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

After that, Chase Lockwood never visited again.

She spent five days in the hospital, and as her body gradually recovered, the light-headed and unsteady feeling she got when walking finally disappeared.

The many bruises from her fall were also slowly fading.

She packed her things for her hospital discharge, planning to go to the villa next to collect her personal belongings.

She hadn’t spoken much with Adrian these past few days. He came every day, sometimes arriving in the middle of the night if he was delayed by work.

Adrian often looked like he wanted to say something but held himself back.

His eyes were deep and dark, as if hiding endless emotions she couldn’t decipher and had no desire to guess at.

When she was discharged, Adrian drove her back to the villa himself.

To her surprise, when she walked in, a line of servants in uniform stood there, all of them unfamiliar faces.

They bowed respectfully, their attitude sincere. "Welcome, Mrs. Preston."

Mia Kane was startled.

"What is this...?"

"They’re the new staff. They will only obey your orders."

He spoke from behind her, his voice hoarse and slightly nasal.

She didn’t show any concern, merely thinking he was going to needless trouble.

’I’m about to leave anyway. What’s the point of them obeying my orders?’

She walked straight inside. The servants quickly followed her in and stood neatly in a corner.

In the living room was another large group of people.

It was the previous staff. They hadn’t left yet. They had been fired and were now awaiting her judgment.

"What do you plan to do with them?"

The servants were kneeling on the floor, trembling in fear.

Mrs. Lowry, in particular, was crying and pleading with Adrian.

"Sir, I’m an old servant who’s been with the Preston Family for a long time. I served the master and madam before they went abroad, and then I was transferred to serve the old master. I’ve served three generations of the Preston Family. I beg you, for old times’ sake, please don’t send me away."

"We... we were just trying to protect Miss Shannon. We know we were wrong. We’ll never do it again. Please, Sir, give us one more chance."

"What’s the use of begging me? I don’t handle these matters. Go beg Mrs. Preston."

Adrian’s voice was ice-cold, carrying immense authority.

Reluctantly, Mrs. Lowry had no choice but to turn to Mia Kane.

Mia sat on the sofa, arms crossed, observing coldly.

’Let’s see what kind of tricks this group is trying to pull.’

"Mrs. Preston... we know we were wrong. Please don’t make us leave. We have elders to support and children to feed. How will we survive if we leave the Preston Family?"

"Yes, Mrs. Preston, we beg you... We’ll never do it again."

One by one, they looked utterly pitiful, breaking down into sobs.

It was as if Mia would be the unforgivable villain if she actually sent them away.

"Of course, I can’t just send you away,"

Mia spoke lightly.

The staff below were stunned. ’Could there be severance pay?’

Mrs. Lowry’s mind started racing as well. ’If the payout is generous enough, this might not be so bad.’

"I knew you were a good person, Mrs. Preston. You’re going to give us compensation, right? But no matter how much you give us, we can’t bear to leave this place. Mrs. Preston, please don’t send us away."

Mrs. Lowry was a blubbering mess, trying to play the sympathy card.

Mia sneered. ’Do I look like an idiot? Compensation?’

"Have you forgotten how you pinched me and starved me? Mrs. Lowry, you said a person could be locked up, fed nothing but water, and survive for seven days. I didn’t last the full seven days, so why don’t you try it for me and see if you’ll die or not."

At these words, everyone’s expression changed drastically.

"Mrs. Preston... please don’t! My old bones can’t take it. Sir... Sir, say something!"

Adrian stood to the side without a word, clearly not planning to interfere in household matters.

The man handles business, the woman handles the home.

"What are you all standing there for? Lock them all up. Pinch them a hundred times a day until there isn’t a single patch of smooth skin left on their bodies. Starve them for seven days. No need for special water; tap water will do."

Mia commanded coldly.

The new staff carried out her orders immediately, dragging the former servants out one by one.

For a moment, the room was filled with wailing and shrieking.

Mrs. Lowry’s eyes turned red as she spat venomously, "Mia Kane, aren’t you afraid Sir will think you’re vicious for doing this?"

"I am vicious,"

Mia admitted it directly.

