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

The old woman prided herself on her long life and experience with people. She believed she could see right through the younger generation at a glance.

But she couldn’t figure out the young man in front of her.

He was reserved and composed, yet he had a somber, imposing air about him. Noble and aloof, he was clearly not someone to be trifled with.

He had been a police officer, so one would expect him to have an air of righteousness. But Adrian Preston was the type who walked the line between good and evil.

She wanted to know if Adrian Preston truly liked Mia Kane.

"Grandma, why are you asking this?"

"Chase and Mia were not meant to be, so they couldn’t become family. The Lockwoods let her down. But I’m truly fond of that girl, and I want to know if she’s found a good man."

"I am her husband. For as long as our marriage lasts, I will be completely faithful to her. I will give her my all, treat her well, protect her, and cherish her."

"’For as long as our marriage lasts?’ What about after a divorce?"

"Then I would no longer have that right."

Adrian Preston’s voice was soft and detached. His expression remained placid, his gaze as deep and unreadable as ever.

"You don’t like her?"

"You’re overstepping, Ma’am. This is a private matter that I’m not at liberty to discuss."

Adrian Preston cut the topic short, unwilling to continue.

"Fine. You seem like a man of your word. As long as you protect her during the marriage, that’s enough. I know my grandson well. He feels like he was tricked, and with his pride and concern for his reputation, he definitely won’t let this go."

"I’m entrusting Mia to you."

"I won’t let anyone hurt her."

"All right, take Mia home now. I’m tired."

Just then, Mia Kane, who had been standing behind the door with a fruit bowl, finally emerged after a brief pause.

"I’m tired. You and Adrian should head home. Just remember to see me off tomorrow."

"Then get some rest, Grandma. We’ll be going."

Once they were out the door, Mia Kane feigned curiosity and asked, "What did Grandma talk to you about?"

"Nothing much. She just asked about my grandfather."

"Your grandfather pursued her?"

"They were together for a while, to be precise. But my grandfather was unfaithful, and she caught him red-handed. After that, they never spoke to each other again."

"Your grandfather was that much of a scumbag?"

"He was a playboy in his youth."

"What about your dad? Was he also a playboy when he was young?"

Adrian Preston fell silent. Mia Kane pursed her lips in awkwardness. "Don’t tell me he was a womanizer too? What about you? Is it genetic?"

"We’re going home."

Adrian Preston’s expression suddenly darkened, clearly displeased with the topic.

Baffled, Mia Kane could only hurry to keep up with him.

When she went to see Grandma off the next day, she felt a pang of sadness, wondering when they would see each other again after this goodbye.

Grandma took her hand. "I didn’t have Chase come because there’s something I can’t say in front of him. I know the Lockwood Family wronged you, and Chase wronged you even more, but I still have to shamelessly ask a favor of you."

"I hope Vivian Lynch is a masterful liar, one who can fool him for a lifetime. But what if she isn’t? If one day Chase finds out he’s been deceived by her, he won’t be able to handle the blow. He’s given up so much for her! I hope that if it comes to that, you can be there to help him. Don’t let him and the Lockwood Family fall into ruin. Can you do that?"

Grandma’s clouded eyes, glistening with tears, were fixed on her.

Logic told Mia Kane to refuse. Chase Lockwood had hurt her so deeply; his life or death was none of her concern.

But when she thought of how well Uncle and Aunt Lockwood, and especially Grandma, had treated her, she couldn’t bring herself to refuse.

Chase Lockwood had treated her as a stand-in, but in the eyes of these elders, she was her own person—a thousand, no, ten thousand times better than Vivian Lynch.

Seeing that she hadn’t yet agreed, Grandma actually started to kneel down and beg.

The old woman was genuinely desperate. He was her only precious grandson, her daughter having died young. She couldn’t bear to watch Chase suffer another disaster.

Here, in the bustling airport, she was about to kneel before her!

Mia Kane couldn’t possibly accept such a thing and immediately stopped Grandma.

"I promise. If it really comes to that, I’ll help Chase Lockwood through it."

"Good girl, you’re such a good girl..."

Grandma’s face was streaked with tears.

"If only that little rascal were half as sensible as you."

After a tearful farewell with Grandma, Mia still felt a little melancholic as she left the airport.

She took a cab back. In the taxi, she heard on the radio that the Lockwood Group had canceled all its collaborations with the Preston Group. The two men had completely fallen out.

A feud between Argent’s two most powerful families stirred up a massive storm, forcing everyone else to choose sides and form alliances.

Both families stood to lose a great deal, but Chase Lockwood didn’t care.

Mia Kane felt a headache coming on. It seemed Chase Lockwood was truly furious this time.

The broadcast had just announced the fallout between the two families when it followed up with news that Chase Lockwood and Vivian Lynch’s "wedding of the century" was already in the planning stages, scheduled to take place in a month.

A wave of complicated feelings washed over Mia Kane.

So, those two were finally getting married.

She returned to her studio to find a tense atmosphere. Owen Sinclair was frantically trying to catch her eye.

"What’s wrong?"

"Chase Lockwood is here."

Mia Kane frowned. "What’s he doing here? Looking to settle a score?"

"He says he wants a custom wedding dress."

"Get them out of here. I’m not taking their order."

The words were barely out of Mia Kane’s mouth when the door to the reception room opened. Chase Lockwood stood there, his expression frosty and his gaze as cold and sharp as ice.

"Such an esteemed shop, and you’re turning customers away? If word of this gets out, I wonder how long you’ll stay in business. Or do you plan to live off the charity orders Adrian Preston throws your way for the rest of your life?"

Mia Kane gritted her teeth. Chase Lockwood was being absolutely insufferable.

"Fine. I’ll take your order. But on top of the cost of materials, I want a fifty-million-dollar design fee. If you can pay it, I’ll do it."

The wedding was only a month away. That meant she would only have to deal with Chase Lockwood for a month, at most.

Fifty million in one month. It was an offer she couldn’t refuse.

"Fine."

Chase Lockwood agreed without hesitation. He gave no specific requirements, telling her to use her own creative judgment. He also mentioned he would be sending over top-grade diamonds to be embedded in the dress.

Everything seemed calm for now, but she knew Chase Lockwood must have something else up his sleeve.

After he left, Owen Sinclair looked at her with concern. "Are you really going to take the job?"

"If I don’t, my entrepreneurial journey ends here. Adrian can help me for a while, but he can’t help me forever. With the publicity from this one order, the studio will have an easier time in the future."

Mia Kane was caught between a rock and a hard place. She had no choice but to accept, even knowing that Chase Lockwood would intentionally make things difficult for her.

Because Vivian Lynch’s wedding was on a tight schedule, Mia had to quickly sketch out the designs. After that would come fittings, tailoring, and intricate hand-embroidery—all incredibly time-consuming.

Once she finished the design sketches, she contacted Chase Lockwood to deliver them, and he gave her an address.

The clubhouse was a scene of debauchery, filled with flashing lights, flowing wine, and all manner of men and women.

Her eyes met Adrian Preston’s, and her heart skipped a beat. ’What is he doing here?’

But she had no time to talk to him now; she walked toward Chase Lockwood.

"President Lockwood, please take a look at the designs. Let me know which version you prefer, and we can finalize it."

Chase Lockwood gave them a cursory glance, then picked up his glass of red wine and poured it directly over her head.

"What’s this? Is this the best you can do?"