Owen Sinclair froze, his fists clenching tightly. He knew he had crossed a moral line, that what he’d done was despicable.

But...

He turned to face Adrian Preston directly. "I admit I shouldn’t have done that. But you’ve disappointed me so much. If you can’t protect her, if you can’t give her everything she wants, why don’t you just let her go and make way for someone more suitable?"

"Someone more suitable? You?"

"And why not? It’s not like she’s the only one for you, so why—"

"How would you know that? Let me be perfectly clear: I’ve been planning this for a long time. It’s not some passing fancy."

Adrian cut Owen off, his voice cold. He strode forward, his entire being radiating an oppressive aura.

He was like an Asura straight out of Hell. The sheer pressure made Owen break out in a cold sweat, yet even so, he didn’t back down an inch.

’If I back down now, it’s the same as admitting defeat.’

"I admit, a moment of carelessness on my part caused her pain, but it will not happen a second time. And you’d better not take advantage of this situation to try and steal her from me."

"Owen Sinclair, we’ve been friends for years. I know you. You’re a man of integrity. Mia respects and admires you. You wouldn’t want her to find out about your shameless behavior, would you? What do you think she would think of you then?"

Owen’s face went pale.

"What are you trying to do?"

"I want you to stay in your lane. Stop with these pointless schemes."

Just then, Mia Kane came downstairs and saw the two of them talking.

"What are you two talking about?"

she asked curiously.

"Nothing much, just chatting."

Adrian’s expression changed in an instant. He became gentle, as if he weren’t the same man who had been radiating a murderous aura just a moment ago.

"Owen? Are you not feeling well? Why do you look so pale? Do you need to go to the hospital?"

Mia noticed Owen’s pale complexion and was very concerned.

"It’s nothing. I just remembered I have something urgent to take care of. I should go..."

Owen turned and left without a backward glance.

"The magazine... Owen..."

Mia was about to chase after him but was stopped by Adrian.

"He probably really does have something important to do. You can just give it to him tomorrow."

"Okay, I guess. I’ll tell the kitchen staff to stop, then."

"They’ve already prepared most of the food. It would be a waste to stop now. Why don’t we just have a little something?"

"I suppose that’s fine."

Soon, the late-night meal was ready.

But Mia wasn’t very hungry, so she just ate a few symbolic bites. She noticed Adrian wasn’t eating much either, and that he was picking out the vegetable dishes.

He didn’t like heavy, greasy foods and had little interest in indulging his appetite. As long as he could eat his fill, that was enough. For the sake of his health, he never overindulged and practiced restraint in all things.

She couldn’t help but wonder, ’Does a man as self-possessed and unnaturally calm as Adrian ever have moments of extreme, obsessive fixation?’

"What are you thinking about?"

His voice broke her out of her reverie.

"Nothing. Are you full? Then you should head home."

Mia started to shoo him out. Adrian glanced at the pitch-black sky and suddenly wished for a clap of thunder and a downpour of rain.

It was as if the heavens had heard his prayer. A bolt of lightning tore across the sky, momentarily illuminating the night as bright as day.

Mia jumped in fright, followed by a loud RUMBLE of thunder.

It was late summer, almost autumn. She hadn’t expected a thunderstorm like this.

She glanced at her phone. The weather forecast had mentioned an orange alert for today.

Mia quickly said, "You should leave now. If it starts to rain, it’ll be hard to—"

As she spoke, a torrential downpour began, falling in an instant with no warning.

"Then I’ll be going. The wind is strong tonight. Close your doors and windows so you don’t catch a cold,"

Adrian added, not forgetting to remind her.

He went out to get his car. It was only a few steps, but even with an umbrella, his clothes were soaked through.

She stood under the eaves, feeling the fierce wind drive the rain against her. Half of her body was already wet.

A curtain of rain obscured everything, making it impossible to see the road ahead.

As soon as Adrian got in the car, he turned on the wipers. They worked frantically, but visibility was still extremely low.

