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

The two of them had been able to satisfy each other before, but ever since she found out Adrian was the man from that night, she’d been severely traumatized. They hadn’t done anything more intimate since.

She wanted to suppress her fear and try... try to let something happen with him.

She kept trying to brainwash herself.

’In that situation, Adrian had been helpless too.’

’If he’d had any choice, he never would have taken that route. He’s not like other men.’

’He lied to me afterward because he was afraid I couldn’t accept the truth. He was trying to protect me...’

She did her best to suppress her emotions, controlling her hand as she reached down.

Her hand trembled uncontrollably.

The color drained from her face.

Just as she was about to touch him, Adrian suddenly grabbed her wrist.

He looked up, his eyes filled with endless tenderness.

"You don’t have to force yourself."

"I... I have to overcome it eventually."

Her whole body began to tremble, her teeth chattering. The atmosphere was stiflingly hot, yet she felt as if she’d been plunged into an ice cellar, a bone-deep chill radiating from her.

"It’s fine if you don’t. The fact that you’ve agreed to stay with me is more than I could have ever hoped for."

"But... we have to get to that point eventually. You’re the only son in the Preston Family, and I don’t want you going out and cheating..."

"I would never cheat. I wouldn’t even look at other women. It would just be sullying myself."

"Then..."

"Mia, don’t worry about any of that. I couldn’t care less about the Preston Family. I wouldn’t care if the entire family crumbled in my hands. If the only reason to marry you and... be intimate with you was to carry on the family line, then I wouldn’t be worthy of you."

"Mia, the point of marrying you is so you can be your true self. So that no one will ever dare to bully you or betray you again."

Hearing this, Mia Kane felt a pang in her heart.

No one had ever spoken to her like this.

Adrian Preston had placed her on such a high pedestal, and she was afraid that if she was up too high, she would fall.

"Go wash up. We’ll sleep together in a bit. I think I’ll be able to sleep if I’m holding you."

"Okay."

Adrian Preston lowered his head and kissed away the tear forming at the corner of her eye, stopping it from falling.

Sharing a bed with her, Adrian was obviously tense. She was so close that with the slightest movement, he could feel her soft body, her warm breath, and the fresh scent of her hair.

’It’s too alluring.’

Mia Kane felt no desire for him, but he had endless fantasies about her—a man’s most primitive desire for a woman.

But he didn’t want to go against her wishes, so he could only desperately suppress his urges.

He had to take cold showers, otherwise he couldn’t quell the heat inside him.

Mia Kane was truly exhausted and fell asleep curled up in his arms.

Adrian’s breath hitched and his jaw tightened. He subconsciously shifted away from her.

But like a sweet, trusting kitten, Mia quickly snuggled closer again, pressing tightly against him.

Sweat beaded on his forehead.

The beast within had long since awakened, ravenous for a taste.

All Adrian could do was curl into a ball. A man well over six feet tall, balled up tightly, not daring to touch a single strand of Mia’s hair.

She held a fatal attraction for him.

Sharing a bed with her, yet being unable to do anything, was sheer torture.

Mia slept soundly all night, but Adrian had to get up and take two cold showers before he could finally fall into a groggy sleep.

Mia was completely unaware of this. She wanted to slowly overcome her fear, starting with small, intimate steps.

The next day, Mia Kane was eating breakfast when her phone rang. It was Shayla Quinn.

"Hey, what’s up?"

"Mia, someone’s coming after you. They paid a fortune to get a story trending and stir up public opinion. They’re saying you’re a homewrecker, knowingly breaking up a relationship. That you’re divorced but still harassing your ex-husband."

"Do you know who it is?"

"I don’t know. I’m not high-ranking enough to see who paid for it. But I could guess with my eyes closed—it has to be Vivian Lynch. Who else could it be?"

"Do you want to spend some money to kill it? Just keep the story from getting out."

"Since we don’t know for sure, let’s not blame Vivian Lynch just yet. I’ll have Adrian look into it, so you don’t have to worry. Your company isn’t the only major media outlet in Argent. If they fed you the story, they probably fed it to others. We won’t be able to stop it."

