Adrian Preston helped curl her hair, leaving the ends in soft waves. Paired with the blue dress, she looked sophisticated and elegant. Add to that her stunning face, and the look was absolute perfection.

He lowered his head, concentrating on styling her hair, then picked out a pair of pearl stud earrings for her.

Even without makeup and with a pale complexion, she was still beautiful, like a frail, tragic beauty one couldn’t help but cherish.

"I practically raised Shannon. She was always fussing with her hair, but she’s hopeless with her hands, so she could only beg me for help. After a while, I just learned how to do it myself."

"Oh, so that’s why."

For some reason, Mia Kane felt a pang of bitterness when she heard that.

The makeup artist arrived soon after. Once her makeup was done and lipstick applied, the color returned to her face, making her look much healthier.

She was still weak, so Adrian Preston had gotten her a wheelchair.

He carried her downstairs.

Shannon Preston came along too.

"Bro, it’ll be a little awkward with you being a man. What if your wife needs to use the restroom?"

Adrian Preston considered this. She had a point.

He certainly couldn’t follow her into the women’s restroom at the mall.

And so, Shannon Preston tagged along.

In the car, Shannon kept her head down, absorbed in her phone.

By the time they arrived at the press conference, it was already past 7:40. Representatives from the various media outlets were already seated and waiting expectantly for Vivian Lynch’s apology.

The wedding had been a complete fiasco. Everyone thought that was the end of it, but unexpectedly, Vivian Lynch actually had the guts to honor the bet and admit defeat. One couldn’t help but feel a sliver of admiration for her.

Just as they were about to enter the venue, two little boys suddenly burst in from out of nowhere, chasing each other with colored water pistols.

One of the boys stumbled and fell against her legs, leaving a large, colorful stain on her dress.

"What do you think you’re doing?"

Adrian Preston grabbed the child’s arm.

The child burst into tears, wailing loudly.

Hearing the commotion at the entrance, the reporters all turned to look.

Mia Kane immediately told Adrian Preston to let go and allow the child to leave.

’If they get a picture of this,’ she thought, ’the internet will be flooded with lies. They might even spin it into a story about child abuse.’

"It’s just a dress," Mia said. "It’s nothing."

"How can that be okay? All those cameras will be on you today. You can’t go out with your dress so stained. Bro, you know her size, right? Go buy a new one, quickly. I’ll take her to the restroom and we’ll wait for you."

"Okay. I’ll be back soon."

The mall was right next door. Adrian Preston had already called to have a store opened for him and was picking out a similar dress.

Meanwhile, Shannon Preston wheeled her to the restroom.

"Sister-in-law, I don’t mean to criticize, but why must you make things so hard for Vivi? She’s already admitted defeat, yet you insist on being unforgiving. Don’t you know you should leave people an out, so you can meet again on good terms in the future?"

Shannon Preston looked at her, her displeasure obvious.

Mia Kane gave a cold laugh.

’If I were the one who had lost, would Vivian Lynch be so forgiving?’

’I doubt Shannon would be saying the same thing then.’

When Mia didn’t respond, Shannon’s temper flared.

"Don’t think you can do whatever you want just because my brother spoils you. That’s just how he is. When his army buddy died saving his life, he took responsibility for the entire family—found them jobs, helped the younger brother buy a house for his marriage, everything."

"He married you, so of course he’ll be good to you. It’s not because he’s so in love with you; it’s because of his cop mentality. He feels responsible for everyone and everything, and he sees things through to the end."

"And what about you?" Mia asked, raising an eyebrow. "Is he responsible for you ’to the very end’ as well?"

Shannon Preston, who had been chattering away, suddenly stopped. She stared at Mia, her eyes wide with disbelief.

For a moment, her eyes filled with panic, but she quickly composed herself.

’There’s no way Mia could know about my past,’ Shannon thought. ’No one outside the family knows.’

’Adrian is afraid of anyone finding out I’m adopted. Secrets have a way of getting out, and if it did, people would gossip about my background. He’s worried it would affect my well-being.’

’So, as far as the world is concerned, I am a Preston by birth.’

’That’s also why I can’t confess my feelings for Adrian.’

’She was certain Adrian would never have told Mia.’

’So, she must be bluffing. I can’t let her bait me.’

Shannon Preston quickly regained her composure.

"What are you talking about, Sister-in-law? I’m his *real* sister. Of course he’ll be responsible for me—for his whole life. It’s a different story for you, though. If you two get divorced one day, who knows what will happen."

The two were still talking when several figures suddenly burst into the restroom.

It was still early, so the office building was quiet. Only the banquet hall had been prepared; the other floors were deserted for now.

"Who are you—"

Shannon Preston immediately shoved the wheelchair forward.

Her intent was to sacrifice Mia to save herself, but she hadn’t expected the wheelchair to slam into two of the intruders, tipping Mia out onto the floor.

A crisis can bring out a person’s hidden potential.

As Mia scrambled up from the floor, she no longer felt the dizziness or the pain.

All she knew was that Vivian Lynch was giving a public apology today, and she absolutely had to be there.

Mia dodged frantically, but on the other side of the room, Shannon Preston had already been caught. They injected her with something, and she quickly went limp and collapsed.

No matter how much Mia resisted, it was futile.

She felt a sharp pain in her arm as a needle pierced her flesh.

Her attacker pushed the plunger, forcing the liquid into her.

Seeing this, Mia Kane summoned a burst of strength from nowhere and kicked her assailant squarely in the knee joint.

The man crumpled to the ground, clearly not expecting the delicate-looking woman to be so skilled.

Mia quickly yanked the syringe out, but a third of the liquid was already in her system.

’What is this?’

’Poison?’

She tried to run, but the moment she took a step, the world started to spin.

’Is it... a paralytic agent?’

She collapsed, her eyelids impossibly heavy. Helpless, she watched as the figures walked toward her.

She lost consciousness, yet her mind remained aware.

She hadn’t been taken far, only locked in the janitor’s supply closet.

The door was locked from the outside, and a sign had been taped to it: "UNDER REPAIR, DO NOT ENTER."

Mia desperately wanted to open her eyes, but her eyelids were just too heavy.

She thought she could hear Adrian Preston’s voice. He was looking for her.

But he couldn’t find her, so he ordered an investigation.

But the security footage had already been wiped. Adrian’s first instinct was to check the cameras outside for any clues, never imagining the culprits were hiding in plain sight—they hadn’t taken her from the building at all.

Panic surged through Mia. She wanted to scream for help.

But she couldn’t make a sound, couldn’t even move a muscle.

’Was this Vivian Lynch’s doing, or Chase Lockwood’s?’

’It must be Chase Lockwood!’

’Vivian wouldn’t dare act so recklessly right now. Only Chase Lockwood would do this. He thinks the public apology is too great a loss of face. As long as I’m not there, Vivian can just go through the motions without really having to mean it.’

’So his plan was just to lock me up and make me miss the apology.’

As Mia realized this, her heart sank into an abyss of despair.

’What do I do... It’s almost eight o’clock...’

’Somebody, please, save me!’