"She seems to have the most energy. Let her have water one day and go thirsty the next. Don’t let her die. If anything seems wrong, give her medical treatment. Once she’s healed, lock her up and continue starving her!"

In an instant, everyone was dragged away, and Mia finally felt a sense of peace.

’I’m not a saint. Why should I be kind to these wicked servants who tormented me?’

She looked at Adrian. ’I’m this cruel. Does he regret his choice now? Has he realized he misjudged me?’

’If he were to ask for a divorce right now, I would agree without hesitation.’

But contrary to her expectations, Adrian gazed at her intently, his eyes holding no disgust—only approval.

’What does he mean by that?’

"You rest here for a bit. I’m going upstairs to get something."

"Whatever."

Adrian came back down soon after.

"I’ve moved all my things into the guest bedroom, and it’ll be kept locked, so you won’t have to see them. I won’t be living here anymore. You can change anything you want about this place; you can even tear it down, no problem. The staff will listen to you, and I’ll cover the costs. If they don’t meet your standards, you can fire them and find new ones."

"What do you mean?"

Mia was stunned.

’Wasn’t I the one who was supposed to leave? Why is Adrian leaving?’

"Your parents took your younger brother to the South for business. They’ll be gone for over half a year and rarely return to Argent. You never told them you broke up with Chase Lockwood, so you probably don’t know how to face them."

"You don’t have any family in Argent, and I’m not comfortable with you living alone. I’m a grown man; I can live anywhere. But you’re delicate and can’t be careless. So, I’ll move out, and you can live here."

"There are three cars in the garage you can use as you please, and I’ve assigned two drivers for you. If Grandfather asks, I’ll handle it. You don’t have to bother with him. The old man is fickle, so just ignore him."

"This is my supplementary card. It has no limit. Spend whatever you want."

Giving her a house, cars, a credit card...

"Are you serious?"

"Yes. I’ll leave right now."

Adrian was true to his word, agreeing to live separately.

He turned and left. Watching his straight back, Mia surprisingly found it looked a little lonely.

She didn’t go after him.

Adrian forced himself to walk out the main gate. Just as he was about to get in the car, his vision went black, and he nearly collapsed.

Fortunately, Theo Thorne was there to quickly support him, carefully avoiding his left arm.

"Adrian, are you alright? Your arm..."

"I’m fine. Let’s go."

Helpless, Theo could only drive him back to the company.

Adrian wasn’t resting properly. He worked day and night, sleeping only four or five hours, and even then, his sleep was fitful.

"Adrian, why don’t we get a doctor to take a look at you? This wound keeps getting worse. This isn’t sustainable."

Normally, it would have healed and scabbed over within a week, ready for the stitches to be removed.

But because he hadn’t stayed in the hospital, he was constantly shuttling between the hospital and his company, always wearing a heavy suit jacket to hide the wound from outsiders.

The wound couldn’t breathe, and he was exhausted from overwork and lack of rest. Combined with the hot weather, it just kept getting worse and showed no signs of healing.

Then there were the times he went to see Mia Kane, working late into the night only to go stand watch over her. Even if they didn’t exchange a single word and he didn’t get a single kind look, he had to be there. He would stay awake all night, just staring blankly, like a statue waiting for his wife.

Even Theo couldn’t bear to watch it anymore. He was treating his own health like a joke.

"I’m fine."

Just as he said that, a tickle in his throat made him cough.

"Has Shannon been behaving lately?"

"Miss Shannon has been moved to her new residence. We’ve assigned people to take care of her. Everything is fine."

"Mm, that’s good. We have a meeting in a bit."

Adrian had an international video conference that, due to the time difference, was scheduled during his lunch break.

He could have easily postponed it, but he chose not to.

It seemed that working around the clock, with no free time, actually made him feel better.

Theo truly couldn’t stand it anymore and secretly called Mia Kane.

"Theo? Is something wrong?"

"Can you please check on Adrian? His condition is very bad."

"Sorry, it’s not convenient for me."

Mia didn’t even ask what was wrong. She refused directly and hung up the phone.

’I don’t want to get involved in Adrian’s affairs anymore!’