Kian Keller spent three days showing Mia Grant, in no uncertain terms, just how much sweeter a reunion can be than a honeymoon.
In the dim basement.
Mia Grant wrapped her arms around his neck in surprise. "This bed is still here! You didn’t throw it out?!"
"I’ve already dealt with it. It just seemed a shame to throw this away."
He replied breathlessly in her ear.
"..."
In an instant, she understood his intentions. Her already rosy cheeks flushed a deep crimson.
Kian Keller gently wiped the fine beads of sweat from her cheeks and carried her to the bed.
The mattress was soft. As Mia Grant’s body sank into it, she thought she heard the clinking of thin chains from the headboard and footboard.
Her face flushed, she kept her eyes squeezed shut, and he didn’t ask her to open them.
But his actions made his intentions perfectly clear: he wanted to force her to confront where she was.
Over the next while, Mia Grant came to a profound realization: even if she hadn’t ended up with Kian Keller, this room would have undoubtedly been put to use one day.
Beneath his seemingly indifferent exterior, a morbid obsession had long taken root, sinking deep into his very bones.
Given his methods, she likely would never have been able to escape.
As they were nearing the end, he seemed to sense her tension and suddenly stopped to look into her eyes.
Mia Grant stared at him, dazed, not knowing what was happening.
The man’s breathing was unsteady. After a few moments, he raised a hand to brush aside the sweat-dampened strands of hair on her forehead.
Mia Grant blinked, and soon she heard him say—
"Don’t be afraid."
"I won’t lock you up."
In that moment, it was as if he had the Mind Reading Technique. Mia Grant froze for a second, then reached out and hugged him tightly, letting out a muffled sound of assent into his chest.
Fireworks shot into the sky, blooming amidst the churning waves.
Mia Grant watched the splendor so close at hand, then gently closed her eyes.
She couldn’t remember when she had left that room.
In any case, when she woke up again, she was back in the master bedroom.
After three days and nights of "communicating" with him, Mia Grant had successfully adjusted to the time difference.
In the early morning, Kian Keller was already gone from the room when she got up.
The fresh air system was working silently. A new bouquet of flowers sat on the bedside table, and Mia Grant could no longer smell that bothersome odor.
She didn’t want to get out of bed, but she couldn’t fall back asleep either, so she just lazed around in bed, playing on her phone.
After a while, she was scrolling through their WeChat conversation from a few days ago and noticed his mention of the crabapple blossoms.
After a moment’s pause, she scrambled up, grabbed the remote to open one of the curtains, and knelt on the bed to gaze out the window.
The crabapple blossoms in the backyard were in full bloom. The winds in Jynsia during April and May weren’t gentle, but the petals danced gracefully in the breeze, each flower seeming determined to see her this spring.
Mia Grant lay on the edge of the bed, watching for a long time, before changing her clothes to go admire them up close in the backyard.
Downstairs, Mia Grant saw the back of Kian Keller in the living room and called out without a second thought, "I’m going to the backyard! The crabapple blossoms are still blooming, surprisingly. You can eat by yourself in a bit, I’m not hungry."
She didn’t enter the main living area, just calling out to him from a distance before turning to head to the backyard.
Until she saw the butler give her a meaningful look.
Mia Grant shifted her direction slightly, taking a couple of steps toward the living room, and only then did she see Mrs. Keller.
She took a sharp breath.
She hesitated before calling out, "Mom."
Mrs. Keller nodded, her gaze sweeping over Mia from head to toe.
Mrs. Keller had always admired her, but she hadn’t considered her the top choice for a daughter-in-law.
She felt that an outstanding girl like Mia Grant would shine anywhere and shouldn’t be trapped in a quagmire like the Keller family.
But the two of them had gone and gotten married without a word to anyone.
When the Keller family elders learned they had gotten married, they were also very surprised.
Kian Keller’s marriage was a major event for the entire family; it shouldn’t have been handled so hastily.
