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

Chapter 288 - 286: Deserted and Forsaken

Mia froze, her expression hardening as she stared at the message on her phone.

Before her confusion could grow, the person on the other end—not one to keep people in suspense—immediately followed up: [It’s Felix Sinclair.]

[I’m not sure about the specifics of their conversation. If you want to know, you could find some time to ask Simon Adler himself.]

The matter concerned someone else, so Hayes Hughes didn’t know the details, nor did he have much curiosity about them.

Before Mia could reply, he added another message: [Simon Adler came by the house this morning and brought it up himself. We don’t know each other well privately, so I think he probably wanted me to pass this on to you.]

Seeing this message, everything clicked into place for Mia.

Hayes felt his hint had been obvious. When he saw she’d replied with an "OK" sticker, he pressed his lips into a helpless smile.

He disliked lying, especially to Mia, so he had told her the truth.

Simon had come over early, ostensibly to handle some affairs related to the old master’s passing. In reality, he didn’t know how to contact Mia, so he kept dropping subtle hints, hoping Hayes would relay the information to her.

Hearing footsteps behind him, Hayes put away his phone. He turned, his gaze locking onto the tall figure, and nodded.

"Brother."

"Who were you on the phone with? Mia?" Silas Grant stopped in front of him, his expression gentle.

Hayes shook his head slightly.

Silas’s lips curled. "Aren’t you famously bad at lying?"

"I wasn’t on the phone. We just exchanged a few words on WeChat," Hayes said, looking at him. "There’s no need to lie about something so trivial."

He calmly brushed his sleeve, his voice steady and even. "Regardless of our roles, we’re allowed to have normal contact, aren’t we?"

The implication was clear: Silas, as her older brother, was being far too concerned.

He was overstepping.

Neither he nor Silas, regardless of their position or perspective, had any right to interfere with Mia’s social life.

"It’s a bad habit. I suggest you correct it sooner rather than later, Brother. If you keep this up, it could easily backfire."

Hayes always gave the impression of being gentle and mild-mannered. Even when angry, he tended to turn his sharpness inward.

He never vented his emotions through his actions and only rarely let any fluctuation show in his words.

But today, he was perfectly calm as he spoke.

It was as if he were genuinely just offering his older brother some thoughtful advice.

In front of the arched floor-to-ceiling window, a small crack was open.

Silas lowered his gaze and lit a cigarette.

The curling smoke instantly blurred his features.

Hayes couldn’t see his face clearly for a moment, but he knew Silas had something to say.

The manor was so large; he couldn’t have just been passing by. He must have sought him out intentionally.

The two of them hadn’t spoken alone like this in a long time.

Even when communicating about their grandfather’s funeral and subsequent affairs, lawyers had always been present.

As a doctor, Hayes was a bit of a clean freak and disliked bad habits like smoking.

He took two steps to the side, putting a little distance between himself and Silas.

Out of courtesy, he didn’t press him, but waited patiently.

The winter days in Portia weren’t as clear as one might imagine. The afternoon breeze slipped through the crack in the window, carrying wisps of cigarette smoke into the air.

’Mia.’

A helpless smile touched Hayes’s tightly pressed lips.

The atmosphere was tense; he hadn’t expected he’d be able to smile.

He sighed silently, rubbing the bridge of his nose. A wave of sorrow washed over him.

"What are your thoughts on her and the Sinclair Family?"

At last, the figure who had been standing silently by the window for so long straightened up.

Hayes had his hands in his coat pockets. He paused for a moment at the question before replying, "I don’t have any particular thoughts."

"If she likes them, that’s a good thing. We should be happy for her. If she doesn’t, that’s fine too. She still has us as her family."

"You’re not planning to pursue the matter with Miles Sinclair?"

Silas flicked his ash and glanced sideways, a faint, unreadable smile on his face. "Sometimes, I really think you’re some kind of saint. In a situation like this, shouldn’t you resent him?"

The two heirs of the Hughes family were complete opposites.

For years, there had been private speculation among outsiders.

Hayes Hughes, the eldest grandson, had somehow failed to inherit the family business. Instead, it was Silas Grant, the maternal grandson with a different surname, who was greatly favored by the old master.

Everyone felt there must be some hidden story behind it.

However, anyone who had interacted with these two members of the Hughes family agreed that regardless of whether Hayes had any intention of competing, the Hughes fortune could only have ended up with Silas.

It was simple. To put it plainly, the two of them were like an angel and a demon.

One was too kind, the other a master of calculation.

Their current situation was perhaps for the best.

Hayes understood his meaning, his heart completely unmoved. "Grandfather intended to harm him first. It was just karmic retribution."

"Besides, there’s no need to drag her into the affairs of the previous generation."

"Looking at it from another perspective, Miles Sinclair took that risk largely because he wanted to give her an explanation."

"That was the Sinclair family’s stance."

"She was the only one ultimately hurt by this affair. If the Sinclair Family couldn’t right this wrong for her, she would have had to reconsider whether she wanted to return to them."

"But look at us."

"We’re like caged beasts."

"It seems like we’ve done so much for her, but in the end, we can’t do anything at all."

"We have too many reservations. We owe her too much."

"So, in this matter, we have no say. We shouldn’t interfere any further."

"No matter what we do, our goal is always the same—for her to be happy."

"That’s why, for me, my position doesn’t matter."

"Even if we never speak again, as long as she’s happy, I’m fine with it."

"I know you might not believe this, but if she truly wants to be with you and only you... if you’re bothered by my presence, I can submit my resignation to the hospital at any time. I can move abroad."

"So, Brother, there’s no conflict between you and me."

"You don’t need to be so concerned about me."

"If you have the energy, I hope you’ll spend more of it trying to see things from her perspective."

"You’ve been a master strategist in the business world for so many years. I know your vision isn’t this narrow."

After listening, Silas smiled and extinguished his cigarette.

"You’re better at preaching than I am. She should be the one to hear this."

The man’s expression didn’t change. "What did Simon Adler want from you?"

Hayes glanced at him, thought for a moment, and said, "He wants to contact Mia. Because of Felix Sinclair."

Silas said nothing.

After a brief silence, Hayes frowned slightly. "You two have known each other for so long. There should be some basic trust."

At that, Silas laughed out loud. "Trust?"

"Given how things have turned out, you could say I’m forsaken by all. Look at all these eyesores around her, one more annoying than the next. How many of them do you think I introduced to her myself?"

Hayes averted his gaze. "Then you should do some serious self-reflection."

"If you could give her a real sense of security, no one else would even have a chance, would they?"