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The Don Called Me His Mistress
Novelix
Completed
Elena Stone thought Adrian Black, the feared young Boss of the Black family, was the man she would marry. Then his spoiled childhood sweetheart, Lily Moretti, stormed into Elena’s workplace again—this time armed with a marriage certificate and Adrian’s public claim that Elena was the mistress. Humiliated, poisoned, and robbed of her savings, Elena finally walks away and disappears overseas. Adrian expects her to crawl back. Instead, the police come for him, Lily’s lies begin to crack, and a buried mafia debt exposes the betrayal that cost Elena everything—and may completely destroy them all from the inside out.
Chapters (4)
第1章
My boyfriend, Don Adrian Black, had a childhood friend named Lily who loved playing the "catch the mistress" game.
Every time I switched companies, she'd come and make a scene.
The first time, I got questioned by upper management because of her little drama, and I was fired that same day. Furious, I went to confront her, but Adrian shielded her behind him and explained calmly, "Lily just likes to stir up trouble. Don't make a big deal out of it."
The second time, I couldn't stand the whispers behind my back from coworkers, so I resigned on my own. Adrian said I was too fragile.
"You didn't do anything wrong, so why are you afraid of what people say?"
Then I got hired at the company I'd been dreaming about for years, and Lily pulled the same stunt again, this time bringing people along with her.
This time, I called the police directly.
Adrian and the police arrived almost at the same time. He looked at me, and I saw nothing but reproach in his eyes. "Lily was just joking around with you. Did you really have to make such an ugly scene?"
"Besides, she wasn't wrong. You are the other woman."
He said it calmly, like he was stating a fact he had no doubt about.
The room went dead quiet. The coworkers who had been defending me moments before changed their expressions instantly.
I stared at him, my voice tight. "Adrian, what the hell are you talking about?"
"I know you want to get Lily out of this, but you don't need to lie like that."
He ignored me and pulled a marriage registration certificate straight out of his pocket, handing it to the police.
"This is proof of my marriage to Lily."
My mind went completely blank.
Lily grabbed another document smugly and waved it in my face.
"Adrian said that if you're going to accuse a woman of being the other woman, you need a legitimate reason. So he took me to register."
"Sorry, Elena. This time, it looks like you really are the other woman."
The police checked the documents, returned them to Adrian, and warned me before leaving. "Filing a false police report is illegal. If this happens again, we won't let it slide."
The HR manager, who had personally come downstairs to welcome me just minutes ago, now had not a trace of warmth on her face. She looked like she wanted to distance herself from me as fast as possible.
"I'm sorry, Ms. Stone, but the company may need to reevaluate your appointment. We'll pause today's onboarding process. Please go home and wait for our notice. We'll contact you as soon as we have a decision."
She turned me down politely enough. But standing there, I felt like I'd been slapped across the face in front of everyone, both stinging and humiliated.
Adrian saw this and reached for my hand, trying to lead me out. "Since you don't have to work today, I'll drive you home. We're heading the same way anyway."
I shook off his hand, my voice trembling. "When did this happen?"
Adrian pressed his lips together and avoided my eyes. "We'll talk about it at home. Do you really want people laughing at you with this many eyes on us?"
I stared at him hard.
"If you've already registered a marriage with Lily, then why did you propose to me? Why did you promise to hold our wedding by the end of the year?"
Before Adrian could answer, Lily suddenly burst out laughing.
"You mean the bet we made?"
A chill ran through my body, and my voice dropped. "A bet?"
Lily reached out and wrapped her arm around Adrian's. He didn't pull away.
She laughed even brighter. "Everyone kept saying you were desperate to marry Adrian, so I just wanted to know if it was true. But I never expected you to be this cheap."
"He proposed with a plastic ring, and you actually said yes."
"So cheap."
My face went pale, and the hand hanging at my side clenched into a tight fist.
Because of that plastic ring, I'd had doubts about his sincerity too. But Adrian had looked at me then, guilty and earnest, and said, "The custom ring hasn't arrived yet, but I couldn't wait any longer to marry you. Elena, would you think less of me for this?"
I'd looked into his eyes and accepted his proposal.
In the end, I never got the ring he promised to make up for it.
What I got was his marriage certificate with Lily.
第2章
Lily's laughter grew more and more unrestrained.
Adrian looked at my ashen face and finally snapped at her in a low voice. "Enough."
Lily immediately flung his arm away, tears springing to her eyes instantly. "You're scolding me? You're actually scolding me for Elena?"
"Since we were kids, even my own brother couldn't bear to say a harsh word to me!"
