Using Me as a Substitute? Did You Know Your Best Friend Calls Me Wife?

He looked at her playfully. "Are you sure?"

"I-I’m s... sure..."

She was stumbling over her words, her tongue and teeth all tangled up.

Adrian Preston suddenly closed the distance, one hand clasping the back of her head, the other supporting her slender waist.

Their bodies pressed together, leaving not a sliver of space between them. She could clearly feel how solid his chest was, a searing heat radiating through their clothes.

Her breath hitched, and her pupils contracted.

"It seems my skills were lacking and failed to satisfy you. Let me compensate you, then."

The moment he finished speaking, Adrian Preston kissed her. Her entire body tensed, and her brain shut down. Logically, she should have pushed him away at once, but her body was rigid, as if she were under a spell.

Adrian Preston seemed even more skilled now. His improvement was shockingly fast. It wasn’t rough and savage like before, a kiss that had hurt all over.

His tongue was hot and wet, tracing the outline of her lips before deftly parting them to tangle with her own. He even shifted his position slightly, making it easier for her to breathe.

The kiss was gentle and lingering, a heart-stirring affair.

She had no idea how much time had passed.

Adrian Preston’s gaze was dark and profound. "Did that feel good, Mia Kane?"

How could she possibly answer a question like that?

Just as she was thinking of giving a vague answer, Adrian Preston spoke again, "If you’re still not satisfied, I’ll have to compensate you again."

"No, no, no! I’m satisfied. Very satisfied. It was wonderful."

"Did it feel good?"

Adrian Preston seemed quite serious, fixated on whether or not it had felt good. Mia Kane’s face was like a ripe peach. She didn’t dare to look him in the eye as she whispered softly, "It felt good..."

She felt like she was about to cry.

Only then did Adrian Preston let her off the hook.

"Good. Let’s go home."

When Mia Kane returned to the villa, her body was utterly exhausted after everything that had happened that night. She should have been able to fall asleep the moment she hit the sheets, but her mind was wide awake.

Every time she closed her eyes, all she could see was Adrian Preston’s face.

He has such a cool, aloof face and an arrogant, detached air, like a cold-hearted, cruel person. But when he decides to be bad, he’s like a devil.

He’s in complete control, able to switch it on and off at will. The man’s a monster. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

Was marrying him the right decision, or a terrible mistake?

While Mia Kane was lost in these chaotic thoughts, she got a call from her best friend, Shayla Quinn.

Shayla was back from her trip and sent a message suggesting they meet the next day.

The next day, she met Shayla Quinn at a coffee shop. Shayla pulled out a gift.

"This is the ’battle armor’ I picked out especially for you. Didn’t you say you still haven’t been able to conquer Chase Lockwood? With this, success is guaranteed."

Mia Kane opened the box. Inside was a sexy red piece of lingerie. Anyone who saw it would be mesmerized. Before, she would have been thrilled, but now, she simply closed the box softly. "Thank you for the kind thought, but I’m afraid I’ll never have a use for it."

"Why not?" Shayla Quinn looked confused.

Mia Kane told her everything that had happened recently, not even hiding her flash marriage to Adrian Preston. After all, Shayla was probably the person she trusted most in the world right now.

"That bastard Chase Lockwood!" After a long moment, Shayla Quinn finally processed it all and swore viciously. "Mia, you’ve been through so much. My heart aches for you."

Shayla Quinn was on the verge of tears.

Mia Kane felt a pang in her heart, but the pain wasn’t as sharp as it had been at the start. "It’s good that I’ve woken up to the truth now, so I don’t keep wasting my affection on the wrong person. You should take this back. I can’t use it."

"Well, I can’t use it either. I’m single, remember? If all else fails, why don’t you just conquer his friend and turn this fake marriage into a real one?"

"Why would he ever be interested in someone like me? He only married me out of desperation..."

She thought of Adrian Preston looking at her and uttering two cold words, "Not interested."

They’re all in the same social circle. If word got out that he picked up the woman Chase Lockwood cast aside, his reputation would be ruined.

"Besides, after... everything that’s happened, I don’t dare to have any extravagant hopes for things like marriage and love anymore."

"Mia, that wasn’t your fault! It’s all on Chase Lockwood. He’s the one who deceived you, but he made it seem like you were the one clinging to him shamelessly for the past three years. It’s just outrageous."

Mia Kane took a sip of her bitter coffee. To protect his one true love, Chase Lockwood constantly belittled her. How deeply devoted he was to do so..

"Shayla, can you help me find out what exactly happened between Chase Lockwood and Vivian Lynch? I really want to know."

Even if it’s the end of her, she needed to die with a clear understanding of why.

She wanted to know just how deep the bond between Chase Lockwood and Vivian Lynch was, and why they had been apart for three years.

Since Shayla Quinn was a journalist, a task like this was no problem for her. She agreed at once.

The very next day, Shayla Quinn gave her a video call.

"I found everything on that Vivian Lynch."

"Quick, send it to me."

Shayla Quinn frowned, trying to put her off. "There’s really no need to be so curious about that wretched pair. Maybe we should just drop it."

Mia Kane’s heart sank. She insisted on seeing it, so Shayla Quinn had no choice but to send it over.

The further she read, the paler her face became.

It turned out Vivian Lynch and Chase Lockwood were childhood sweethearts. Their families had even arranged a betrothal for them when they were children.

Unfortunately, the good times didn’t last. The Lynch family went bankrupt, and Vivian Lynch went to live with the Lockwood family.

Their bond grew even deeper, and Vivian Lynch came to see Chase Lockwood as her sole pillar of support. As they grew up and reached the age to discuss marriage, Chase Lockwood’s parents, for some unknown reason, vehemently opposed the union. To make their son give up for good, they even married Vivian Lynch off to someone overseas.

Vivian Lynch’s marriage was not a happy one. Her husband had a tendency toward domestic violence and would either beat or curse her.

After her husband’s investments failed and his family went bankrupt, he actually tried to trade her to an old man in exchange for an investment.

It was said that when Chase Lockwood went to rescue her, Vivian Lynch had nearly been assaulted by the old man.

Chase Lockwood handled the divorce case for Vivian Lynch, but due to his parents’ continued opposition, he had to support her secretly, keeping her in a separate residence.

But then, his parents died unexpectedly in an accident.

A year later, he brought Vivian Lynch back home.

Mia Kane’s face was drained of all color. So... throughout her entire three years with Chase Lockwood, there had always been traces of Vivian Lynch.

He often went abroad on "business trips," sometimes for a half-month, sometimes for a whole month. Turns out, he was going to see Vivian Lynch!

No wonder she’d smelled another woman’s perfume on him before. He’d explained it was a female client’s, and she never doubted him.

She always thought that if Chase Lockwood really wanted to cheat, why would he turn her down when she was right there?

So for three years, she gave him her complete trust, never suspecting a thing. And what did she get in return?’

"Mia, are you okay?" Shayla Quinn watched her, her face filled with worry.

Mia Kane frantically took a gulp of water, trying to suppress the bitterness rising in her throat. "I... I don’t understand..." She struggled to calm herself and find her voice. "His parents passed away a year ago. Why didn’t Chase Lockwood bring her back then? Why did he wait this long?"

If he had, she would have only lost two years of her life. She might have even been able to take back a little of the love she had given.

Why? Why didn’t Chase Lockwood bring Vivian Lynch back a year earlier?