Especially after learning that Mia Grant had no intention of settling down to become the next "Mrs. Keller," the family elders had a lot of complaints about her.
Caught in the middle, Mrs. Keller had been in a very difficult position.
Personally, she supported Mia Grant. At her age, she should be focused on enriching her own life and seeing more of the world.
But as Mrs. Keller, there were many things that were out of her hands.
The family elders now knew they couldn’t change the situation, so they had started applying indirect pressure, urging them to start trying for a baby soon.
Of course, Mia Grant knew nothing about this.
She was far away overseas, and no one dared to go over Kian Keller’s head to let these rumors reach her ears.
Even if some were bold enough to try, like Kian Keller’s close relatives, he had intercepted all the messages.
She was busy—so busy she didn’t even have time to return calls. Kian Keller felt there was no need to bother her with such trivial matters.
Mrs. Keller had come today because she’d heard Mia Grant was back in the country for a holiday, so she had come, despite the pressure, to have a heart-to-heart with the two of them.
She said she was here to see them both, but her real purpose was to talk to Mia Grant.
Kian Keller was single-minded; he wouldn’t listen to a thing she said.
If she could just persuade Mia Grant, the problem with Kian Keller would be easily solved.
But Mrs. Keller had come early in the morning, only to be cut off in the living room by Kian Keller, unable to see Mia Grant at all.
Now was a good opportunity. Mrs. Keller beckoned, signaling for her to come and sit.
Kian Keller interrupted, "She said she’s going to see the flowers."
"..."
The atmosphere was strange. Mia Grant gave a light cough and walked over with a smile. "The flowers can be seen anytime."
Kian Keller’s back was to her, and he didn’t look at her. He just raised a hand and told the butler to take her to the backyard. "It’s windy today. If you don’t go now, the blossoms will all be blown away."
His intention to shoo her away was too obvious. Mia Grant frowned, not understanding what was going on.
Because in her memory, Mrs. Keller wasn’t a difficult person.
’There shouldn’t be any problem with just sitting down for a chat, right?’
With things at a standstill, Mrs. Keller simply stood up. "Perfect. I’d like to see the flowers too. Mia, shall we go together?"
Mia Grant nodded instinctively. "Sure."
The two of them started walking outside and soon heard footsteps behind them. Mia Grant thought it was the butler following, but when she turned her head, she saw Kian Keller trailing after her with a cold expression.
"..." Mia Grant raised an eyebrow, signaling with her eyes for him to go back.
She wasn’t stupid; she could tell that Mrs. Keller wanted to talk to her alone.
’Mrs. Keller is very clever, too, so it wouldn’t be right for me to play dumb. We might as well talk. After all, I’m married to her son now. There will only be more of these private meetings in the future, not fewer.’
’And I don’t want Kian Keller to be put in a difficult position.’
’Constantly avoiding it like this is pointless and will only make Mrs. Keller’s impression of me worse.’
Mia Grant shooed Kian Keller away with a look, but he was still worried and told the butler to follow them.
However, the butler couldn’t get too close. While the two women admired the flowers under the tree, he could only stand at a distance, observing the changes in their expressions.
’It looks like... there aren’t any problems.’
’They just seem to be chatting about how well the flowers have bloomed this year.’
The butler mused that this was perhaps the only crabapple tree in all of Jynsia whose blossoms hadn’t fallen yet.
After all, this tree was the most precious thing in the entire household.
The Master had given the order: Madam had to see the flowers in bloom.
"I’m very sorry. Getting married was indeed a bit sudden, and I never had the chance to pay a formal visit."
Mrs. Keller offered a rare smile. "We’re all family now. There’s no need for formal visits."
"How is life abroad?"
Mia Grant said everything was fine.
After chatting about her studies for a while, Mrs. Keller finally got to the point. "When do you and Ethan plan on considering the next step in your lives?"