bastard will be dead soon. There’s nothing to be afraid of."
Mia nodded perfunctorily, saying nothing.
She looked pale, as if she hadn’t heard a word he said, still lost in her own world.
’She’s acting really strange.’ He inexplicably thought of that odd dream again.
’After seeing Carla Sinclair, he had breathed a sigh of relief, too.’
’The dream she had described didn’t align with the Sinclair Family’s situation at all. He’d thought that would be enough to prove it was all just a dream, that none of it would come to pass.’
’But still, something felt... off...’
