Chapter 203: Chapter 203: In the Years She Couldn’t See, He Was Always There

"You said you’d forgive me."

Adrian Preston lost some of his fire, sounding a little hurt.

Mia Kane was furious. ’He’s actually putting on an act!’

"Fine. I’d like to hear just what kind of tricks you pulled. I don’t believe you could have outsmarted Chase Lockwood!"

"Vivian Lynch’s first husband came from a well-off family. His parents were capable people who could keep their son in line. But as soon as they died, her husband showed his true colors—drinking, gambling, and domestic violence. Vivian Lynch’s life became miserable."

"All I did was accelerate the family’s ruin. I arranged for him to get a high-interest loan and encouraged him to gamble even bigger. I also pulled a few strings to make him lose more than he won. Soon, he had gambled away the entire family fortune."

"The guy was a real piece of work. When he couldn’t pay back his losses, he tried to use Vivian Lynch to settle his debt. I had someone subtly suggest to her that she could borrow money from a wealthy friend. With her back against the wall, not wanting to be forced into servitude at the casino, Vivian Lynch had no choice but to go to Chase Lockwood."

"I was even worried she might not succeed. If Chase Lockwood had been a true gentleman, capable of making a clean break with his ex, then I would have stopped meddling in your relationship. But clearly, he wasn’t someone you could count on."

"You’ve got a self-righteous way of looking at it, don’t you? It was all their fault, and you did nothing wrong, is that it?"

Mia Kane was so angry she almost had to laugh.

"Yes. I did nothing wrong."

Adrian Preston even nodded, as if he believed he was completely blameless.

’He was just helping Mia Kane test whether these people were reliable, but disappointingly, none of them were.’

"Mia Kane, if I hadn’t done those things, whether it was with Owen Sinclair or Chase Lockwood, you might have had a few happy years. But the core conflicts would have always existed and would have erupted sooner or later. It’s better to rip the band-aid off quickly than to let the wound fester. Don’t you understand that?"

"You’ve already wasted three years. Do you want to waste another thirty?"

"Fine. Then let me ask you: if you knew Chase Lockwood and Vivian Lynch were fooling around, why didn’t you warn me and tell me to leave sooner?"

"Vivian Lynch wanted to take your place. She was desperate for you to discover her existence, but you loved Chase Lockwood too much. You were blinded by love and trusted him implicitly. Did he really never show any cracks in his facade when he was with you?"

His words made Mia Kane’s heart skip a beat.

’She had noticed the problems early on, but she could never bring herself to believe that Chase Lockwood would actually be unfaithful.’

’So, she’d dismissed every single red flag.’

’Even if Adrian Preston had told her outright, she wouldn’t have believed it. She would have just assumed he had ulterior motives.’

"You couldn’t even see Vivian Lynch’s hints, let alone any from me. Besides, I was on a top-secret, dangerous mission back then. I really couldn’t be in two places at once, so I had to drop it."

"So you weren’t afraid of dying on that mission and leaving me with no one to look after me?"

"Don’t worry, I had a contingency plan. If I had been unfortunate enough to die, I left you an immense fortune, and Theo Thorne would have been at your disposal. Even without me appearing in your life, when you and Chase Lockwood broke up, you wouldn’t have lost."

"Even in death, I wouldn’t let you be completely crushed!"

"You..."

"I drew up a will long ago. Aside from the Preston Group, which I can’t give you, all the businesses I’ve invested in over the years, the money I’ve saved, my network, my properties—it’s all yours. You can take that money and support as many men as you like."

"You’re so generous, you’d even agree to me supporting other men?"

"That would only be if I were dead; I couldn’t interfere then. But I’m alive now. Back then, our paths hadn’t crossed, so I had no right to interfere with who you were friends with. But it’s different now. If I die in the future, you’ll have to remain a widow for me!"