"But right now, the situation really doesn’t look good for you. Adrian and Charlotte are still officially engaged. You and he are divorced, yet you’re constantly seen together. I’m afraid the online mob will tear you apart."

"Don’t worry, I’ll be fine."

Mia reassured Shayla Quinn, then hung up and looked at Adrian.

Adrian was also looking down at his phone and was just lifting his gaze.

Their eyes met, and in that instant, they reached a silent understanding.

"You know about the rumors?"

"Yes. I think we should let it blow up first. Once the public outcry is big enough, we’ll announce that Charlotte and I have called off the engagement."

"Okay, I’ll follow your lead. I’ll find out who’s behind this soon enough."

"Did you not sleep well last night? You have dark circles under your eyes."

"It’s nothing. I just had a lot of dreams. It’s fine."

Mia nodded.

At ten in the morning, every entertainment media outlet in Argent erupted.

Mia Kane was trending.

Ex-Wife, Unhappy with Divorce, Won’t Let Go of Ex-Husband.

Shameless Homewrecker, the Disgrace of Argent.

The Legendary Woman and Her Tumultuous Affairs with Two Business Tycoons.

Seeing these headlines, Mia couldn’t help but admire the media’s wild imagination.

She curiously clicked on the third one.

It claimed she was a master manipulator, a reincarnated Lorelei, a natural-born vixen with an innately seductive aura, whose sole purpose was to entice men.

First, she was with Chase Lockwood for three years. Then, Chase, unable to forget the one that got away, finally ended up with his old flame.

Then she hooked up with Adrian Preston. They had a whirlwind marriage and an even quicker divorce, splitting up after only six months.

Then Adrian and Charlotte officially announced their engagement.

Some people said Mia used a Fox Charm Technique, but both men eventually came to their senses, decisively casting her aside to find their true loves.

Some even suggested hiring a Taoist priest to perform an exorcism to subdue her.

They all wrote so vividly, as if she really were a reincarnated fox spirit. As if men didn’t fall in love with her, but were merely bewitched by her Charm Technique.

But the Charm Technique was no match for true love. Once defeated by it, Mia was nothing.

Mia found the fantastical article quite amusing after she finished reading it.

Adrian hadn’t ordered his PR team to respond, maintaining complete silence.

But that didn’t mean he was doing nothing.

He had already found a few leads.

Vivian Lynch had been away from Argent for years and hadn’t been back for long. If she wanted to build her own network, she couldn’t have done it without going through the Lockwood Family.

Therefore, any move she made would show traces of the Lockwoods.

It was easy for Adrian to trace it back. He compiled the evidence and sent a copy to Chase Lockwood’s email.

It was up to Chase Lockwood whether he believed it or not.

"Why hasn’t Apex Engineering called in their favor from Vivian Lynch yet?"

He looked at Theo Thorne.

Theo Thorne immediately understood what Adrian was planning.

"I’ll get right on it."

"Have them go to Chase Lockwood to call in the favor."

"Understood!"

This Apex Engineering was the company where Rosalyn Shield’s father worked. After he was injured on the job, the company paid a huge sum in compensation, solving the Shield Family’s urgent financial problems.

Her younger brother had money to buy a house and get married.

Her mother had money for her medicine and treatments.

The family’s life improved overnight.

So many workers have accidents every year. How many of them never see a cent of compensation and have to pay for their own medical bills, eventually losing everything?

How could the Shield Family have been so lucky? To find a boss with a conscience who not only covered all the medical bills but also gave them a settlement that went far beyond what the contract stipulated?

That payment completely obscured any financial transaction between Vivian Lynch and Rosalyn Shield.

If there was no exchange of interests, there was no reason for Vivian to have bribed Rosalyn to frame Mia.

This was why Chase Lockwood had always trusted Vivian.

Now, it was time to let Chase Lockwood see his beloved for who—or what—she really was.