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

She was already disappointed enough in Chase Lockwood to leave the decision up to him. Even if he didn’t go through with the divorce now, she wouldn’t object.

"Grandma... I’m sorry. I know I’ve been hurting you lately..."

"Alright, that’s enough. We’re blood relatives, after all. When you hurt family, it can be mended, and we can go back to how things were. But what about those who aren’t related to you by blood? Once you hurt them, the damage is done. Don’t expect them to just forgive and forget."

Grandma’s words were pointed.

Chase Lockwood opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but for a long moment, no words came out.

’Grandma was right. Mia Kane wouldn’t forgive him unconditionally.’

After ending the call, Chase Lockwood didn’t go in to see Vivian Lynch. He just ordered someone to take good care of her.

Vivian Lynch was still hoping to see Chase Lockwood. After she’d caused such a huge scene, he clearly couldn’t bear to let her die; he had been so anxious when he brought her to the hospital.

’But I’m awake now, so why won’t he see me?’

She tried all her tricks—crying, screaming, threatening suicide—but only the medical staff and her caregiver were there to stop her.

"Where’s Chase? I want to see Chase."

"Sir said he was busy at the company and went to handle things. He told us to take good care of you."

A wave of panic washed over Vivian Lynch.

"Did he mention anything else? Like... the divorce?"

"No. Sir had brought the divorce papers, but he already tore them up."

Hearing this, Vivian Lynch breathed a sigh of relief.

’Looks like my status as Mrs. Lockwood is secure. I can’t get divorced now. I signed a prenup; if I divorce, I won’t get a single penny from the Lockwood family. Only by remaining Mrs. Lockwood can I hold on to my life of wealth and luxury.’

’Besides, if I get divorced, wouldn’t that be the same as surrendering to Mia Kane?’

’I haven’t gotten to see Mia Kane suffer yet, so I can’t lose!’

Nothing that happened on Vivian Lynch’s end could escape the notice of Adrian Preston’s informants.

Chase Lockwood wasn’t trying to hide it, either. He was so used to trouble that he didn’t care anymore, and he was no longer afraid of Mia Kane laughing at him. After all, he’d already become a laughingstock.

"He actually didn’t divorce her? Did Vivian Lynch manage to turn things around with that move?"

Mia Kane laughed in anger. Chase Lockwood was only ever ruthless with her. He hadn’t hesitated for a second to send her to prison. The two times she had fallen into the hands of kidnappers, he had chosen Vivian Lynch without a moment’s hesitation. She had really underestimated the depth of his feelings for Vivian Lynch.

"Looks like taking down the scumbag and the bitch won’t be easy," she said with a sigh.

She turned to see Adrian Preston’s face was dark, his eyes filled with a murderous glint.

He was lost in thought, so engrossed that he didn’t even notice Mia Kane approaching.

"What are you thinking about?"

Her voice broke his trance. Adrian Preston’s eyes immediately cleared, and he smiled at her, dispelling the cold aura around him.

"Nothing."

"You’re not... thinking of silencing someone for good, are you?" she asked tentatively.

Adrian Preston pressed his lips together and said nothing. Mia Kane knew she had guessed correctly.

"Adrian, you can’t do anything rash. It’s not worth breaking your principles, dirtying your hands, and staining your record for people like them. With someone like Vivian Lynch, we just have to wear her down slowly. Her downfall will come sooner or later."

"But they’ve made you unhappy. And I promised you I wouldn’t let her recover from this."

Adrian Preston wrapped a large hand around her slim waist, pulling her directly onto his lap.

The difference in their sizes was stark. There was enough room in his embrace for another person, making Mia Kane’s frame seem all the more petite.

"It’s more meaningful to slowly destroy everything she cares about. I have to admit, I almost admire Vivian Lynch’s willingness to do anything to achieve her goals. Chase Lockwood has already started to see the light; he knows she has plenty of flaws. The perfect filter through which he saw her has shattered. I guess his perfect ’moonlight’ is about to become a common grain of rice. Let them love and destroy each other."