"Don’t say that! Stop talking about death. You’re not going to die. Didn’t you say you’d live a long life for me? I’m telling you, you are not allowed to die, you hear me?"

"Alright. As you command."

Adrian Preston gazed at her, his eyes brimming with adoration, so much so that it almost gave her goosebumps.

"Is there anything else?"

Adrian Preston thought for a moment. "I also had people secretly investigate you, to see what you were up to every day. But I didn’t interfere with anything too private. It was just your daily routine, where you went, things like that."

"Other than that, I don’t think there’s anything else. If I remember something, I’ll tell you."

Mia Kane laughed in exasperation. ’This is already more than enough. How could she possibly take it if there was more?’

’She had already witnessed Adrian Preston’s obsessive nature, but now she was realizing that was just the tip of the iceberg.’

’He was just too good at hiding it!’

’If she hadn’t influenced him so deeply all those years ago, she feared he would have long since gone down the wrong path and become an out-and-out villain.’

’He wouldn’t be rooting out evil for the public good; he would have joined forces with those villains long ago. A man like Adrian Preston was absolutely capable of that; he never cared for the Preston Family’s honor.’

’Suddenly, she felt it wasn’t so hard to believe that a person like him might have a second personality.’

’His true inner self was just like that other Adrian—perhaps even more insane.’

"Adrian Preston, is there really nothing else you want to tell me from the heart? Something not about me, but about yourself? Do you have any secrets of your own?"

"My feelings for Shannon Preston are purely those of a brother for a sister, nothing romantic."

"Oh, that. I already knew that. What else?"

Adrian Preston pressed his lips together and lowered his gaze, his long lashes concealing his dark eyes. Mia Kane had no idea what he was thinking.

’Mia Kane’s heart was in her throat. ’Will he tell me that he’s the illegitimate son of the Preston Family?’’

’Perhaps he considered it a stain on his life and wasn’t ready. It would be understandable if he didn’t tell her.’

"Never mind... I’m not interested in your personal business anyway. Let’s just drop it."

Hearing this, Adrian Preston let out a heartfelt sigh of relief. Even though he hid it well, Mia Kane had still noticed.

"Mia... a person like me... could you ever like someone like me?"

Adrian Preston asked cautiously, laying his true self bare for her for the very first time.

’He knew he was despicable, dark, and obsessive...’

’He could make it sound good, saying he was just testing if they were reliable, but in reality, it was just insidious, cunning sabotage.’

’Like a rat in the gutter, spying on someone else’s life, secretly intervening, destroying her happiness.’

Mia Kane was left speechless. A man like that was terrifying and dangerous—someone to be avoided at all costs.

’But she had seen too many of Adrian Preston’s good sides.’

’He clearly could have taken what he wanted by force, but instead, he’d waited so many years to finally stand before her, out in the open.’

’She had asked him if he’d returned, and he’d said he never left.’

’There was a light in Adrian Preston’s heart, too—a noble, supreme light.’

’He wasn’t as despicable as he made himself sound.’

’He was already a good man.’

"If I had known from the beginning what you were doing in secret, I would have avoided a person like you at all costs."

"But that’s the thing. The you I met at the beginning wasn’t like this, and you don’t need to make yourself sound so evil. I’ve seen too many of your good sides, so it’s very difficult for me to hate you. But I need to slowly adjust to the person you are now. Can you give me some time?"

"Of course. Take as long as you need."

"Adrian Preston... what if I stop loving you later?"

"That’s alright," Adrian Preston said with a smile. "Don’t put too much pressure on yourself. I’m fighting with everything I have to keep you because I believe you love me. If you don’t love me, then I won’t go looking for rejection."

"However, if you do start dating someone else, I might still secretly cause some trouble. But as long as he passes my tests, I will absolutely let you have him."

"What about you?"

"Me? I’ll have a place to go... Don’t worry about me."

Those few short words made Mia Kane’s heart ache for some reason.

’Where would he go?’

’To Hell?’