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

Mia Kane was on the verge of tears, feeling terribly wronged.

Adrian Preston didn’t dare to continue either, afraid he wouldn’t be able to suppress the wicked fire building inside him.

After all, Mia Kane’s body was young, beautiful, and full of allure.

He released Mia Kane, and she stumbled backward, her gait a little strange.

She bit her lip, her eyes slightly red.

It made Adrian Preston seem like the most heinous of villains.

"Say that again, and you’ll see what happens."

Furious, Mia Kane turned to leave, but he stopped her.

"This is for you."

Adrian Preston opened the nightstand and took out a box.

"The Peace Pendant your grandmother gave you."

"The Peace Pendant?"

Forgetting everything else, Mia Kane quickly opened it. Only half of the pendant was there, repaired with a gold-inlaid-jade technique. The broken edge had been polished smooth and carved into a little rabbit hugging a strawberry.

Mia Kane was born in the year of the rabbit and loved strawberries; Adrian Preston had clearly put a lot of thought into this pendant.

"What about the other half?"

"The other half accidentally shattered again, so it couldn’t be reworked. This is all that’s left."

Mia Kane felt a pang of regret hearing this, but she was already very content. It would take a master craftsman to achieve such a beautiful repair.

The Peace Pendant wasn’t made of some rare white jade; its significance came from being an heirloom.

Now, with this new carving, its value had probably increased even more.

She was already grateful just to have been able to preserve the keepsake her grandmother left her.

The two words "thank you" were stuck in her throat, hard to say.

’He was just bullying me a moment ago.’

But the kindness represented by the Peace Pendant outweighed everything.

Mia Kane wasn’t a petty person, so she still said her thanks.

"No need to be so formal with me. Let me put it on for you."

"Okay."

Adrian Preston moved behind her, parting her dark hair to fasten the pendant around her neck.

Just then, lightning flashed and thunder roared outside as a downpour began.

Summer nights were often like this.

Mia Kane glanced at the time. It was already midnight; she had to head back.

"Just sleep here. It’s dangerous for you to drive back in this weather."

Mia Kane wanted to refuse, but seeing the torrential rain outside, her resolve wavered.

"But wouldn’t you have to sleep on the sofa again?"

"It’s fine."

"Then I’ll go wash up and get ready for bed."

Mia Kane ordered a delivery service to bring some clean clothes.

The delivery person arrived downstairs but couldn’t get in, so she had to go down. Just as she opened the door to the lounge, she heard Adrian Preston’s gentle voice from outside.

"Did you fight with Mom and Dad again?"

"Okay, okay, big brother knows you feel wronged."

"So what do you want? Big brother will buy it for you."

"Our Shannon is the best."

Mia Kane froze at the door. ’Is this the same Adrian Preston I know?’

She suddenly remembered the night she first met Adrian Preston—another rainy night. He had been on the phone in the car.

His expression had been just as gentle then, stripped of his usual sharp intensity, as if he had no hard edges at all.

’So, he was talking to his sister.’

Since it wasn’t convenient to go over right then, she had the delivery person leave the package downstairs for her to pick up later.

Only after Adrian Preston finished his call did she go down. When she returned, he was showering in the bathroom.

She waited outside for a moment. Adrian Preston’s phone was ringing nonstop.

Worried it might be something important, she knocked on the bathroom door.

"Your phone keeps ringing. Is it something important?"

"Can you check it for me? The passcode is..."

Mia Kane was stunned. ’He’s actually giving me his passcode?’

In three years with Chase Lockwood, she never knew his passcode. He never let her touch his phone, claiming it contained too many confidential files.

Adrian Preston should be the same. A phone is the most private possession a person has these days. ’Isn’t he wary of me at all?’

"Then... I’m looking?"

"Mm."

Adrian Preston’s voice showed no fluctuation. Unable to suppress her curiosity, Mia Kane opened it.

On Adrian Preston’s WeChat, a contact named "Shannon" had sent a lot of messages.

She opened the chat and saw several photos of someone trying on clothes.

Every picture was beautiful. The girl in them was sweet and lovely, like an exquisite porcelain doll.

She didn’t look much like Adrian Preston. ’One must take after their father, and the other, their mother.’

"Big brother, hurry and help me choose. Which one looks better?"

Mia Kane studied them. She thought that with the girl’s fair skin, the purple dress looked better. If paired with a yellow bag or a plush toy charm, it would look even cuter.

But she didn’t reply, feeling it would be impolite.

So she asked Adrian Preston again. 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

"I don’t understand girls’ things. You reply for me."

So Mia Kane replied.

"I’ll listen to you, bro. Bro, I miss you so much. I’m planning to come see you next week. Remember to pick me up from the airport! Bro, I’m going to sleep. Good night."

Mia Kane replied with "Good night," exited the chat, but couldn’t resist looking a little more.

It was mostly work-related apps, with nothing for entertainment.

’So dull and boring.’

Mia Kane didn’t look at anything else, as it involved too much personal privacy.

Soon, Adrian Preston came out, a bath towel wrapped around his waist, his upper body bare.

He casually towel-dried his hair, water droplets tracing a path from his sharp jawline down to his chest, and continuing lower.

"You... Why aren’t you wearing any clothes?"

Mia Kane stared at his breathtakingly good physique, her words catching in her throat.

"It’s not like you haven’t secretly watched me shower before. I thought you had a special kink, so I’m satisfying it for you."

Adrian Preston’s words left her speechless.

’He really knows how to dig up old dirt.’

"I’m going to take a shower."

Mia Kane went into the bathroom.

When she came out, Adrian Preston had changed into loungewear. It wasn’t as formal or serious as his business suits, making him seem much more approachable—lazily elegant.

He was flipping through a magazine. Seeing her, he put it down.

"You’re a fashion designer. It shouldn’t be hard for you to make some clothes for my sister, right?"

"It’s not hard. It depends on what style your sister likes and what her requirements are."

Adrian Preston thought for a moment. "She likes cute plush toys and sparkly things. She’s rather childish, very immature."

When Adrian Preston mentioned his sister, his eyes softened with affection.

It seemed this Shannon Preston was the darling of the family.

"I’ll give you her measurements later. You can have free rein with the design."

"Okay."

"I’d also like to commission a custom-made suit. Do you have time?"

"Now?"

"What’s wrong? Is it inconvenient?"

"I don’t have my tools with me."

"In your line of work, you should be able to measure by hand, right?"

"Well, that’s possible..." Mia Kane found it hard to refuse.

"Alright then, I’ll take your measurements."

Neck circumference, shoulder width, arm length, chest...

As Mia Kane’s hands touched his solid muscles, she tried her best to keep a straight face, but the tips of her ears couldn’t help but turn red.

’With a body and face like Adrian Preston’s, if he were an escort, he’d be the top guy for sure.’

’Countless rich women would probably fight to be his sugar mama!’

"What are you thinking about?"

Adrian Preston suddenly lowered his head, his thin lips nearly brushing against her ear. The warm, moist breath that curled into her ear sent a shiver through her entire body.

"N-Nothing."

She knelt down and began to measure his waist, the width of his hips...