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

This was a club Chase Lockwood frequented, often drinking there with his buddies.

Her mind told her not to believe a word the kidnapper’s leader had said. It was all a lie. But her body moved on its own.

She had been by Chase Lockwood’s side for three years and knew the number of his usual private room. She rushed straight for it.

"Chase lost! Truth or dare?"

"Truth."

"Alright, then. Who’s the woman you love most?"

"Is that even a question? Vivian, of course."

"Ooooh..."

The room filled with teasing catcalls.

Mia Kane stood outside the door, her face growing paler by the second. Her legs felt as if they were filled with lead. Her hand froze in mid-air, unable to knock.

Then, they seemed to start another round. This time, it was Vivian who lost.

"Vivian lost! So, Vivian, is it truth or dare?"

"Dare."

The woman’s voice was as soft and gentle as water.

"Then you have to kiss one of the guys here for three minutes."

"Stop fooling around." The woman sounded incredibly shy.

"If you don’t do it, you have to take three penalty shots."

"Chase..."

The woman looked to Chase Lockwood for help.

"Then do it."

After that came a roar from the others. They must be kissing, Mia thought. She should be storming in there like a madwoman, grabbing the other woman’s hair, scratching her face, and slapping her senseless.

She should even drag her outside, rip her clothes off, and make everyone see this homewrecker for what she is.

But instead, she chose to run.

She was afraid that if she went in, the three years of her genuine devotion would become nothing but a joke. But just as she turned, she bumped into someone.

"S-Sorry."

"Are you here for the birthday party, too? Why aren’t you going in?"

A low, magnetic voice came from above her.

Mia Kane looked up in shock. She would never forget that voice, not even in death. It was clearly the voice of the kidnapper’s leader.

But the face she saw was a stranger’s. He had sharp brows and bright eyes, a high-bridged nose, and thin lips. His features were chiseled, his profile distinct.

He wore a black overcoat, his expression cold, his gaze distant and indifferent as he looked at her.

Clearly, this was their first time meeting.

Mia Kane forced herself to calm down. It’s impossible, she thought. Their voices must just be similar.

But just then, the man had already turned the handle and opened the door. Panic seized Mia Kane, and she couldn’t spare a thought for anything else.

"Wait..."

She wanted to run, but it was too late. She was exposed to everyone’s view. Her heart contracted violently as her gaze fell upon the two people locked in a passionate kiss.

Vivian Lynch noticed someone had arrived and, perhaps out of embarrassment, tried to pull away. But Chase Lockwood tightened his grip on her slender waist and deepened the kiss.

Three minutes. Not a second more, not a second less.

When they finally broke apart, Vivian Lynch’s cheeks were flushed, her eyes shy.

Mia Kane felt like she couldn’t breathe. She didn’t know if it was from the shock of their passionate kiss, or the fact that Vivian Lynch actually...

...bore a fifty, maybe sixty percent resemblance to her.

No, to be precise, it was she who looked like Vivian Lynch.

It hit her suddenly. That "rescue" three years ago hadn’t been an accident. Chase Lockwood had noticed her long before that because of the resemblance.

"What are you doing here?" Chase Lockwood’s face darkened, as if an uninvited guest had just crashed his lively party.

Vivian Lynch’s face also paled. "Miss... Miss Kane, it’s not what you think. I-I’ll leave right now." She started to get up, but Chase Lockwood grabbed her hand. "Chase... maybe we should explain things to Miss Kane later. Just let me go."

"Let’s explain it now." Chase Lockwood stood up, pulling Vivian behind him protectively. "Vivian is the one I’ve always loved. My family just disapproved and forced her to go abroad. I was only with you because you look a bit like her. Now that Vivian’s back, I don’t need you anymore.

"If there’s nothing else, you can go. Vivian is timid. Don’t scare her."

Vivian pulled free from Chase Lockwood, walked over to Mia Kane, and frantically grabbed her hands. "Miss Kane, I’m so sorry. But I can’t live without Chase. I’ll die without him. It’s all my fault. You can hit me, you can curse me, I’ll even kneel for you. I’m just begging you to let us be together. I’ll do anything for you, be your servant for life."

Mia Kane felt her stomach churn. Even having sex with the kidnapper’s leader hadn’t felt this nauseating. She forcefully threw off Vivian Lynch’s hands. Vivian cried out and fell to the floor.

She froze. She hadn’t used enough force to make a grown woman fall over like that.

She’s clearly faking it.

But of course, Chase Lockwood’s heart ached for her. He scooped Vivian into his arms and glared at Mia Kane. "You were just keeping her place warm anyway. When I was with you, I never promised you anything. For the past three years, I’ve given you all the money you were owed, not a penny less. You’re already getting more than the market rate, so don’t get greedy."

"More than the market rate? Chase Lockwood, what do you take me for? A prostitute?"

"Aren’t you? Don’t forget, you’re the one who undressed and begged me to take you."

As soon as he said it, the rest of the room roared with laughter. Some of the men with ill intentions stared at her with slimy, disgusting gazes.

Mia Kane’s face went so pale it was almost translucent.

He’s actually airing something so private, she thought, just to protect his precious first love.

"Go back, pack up your things, and get out of the mansion."

Mia Kane’s lips trembled. She wanted to say something more, but couldn’t get a single word out. The mocking, contemptuous stares of the crowd were about to drown her. She couldn’t breathe. Stumbling, she turned and made a miserable escape.

Voices sounded from behind her.

"Preston, you brought her here?"

"I don’t know her. Ran into her at the door. I thought she was a guest you invited."

"You’re late. That’s three penalty shots."

"I drove here. No drinking."

Mia Kane walked out of the club into a heavy downpour. Summer rain always arrived so suddenly and fiercely, without any warning. Drenched to the bone, she shivered from the cold, unable to tell if it was her body that was freezing, or her heart.

She didn’t know how long she had been walking in the dark when she suddenly heard a whistle from behind. She turned to see a punk with dyed-blond hair eyeing her lecherously.

She quickened her pace, but to her dismay, he relentlessly pursued her.

"I’m talkin’ to you! Are you deaf or something?"

"You take one more step and I’ll fucking kill you."

The man had clearly been drinking; his tone was aggressive.

Mia Kane grew even more terrified. She took out her phone and instinctively called Chase Lockwood. In her moments of greatest peril, he was always the first person she thought of.

The call rang for a long time before it was answered.

"Chase... there’s a punk following me. What do I do? I’m so scared..."

"If you’re in trouble, call the police. Why are you calling me?"

There was a lot of noise on his end. It sounded like they were already singing the birthday song.

"Chase, hurry, come eat the first piece of cake with me."

"Okay, I’m coming."

His voice instantly changed, becoming as warm and gentle as a spring breeze.

The next second, the call disconnected.

Mia Kane froze on the spot, completely forgetting about the punk behind her.

The man was closing in.

By the time she snapped out of it, it was too late.

She was about to pick up a brick from the ground to defend herself when a car sped over, stopping precisely next to her and splashing the punk with a sheet of water.

The car door opened. A man got out, holding an umbrella, and came to stand before her.

"I haven’t had a chance to introduce myself. Adrian Preston."