"Mia Kane, your taste in men isn’t that great, is it?"

Chase Lockwood taunted mercilessly.

"You’re right. Why else would I have ever dated you?"

Chase Lockwood: "..."

’It felt like he’d just shot himself in the foot.’ And yet, seeing Mia’s fiery temper, he found it incredibly cute.

After they broke up, she really had evoked so many different feelings in him. He loved it and hated it, leaving him completely torn.

Just then, Chase Lockwood’s phone rang. He glanced at it, his expression turning serious.

"I have to take this call."

He stepped away from Mia Kane, and she knew instantly it was Vivian Lynch on the line.

Chase Lockwood walked out into the corridor.

"Chase, what have you been so busy with? You haven’t been answering my calls."

"I’m still on a business trip. Work is overwhelming. Please try to be more understanding."

"You promised you’d be back to see me yesterday."

"Be good. Wait for me to come back."

Chase Lockwood placated Vivian Lynch with the subconscious lie.

Only after hanging up did it dawn on him what he’d just done.

He frowned instinctively. He felt it was wrong, but he couldn’t think of a better solution.

He was afraid Vivian Lynch would come and cause a scene. It was better that she didn’t know.

As he walked back toward the hospital room, the elevator doors happened to open, and a figure appeared before him.

His eyes met Adrian Preston’s.

He broke into a brilliant smile, adopting the posture of a victor.

"Adrian Preston, what a coincidence. What brings you to the hospital?"

He was asking a question he already knew the answer to.

Adrian Preston’s face was grim.

He had been injured the past few days and hadn’t wanted Mia Kane to know, so he hadn’t returned to the villa.

He had sent her messages and called her, but she never responded. He’d assumed she was being proud and taking her anger out on him.

He had clearly stated before he left that she was only to be locked up, not deprived of food and water.

But those despicable people had actually treated Mia Kane that way.

When he returned, they had only just realized Mia was missing. They even claimed they were just following his lead.

They said that because he was displeased, they had intentionally given Mia a hard time, thinking that making her suffer a little would force her to admit her mistake sooner.

They even said a person could survive for seven days without food.

They had planned to let her out after four or five days, confident that it wouldn’t be life-threatening.

Adrian Preston had locked them all up, to await whatever punishment Mia Kane decided for them.

He had Theo Thorne conduct a thorough investigation and saw the surveillance footage. She had climbed down the outer wall. The moment she jumped onto the air conditioning unit, his heart had trembled, and he had broken out in a cold sweat just watching the screen.

Later, he saw a driver drag her into an area without cameras. It was easy to imagine what she would have faced.

It was only because he saw Chase Lockwood’s car appear on the surveillance footage that he was able to track them here.

Chase Lockwood had been guarding her here for a full day and night without leaving.

Adrian Preston had no time to deal with Chase Lockwood. He headed straight for Mia Kane’s room.

Chase Lockwood was a step faster, blocking the doorway.

"What do you think you’re doing?"

Adrian Preston asked, suppressing his rage.

"Whether you go in or not isn’t up to me. We have to ask the patient what she wants. See if she feels like seeing you right now."

Just then, Mia Kane’s voice came from inside the room.

"Tell him to get lost. I don’t want to see him."

Chase Lockwood raised an eyebrow. "You heard her. She doesn’t want to see you right now."

Adrian Preston’s expression was incredibly ugly, and he felt a sharp pain in his heart.

The last time, Chase had been the one barred from a room by Adrian just like this. How quickly the tables had turned.

"Does Vivian Lynch know you’re here?"

Adrian Preston deliberately raised his voice so Mia Kane could hear him from inside.

"Is that any of your business?"

"When I was on my way here, I had someone inform Vivian Lynch that you were back in Argent. I did, however, leave out the part where you rescued Mia Kane and brought her to the hospital. You can still leave now. Otherwise, if Vivian finds you here, I’m afraid she’ll cause a huge scene."

"You’re clearly back in Argent, but instead of seeing your own wife, you’ve been watching over another woman for a day and a night. Do you really think Vivian Lynch will tolerate that?"

Chase Lockwood’s face darkened. He stared grimly at him. "Adrian Preston, are you playing mind games with me?"

