Chapter 385: Chapter 383: Feigning Death to Escape
Simon Adler’s hand trembled, and he nearly dropped his phone.
He quickly steadied it, his voice anything but calm. "Are you insane?!"
"You’re so young, what is this nonsense you’re talking about!"
"Did something happen to you?"
"Did they... do something to you?"
"Are you at school right now? Can we meet?"
He fired off a volley of questions without giving Mia Grant a chance to answer.
Finally seizing an opportunity, Mia Grant quickly said, "Calm down. It’s not what you think. I just need to fake my death to get away."
"Nothing bad happened. I just... suddenly want to do this."
"It would be best if you could help me. Of course, if you can’t, that’s fine too."
"Don’t stress over it."
"You can think about it, but I hope you won’t contact Silas Grant."
"That’s all for now. I’ll let you go."
Mia Grant was about to hang up.
"Wait."
Simon Adler took a deep breath. "Tell me the details of your plan."
"To be honest, I haven’t really planned it out yet." Mia Grant thought for a moment, then added, "It sounds a little crazy, but I feel like I have to do this."
"It can’t just be a sudden impulse. Was jumping into the sea last time a spur-of-the-moment idea, too?"
"No."
"So, why?"
"I don’t know either. If you absolutely need a reason to convince yourself to help me, maybe it’s this: I want to see how much they care about me."
"..." Simon Adler cursed under his breath.
’Bullshit.’
He thought Mia Grant must be drunk.
Otherwise, how could she say such outrageous nonsense!
"In short, I need to fake my death. I have to do this. You don’t need to try and talk me out of it."
"But... faking a death has to be convincing to fool them. And if you make it that realistic, your own safety becomes a huge question mark."
"Lady Luck won’t smile on you every time and let you survive like when you jumped into the sea."
"I know I’m not supposed to talk you out of it, but I have to say it anyway."
"If something happens to you, I can’t take responsibility for that."
Just as Mia Grant was about to say something, she heard him speak again:
"But... since you’re the one asking, I’ll help you."
Mia Grant raised an eyebrow, not surprised by this outcome.
"Let me think about how to pull it off without them finding out."
"Is there a time limit?" Simon Adler asked.
"The sooner the better, I guess."
Her fingertips began to tremble. Mia Grant clenched her fist, her voice growing firmer. "The sooner the better."
It was late at night.
Yates Donovan made four calls, but no one picked up.
He swore, "Fuck," and told his assistant to look up the studio’s front desk number.
Mr. Payne returned quickly, used his own phone to dial the number, put it on speaker, and handed it over.
This time, someone finally answered.
It was a woman’s voice.
The person started to introduce herself, but Yates Donovan had no patience to listen, cutting her off. "Where is he? Put him on the phone!"
The receptionist on the other end was bewildered. Just as she was about to say something, she saw her boss come downstairs, take the phone from her hand, and say, "What do you want?"
"You’re there and you don’t answer your phone?"
Dr. Quinlan sighed. "Young Master, have you ever heard of something called a time difference?"
"I was resting."
"Don’t bullshit me. You didn’t call me back after you saw her that day!"
Dr. Quinlan clicked his tongue softly. "Didn’t I send you a message? She’s fine. I even helped you analyze her test results. Did you get amnesia?"
Yates Donovan’s voice was still ice-cold. "Don’t change the subject. What exactly did you two talk about?"
"She’s my patient. I can’t just tell you everything, can I? As a qualified doctor, I have a duty to protect my patient’s privacy."
"Besides, what’s your relationship with her? Even if someone were to ask, it should be her family. Who do you think you are, Young Master?"
To the side, Mr. Payne silently sucked in a breath. Yates Donovan’s expression was visibly darkening.
Mr. Payne was starting to feel a little scared.
At that moment, Yates Donovan must have been feeling some regret.
Regret for letting Dr. Quinlan meet Mia Grant.
Because with any other doctor, Yates Donovan had plenty of ways to pry their mouth open.
Threats and bribes, pleading and pestering—everyone has a weak spot.
But when faced with his uncle, Yates Donovan was truly helpless.
The man didn’t lack money, nor was he afraid of Yates’s reckless antics.
He was banking on his seniority, certain that Yates Donovan wouldn’t dare touch him.
In truth, Yates Donovan had always been ruthless, even to his own family. For example, he could be merciless even with his second uncle.
But for some reason, he couldn’t do it to this particular uncle.
Although his parents had passed away early, his aunt was still around.
His aunt had also said that when his mother was alive, she cherished this younger brother of hers.
Whether for his late mother’s sake or his aunt’s, Yates Donovan couldn’t lay a hand on this uncle.
Mr. Payne thought Yates Donovan was going to start smashing things any second.
But who would have known—he took a deep breath, and his tone suddenly softened.
"Uncle."
"What did you two really talk about?"
The receptionist saw her boss’s expression turn very strange, almost awkward.
When she tried to get a closer look, he had already turned away, speaking into the phone in a low voice, "It was just a normal conversation. I asked her if she’d had any nightmares recently. Are you worrying too much?"
"Or do you just not trust me?"
"No." Yates Donovan raised a hand to rub the bridge of his nose. "I haven’t been sleeping well these past few days."
"It’s strange. I don’t know why. I just feel... very uneasy."
"I made time to go back and see her three days ago. She avoided me, so I could only watch her from a distance."
"She seemed fine. But ever since I came back, I can’t sleep well. I keep having dreams."
"She stopped having nightmares, so now it’s your turn? Find a doctor nearby and get some sleeping pills." Dr. Quinlan had little patience for his nephew, his flat tone making him sound cold and heartless.
"I’ve taken them. They don’t work."
"Then take a couple more. You’re strong as an ox. It won’t kill you."
Yates Donovan: "..."
Mr. Payne’s mouth twitched at his side.
’They really are family. They’re both so sharp-tongued.’
’Is this genetic?’
But in the end, it was still his own nephew. Dr. Quinlan sighed and finally showed some concern. "Alright, tell me. What did you dream about? I’ll give you a remote therapy session."
"But you were already seriously messed up before, so don’t get your hopes up. I can’t cure you."
’More passive-aggressive sarcasm.’
But Yates Donovan’s expression remained calm; he didn’t get angry.
"I dreamed that something happened to her."
"Details."
"It’s... not a good omen."
"..." Dr. Quinlan frowned, understanding his meaning.
He dreamed that Mia Grant had passed away.
After a pause, he said, "And?"
"I don’t know. By the time I found her, she was already..."
Yates Donovan swallowed with difficulty. "It would be one thing if I only dreamed it for one night, but I keep having the same dream over and over again."
"Sometimes I wonder if I’m even really asleep, or if I’m just subconsciously thinking about and replaying the dream, to the point that the details are identical every single night."
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