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

Just then, Rosalyn Shield came rushing in.

"President Kane, that... that... foreign girl is here."

"What foreign girl?"

Mia Kane froze.

"Your love rival!"

Mia realized who she meant. It was Charlotte.

’Why is she here to see me?’

"Owen, I’ll go take a look."

Mia Kane hurried out, leaving Owen Sinclair with his heart caught in his throat, not knowing what to do.

Mia saw the radiant woman, with her deep-set features, azure-blue eyes, and naturally curly hair.

"So you’re Adrian Preston’s ex-wife... Oh, you’re truly gorgeous!"

Mia had the quintessential bone structure of an Eastern beauty. While her features were stunning, her underlying bone structure was even more remarkable.

This was exactly the type of beauty that Westerners often admired.

Mia grew wary, sensing the woman was here to provoke her. After all, she was familiar with this playbook—Vivian Lynch had pulled the exact same stunt.

"I was passing by and thought I’d come up for a look. I asked Adrian to bring me over, but he just refused."

Her face was radiant with a smile, and she seemed incredibly friendly.

"You wanted to see me? Why?"

"I’m curious! You’re the one who dumped Adrian, after all."

Mia froze. The woman genuinely seemed to hold no malice—just pure curiosity, perhaps even a hint of admiration.

"Are you free to grab a cup of coffee with me downstairs?"

Her eyes were practically sparkling.

Mia should have refused, but for some reason, on a sudden impulse, she found herself nodding in agreement.

The moment she nodded, she was baffled with herself.

This Charlotte seemed to have a special kind of charisma that drew people in.

The two went downstairs, and Charlotte took her hand quite naturally.

"Wow, your hand is so soft and small."

"Um..."

Mia very awkwardly pulled her hand back.

’Technically, we’re supposed to be love rivals. Isn’t it wrong to be this close?’

’Is she putting on some kind of sweet-and-naive act to set a trap for me?’

’Just like Vivian Lynch?’

Charlotte ordered coffee and immediately went back to holding her hand.

"Do you know how to read palms? Can you read mine for me?"

"I don’t."

"Well, I can read horoscopes. Can I read yours for you?"

"You read horoscopes from people’s hands?"

"Yep, you can tell from the hand, too. Let me get a good look."

With a perfectly straight face, Charlotte began randomly tracing lines on her palm.

Mia was rather exasperated.

Before their coffee even arrived, Adrian Preston showed up.

His face turned livid the moment he saw them together. He strode forward and yanked Charlotte by the arm.

"What are you doing?"

His low voice was laced with anger, his tone clearly accusatory.

Mia froze. ’I haven’t done anything. He can’t possibly think I was trying to hurt Charlotte, can he?’

She was about to explain, but before she could say a word, Adrian was already dragging Charlotte away.

"See you next time! Mwah..."

Charlotte even blew her a kiss.

The coffee arrived—two cups.

She sat down and drank hers alone in silence.

’I really didn’t do anything at all.’

’Why did he immediately jump to accusing me?’

Her heart felt even more bitter than the coffee in front of her.

Adrian Preston dragged her into the car.

"I can’t even take my eyes off you for a second, can I?"

"I was just curious..."

"Why were you holding her hand?"

"She’s beautiful! I really like..."

"You are not allowed to like her. She’s mine."

Adrian cut her off, his voice ice-cold and his eyes frigid.

Charlotte couldn’t help but shrink back.

"Alright, alright... I was just purely curious..."

"I see a leopard can’t change its spots."

"’A leopard... can’t change its spots?’ What does that mean?"

Charlotte’s brain seemed to crash. She didn’t understand these sorts of idioms yet.

Adrian tugged at his tie, a frustrated tightness in his chest.

The problem was Charlotte’s sexual preferences. She loved to mess with young women, and he’d been trying his best to keep her in check. Yet, in the blink of an eye, she had still managed to find Mia.

Charlotte always used being a woman to her advantage, hitting on other girls who, more often than not, were completely oblivious.

"Stay far away from her from now on."

he said menacingly.

Charlotte realized he was being serious, not just joking around.

"If you love her so much, why did you get divorced?"

"She wasn’t happy with me."

"If that’s the case, then what does it matter to you? You got upset when I held her hand today. But in the future, other men will hold her hand. Are you going to warn off every single one of them? Are you going to ruin all her chances at romance?"

"If someone worthy of her really does appear, I will step aside."

"Really?"

Charlotte leaned in, her eyes boring into his. Adrian broke eye contact, his gaze shifting to the window.

"What’s so interesting out the window?"

"You’re looking guilty. Do you even believe a word you just said?"

Adrian’s expression turned foul, as if his last fig leaf had been torn away, leaving his ugly, sordid desires utterly exposed.

He suddenly shot Charlotte a dark, silent glare.

Even without a single word, the look was enough to thoroughly frighten her.

Charlotte quickly shut her mouth, not daring to speak again. Adrian slammed his foot on the accelerator and drove her straight back to the villa.

Despite keeping a tight rein on Charlotte, Adrian was still uneasy. He felt it was necessary to give Mia a heads-up.

He wasn’t sure if he was just making a decent excuse for himself or if he genuinely wanted to warn her.

He took the elevator straight up to their studio.

Just as he was about to push open the glass door, he saw two familiar figures inside.

Mia Kane was nestled in Owen Sinclair’s arms.

Then, Owen Sinclair pushed open the office door, supporting her as they went inside.

The two of them disappeared from sight.

Adrian’s face was grim, his feet feeling as heavy as lead.

The words he had just spoken echoed in his mind.

If Mia met someone worthy, he would let go.

And now, a very suitable candidate had appeared.

Owen Sinclair had loved her deeply for many years. He didn’t care about her past, his family was small and uncomplicated, and his parents were very open-minded.

Owen Sinclair was undoubtedly the best choice for her, but Adrian still couldn’t rest easy.

’The only way to ensure she’s properly cared for is if she’s by my side. I don’t trust anyone but myself.’

His rational mind told him to let go, to allow Mia her happiness.

But his heart told him to be selfish—he had lived his entire life for others, and now he deserved to live for himself!

"President Preston? Are you coming in?"

Rosalyn Shield, coming out after pouring some tea, saw Adrian Preston standing outside the door.

Adrian’s expression was so grim and terrifying that her voice trembled as she spoke.

Without a word, Adrian turned and left.

Mia sat down in the office, and Owen Sinclair quickly brought her a cup of hot water.

"Are you okay?"

"I think my blood sugar might be a little low..."

A moment ago, her vision had suddenly gone black, and she had started to fall forward. Thankfully, Owen Sinclair caught her just in time, saving her from collapsing onto the floor.

She felt a little better after sitting down and eating something.

"Mia, can you please stop trying to carry everything on your own? It hurts me to watch you do this."

"Let someone help you share the burden, alright?"

"What do you mean?"

"Let me... be the one to help you, can I?"

Owen Sinclair watched her, his gaze burning with intensity.

Mia froze for a second. "But you’re already helping me share the load. You’re the one making all the decisions for the company, big and small. You’ve helped me more than enough. I have to carry some of the weight myself..."

"Mia, after all this time, do you still not understand my feelings for you? You don’t need some male escort for the event. Attend it with me... as my girlfriend!"

Owen Sinclair had finally worked up the courage to speak, his voice nervous yet resolute!