"Right back at you. If you don’t leave now, it’ll be too late."

"You win this round." Chase called out, "Mia Kane, I’ll be back to see you later." 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

Chase Lockwood had no choice but to leave for now.

If Vivian Lynch really did find him here, it would be impossible to explain.

It was better to avoid trouble.

Adrian Preston immediately pushed the door open, but the hospital bed was empty. She had pulled out her IV needle and was gone.

"Mia Kane?"

He hurriedly began to search for her.

He pushed open the bathroom door to find Mia Kane about to climb out the window.

His heart sank. They were on the tenth floor!

He rushed forward, grabbed her by the wrist, and yanked her back inside.

"What are you doing! Are you trying to get yourself killed?!"

Mia Kane was shaken too. She had thought she could use the outdoor AC unit to jump to the bathroom of the next room.

She had even torn down the shower curtain, tying one end around her waist and the other to the faucet, just in case.

But as soon as she’d climbed up and seen the people below shrink to tiny dots, her vision had gone dark. She realized risking her life like this just to avoid Adrian Preston wasn’t worth it.

She had been about to climb back down, only to be yanked back by Adrian, who had completely misunderstood the situation.

Mia Kane couldn’t be bothered to explain.

She shot him a cold glare, meeting his eyes.

"Oh, so you do care if I live or die? I thought you were trying to starve me to death."

"I never told them to do that."

"Really? You’re the only master they answer to. The moment you looked at me with displeasure, they dared to mistreat me. You said you wanted to punish me, and they immediately took advantage of the situation. You’re the one who gave them the opportunity!"

"I would have preferred it if you’d just sent me to the police station! At least then I’d have had a chance to defend myself! At least I wouldn’t have been starved to death!"

"I just want to ask, did Shannon Preston ever tell you that she shredded the gift I painstakingly embroidered for you? Did she tell you she had the maids pinch me in secret, leaving me covered in bruises? Did she tell you that my knife never even touched her neck, that she threw herself onto it on purpose?!"

"You didn’t know any of it, and you condemned me all the same. If you had trusted me even a little, if you had come back to even glance at me, things wouldn’t have come to this. Do you have any idea? I survived your house, only to be nearly... by someone..."

Mia Kane couldn’t continue. Tears threatened to spill, but she refused to show weakness in front of Adrian Preston. She forced them back, her eyes turning red and a lump forming in her throat.

Hearing this, Adrian Preston pulled her into his arms.

Mia Kane struggled, but she was powerless to escape his hold.

Mia Kane’s tears finally fell.

"Let me go, Adrian Preston, let me go! You bastard..."

Overcome with anger, she bit down hard on his shoulder. She knew how vicious the bite was as her teeth broke the skin and the taste of blood filled her mouth.

She expected him to shove her away in pain, but instead, he held her even tighter.

Mia Kane had used all her strength in that one bite. She had only just woken up and was still incredibly weak.

She couldn’t hold on any longer and her body went limp, slumping down.

"Mia Kane? Mia Kane—!"

Adrian Preston held her tightly and immediately called for a doctor.

Fortunately, it wasn’t anything serious.

Adrian Preston arranged for her to be transferred to another hospital, afraid that Chase Lockwood would come and disturb her.

When Mia Kane woke up again, she saw him by her bedside and immediately turned her back to him.

Adrian Preston pressed his lips together, not knowing what to say. He could only tuck her in silently.

"I’ll go get you something to eat."

Adrian Preston turned and left, thinking she would be more comfortable if she were alone.

Mia Kane didn’t even think about running. She knew Adrian Preston would just catch her again if she did.

Besides, she felt so weak right now; she couldn’t be bothered to make the effort.

Adrian Preston had the kitchen prepare some food, then went to Shannon Preston’s hospital room.

Shannon Preston had already made a full recovery, but she was claiming to have lingering symptoms and wanted to stay in the hospital for observation a while longer.

"Brother, you’re here!"

Shannon Preston thought Adrian Preston was there to see her and happily went to take his arm.

This time, however, Adrian mercilessly shook her off.

"What exactly did you do to Mia Kane?"