Chase Lockwood was forced to recognize this, and panic flooded him.

This was the last thing he wanted.

Why couldn’t she be like Vivian Lynch? After they broke up, Vivian went abroad, and even after marrying someone else, she still only had eyes for him.

She would often call him, crying, telling him how much she loved him and how she loathed the touch of her husband.

She said she felt so sullied, and if it wasn’t for the hope of seeing him one last time, she would have rather died.

He eventually gave in and went to see Vivian Lynch. After their meeting, she was content—and then went to throw herself into the sea. 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

Fortunately, he sensed something was amiss and rushed over just in time to save her.

On the shore, their eyes met, sparking with intense love. Then, they tangled together in a reckless embrace, crossing a line that defied all morality.

He felt that Vivian Lynch’s emotional journey was the *correct* one. So why wasn’t Mia Kane the same?

He felt that Mia Kane had gotten out of his control.

A little plaything that had always been in the palm of his hand had suddenly developed a mind of its own and escaped his grasp.

He did not like this feeling one bit.

He desperately wanted to set things right again.

’Mia Kane should belong to him.’

He could be magnanimous. He could overlook the fact that she had given herself to her kidnappers to survive. He could even ignore that she’d had a fling with Adrian Preston. As long as she came back to him obediently and promised he would be her only man from now on, he could forgive and forget.

"Chase... what’s wrong?"

Just then, Vivian Lynch walked in, interrupting Chase Lockwood’s spiraling thoughts.

He stared at her blankly. Suddenly, a cold sweat broke out on his brow.

’What am I even thinking? I have Vivian right here beside me. She’s the woman I love most, the one for whom I defied my parents and my grandmother. I was so sure our love was stronger than gold. If I chose Mia now, wouldn’t that be a slap in my own face?’

For the first time, Chase Lockwood felt truly torn.

"Chase, what’s wrong? Why are you covered in sweat? Doctor! Doctor!"

Vivian Lynch hurried off to find a doctor.

Left alone in the room, he quickly forced himself to calm down.

’I can’t be impulsive,’ he told himself. ’A plaything like Mia is gone, and that’s that. I don’t care.’

He repeated this over and over, but the more he insisted he didn’t care, the more clearly Mia Kane’s face appeared in his mind.

He felt that Mia Kane was becoming an obsession.

When Vivian Lynch returned, Chase Lockwood watched her with a nervous intensity.

"Vivian, let’s not wait a month. Let’s get married in two weeks, as soon as I’m out of the hospital."

He’d probably still be in a wheelchair then, and a wedding under those circumstances certainly wouldn’t look good.

But he couldn’t wait any longer. He was afraid he might change his mind again.

Only when they had the marriage certificate and Vivian was truly his wife could he finally let go of Mia.

It was nothing more than a man’s competitive ego at play!

’Mia Kane isn’t important. I never loved her. Never—’

"Chase... but your injury..."

"My injury is fine! I can’t wait to marry you and bring you home!"

"But there won’t be enough time to design the wedding dress."

"Then we’ll buy one off the rack. Let’s just get married first, okay?"

Vivian Lynch still wanted a one-of-a-kind wedding dress, but the thought of marrying sooner and putting the matter to rest would give her peace of mind and prevent any new complications.

"Okay, I’ll do as you say."

And so, news that their wedding had been moved up began to spread.

Everyone was shipping the couple.

People online were saying that after his recent car accident and near-death experience, Chase Lockwood woke up, saw his beloved, and couldn’t wait another second to marry her.

The wedding, originally scheduled for the middle of next month, seemed likely to be postponed, since his injuries were severe and would take two or three months to fully heal.

Not only was it not delayed, but it had been moved up.

Netizens sighed with emotion, commenting that you only realize how precious your loved one is after a brush with death.

When Mia Kane saw these comments, she figured it was just Chase Lockwood’s own PR stunt, designed to paint himself as some deeply devoted lover.

In reality, he was the most sanctimonious and heartless man on the planet.

Mia Kane also benefited from this development.

She no longer had to swallow her disgust and design a wedding dress for Vivian Lynch, and she had been paid a handsome sum for it regardless.

There was a downside, though. Since outsiders wouldn’t know she had designed the dress for her rival, Vivian Lynch, it wouldn’t help build her reputation.

But it didn’t matter. Chase Lockwood had paid her fifty million in total. How many orders would she have to take to earn that much? All in all, she hadn’t lost out.

Also, the Lockwood Group would still be collaborating with the Preston Group.

Previously, the Lockwood Group had deliberately leaked rumors that, for certain reasons, it would never collaborate with the Preston Group again.

Now, they were putting out a series of denials, claiming someone was deliberately trying to sow discord between the two companies, hoping to fracture their relationship and cause turmoil in their stock prices. They claimed whoever spread this false information had malicious intent.

Mia Kane couldn’t help but laugh at these theatrics. Chase Lockwood was directing and starring in his own little drama; it was a shame he wasn’t a screenwriter.

He could talk his way out of anything.

The Preston Group would be spared from huge losses, and she breathed a sigh of relief. She didn’t want to drag Adrian Preston into her troubles.

For Chase Lockwood’s wedding, invitations were sent out to all the prominent high-society families, so naturally, Adrian Preston got one.

She hadn’t planned on attending, but to her surprise, Vivian Lynch had prepared a special invitation just for her.

It was as if Vivian was terrified she wouldn’t come, thus robbing her of the chance to see Vivian gloat.

After all, Chase Lockwood was promising her the wedding of the century. He had booked the most luxurious hotel in Argent, and the fleet of transport vehicles would consist entirely of Rolls-Royces, all with ultra-rare, repeating-digit license plates that were nearly as expensive as the cars themselves.

Not only that, but he’d also invited famous socialites to be her bridesmaids, with six attendants to carry her train. He had even hired the pastor most famous for officiating at weddings that "truly witnessed love."

There was more... she’d seen the posts online but couldn’t remember all the details.

It was, quite literally, the wedding every woman dreamed of.

Vivian Lynch was the winner; how could she not invite the loser to spectate?

"Don’t worry, I’ll be there."

Mia Kane didn’t have any strong feelings about their wedding. If Adrian Preston invited her as his plus-one, she would go.

If he didn’t, she’d just carry on as usual. But since Vivian had been so desperate to send her an invitation, she felt obligated to make a dazzling appearance. She had to show everyone that Chase Lockwood’s ex-girlfriend wasn’t wasting away in tears, but was, in fact, thriving.

Vivian Lynch had barely walked out the door when a message popped up on Mia’s international account.

"The three-month deadline is almost here. Designer Nona, have you returned to the country? I’d like to invite you to my wedding. I want to announce our long-term partnership during the grand reception."

Mia Kane read the message. ’This must be Vivian’s greatest gesture of sincerity,’ she thought. ’Announcing this at her own wedding, without any fear that Nona might steal her thunder.’

Then again, she would be the envy of every girl in the world that day; it was unlikely anyone could steal her spotlight.

The real reason Vivian Lynch was doing this was to humiliate Mia Kane on her own home turf.

Mia Kane looked at the message, a cryptic smile playing on her lips.

’How interesting,’ she thought. ’In that case, I absolutely must attend.’

"Of course. I’ll bring a gift to congratulate the happy couple."

"Thank you so much! I can’t wait to meet you!"

You could feel Vivian Lynch’s excitement between the lines.

Mia Kane smiled, too.

’Enjoy your moment of triumph,’ she thought. ’You’ll be crying soon enough!’