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
Gaius figured that Charlotte might know how to play golf, but women usually didn’t have much power in their swing. Whether she could actually land the ball on the green was still questionable. Even if she did, it would probably take eight or nine strokes. Losing a bit of money for a smile from a pr
That day, Charlotte got a call from her law firm’s managing partner, Tim Long.“Charlotte,” Tim said cheerfully, “I heard you play golf?”Charlotte paused, trying to remember who might have said that. Then it hit her that it was on the onboarding form she had filled out herself. Under hobbies and in
Mia was fuming.“This whole mess wouldn’t have happened if you hadn’t invited Sean! I brought everyone here tonight to cheer Lottie up—and before we could even start, she got hit with a second round of heartbreak. Get out. Seriously, get out!”She shoved Ian toward the door.Lena turned to her broth
Ian felt a chill crawl up the back of his neck. “You really can’t bluff your way through with a lawyer,” he muttered to himself.Good thing he had looped Mia in ahead of time.She’d been ranting about Sean nonstop lately, so the moment Sean asked Ian to deliver the car, he went straight home and tol







