I Faked My Death—Now I Have to Tame the Crazy Men I Left Behind

Chapter 265 - 263: Kian Keller’s Loving Education

When Kian Keller came out, Mia Grant was curled up on the rattan chair on the balcony, eating pudding.

The tapping of his cane on the floor was distinct, and Mia Grant glanced over, spotting him immediately.

"All done?"

"Mm."

Mia Grant got up and hopped off the rattan chair, her foot catching on one of the legs and nearly twisting her ankle. The sight made Kian Keller frown. "Slow down. You’re always so reckless. You..."

Before he could finish, Mia scooped up a large spoonful of pudding and shoved it right into his mouth as he opened it to speak.

"There, that should shut you up. Why are you so naggy all of a sudden? Is it an age thing? What are you, my dad or my mom?"

The price for that remark was getting pinned to the chair for a rather intense "lesson in love."

Afterward, she nudged his damp suit trousers with her foot.

The fabric was black, so you couldn’t really tell from a distance.

Up close, however, you could see a damp patch spreading across his thigh.

"You should go change your pants. Call Aaron in to help you."

"Or... I could help you?"

"That won’t be necessary." He stood, preparing to change on his own.

Mia knew he was afraid she’d see the scars on his leg.

But she didn’t mind.

She stood up and leaned over the back of the sofa. Watching his retreating figure, she cast aside her inhibitions and added, "Besides, it’s my handiwork. It’s only right that I help you."

"..."

The man turned back, his chest heaving noticeably.

And the look he gave her turned dark and intense, as if he wanted to devour her.

Mia flinched under his scorching gaze and shrank back, the scene from moments ago inexplicably flashing through her mind.

’She had been a mess, swaying and struggling, trying to break free from his grasp.’

’Crying hadn’t worked, hitting him hadn’t worked. She’d even bitten him hard on the shoulder, but he’d acted as if he couldn’t feel pain, stubbornly refusing to let her go.’

’It was as if he was determined to make her take back her comment about his age through sheer physical force.’

’When her struggles grew too fierce, he had simply dropped a cold warning: "Keep squirming, and this won’t be all there is to it."’

...

When it was over, she was a complete mess, collapsed in his arms.

But looking at him, he had been perfectly composed from start to finish, without a single hair out of place. He was like an ascetic god on a high altar, his consciousness completely unswayed by desire, watching everything with clear-eyed indifference.

And yet, the eyes that looked down at her betrayed his emotions. He didn’t seem to be faring so well either; his gaze was scorching enough to burn a hole right through her.

Mia slid down in her seat until only her eyes were showing. She meekly surrendered, "On second thought, you should just change on your own. I think you’ve got it."

The moment he was gone, Mia let out a long breath.

’Looks like Kian Keller is even more sensitive about his age than Silas Grant.’

She sighed, unable to get the recent scene out of her head.

Mia returned to her room, changed into a dress, and slipped out while Kian Keller wasn’t looking.

This was a resort with every amenity one could ask for.

Aaron was standing guard in the hallway. Seeing that she was heading out alone, he naturally couldn’t let her go by herself, so he assigned four or five bodyguards to follow her.

Mia was used to it.

There was a frozen lake on the grounds where you could go fishing.

Mia didn’t really know how, but she was very interested.

Zero procured a fishing rod and bait for her.

Luckily, the weather was nice today and not too cold. Mia put on her gloves and sat by the lake, waiting for the fish to bite on their own.

"Can you guys not stand so close to me? You’ll scare my fish away."

Mia tilted up the brim of her hat and finally pointed to a spot. "Go wait over there."

It was a pavilion, which she estimated to be about five meters away.

Zero signaled for the others to go over; the distance was still safe.

Ten minutes passed, and Mia had caught nothing. She got up, moved her things, and shifted a few meters to the side.

After waiting a while longer, there was still no activity.

’That’s weird. Isn’t there supposed to be such a thing as beginner’s luck with fishing?’

"The bait is wrong."

A voice drifted over from beside her.

Mia glanced over.

She was sensitive to the cold and had her hat and scarf on, revealing only a pair of large, blinking eyes as she observed him.

The other person didn’t look her in the eye. He just reeled in her fishing rod, attached his own bait, and said, "Try it like this."

Zero had already moved closer.

But the man clearly had no ill intent. He left the rest of his bait for Mia, then got up and left.

Zero inspected the items the man had left behind. Only after confirming there was no problem did he ask Mia, "Miss, did you know that man?"

Mia shook her head. "Do you?"

Zero spread his hands.

Mia didn’t think much of it. "Probably just another tourist here to have some fun."

"You should still be careful. Unlike other members-only places, the crowd here is mixed. It’s easy for a few bad apples to slip in."

Mia sighed. "I’m not a three-year-old kid who’d run off with a stranger for a piece of candy."

She knew what she was doing.

In less than half an hour, Mia had caught two fish. She grabbed the bucket and jogged all the way back to her room.

Zero and the others jogged to keep up with her.

To an outside observer, it might have looked like Mia had stolen their fish.

"TA-DA!" Back in the room, Mia shoved the bucket in front of Kian Keller. "Look! I caught these! What do you think? I’ll cook them tonight to help you... recuperate!"

She looked at him, her face full of anticipation.

Kian Keller looked up, distancing himself from the two fish that were staring wide-eyed back at him. He replied calmly, "These are koi. They’re not good for eating."

"..." Mia’s smile froze on her face. She looked at him, then at the fish, in disbelief. "Huh? You can’t eat them...?"

She threw her fishing rod aside and sat right down on the floor.

"All that work for nothing. I wouldn’t have gone if I’d known. Ugh, seriously!"

She didn’t forget to kick the bucket beside her. A fish inside jumped, splashing water onto Kian Keller’s face.

Kian closed his eyes for a few seconds, then took the handkerchief Aaron handed him and forcefully wiped the water away.

Looking at the figure on the floor throwing a tantrum, he sighed helplessly and said, "They may not be good for eating, but catching koi is still a good thing."

"It’s a sign of good luck."

Mia sat up and let out a little "wow" as she looked at him.

Her surprise, however, wasn’t at her good luck, but at the fact that Kian Keller could actually say something so comforting.

’Truly incredible,’ she thought.

"Let’s go." He pulled her to her feet. "I’ll take you out for a walk."

Not far away was a viewing deck where they could also get afternoon tea.

Kian Keller remembered that before they came, she had mentioned wanting to take a lot of pictures.

He had specifically told Aaron to bring a camera.

「On the viewing deck.」

Mia flipped through the menu. She had wanted to order coffee, but remembering he didn’t drink it, she opted for a pot of tea instead.

When the pastries arrived, Mia’s appetite was still quite good, and she tried a couple.

Catching sight of the camera out of the corner of her eye, she couldn’t help but ask, "Do you... know how to take pictures?"

"I at least know how to press the shutter button."

Mia choked. "I could grab a random dog off the street and it would know how to do that."

Suddenly, a soft chuckle came from the next table over.

Mia and Kian Keller both glanced over at the man.

The man met their gaze and smiled apologetically. "My apologies. Please, continue."

Mia narrowed her eyes, studying the man, and quickly recognized him. "It’s you... the person who gave me the fish bait."