The corners of Adrian Preston’s eyes instantly reddened as he glared at her in anger.

"Do you have any idea what you’re doing?"

Mia Kane looked down at the tip of the knife resting against her chest. Adrian Preston had grabbed the blade with one hand.

The knife sliced into his flesh, and large drops of blood dripped to the floor, quickly forming a small pool.

She felt a mix of complicated emotions. In that instant, she had bet that Adrian would stop her.

But she hadn’t expected that in his desperation, he would actually grab the blade with his bare hand!

"Your hand..."

Adrian Preston slammed the knife onto the ground, and it landed with a sharp clatter.

He gripped her shoulders, squeezing so hard her bones ached.

"Mia Kane, you listen to me. Never, ever hurt yourself. You can point that knife at anyone else, but never at yourself, do you hear me!"

He roared, his voice low with anger. He was clearly enraged.

Mia Kane opened her mouth, wanting to tell him that she hadn’t intended to hurt herself; she knew he would intervene.

Since he cared about her, her life was important.

But the words died on her lips.

"Now, can you let me go?"

She asked softly.

A profound sense of powerlessness washed over Adrian Preston when he heard her words.

He released her and took two steps back, gazing at her with a complex expression.

Mia Kane turned and left. This time, Adrian Preston didn’t stop her.

She left the villa in a daze, her mind replaying the scene over and over. ’Adrian’s wound... is it serious?’

Lost in her thoughts, she was nearly hit by a motorcycle while crossing the street.

Luckily, she reacted in time and managed to dodge it just barely, avoiding a collision.

Still, she ended up falling to the ground.

The rider got off, intending to scold her, but when he saw the bloodstain on her shoulder, he freaked out. He insisted on taking her to the hospital for a check-up, promising to cover all medical expenses no matter what she said.

Mia Kane repeatedly explained that the blood wasn’t hers, but the rider simply wouldn’t listen.

"There’s a hospital right nearby. I’ll take you there."

"Don’t worry about the money. I’ll cover it."

Left with no other choice, Mia was pulled along to the hospital entrance.

"I’m really fine. This blood isn’t mine."

She took off her jacket, showing that there was no blood underneath.

The rider pressed her shoulder, and when she didn’t show any sign of pain, he was finally relieved.

After the rider left, Mia decided to get a taxi home.

Just as she started walking toward the street, a panicked-looking person suddenly bumped into her.

The person was wearing a face mask, a baseball cap, and a large, loose sun-protection jacket, almost completely concealing their features.

"Sorry, sorry..."

The woman apologized as she bent down to pick up some reports.

For a moment, Mia Kane thought the voice sounded incredibly familiar, as if she’d heard it somewhere before.

She also crouched down to help the other woman pick up her things.

There were quite a few report forms scattered all over the ground.

She didn’t glance at them, respecting the other person’s privacy.

"Here you go."

Mia Kane handed them over.

The woman shuddered violently. Without a word, she snatched the papers and hurried away.

Mia Kane was a little confused. ’What was that all about?’

The woman quickly got into a car and soon disappeared from sight.

Inside the car, she slowly took off her mask, her heart pounding.

’What do I do? Did Mia Kane recognize me?’

’She even saw my reports!’

Unsure of what to do or who to turn to, she finally called Shannon Preston.

"Shannon... I don’t know what to do. You have to help me think of something."

"Vivi?"

Vivian Lynch and Shannon Preston were on good terms. The previous incident with the robbers at the jewelry store had been orchestrated by Shannon. She had deliberately dragged Vivian along to act as a witness, to prove they had only entered the store by chance before being kidnapped—that it wasn’t intentional.

So in a way, she had some leverage over Shannon Preston.

With their interests aligned, they naturally started talking more.

And it had been Vivian Lynch’s idea to help Shannon Preston avoid her arranged blind dates.

"What? You went for a check-up and Mia Kane ran into you?"

"She definitely realized it was me. She also saw my medical reports. What do I do?"

Vivian Lynch was so nervous her lower abdomen clenched.

She had discovered her pregnancy a few months ago. She’d assumed that once she got through the risky first trimester, she would be fine. But now, at four or five months pregnant and not even fully showing yet, she had started spotting frequently in the last couple of days.

She didn’t dare tell Chase Lockwood, as he had high hopes for this child. She came for a check-up alone in secret, and the result... was fetal demise.

If she wanted to know the reason, she would need further tests.

The doctor advised her to have the fetus removed soon; otherwise, the longer the deceased fetus remained in her womb, the more dangerous it would be for her.

She found the result hard to accept. She had planned to use this child to secure her status and make a complete comeback. She had even specifically checked the gender—it was a boy, destined to inherit the Lockwood Group.

But she never expected a fetal demise—a fetal demise for no apparent reason!

Her mind went blank. She never thought she would actually run into Mia Kane at the hospital entrance.

’She even picked up my reports.’

’Mia Kane knows... She must know!’

"Vivi, calm down. You went to the hospital in secret, and you even used someone else’s ID. That being the case, just pretend you never saw Mia Kane. Even if she knows, you just have to deny it and insist that you two never met!"

"Did you take off your mask?"

"No, but... but I spoke."

"As long as she didn’t see your face, you deny everything. Even though this child is gone, it has to serve one last purpose."

Shannon Preston was completely calm. As long as she could take down Mia Kane, she was willing to do anything.

"What purpose?"

"Frame Mia Kane. Make her responsible for the child’s death. Vivi, a dead fetus won’t get you a man’s sympathy, but if you miscarried because you were attacked, Chase Lockwood will not only feel guilty toward you, he’ll completely despise Mia Kane."

"Haven’t you always been complaining that he and Mia Kane are too close and that you feel threatened? Then let’s completely eliminate this threat! From now on, whenever Chase Lockwood sees Mia Kane, he’ll think of her as the murderer of his own child. Do you think they’ll still be able to fool around after that?"

She was tempted by Shannon Preston’s suggestion.

In any case, the child was already gone. It had to do something for her, or else its short existence would have been in vain.

She subconsciously touched her stomach.

Although she couldn’t bear the thought, the image of Mia Kane, her greatest threat, made her gaze, once flickering with hesitation, become unnervingly firm.

"Okay, I’ll do what you say."

"You’re a smart woman, Vivi. I don’t need to spell out the rest, do I? You know what to do."

"Don’t worry, I’ve got a plan."

Vivian Lynch hung up the phone, a plan already forming in her mind.

She refused to believe that the death of a child wouldn’t be enough to make Mia Kane pay.

’She’s already divorced Adrian Preston. If she falls out with Chase Lockwood too, her life will be ruined.’

She looked down tenderly at her stomach.

"Oh, my child, my child, do this one last thing for Mommy!"