The next morning.
Mia Grant emerged from Kian Keller’s room, trying to sneak back upstairs.
Kian Keller’s room was on a lower floor, while Mia lived on the top floor.
’At this hour, everyone should still be adjusting to the time difference,’ she thought. ’They won’t be up too early.’
But just as she got into the elevator, Mia ran into Yates Donovan and Silas Grant.
The two of them were returning from outside, looking like they’d just been for a morning run.
Mia was surprised. "You guys... don’t you need to adjust to the jet lag?"
Silas Grant took off his Bluetooth earbuds and smiled as he pressed the elevator button. "I travel for work a lot, so I’m used to it."
Mia clicked her tongue and looked at Yates Donovan. "I know my brother has a habit of morning workouts, but what are you doing joining in on the fun?"
What Mia really wanted to ask was how their relationship had gotten so good.
Although the two had been friends before, there was... well, everyone knew what had happened in between.
Now they were so harmonious they could even go for a morning workout together. It was a little bizarre.
Yates Donovan yawned, looking for all the world like he wasn’t fully awake.
"I was hungry and came down for a bite. Just happened to run into him, so we went out for a stroll."
The three of them entered the elevator together.
The originally spacious car suddenly felt a bit crowded. Mia leaned against one side, putting some distance between herself and them.
Yates was still talking. "We’re all traveling together. What’s so surprising about going for a run together?"
’That’s true,’ she thought.
Mia had no idea what the men had discussed among themselves in private. In any case, she had never asked, and none of them had ever told her.
In short, it seemed the men had long since reached some kind of consensus.
She had no way of knowing how they acted in private, but in front of her, they naturally presented a harmonious picture of brotherly affection.
Even sworn enemies like Yates Donovan and Kian Keller rarely took jabs at each other in her presence.
"So, where did you just come from?" Yates Donovan lifted an eyelid, peering at her with one eye open.
Silas Grant turned to the side to look at her as well.
Mia froze. She had been trying to change the subject, but she hadn’t managed to avoid it in the end.
Even if she didn’t say anything, Yates could guess. "Kian Keller’s place?"
"..."
Mia wasn’t worried about Yates. Sure enough, after asking, he put on an indifferent expression.
But Silas...
Mia cautiously glanced over, her eyes meeting her brother’s seemingly gentle gaze.
’Seemingly’ was the perfect word for it.
Fortunately, Silas didn’t say anything in the end.
Mia let out a sigh of relief as she stepped out of the elevator.
She was the only one living on the top floor.
Otherwise, she wouldn’t have been so scared last night.
Pushing the door open, Mia still hesitated for a moment before stepping inside.
’Who would have thought that after all this time, I still can’t get used to the lifestyle of the rich?’
’In such a huge room, don’t rich people get scared sleeping all by themselves?’
Mia was lost in thought and didn’t notice the sound from outside.
As she turned to close the door, a hand suddenly stopped it.
She froze, looking up to meet Silas Grant’s familiar gaze.
"...Brother? Are you looking for..."
Before she could finish, he pushed the door open and came in. The next second, her wrist was grabbed, and her back hit the heavy door panel, but his hand cushioned her just in time.
As his scalding kiss landed on her lips, Mia sighed silently.
’I knew it,’ she thought. ’Silas cared a great deal.’
At breakfast, everyone had gathered.
Mia still wasn’t used to such scenes. After a few simple bites, she went back upstairs to catch up on sleep.
She had gotten up far too early to sneak back to her room.
She looked at the itinerary for the day; it was blank.
It was left open for them to adjust to the time difference.
The plan was to go see the aurora tomorrow.
Originally, when she’d heard Yates Donovan and the trip manager talk about it, Mia hadn’t been very interested.
’Now that I think about it, I’m actually a little excited.’
Strictly speaking, this was her first time traveling abroad and her first time participating in this kind of "team-building" style trip.
Lying back in bed, Mia felt this trip was very much like a test of obedience.
Not just for her, but seemingly for everyone involved.
Mia pulled the covers tighter around herself, not daring to think about it any further.
「The next day.」
Everyone prepared to go see the aurora.
The chances of seeing the aurora in the summer weren’t high.
But Mia was still hopeful.
’After all, we’re already here.’
On the first day, they didn’t see it.
Fortunately, Mia wasn’t too disappointed.
Three days passed in a row, and still, they saw nothing. Mia began to sigh to herself.
The trip manager explained that chasing the aurora during this month really required a great deal of luck.
The weather here was unpredictable, and the probability of an aurora appearing was higher on a clear day.
Mia wasn’t particularly sad. Even though they couldn’t see the aurora, they hadn’t been idle these past few days.
They had visited all the must-see scenic spots: the glacial lagoon, the black sand beach, the waterfalls, the peninsula... Mia took a lot of pictures, so it wasn’t a wasted trip.
At dawn, by the sea, she used Hayes Hughes’s hand for support to climb onto a reef, standing at the highest point to take a group photo with them.
Finally, on the night of the fourth day, on their way back to their accommodations, they stopped to rest in a park. Mia, holding a cup of hot chocolate, stopped in her tracks as she gazed at a faint green light on the horizon.
The trip manager’s gasp came from a distance. Mia snapped back to reality and fumbled to turn on her camera.
It was a new one she had bought while shopping the day before yesterday. She hadn’t quite figured it out yet, but it was more than enough for photographing the aurora.
Through the lens, the aurora was much clearer than it was to the naked eye.
The aurora was like a wisp of green smoke, faintly drifting in the sky. It lasted for a little over ten seconds before dissipating.
Luckily, Mia managed to capture it.
On the way back, Mia was so excited she kept sharing her photos with them.
"Did you guys see it?" Mia worried they might have regrets if they hadn’t seen it with their own eyes.
Ian Sinclair played along, nodding. "We saw it, we saw it. We heard you shouting—it would’ve been hard not to see it."
In the end, the group left Cryos, content, and headed for the next city.
Well, Mia was the one who was content. The others hadn’t had high expectations for the trip, but if she was happy, they were happy.
Traveling is also exhausting, especially since Mia’s health had been poor before. That’s why they basically stayed for a while in every city in every country along the way.
But after leaving Cryos, it was as if Mia had opened the door to a new world. She quickly adapted to the rhythm of travel, and after arriving in other places, she didn’t need much time to adjust, immediately dragging them out to explore.
While in Cryos, Mia had also bought a journal, and she was determined to get a stamp in it for every place she visited.
During their two-month vacation, they spent an exceptionally long time in Englaria.
No one knew why Mia liked it there so much.
But it wasn’t long before they had their answer.
Mia was planning to study abroad in Englaria. If all went according to plan, she would complete both her master’s and doctoral degrees there.
Of course, this was still a long way off, and it wouldn’t be easy. She just felt it was necessary to give them a heads-up.
’These men are too petty,’ she thought. ’If I don’t tell them now, there will definitely be conflict later.’
That night, the men were silent for a long time before taking turns to question her about why she’d suddenly had this idea.
Mia said she wanted to get out and see more of the world.
And so, the men fell silent again for a long time. Then, while Mia was sound asleep, they held a late-night meeting to discuss their strategy.
In the end, it was perfectly resolved with Felix Sinclair deciding to "accompany her studies."