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
Meanwhile, as soon as Sean received Mia’s call and learned that Charlotte was missing, his mind immediately jumped to Joseph.Since returning to Jersey City, Joseph had been laying low, using a fake identity with someone else’s information registered to his phone. Sean had no way of contacting him.
It was past 10 p.m., and this remote stretch of road was nearly deserted.Charlotte had been driving for over ten minutes when she suddenly noticed a black car in her rearview mirror. It had been trailing her for some time.The road ahead branched off in several directions. It wasn’t a straight shot
Mia froze. The smile on her face disappeared in an instant.Ian walked over and casually pulled out a chair, dropping into it with the kind of ease that was anything but casual. His gaze locked onto Mia, smile cool and sharp.“Mia,” he said slowly, “when did you and Scott Lucas get so close?”“Uh…”
Scott had a subtle smile in his eyes.The original photo was a full-body shot, showing the appropriate distance between two colleagues—professional, nothing ambiguous. However, Scott cropped the lower half, leaving only their upper bodies in the frame. Without context, the image looked oddly intima