’What if he gets into an accident driving in such terrible weather?’

"Why don’t you... wait for the rain to stop before you go?"

She ran over, holding an umbrella.

"It’s fine. I’ll just drive slowly."

"Wait for the rain to stop. What if something happens?"

The more he insisted, the more worried she became. If something happened to him, she would feel guilty for the rest of her life.

Only then did Adrian "reluctantly" get out of the car, unable to refuse her kindness.

He glanced back at the downpour, feeling incredibly grateful.

"Your clothes are soaked. Hurry and take a shower and change into something clean." She then turned to the staff. "Please make some ginger tea for him to drink later to ward off the chill."

"You should go take a shower too," he said.

"Mm."

Back inside, Mia was worried about Owen.

He had left forty minutes ago, so he should have been home by now, but she was afraid he might have been delayed by something.

She called Owen several times, but no one answered.

After her shower, she tried again, and this time, Owen finally picked up.

"Owen, are you home?"

"I’m home."

Owen’s voice was heavy, and his mood seemed off. She had no idea what had happened.

"That’s good. I’ll bring the magazine to you tomorrow."

"Okay."

"Owen, are you okay?"

she asked, concerned.

Hearing this, Owen wished he could tell her right then and there that he had been in love with her for years, ever since college. But because he was going abroad to study and would be away for so long, he never found the courage to confess.

Later, when she got together with Chase Lockwood, all he could do was silently wish her well.

Now, he had watched his chance arrive, only to see it slip through his fingers.

’He had loved her for so long, and Mia never even knew!’

"Mia... I..."

Mia waited patiently for him to continue, but Owen fell silent, like a deflated balloon.

"Owen, what did you want to say?"

"I... I just wanted to ask, when did you meet Adrian? Have you known him for many years?"

"No, I only met him this year. He was the one who rescued me from the ship."

"Is that right? You’re sure you’re not misremembering?"

"How could I misremember something like that? I’d never even met the man before."

Owen found that strange. ’Then why would Adrian say he’d been planning this for a long time, that it was no sudden impulse?’

"Owen, why are you asking this?"

"No reason, just curious."

"Well, see you tomorrow. Good night."

Mia hung up and glanced out from the balcony. The rain hadn’t stopped, nor had it let up.

She checked the time. It was almost midnight.

It was so late, she didn’t feel right about making him drive home at this hour.

The roads were slippery and treacherous in the rain.

The weather forecast had been upgraded from an orange alert to a red alert.

She went downstairs and saw Adrian sitting on the sofa, lost in thought, though she couldn’t guess what was on his mind.

"Your room is ready. You can just go to sleep whenever you’re ready."

"I can stay the night?"

"Mhm. But just this once."

With that, she went back upstairs.

「The next day.」

Mia woke up and stretched languidly, feeling wonderfully comfortable.

Falling asleep to the sound of rain last night had been incredibly peaceful.

Now the rain had stopped. The sun was shining brightly, and the air was fresh, washed clean by the storm.

She went downstairs to breathe in the fresh air and happened to see Adrian returning from his morning run. He was wearing loose-fitting athletic clothes, but they were soaked with sweat and clung to his body, revealing the contours of his powerful muscles.

Sweat trickled down his throat, a sight that was both raw and sensual.

It wasn’t just her who was blushing at the sight; some of the young maids let out hushed squeals, completely unable to maintain their composure.

"You’re up?" he greeted her. "I’m going to stretch for a bit, then I’ll take a shower. We can have breakfast together after."

Mia stayed in the courtyard, feeling as though the very air was thick with testosterone.

She quickly turned to leave, but then realized she’d left her phone in the pavilion and went back to get it.

As she approached, she heard a few of the maids huddled together, gossiping.

"Mr. Preston’s physique is just incredible, isn’t it? They say guys who work out are really... strong. I wonder if it’s true?"

"Why are you asking me? Go ask the missus! Ask her if Mr. Preston is really that strong, if the two of them could... you know... break the bed?"