"Go live with Elena then. I never want to talk to you again!"
She ran off crying, and Adrian didn't even glance at me before chasing after her in a few quick strides.
"Why are you running off like that? There are so many cars out there. What if one hits you?"
Lily turned her head away sulkily, refusing to look at him. "Then let them run me over. My brother's already dead anyway, and now even you don't want me."
Adrian's voice softened instantly. He reached out and pulled her into a hug.
"I never said I didn't want you."
"In my heart, you'll always come first."
Lily shot me a smug look, then, seeing my expressionless face, pursed her lips in boredom.
Adrian led her back to me by the hand.
"Sorry. Lily's been spoiled by all of us since she was little. She doesn't know how to hold her tongue. Don't take it personally."
I raised my head and asked him, "So everything she just said, is it true?"
Adrian's expression stiffened for a moment. "The store called me today. The ring is ready. I'll propose to you again."
I laughed coldly. "You're already registered as married. What's the point of proposing again?"
"Adrian Black, I don't want secondhand goods that have already been married off."
Adrian went silent for a moment, then, with rare patience, tried to explain.
"Her brother, Luca, died saving my life back then. Lily lost her only family."
"I promised Luca I'd give her a family in return. Registering the marriage is the only way to make her feel safe."
"You should be more accommodating with her. Don't fuss over these things."
When Lily first came to make a scene at my company, Adrian had said the same thing.
Lily has no family. She's pitiful. So I should give in to her. Lily is just too afraid of losing him. So I should understand her.
But I was pitiful too.
Who was going to understand me?
Adrian softened his tone. "I promise, this is the last time. I won't let her go to your workplace and cause trouble again."
Lily also clung to his arm and spoke up. "Alright, alright, I swear, I'll never play this catch-the-mistress game again. Satisfied?"
"When are we going to eat? I skipped breakfast today, and I'm starving."
Adrian's expression turned serious immediately. "Who told you to skip breakfast? Did you already forget about fainting from low blood sugar last time?"
He scolded her a few times in anger, then turned his head and gave me a light, fleeting glance.
"Lily already swore. Stop holding onto this."
"You go home first. I'll take her to eat."
Their backs grew farther and farther away from me.
My phone screen suddenly lit up. It was a notification from the HR manager.
The company had decided to cancel my hire.
No amount of promises could bring back what I'd already lost.
I stared at the message for a few seconds, then, swallowing my pride, reached back out to the overseas offer I'd turned down last time.
They replied quickly.
"Stone, we were just comparing a few candidates on our end and were about to reach out to you again. If you're willing to join, come report tomorrow morning at nine."
Only after booking a predawn flight did I reply with a single word.
"Okay."
第3章
I tried to hail a cab, but this area was out of the way, and after waiting twenty minutes, not a single car came.
The noon sun made me dizzy until Adrian's car pulled up in front of me.
He looked at me. "Get in. It's hard to get a cab here."
I didn't move.
He tried again. "Get in. The sun's blazing out here. Heatstroke would be a real problem."
Adrian got out of the car himself and opened the passenger door for me.
Looking up at the blinding sun, I got in anyway.
As soon as I settled in, I reached over and turned the AC temperature up a little. Adrian immediately turned it back down the moment we hit a red light.
"Lily can't stand the heat."
He remembered Lily couldn't stand the heat, but forgot that today was my period.
The cold air left my hands and feet freezing, and on top of that, the passenger seat was uncomfortable. I was about to adjust it when Lily reached over from the back and stopped me.
"Don't touch it."
"This seat is only temporarily lent to you. If you move it, I'll have to adjust it all over again next time."
I turned to look at Adrian.
"You're the one who told me to get in."
He just tried to placate me. "Lily gets carsick, so she can't drive herself and she's used to the passenger seat. She's tired today, so she went to lie down in the back for a bit. Just sit here this one time. Bear with it and it'll be over."
I pressed my lips together and didn't touch the seat again.
My lower belly ached more and more, and when my hands and feet were so cold I could barely stand it, Adrian reached into the passenger-side glove compartment and pulled out a blanket.
"If you're cold, cover up with this."
My heart warmed, and I was just about to reach for it.
Lily suddenly spoke up from the back. "Adrian, I'm cold too."
Without a shred of hesitation, Adrian turned and handed her the blanket.
"I told you not to wear such a short skirt. Now you know what cold feels like?"
Lily stuck her tongue out at him. "Isn't that what you're here for? You'd never let me freeze."
Adrian smiled.
He turned back, and only then noticed my hand still frozen midair.
