King demanded the two men bring the ransom inside.

The rolling door opened. After the two men went in, it shut again.

"Vivian... Mia..."

In his panic, Chase Lockwood called out both their names.

"Vivian, are you okay?"

"Chase, save me!"

In the end, his gaze settled on Vivian Lynch.

"Brother, I’m so scared. Get me out of here, please. I don’t want to die here."

Hearing this, Adrian Preston’s face paled. His brow furrowed, and a fine sheen of cold sweat broke out on his forehead.

This scene was so much like that time, so many years ago.

Mia Kane wanted to speak as well, but when her eyes met Adrian Preston’s, she opened her mouth and found she had nothing to say.

"The money’s here. Let them go."

The two men had brought four suitcases in total. They were heavy, filled with US dollars.

King had his men bring the suitcases over. He checked them one by one, and after confirming the amount was correct, he pushed one back.

"What’s the meaning of this?"

Adrian Preston asked in a cold voice.

"We want the money, but we also need to keep a hostage to guarantee our safe exit."

"Leave her."

Without a moment’s hesitation, Chase Lockwood pointed at Shayla Quinn.

Shayla Quinn glanced at Mia Kane, her expression like someone marching stoically to their death.

"I’ll stay as the hostage!"

"Shayla..."

"Don’t say another word. I know you’re worried about me, that you feel for me, but I want you to be okay, too. It’s decided..."

Shayla Quinn pushed Mia Kane away and stepped forward resolutely.

"I’ll go with you."

"King, let’s just take this chick..."

The bald man in the corner stood up again.

"Shut your mouth!" King shot him a glare. "President Lockwood, do you take me for a fool? Take this woman with no power, no influence, no connections? With that many cops outside baying for my blood, you think I don’t need one of *you* to guarantee we make it out of Argent?"

"What do you mean by that!"

Chase Lockwood’s expression darkened.

"Of these three, you can only take two!"

At these words, the color drained from several faces in the room.

Vivian Lynch’s tears streamed down her face. "Chase... take me with you, please? If I fall into their hands, I don’t know what they’ll do to me... Chase..."

"If you don’t take me with you, I’d rather die here and protect my dignity. I’ll never let those men defile me. Chase... I’m sorry..."

"Vivian, stop!"

Hearing this, Chase Lockwood’s heart ached with anxiety.

He looked from Vivian Lynch to Mia Kane, caught in a terrible dilemma.

’He had to admit, he’d developed feelings for Mia Kane that he shouldn’t have.’

’But Vivian Lynch was his wife now. Vivian was the one who was supposed to be with him through thick and thin.’

"Mia Kane, I’m sorry... You’ve already been through it once. Going through it again won’t kill you. But Vivian is different. She’ll die!"

"I choose Vivian!"

’Hearing his words, Mia Kane found them utterly ridiculous.’

’So his reason for abandoning her was that since she’d been raped once, she could just go through it a second time.’

’He could have given any other reason. Vivian Lynch was his wife. He and Mia were nothing to each other anymore. It would have been perfectly understandable for him to save Vivian.’

’But he had to say *that*, which just showed he thought she was worthless.’

’That was what he really thought.’

’Maybe he’d felt some lingering resentment about her, or maybe losing his control over her after they broke up had sparked his interest again.’

’But when his own interests were truly at stake, he’d abandon her without a second thought.’

’So what about Adrian Preston?’

’Between her and his precious little sister, how would he choose?’

Shannon Preston was sobbing, gasping for breath as she reminisced about their shared past. Anyone listening would have been moved.

’And her? She was just a wife he’d married a few months ago. They hadn’t even slept together. Wasn’t she the obvious one to be thrown away?’

’He had a responsibility, yes.’

’He was her husband, but he was also Shannon Preston’s beloved older brother.’

"Mia, what are you just standing there for? Cry! Fight for yourself! What if you win?"

Shannon Preston was over there, looking like she was about to sob herself into oblivion. It was a truly pitiable sight. Shayla Quinn thought that if she were a man, she’d choose Shannon, too.

’Because Mia Kane was too headstrong, too unbending. She was proud to her core; even at her lowest, she’d hold her head high.’

’That kind of woman wasn’t the type to make a man’s heart ache for her.’

’The fact that Vivian Lynch could play Chase Lockwood for a fool was partly because of Mia’s personality. She looked soft on the outside, but inside, she was more stubborn than anyone!’

Mia Kane looked at Shannon Preston, then back at Adrian Preston. He was clearly torn.

"Adrian... can you..."

She opened her mouth.

’She wanted to ask, ’Can you save me?’’

But the words wouldn’t come out.

’Shannon Preston had grown up with him. Even if they had their issues, their bond was a thousand, ten thousand times stronger than the one he shared with the woman he’d been married to for just four months.’

’She was afraid that if she begged, he would still abandon her without a second thought. That would be more painful than death.’

’She’d already been abandoned once...’

’She didn’t want to be abandoned a second time.’

"Adrian, choose her."

"Mia, what are you talking about!"

Shayla Quinn’s eyes widened in disbelief. "Don’t you hate Shannon Preston?" she whispered urgently. "You..."

"What do I have to compete with Shannon? She’s his sister. What am I?"

"You’re his wife!"

"A wife he barely knows?"

Her retort left Shayla Quinn stunned.

’If it weren’t for her own bias, why would anyone choose Mia?’

’Putting herself in Adrian’s shoes, she thought about it: on one hand, a contract wife he’d known for only four months and never even slept with.’

’On the other, a little sister he’d cherished and protected since they were children.’

’The choice was obvious, wasn’t it?’

"But..."

"It’s no use, Shayla. This is a dead end for me. If something happens, tell my parents I’m sorry. That I was an unfilial daughter and can’t be there to take care of them in their old age."

"Mia..." Tears streamed down Shayla Quinn’s face as she gripped her hand tightly. "Is there anything you want to say to Adrian Preston?"

Mia Kane glanced at Adrian Preston. "Nothing to say."

’She had already sacrificed herself. She had not a single word for Adrian Preston.’

’It was better to give up on her own terms than to be abandoned. She could console herself with the thought that it wasn’t that Adrian didn’t choose her, but that she had been magnanimous and given the opportunity to Shannon.’

Shannon Preston, watching from the side, was frantic. She had cried until her eyes were red, swollen, and dry, unable to produce a single new tear.

’She was terrified Adrian would choose Mia Kane.’

’Everyone else thought her victory was assured, but she was the only one who felt uncertain.’

Mia Kane had already conceded, yet Adrian Preston remained silent.

His fists were clenched, his brow furrowed, his jaw set tight.

Suddenly, Shannon Preston saw him unclench his fists, as if he had made a decision.

’She didn’t know if he would choose her, but she had to fight for herself.’

She suddenly broke free from her captor’s grasp and ran desperately toward Adrian Preston.

King reacted instantly. Not wanting to inflict a fatal wound, he shot her in the calf.

"AHH—it hurts... Brother—"

Shannon Preston screamed and collapsed, blood gushing from the wound in her calf.

"Shannon!"

Adrian Preston’s heart sank. A wound like that wasn’t fatal; the bleeding should slow down on its own.

But Shannon Preston’s wound wouldn’t stop bleeding, and a pool quickly formed on the ground.

’She had a blood clotting disorder. If she didn’t get to a hospital, the bleeding wouldn’t stop. Her life was in danger.’

Adrian Preston rushed over and caught Shannon Preston in his arms.

"So, it seems President Preston has his answer?"