Mia Kane had held a grudge against Shannon Preston for a long time.

She grabbed her hair and slapped her face, not holding back one bit.

With her leg injury, Shannon Preston was completely unable to fight back and could only howl in pain as she was beaten.

A moment later, the elevator doors opened. Mia Kane nonchalantly dusted off her hands and walked out, calm and collected.

Shannon Preston cowered in the corner, her face bruised and swollen, her hair in disarray.

Feeling wronged, she picked up her phone and dialed Adrian Preston’s number with a trembling hand.

"Brother, Mia Kane beat me up. She... she hit me!"

She was in the middle of her tearful complaint when Mia Kane, who was up ahead, suddenly turned back and brandished a fist at her, scaring her into silence.

Half an hour later, Adrian Preston rushed to the hospital. He’d already watched the video in the car; this time, Shannon Preston hadn’t provoked Mia Kane, yet she had still been viciously beaten.

He rubbed his temples, not knowing whether to be angry or to laugh.

He went to comfort Shannon Preston first.

"Brother..."

When Shannon Preston saw him, she dissolved into a puddle of tears and pointed at her face.

"Brother, Mia Kane hit me! I swear, I didn’t do anything to provoke her this time. She just rushed up and gave me a brutal beating."

"SOB... My face is ruined! Brother, you have to stand up for me."

"You should transfer to another hospital. Get away from her."

Shannon Preston was stunned. "Me, transfer hospitals? Why should I be the one to transfer? I didn’t do anything wrong! Is there no other punishment for her? Are you just going to let her run wild like this? She beat me up this time. What’s next, is she going to kill me?"

"She won’t."

"Brother, I don’t care! You have to stand up for me..."

"She and I are fighting, and she’s furious right now. Just humor her a little. Things will be fine once she calms down. Besides... let’s be honest, are you completely blameless? You know full well what her temper is like, so why did you still provoke her? You were the one who spoke to her first when you got in the elevator."

Shannon Preston: "..."

Her eyes widened in utter disbelief.

’Does he even hear himself talking?’

’Is he being this blatantly biased already?’

"Alright, let’s drop this. From now on, just try to avoid her. She has a bad temper, so you need to be the bigger person and let her be."

"Just who’s the older one and who’s the younger one here?!"

"Now, be good and listen to your brother. I have to go check on Mia Kane. I’ll have Theo Thorne arrange your transfer."

"I’m not going..."

"Then don’t come crying to me the next time you get beaten up."

Shannon Preston: "..."

’Speechless. She was truly speechless!’

Adrian Preston went to see Mia Kane.

"You beat up Shannon?"

He asked, getting straight to the point.

Mia Kane straightened up defiantly. "Yeah, I did it. So what? Let me be honest, I can’t stand that sister of yours. She’s a complete shit-stirrer. She had to meddle in my business with Vivian Lynch, and she has to meddle in our business too. I’m telling you, I’ll beat her up every single time I see her. It’s her own fault for being so damn detestable."

She planted her hands on her hips and met his gaze directly.

’Even though his intimidating presence made her want to back down,’ she forced herself to keep glaring at him.

’Go on, hit me if you’ve got the nerve!’

"Don’t you even think I’m going to apologize to Shannon Preston. I’ll die before I do!"

"Well done."

"What?"

Now it was Mia Kane’s turn to be stunned. ’He actually said, "Well done"?’

"You went to see Shannon Preston?" Seeing Adrian Preston nod, she grew even more astonished. "I practically beat her to a pulp, and you don’t even care?"

"I spoiled Shannon rotten growing up, so it’s true she doesn’t always know right from wrong. I was always too busy and neglected to discipline her properly. Now, with a sister-in-law like you to help teach her a lesson, I should be thrilled. If she isn’t corrected now, won’t she just become a menace to someone else’s family when she gets married?"

"So, it was well done."

As he spoke, he moved closer, his hot breath brushing against her cheek.

Her heart raced and her ears burned red. She immediately backed away.

Her brain short-circuited for a few seconds. ’For a moment there, I actually thought Adrian Preston was going to kiss me.’

He was looking at her intently, his gaze scorching.

He made no effort to hide it anymore. His gaze was raw and alluring, as if he wanted to devour her whole, leaving not a single bone behind.

Mia Kane’s heart hammered in her chest like a war drum.

She quickly averted her gaze. "Adrian Preston, does your profession mean nothing to you? You’re knowingly breaking the law. Aren’t you afraid..."

"Afraid of what?" he asked with a raised eyebrow. "You can report me for indecent assault. I’ll confess. As long as you’re the one to do it!"

"You think I wouldn’t dare?"

Mia Kane retorted angrily.

Adrian Preston said nothing, merely watching her. Then he suddenly closed the distance and swept her up into his arms.

"What are you doing? Let me go..."

No matter how much she struggled, Adrian Preston refused to let go, carrying her straight to his car.

"Where are you taking me?"

she demanded anxiously.

"You’ll know when we get there."

To her surprise, Adrian Preston drove all the way to the police station.

Young Zane was already a captain; normally, if someone wanted to file a report, they would go to a local precinct. But one call from Adrian Preston was all it took to have Captain Zane himself waiting at the entrance to greet them.

"Weren’t you going to report me? Tell Young Zane that I assaulted you, that you want me arrested. I promise I won’t resist. I’ve never worn handcuffs in my life—I’m usually the one putting them on others."

He held up his hands in front of her, exuding a roguish charm, like a demon born to stir up chaos.

"But I hope you’re the one who cuffs me. I’ll have a word with Young Zane, get him to let you do the honors—bring this molester to justice with your own two hands."

Mia Kane was so furious her face went pale. For some reason, she found herself believing him.

If she actually reported him, Adrian Preston would undoubtedly cooperate and submit to his punishment.

’But what then?’

’Could she really not think about the consequences?’

"Have you ever considered what would happen to the Preston Group? To Grandpa?"

she said angrily, her voice trembling slightly.

"You’re worrying about me. I’m the bad guy, why are you worrying so much on my behalf? Mia Kane, you’re cold on the outside but warm on the inside. You seem difficult, but deep down, you’re the softest, kindest person there is."

SLAP—

His words seemed to have struck a nerve. Without a moment’s hesitation, Mia Kane slapped him hard across the face.

A red welt rose on Adrian Preston’s cheek. He licked his lips and smiled at her.

Mia Kane clenched her stinging fingers.

She hated the feeling of being seen through, especially when his sharp, elegant eyes rested on her, so deep they seemed to peer right into her soul.

’He knew. He knew that after all this time together, she could never bring herself to turn him in. That’s why he was so fearless.’

’In that case, he couldn’t blame her for what she was about to do.’

"Adrian Preston, you will regret this."

She threw open the car door, got out, and marched straight over to Young Zane.

Adrian Preston followed close behind, his expression as calm as ever, without a hint of tension.

"Brother Preston, ma’am, you’re here. What’s going on? What was so urgent?"

Young Zane asked, puzzled.

Mia Kane didn’t look back at Adrian Preston. She was afraid one glance would be enough to make her resolve waver.

She clenched her fists, exhaled slowly, and summoned every ounce of her courage before she spoke.

"Officer Zane, I want to report a crime!"

Hearing this, Young Zane’s expression turned serious at once.

"Ma’am, what do you want to report?"

Mia Kane turned around and, without hesitation, pointed at Adrian Preston—