His words hit her with such force that she could only stare blankly at Chase Lockwood.

’Her first thought was: had Chase Lockwood lost his mind?’

’Her second was that she must be dreaming.’

"Come with me to the Civil Affairs Bureau right now, before I change my mind. Mia Kane, you got what you wanted. Now Vivian and I can’t be together. Are you satisfied? I’m telling you, even if I give you what you want and marry you, don’t even think about getting my love. I’ll make you suffer, slowly."

Chase Lockwood said grimly.

Mia Kane snapped back to her senses. She knew Grandma must have done something.

Chase Lockwood thought she was the one pulling the strings.

"Chase Lockwood, if you’re sick in the head, go see a doctor. Leave me out of it."

She turned to leave, but he grabbed her wrist.

"Mia Kane, what the hell do you want? You’ve already forced Vivian and me to separate, what more could you possibly want!"

’How long is she going to keep playing hard to get?’

"Tomorrow is Monday. I’ll see you at the Civil Affairs Bureau. Bring your ID and household register. My patience has its limits. If you don’t show up, it’s not on me. You can explain it to Grandma yourself. Tell her how I was ready to grant her wish."

With that, Chase Lockwood stormed off.

Mia Kane rubbed the bridge of her nose. She decided to go talk to Grandma and find out what on earth she had done to make Chase Lockwood finally cave.

The old woman was at a nursing home. She had lived there before, and after moving back to the Lockwood residence, she’d found she couldn’t get used to it.

She couldn’t get used to the food or the different schedules of the younger generation. After staying for a while, she just couldn’t take it anymore and had moved back.

Around the time Grandma moved back, Mia Kane had been away, discussing how to deal with William, so they had missed each other.

Mia Kane went to visit her, and she could also see Grandpa while she was there.

"Mia, you came to see me! I’ve missed you terribly! You didn’t miss your Grandma at all, did you?"

Grandma looked at her with a pout.

"I’m sorry, Grandma. I’ve been so busy lately, I haven’t been able to visit."

"It’s alright, it’s alright. Just make sure to visit more often from now on..."

"Grandma, what exactly did you say to Chase Lockwood? Why does he suddenly want to get a marriage certificate with me?"

"Really? He’s finally come to his senses?"

Grandma was overjoyed. "I didn’t say much. I just dragged him to his parents’ graves and made him kneel. His parents were dead set against Vivian Lynch marrying into the family. If he were to be so unfilial, it would mean his parents could never rest in peace."

’No wonder!’

’His parents had always been a sore spot for Chase Lockwood.’

’Chase Lockwood had countless flaws, but he was, without a doubt, a devoted son.’

’Now, with the weight of his parents pressing down on him, Chase Lockwood must be afraid that if he actually got together with Vivian Lynch and disturbed his parents’ eternal rest, it would be a sin he could never atone for.’

"Mia, don’t you worry. If he dares to treat you poorly after the wedding, I’ll break his legs."

"Grandma... I’m not going to marry him."

"You’re not willing to give him another chance?"

"That’s right. And I never will! Betrayal is a line you only cross once. I won’t take a man who doesn’t love me, and I certainly don’t have the stomach to fight another woman for scraps! I would rather stay single forever than have Chase Lockwood!"

Mia Kane spoke each word with deliberate, resounding force, her eyes filled with a resolve she had never shown before.

Grandma gazed at her intently. She wasn’t surprised. In fact, she had expected this response.

She heaved a long sigh. "I knew it. Mia is no ordinary girl. You’re not one to get bogged down in matters of the heart. You know when to let go."

"Grandma, there’s another very important reason... I’m married."

"What? You’re married? For real?"

Grandma’s eyes widened, and she looked ready for all the juicy details.

’They say some people become like children in their old age. That’s Grandma, for sure.’

"Quick, tell me! Who’s the lucky guy?"

’Well, it’s public knowledge now,’ Mia Kane thought. ’It just hasn’t been widely announced, so the news is traveling slowly.’

’Chase Lockwood just assumed she’d gotten involved with Adrian Preston; he had no idea they were legally married.’

Mia Kane didn’t hide it and told her Adrian Preston’s name.

"You mean the grandson of that old scoundrel, Donovan Preston?" Grandma’s face was full of disdain. "Donovan Preston is a piece of trash, but his grandson isn’t. I suppose I can’t paint them all with the same brush."

"You know Grandpa Donovan?"

"Of course I do. Hmph. The old garbage..."

"You old hag, talking bad about me again!"

Just then, Grandpa Donovan himself arrived.

"Hmph! So what if I was?"

The two of them started to bicker.

Mia Kane watched from the side, dumbfounded. She had no idea they knew each other. But thinking about it, they both belonged to prominent families, so they must have crossed paths in business and social events. It made sense they were acquainted.

But during her previous time at the nursing home, she’d never seen the two of them interact.

As she was puzzling over this, she heard familiar footsteps approaching from behind.

She turned and saw Adrian Preston walking toward her.

"What are you doing here?"

"Came to see my grandfather, and I saw you were here too. Visiting the old madam?"

"Yeah, I was just about to leave."

"Let’s go together."

"But aren’t you here to see your grandfather?"

Mia Kane was confused, but Adrian Preston said nothing. His face was grim, and he was clearly unhappy.

He strode ahead, and she had no choice but to hurry after him.

They quickly reached the car, and Adrian Preston opened the rear door. Assuming Theo Thorne was in the driver’s seat, Mia got in without a second thought. It was only when she was inside that she realized the front seat was empty.

Extremely confused, she was about to ask what was going on when Adrian Preston climbed in and pinned her against the seat.

"Mia Kane, are you planning to commit bigamy?"

He glared at her, the fury in his eyes so intense it seemed ready to tear her to shreds.

She couldn’t help but feel a flicker of fear.

"You know?"

"What else? Were you planning to hide it from me? Or did you think I wouldn’t have to show up for the divorce?"

His eyes were deep, dark pools, like black holes threatening to pull her in.

His large hands tightened, squeezing her shoulders painfully, as if he meant to tear her arms from their sockets.

"Adrian, you’re hurting me."

"Hurting? Good. Pain will help you remember this."

Mia Kane was shocked. He was like a feral beast, all reason gone, pouncing on her with merciless claws.

’So Adrian Preston had this terrifying side to him!’

"Adrian... can you please just calm down?"

"You got close to the old madam on purpose, didn’t you? All to arrange this behind my back! You never gave up on becoming Mrs. Lockwood. Everything you told me was a lie."

"You could have just been honest with me! If you wanted to be Mrs. Lockwood, I would have even helped you achieve it. The one thing you should never have done is lie to me!"

He was furious because she had been lying to him this whole time.

’All that talk about clearing her heart, about being over Chase Lockwood.’

’All of it was lies.’

’She targeted the old madam, deliberately getting close to her and using her to effortlessly secure Chase Lockwood.’

’And now, she had finally gotten what she wanted.’

The moment he pictured Mia Kane leaving him, the moment he realized he might never have her, he began to lose control.

’She was the one who came on to him first.’

’Why would she lead him on just to irresponsibly run away?’

He crushed his lips against hers in a deep kiss. His hands roamed, tearing at her clothes. Then, they moved audaciously lower, invading that sacred place.

Mia Kane’s mind went blank with a deafening roar. Her heart hammered in her chest, and her entire body froze.