"You’ve already done more than enough, and you’ve done it well. I’m very satisfied. Promise me you won’t ruin yourself over a moment of impulse. I wouldn’t like that."

"Alright."

Adrian Preston pulled her deep into his embrace, resting his chin gently in the crook of her neck and greedily inhaling her rich fragrance.

’Being close to her quieted his heart, allowing him to think calmly.’

’Many times, when he was on the verge of going down the wrong path, he just had to calmly think of Mia Kane, think about what she would do, and he could suppress the evil inside him.’

"The news that Charlotte and I have broken off our engagement has been made public. No one will be able to gossip about you anymore."

"Mm-hmm. I’m a little hungry. I’m going to the kitchen to find something to eat."

She stretched lazily. ’Adrian knows how to handle himself. I’ll just let him take care of it.’

She got up and went to the kitchen, forgetting her phone.

Adrian Preston was on the phone with Theo Thorne when, unexpectedly, Mia Kane’s phone lit up.

It was on silent, so he didn’t hear it. It was only when his gaze shifted that he noticed her phone screen was on.

He was just about to call for Mia Kane to get her phone, but the call had already ended.

’The number seems to be from overseas.’

But soon, the phone lit up again.

While still giving instructions to Theo Thorne, Adrian Preston picked up the phone, intending to take it to Mia Kane.

His eyes happened to sweep over the contents of the text message.

"Dear Miss Kane, we now have sperm that meets your requirements. We were wondering when you might be free to make a selection online. I have sent the files to your email and guarantee you will be satisfied."

The air seemed to freeze.

The temperature plummeted.

Even over the phone, Theo Thorne sensed something was wrong. Adrian Preston had suddenly gone silent, and the immense pressure radiating through the line made it hard for him to breathe.

"Adrian?"

Adrian Preston said nothing and hung up the phone.

He marked the message as unread, then slid the phone between the sofa cushions and turned to go upstairs.

He went to the bedroom and found Mia Kane’s laptop.

He knew everything about her like the back of his hand, including all her account passwords, so it was easy for him to log into her email.

It was an email from a well-known overseas biological institute.

He opened it and found profiles for five men. Their height, age, build, and appearance were all described in exhaustive detail; it was as if their family histories for eighteen generations had been dug up.

Below was a note from the institute, stating that these men had been meticulously selected and represented first-class, high-quality sperm.

Adrian Preston scanned the rest of the inbox and saw the email exchange between them.

Mia Kane had started preparations to have a child on her own long ago, selecting the child’s biological father from a sperm bank.

’She never even considered me!’

’She said she was trying to accept me, but behind my back, she was planning to get pregnant and have a child that had nothing to do with me?’

His gaze was terrifyingly grim. With an unreadable expression, he marked the email as unread, deleted his browsing history without a trace, and shut down the computer.

Just then, he heard Mia Kane’s footsteps outside the door.

He stood up, put the computer back in its original place, and went into the bathroom.

Mia Kane searched for her phone for a while before finally finding it. She was startled when she saw the text message.

The institute hadn’t messaged her in so long that she had almost forgotten about the whole thing. She hadn’t expected them to still be actively searching for high-quality genes for her.

She realized Adrian Preston was gone too, and for some reason, her heart began to race with anxiety.

She no longer needed to look into having a child on her own, without a father in the picture.

’If I really wanted a child, I could just have one with Adrian Preston.’

She went back to the bedroom. Her first thought was to quickly delete the email and, while she was at it, delete all the previous ones to avoid any future trouble.

She opened her email and was just about to hit delete when she unexpectedly heard a sound from the bathroom behind her.

Adrian Preston actually walked out from inside.

She jumped in fright, slamming the laptop shut with a guilty conscience.

"You... What are you doing here?"

Her guilt was written all over her face. ’I’m so screwed this time,’ she thought. ’How am I going to explain that this was all from before and has nothing to do with us now?!’