LOGINIan raised an eyebrow. “I wasn’t drunk last night. I was completely sober.“Sweetheart, I knew exactly what I was doing. I have been aware of my feelings for you for a long time. I just kept holding them back. But last night, when you hired those male escorts and leaned into that man’s arms, I could
Mia’s expression hardened. “Ian, what kind of thing is that to say? Who I date is none of your business.”“Fine.” Ian gave a short, cold laugh. “None of my business.”His face remained dark as he walked out. From that day on, he never returned to the Quinton estate.Mia did not see him for more than
Mia’s relationship with Ian had changed completely. Somewhere along the way, she had become the one doing the bullying.If she was upset, she would pinch or swat him without hesitation, and Ian would only grin and call her “Little Princess” or “Miss Trouble,” never once fighting back.Later, Mia was
By the time Ian was eighteen and in his senior year, his life was too busy with schoolwork to waste time picking on his stepsister. It had been a long time since he had teased Mia.The high school and middle school buildings were close to each other. That afternoon, he and a few classmates walked to
Lester was often away from home.In the beginning, whenever Mia was bullied by Ian, she would run to her mother, Sharon, in tears. But as a stepmother, Sharon felt she had no authority to discipline Ian. For the sake of keeping the household peaceful, she chose to turn a blind eye and never told Le
The first time Mia met Ian, she was only nine years old.Her mother, Sharon, held her hand and smiled brightly. “Say hello to your new brother.”The little girl tilted her head up at the tall boy in front of her, pressed her lips together, and obediently said, “Hi, brother.”The boy didn’t look the
When Wendy asked the question, Monica didn’t suspect a thing. She simply assumed Wendy was genuinely concerned about Zac and replied with a smile, “Oh, same as usual. Zac and his father haven’t said much to me. I guess he’s just been busy lately. I’ll remind him—no matter how busy he is, he can’t f
“Drink your coffee,” Charlotte said, pretending to scold her as she walked past.When she returned to the meeting room with the printed contract, she noticed a Starbucks cup sitting in front of Sean.It looked like one of the drinks Scott had bought for everyone.Sean followed her gaze, and with a h
“Did you do that on purpose?” Charlotte’s cheeks turned bright red—this time from embarrassment.“That had been an accident. A total accident! Did Scott seriously think we had been sneaking kisses in the office?” she wondered.It wasn’t that she cared if Scott felt weird about it. What she really di
Back in her room, Charlotte finally noticed a message Scott had sent nearly thirty minutes ago:Scott: “Home yet, Miss Riley?”Charlotte: “Yeah, just got in. Did you need something?”Scott: “Mind if I call?”Charlotte: “Sure.”A second later, her phone lit up with an incoming voice call.She picked







