"If it were me, whether I had to tie her up or lock her away, all that matters is that she’s by my side."

"Adrian Preston, you’re always so hesitant. Every time you have a chance to have her, you overthink things, you’re afraid to act, and you let her slip further and further away! Adrian Preston, you have no right to control any of this. You’re not worthy..."

Adrian Preston’s head was splitting, feeling as if his skull was about to crack open.

His eyes suddenly turned fierce.

"Shut up!"

He roared.

After a long while, he finally calmed down, rubbing his sore and aching temples.

"Mia Kane, this time, I’m giving you back your freedom. No one can hurt you, including myself."

Adrian Preston lay on the bed.

He sensed the lingering scent of Mia Kane.

The blanket she had used, the pillow she had rested her head on.

Whether it was because he hadn’t slept well the night before, or because this place put him at ease, he somehow fell asleep.

In his dream, he was back in the place where he had been trapped.

He and his younger sister had been kidnapped.

He had tried everything to escape with his sister, but the kidnappers quickly discovered them and were in hot pursuit.

He ran for his life, but his sister fell to the ground.

"Brother, I can’t... I can’t run anymore."

"I’ll carry you on my back."

"I’ll only slow you down. I... I’ll lead them away. Brother, I’ll wait for you to come back and save me. They just want money; they won’t do anything to me. Brother, I’ll be waiting. I know you’ll come for me!"

His sister was only five years old then.

She was just a tiny little thing, her dress torn and dirty, her small face smudged with grime.

But her eyes were incredibly bright.

"Hurry, there’s no time! They’re catching up."

His sister gave him a hard push. Behind him was a slope, and he tumbled straight down.

Without a moment’s hesitation, his sister ran in the opposite direction.

As the sound of her footsteps faded into the distance, he began to save himself, starting to run with all his might.

He heard barking nearby. More and more green-glowing things appeared, and when he got closer, he saw it was a wild dog.

Its eyes were glowing green with hunger as it stared at him, ready to pounce.

The wild dog lunged, nearly tearing a chunk of flesh from his thigh with a single bite.

Excruciating pain shot through him, and his face went deathly pale.

That one bite made it impossible for him to run any further.

The wild dog, knowing he was immobilized, started to go for his neck.

Adrian Preston fought back with both hands, smelling the foul stench from the dog’s mouth and seeing the saliva dripping from its teeth.

But at a moment of life and death, he had no time to be disgusted.

Just when he thought he was surely going to die, a little girl about his sister’s size, carrying a shovel nearly as tall as she was, slammed it hard onto the dog’s head.

Once, twice, three times...

Blood splattered everywhere, and the dog collapsed to the side.

"Are... are you okay?"

The girl was clearly terrified too. She was wearing a clean school uniform with a sticker on her chest that read, "Arbor Day Model Student."

He struggled up from the ground, wanting to call for help to save his sister.

But as soon as he stood up, he collapsed again, his thigh dripping with blood.

He suddenly spotted her children’s watch, immediately snatched it, and quickly called the police.

The police arrived quickly. He forced himself to stay conscious and refused medical treatment. A nerve in his brain was stretched taut, refusing to let him relax.

His sister was being held in an abandoned factory on the mountain. There were several other children held hostage inside. The exact number of missing was unclear; they were all from wealthy families who usually wouldn’t report it to the police, fearing they would provoke the kidnappers into killing the hostages. They preferred to just pay the ransom.

Trying to get inside to gather information was next to impossible.

But just then, the little girl bravely volunteered, "I can go get information. We can stay on the phone. I just need to wander around in front of the big building. They’ll definitely think I’m an escaped hostage and grab me to take me back inside."

The police were astonished, not expecting such courage and boldness from a girl so young.

With no other options, they had to go with her plan.

A sniper got into position in a tree. If anyone tried to harm her outside the factory, the sniper would immediately take them out to ensure her safety.

But once she was inside, her fate would be unknown.

She smeared mud on her face and took the valuables Adrian Preston was carrying.

She folded her school uniform neatly, but after a moment’s thought, she draped it over Adrian Preston.

She turned to leave, but Adrian Preston grabbed her hand tightly.

"Don’t go. You’ll die..."

"I won’t. The policemen will protect me. They’re very skilled."

Adrian Preston wanted to tell her that policemen weren’t omnipotent. ’A child’s world is too simple,’ he thought. ’They think police officers are superheroes who can defeat all forces of darkness.’

He didn’t know if she was scared.

’She must be,’ he thought. ’She was stumbling as she walked, her legs trembling.’

But she still walked forward.

She even turned back to smile at him.

"When I get out, I’ll treat you to strawberry cake. There’s a place that makes it especially delicious!"

"You... wait for me, okay!"

"Mia Kane—"

Adrian Preston woke with a start.

He realized it was still light outside. He had fallen asleep.

His heart was pounding, still shaken from the dream.

’That dream... he would never be able to escape it in this lifetime.’

Back then, Mia Kane had gotten lost on Arbor Day, and that was how she had met him.

She had saved him from the jaws of a wild dog, then put herself in harm’s way to gather intelligence, working with the police to take them all down.

In her heart, the police were omnipotent.

He was a pampered young master with a golden future ahead of him, yet he still enrolled in the police academy. He took first place in the annual skills competition every year and never backed down from any dangerous mission.

Because back then, Mia Kane hadn’t backed down an inch either.

She liked strawberry cake.

She liked clean clothes and was a bit of a neat freak.

She seemed quiet and graceful, but on the inside, she was brave and resolute.

All these years, he had been watching Mia Kane from the shadows.

He wanted to wait, to appear before her only after he had earned the right to wear that police uniform.

But later, the missions became too dangerous. He was afraid he would die, so he didn’t dare get involved with her.

In every desperate situation, it was Mia Kane who pulled him back from the Underworld’s Court.

He hadn’t repaid his debt to her yet, hadn’t even had the chance to tell her he liked her. He didn’t dare to die.

He knew that sooner or later he would have to return to the Preston Territory. He was certain he could escape the danger and spare her the life of a worried family member.

But back then, Owen Sinclair wasn’t the only one who was a step too late; he was, too.

When the Kane Family fell into trouble, Adrian Preston was on an overseas mission and couldn’t rush back immediately.

He secretly arranged for people to ensure Mr. Kane was treated well in prison, to look after Mrs. Kane in the hospital, and to handle the Kane Family’s affairs.

But unexpectedly, Mia Kane found her own solution: she met Chase Lockwood.

The moment Chase Lockwood stepped in, all traces of his own efforts vanished. Compared to a grand gesture from Chase Lockwood, what did his own small contributions even matter?

When he completed his mission and returned, having cheated death, he saw Mia Kane from a distance.

She was holding Chase Lockwood’s arm, her smile sweet and happy.

No matter what thoughts he had, he didn’t dare act on them.

If not for that time on the boat, if not for Chase Lockwood going too far, if not for...

He and Mia Kane would have truly missed their chance.

Their first formal meeting was in front of the clubhouse.

He looked at her deeply, suppressing the feelings that burned like molten lava inside him, and asked softly.

"Are you also here for the birthday party? Why aren’t you going in?"

Every step he took after that was meticulously calculated.

Everything was within his plan, and yet, everything was also unexpected.

He thought he could control himself, but in reality, he was falling deeper and deeper each time.

Mia Kane felt like she was sinking into quicksand, unable to climb out.

She had no idea that Adrian Preston was on the verge of drowning, yet he was savoring it as if it were the sweetest thing in the world.