Shannon Preston didn’t dare to tell the truth.

She could sense that Adrian Preston was serious about Mia Kane.

She could accept Adrian obeying their parents’ arrangement and marrying a woman he didn’t love. That would just be a marriage of convenience.

His focus would still be on her, and she could shamelessly get close to him, possess him—even if only as his sister, she would have been content.

But Mia was different. She had stolen all of her brother’s attention and affection, making Shannon feel less important than before. She was no longer the most important person in Adrian’s heart.

At this thought, Shannon Preston couldn’t stop crying, but she didn’t dare to voice her feelings.

She knew Adrian’s personality. If he found out she harbored such thoughts, he would definitely distance himself from her completely.

"You investigated her? Did you tell Mom and Dad everything?"

"Shouldn’t I have? If everyone in Argent found out you married a woman who was... violated by her kidnappers, do you have any idea how much that would affect the Preston Family? Even if you don’t care about your own reputation, you have to think about the Preston Group."

Hearing this, Adrian’s expression immediately turned cold.

He strode forward and seized her wrist, his grip so tight she hissed in pain.

"Brother, you’re hurting me."

"Besides Dad, who else did you tell?"

"N-no one. I only told Mom and Dad."

"That’s for the best. Don’t go spouting nonsense outside. I don’t want more people to know about this."

"Brother, you think it’s shameful too, don’t you? If this gets out, it’ll be so humiliating..."

"I’m worried the rumors will hurt her! I’ve never cared about that myself!"

"Brother, you..."

Shannon Preston stared at him, stunned. ’So he’s worried about Mia getting hurt.’

"This ends here. I’ll handle Mom and Dad. Shannon, if you and she can’t coexist, I choose her. You’ll have your own life from now on. If you don’t like her and I can’t change your mind, then we’ll go our separate ways as brother and sister."

"You’re grown up now. A brother can’t protect you forever, after all. But if you’re ever truly wronged, I won’t just stand by and do nothing. I’ll send you abroad tomorrow. You can live with Mom and Dad."

As soon as he said this, Shannon panicked. It sounded like he was about to sever their sibling ties.

She hurriedly tried to stop him.

"No, I don’t want to go! Brother, please don’t send me away, okay? I just feel like she’s not good enough for you. I don’t have any other motives."

"Shannon, you’re a woman too. You know she was forced; she’s a victim. She shouldn’t have to suffer any more harm. I want to protect her. You’re my closest family, and I don’t want to see you stabbing her in the back too, understand?"

"Brother, why do you even like her?"

"I told you before that there was someone I’ve cared about for a long time."

Shannon Preston suddenly remembered Adrian saying that offhandedly once.

She had been young at the time and had curiously asked Adrian what kind of woman he would marry in the future.

Adrian had been silent for a long time before saying, "There’s someone I care about a lot. If I can’t marry her, then I won’t marry at all."

Shannon had been anxious for a long time after that, but after secretly observing the people around Adrian, she hadn’t found a single suspicious woman.

He had almost no female social connections and didn’t interact with any women.

’How could a blockhead like him have someone he cared about?’

She had thought he was joking, but it turned out to be true. And it was Mia Kane.

"Brother, why her?"

"Don’t ask."

Adrian didn’t want to elaborate.

"Okay... Brother, I know I was wrong. Since you like her so much, I should be nice to her, too. Brother, I’ll move back in. I’ll be polite and respectful to my sister-in-law from now on."

"Now that’s my good sister. Come on, let’s go back."

Hearing this, Shannon quickly stopped him. "Why don’t you just sleep here tonight? I’m so tired, I don’t want to run around. You must be tired too, Brother. You can get a room next door and rest."

"She’s home alone. I’m worried."

"*Sob sob*, Brother, I ran away from home for days, and you never said you were worried about me. Brother, we haven’t just sat and talked in so long. I have so much I want to tell you. Can you tell me a story and put me to sleep, and we can leave together tomorrow? Please? I already promised to accept my sister-in-law, so you should dote on your little sister a bit, right?"

Adrian considered that he had indeed been a bit harsh with Shannon recently, so he agreed.

He coaxed Shannon to sleep, which took until midnight.

He didn’t get a room next door. Instead, he went downstairs and sat in his car.

He pulled up the villa’s security camera feed, wanting to see what time Mia had gotten home and what she had been doing.

The two of them had been giving each other the cold shoulder and not speaking, but he was still aware of her every move.

He knew it was wrong to spy on her, but he couldn’t control himself.

But Mia didn’t come back all night.

His brow furrowed. His first thought was that she had gone out with Owen Sinclair.

But then he thought it was impossible. Mia wasn’t that kind of person.

Feeling uneasy, he immediately had Theo Thorne look into it. The result was that she had been hospitalized for appendicitis and had undergone a minor surgery.

His heart clenched, and he immediately drove over.

Her surgery was already over. She was still asleep because the anesthesia hadn’t worn off yet.

"You must be her family, right? Why are you so late? You can’t just dismiss this because it’s a ’minor’ surgery. Do you know that when she came in alone, her lips were purple from the pain?"

The nurse couldn’t help but criticize him.

Adrian didn’t argue.

He took the scolding, walked into the hospital room, and dismissed the caregiver so he could watch over her himself.

He looked at the pale little face on the hospital bed, his feelings complicated.

She knew exactly what he was angry about—angry about her saying they would break up sooner or later, that it was just for fun.

She was the one in the wrong, yet she acted so self-righteous and wouldn’t even give him an easy way to make up. Not only that, but for something as major as being hospitalized for appendicitis, she would rather endure it all by herself than tell him.

’Is she still holding a grudge, or am I just that insignificant to her that she doesn’t even think of me in a crisis?’

Thinking this, Adrian’s heart tightened, and a wave of pain washed over him.

He stayed by her side as time ticked by, second by second. He didn’t sleep all night.

The next day, as morning light filled the room, Mia Kane finally felt the pain from her incision. 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

"HISS..."

Trying to sit up was incredibly difficult. The movement pulled at her wound, making her gasp in pain as tears welled in her eyes.

Just then, the head of the bed began to rise, and a glass of warm water was offered to her.

Her gaze followed the hand up to its owner, and she was stunned to see Adrian Preston.

"What are you doing here? You... you didn’t stay here all night, did you?"

Hearing this, Adrian raised an eyebrow. "I just got here."

Mia heard this and figured it made sense. ’He was with his precious sister last night, so of course he wouldn’t know I was in the hospital for appendicitis.’

"Then how did you find out?"

"The villa staff called me and said you hadn’t come home all night. I thought you were out fooling around with someone, so I had it checked."

Mia was furious when she heard this. She had been in agony, had rushed to the hospital by herself in the middle of the night, and had even signed her own surgical consent forms.

And he was so cold-hearted, assuming she was out fooling around with someone.

"Don’t worry, I still have basic professional ethics. I would never cheat! You, on the other hand... if you cheat during our marriage, I want compensation—a huge amount of compensation!"

she said, fuming.

"Fine. It’s a deal. Whoever cheats during the marriage will pay the other a huge sum in compensation to soothe their body and soul. In that case, Mia Kane, you’d better be careful. Don’t let me catch you slipping up."