He explained, "Lily bought that blanket and keeps it in the car. It's hers."
"If you feel cold, you can buy one and keep it in the car next time too."
I pulled my hand back and shook my head.
"No need."
I blamed myself for being too stupid. A moment ago, I'd actually softened just because of the passenger seat and gotten in the car.
Mistakes I made myself, I had to bear the consequences myself.
The hour-and-a-half drive left my hands and feet nearly numb from the cold. The moment I stepped out, the scorching heat actually felt warm to me.
Adrian carefully opened the back door and raised his hand to shield Lily's head so she wouldn't bump it.
Only then did I realize the car had stopped in front of a restaurant.
I said, "I want to go home."
Adrian turned to look at me and frowned. "Don't be difficult."
"You were in a rush this morning, so you must be hungry by now. Lily said this buffet is really good, and she specifically had me turn around to pick you up so you could eat with us. Don't be ungrateful."
I felt the hollow ache in my stomach and didn't argue anymore.
Worst case, I'd just sit apart from them.
But Adrian took Lily and sat directly across from me.
"We came together. No need to take up two tables."
Lily raised an eyebrow at me. "What, does Elena not want to see us?"
They didn't lower their voices, and the surrounding customers' eyes immediately converged on us.
Not wanting to become the center of attention, I stopped arguing with them.
After a few bites of beef, my face grew itchier and itchier. Then Lily suddenly pointed at me and burst out laughing.
"Look at her face, all covered in hives. Doesn't she look like an old witch?"
第4章
"Adrian said you're allergic to wasabi. I thought he was exaggerating."
"Turns out it's true."
"So funny."
Adrian's face darkened, and he reached over to cover her mouth.
"Enough."
Lily pried his hand away, looking innocent and curious. "Why can't I say it? Didn't you tell me all this yourself?"
When I was little, someone deliberately played a prank on me. They mixed a huge amount of wasabi into my food, and I nearly didn't make it. After that, I rarely mentioned my allergy in front of others.
I never thought Adrian would take my pain and tell it to Lily like a joke.
Lily tilted her head at me. "Elena, does the beef with wasabi taste especially good?"
I raised my hand and slapped her hard across the face, then asked coldly, "How does my slap taste?"
Adrian stood up immediately and blocked her. "What the hell is wrong with you?"
"Lily was just joking with you. Besides, you're still alive, aren't you?"
I picked up my bag from the chair and gave him an indifferent look.
"Adrian Black, we're over."
He froze, instinctively trying to follow me, but Lily grabbed his wrist, crying.
"My face hurts so much. Will it scar? Will it leave a mark?"
Adrian stopped in his tracks and softly tried to soothe her.
"I'll take you to the hospital right now. You'll be fine."
I walked out of the restaurant and immediately flagged down a taxi to the hospital.
They probably knew I loved beef, so the wasabi in that plate was nearly fatal. I only took a few bites, but it still messed me up badly.
Even the doctor shook his head after examining me.
"You know you're allergic, yet you don't pay attention when you eat out. You don't take your own health seriously at all."
I took medicine at the hospital and lay there for a few hours. When I felt a little better, I got up to leave.
When I went to the front desk to pay, the staff handed my card back.
"Sorry, ma'am, but there's insufficient balance on this card."
I was momentarily stunned.
This card was the salary card I used specifically for savings, holding all the money I'd saved from years of work. And the medical fee this time wasn't even a thousand.
After paying with what little was left in my payment account, I immediately called Adrian.
Only he knew my payment password. It was his birthday.
Last month, when my phone broke, I'd logged into my bank account using his phone.
When the call connected, he didn't hide anything.
"I transferred the money."
"Lily's face is hurt from your slap. The doctor said she might need reconstructive surgery if it's serious."
"This is the compensation you owe her."
I could no longer keep my composure and cursed him out angrily.
"Adrian Black, have you lost your mind?"
"If I really had that much strength, I would have slapped her unconscious straight away."
"Transfer my money back right now."
Lily snatched the phone. Her voice carried a malicious laugh.
"If you want it back, sure. Come to the fourth floor of the hospital right now and let me slap you a few times to vent, and I'll have Adrian transfer it back."
"Impossible. In your dreams."
I refused outright.
Adrian's voice came back on, cold as ice.
"Then consider this money your compensation to Lily for emotional damages."
"When you're ready to come apologize, that's when I'll return it."
The call was cut off.
I was shaking with rage.
The next second, I dialed the police directly.
"I want to file a report."
"Someone illegally transferred assets from my account without my knowledge."
"The amount involved is three hundred thousand dollars."
