Mia Kane’s heart trembled violently.

He wanted to consummate their relationship, to protect and watch over her for the rest of their lives.

’Is he doing this out of pity, or obligation? Or is it because he knows he and Shannon Preston will never be together, so he’s choosing to spend his life with me instead?’

In that instant, too many thoughts raced through her mind.

She almost nodded, but the thought of her current situation brought her back to her senses.

"No. I don’t want you to be responsible for me for a lifetime. I’m responsible for my own life. I don’t need someone else to carry my burdens for me."

"I want to. From the moment I rescued you, I decided I would be responsible for you."

"Your sense of duty is too strong. It’s not worth it."

"No. You’re worth it."

He met her gaze and spoke stubbornly.

Every word was spoken with the utmost seriousness.

"Are you going to sleep or not? If not, then go back. I’m tired. I want to sleep."

She yawned, feigning exhaustion.

Adrian Preston propped himself up on his arms, still pinning her down. His gaze was dark and unreadable, hiding an emotion she couldn’t comprehend.

Finally, he fell beside her, pulling her into a tight embrace. 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

"You... I can’t sleep like this."

"Didn’t you say sleeping with you was dangerous? Let’s just see how dangerous it can get."

Mia Kane was taken aback. He was throwing her own words back at her.

"Go to sleep!"

She said irritably, then closed her eyes, trying her best to ignore his presence.

Perhaps because he was beside her, she felt a great sense of peace, and she slowly drifted off to sleep.

In the silence, he held her a little tighter, as if afraid she might slip away.

「The next day」

She had gone to bed late last night and couldn’t bring herself to get up this morning.

When she woke up, the space beside her in bed was empty.

Adrian Preston went for a run every morning. It was normal for him to be gone; that habit was set in stone.

She got out of bed to wash up and saw the sun rising outside.

’The sun still rises in the east and sets in the west. And I will keep on living well. I won’t let the wicked win.’

Just then, her phone rang. It was, surprisingly, Chase Lockwood.

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

The moment she thought of what Vivian Lynch had done, she ignored the call.

Chase Lockwood seemed to get the hint. He didn’t call again, sending a text instead.

"Let’s meet."

She didn’t reply.

Chase Lockwood sent another message.

"Don’t you want Vivian to apologize? I’ll grant your wish. I’ll bring her to your press conference that day."

Mia Kane froze. ’Could Chase Lockwood really bring himself to give up on Vivian Lynch?’

She held her phone, not responding for a long time. She didn’t know that on the other end, Chase Lockwood was staring at the message he’d sent, silent for just as long.

He was a classic businessman who always put his own interests first.

Vivian Lynch was his legal wife. If she lost face, he would suffer the consequences too.

His original intention was probably to meet with her, negotiate, and convince her not to be so impulsive.

But as if possessed, he had sent a message like that.

He hesitated for a long while before finally retracting the message.

Seeing this, Mia Kane scoffed. ’A leopard never changes its spots. Even if I had actually gone, Chase Lockwood would have backed out.’

Chase Lockwood thought about it and decided he had to prioritize his own interests.

He contacted Adrian Preston.

Adrian Preston had just gotten back from his morning run. When he saw the caller ID, his eyes darkened.

He tapped his earpiece and answered the call.

"Spit it out."

"Adrian, this thing has gotten out of hand. It doesn’t look good for either side. We’re all people of status, so why are we going at each other’s throats like this and letting outsiders laugh at us?"

"Our two families hold the top two spots. If we worked together, we’d be unstoppable. It’s ridiculous for us to be at odds so often over a woman. Why don’t we each take a step back? Don’t hold the press conference. I’ll have Vivian admit she lost the bet. How about it?"

"I know Vivian was too reckless and did something wrong. I never meant to hurt Mia Kane like this..."

"You never meant to? How did Vivian Lynch find out she’d lost her virginity?"

Adrian Preston demanded coldly.

Chase Lockwood was rendered speechless. It was true, he had been the one to tell her.

But he’d never intended to use it to hurt her.

"So, I’m willing to have Vivian apologize publicly. Isn’t that enough? Adrian, you should understand that if this blows up, both our families will be affected. It doesn’t have to be like this. Can’t we just meet in the middle? Besides, as long as our two families join forces, no one will dare to say a thing, unless they want to be run out of Argent."

"I can’t make the decision on this. I’ll ask for Mia Kane’s opinion."

"Adrian! This is something we can decide on our own. Why do you need to ask someone else’s opinion?"

"Because Mia Kane is the one involved! She’s the victim!"

He enunciated each word clearly: "It’s because of your selfishness that this happened to her. You deserve to die."

"Chase Lockwood, I will get back everything she’s suffered."

"Adrian, be honest with me. When exactly did you start having feelings for her? You’re my brother. Why would you backstab me like this?"

"You think you’re worthy of being my brother?"

Adrian Preston sneered.

"On this matter, only Mia Kane has the right to decide. You don’t."

With that, Adrian Preston hung up the phone.

He would relay this to Mia Kane. She had the right to know. He actually approved of Chase Lockwood’s proposal, since it would significantly reduce the harm to Mia.

He knew full well that even with his protection, it would be difficult to stop everyone from talking.

He didn’t want Mia Kane to be pointed at and gossiped about everywhere she went.

In situations like this, women were always the victims.

Many people who were sexually assaulted chose not to report it to the police, just so they could live with some dignity afterward.

Some people felt that swallowing their pride for a moment was necessary to live a decent life later on.

But many others became trapped in the shadows, unable to ever escape.

If Mia Kane insisted on stepping forward, he would stand by her and be her rock.

If she grew timid, he would be her safe harbor.

Adrian Preston showered and changed into fresh, clean clothes before going to see Mia Kane.

He didn’t hold anything back, recounting Chase Lockwood’s proposal.

Mia Kane’s face paled slightly. She bit her lip and looked at Adrian Preston.

"What do you think? If you feel this will have too great an impact on the Preston Group, then we can listen to him, have Vivian Lynch admit she lost the bet..."

Before Mia Kane could finish, Adrian Preston cut her off.

"You don’t need to consider me. You only need to worry about what you want."

"But..."

"Mia Kane, do what you want to do. It’s okay to be a little selfish."

Adrian Preston said softly.

That one short sentence almost made her burst into tears.

Adrian Preston’s words always struck a chord deep in her heart.

"Then... I want to think about it calmly."

"Alright. I’ll wait for you."

Adrian Preston left the room.

Mia Kane stared blankly at her laptop. It contained all the evidence of Chase Lockwood’s cheating, with the timeline already laid out. She and Chase had been dating for three years, and during that time, Vivian Lynch had been insidiously opportunistic, worming her way in at every turn.

She had already saved it all to a USB drive, planning to release it on the day of the press conference.

But now, she was hesitating.

’What’s more important? My own justice? Inflicting a mortal wound on the enemy even if it means hurting myself? Or... is Adrian Preston also important?’

’Adrian... Grandpa...’

Their faces appeared in her mind, overlapping.

They both cared for her with all their hearts. This whole ordeal could make them both suffer too much.

Mia Kane clenched her fists so tightly that her nails dug into her palms, but she couldn’t feel the pain.

The pain in her heart far surpassed everything else.

She sat there alone in a daze for an hour, and finally, she came to a decision.

She was still going to hold the press conference. She couldn’t just swallow this.

She thought Adrian Preston would have left for the group headquarters by now, so she decided to call him.

She dialed his number as she opened her door.

The moment the door opened, the call connected.

"Adrian?"

She asked.

The door was open, and Adrian Preston’s face appeared before her. He was holding his phone and responded softly.

"Yes, I’m here."