He stayed here until evening, then slowly went home. When he reached the villa’s entrance, he noticed the lights were still on inside. Just as he was about to go in, he received a call from the director. "Miles, due to some reasons from above, they want us to replace the male lead, so you don’t need to come tomorrow. Someone else will take your place." Miles felt a jolt in his heart. This drama was invested by Meridian Group, and now the director claimed there were reasons from above, which must mean Lia, right? He was very angry, his opening of the door was loud, and sure enough, he saw Lia sitting on the sofa, playing chess, looking quite focused. "Did you ask the director to replace me? Do you realize how much I’ve poured into this show? Lia, I hate your condescending attitude the most!" Lia’s hand holding the chess piece paused, and she looked up at Miles’s angry face, her lips curled slightly. "No matter what I do, you’ll hate it. Miles, you really can’t see the reality until now. In our relationship, I’m the one in control. Since you feel busy with work and have no time for me, I’m just lightening your workload. Isn’t that nice?" Miles was stumped by her words, feeling quite uncomfortable inside. "But you promised not to interfere with my freedom." Lia initially put herself in a low stance, which led him to be so presumptuous—it’s a basic flaw of human nature. Official source ıs 𝕟𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕝✶𝓯𝓲𝓻𝓮✶𝓷𝓮𝓽 Tonight, Lia had come to realize, she didn’t need to keep tolerating this man anymore. Without her indulgence, he would be unable to move an inch in show business. "Miles, being with me, is it really that much of a grievance for you? Our relationship was always transactional, something mutually consensual. At the beginning, I didn’t force you to be with me. Now you’ve taken all the resources I gave you but refuse to share a bed with me. Are you sure you’re not making a fool out of me, trying to remain faithful to Eleanor Hollis?" Her words were sarcastic, making Miles’s face flush red. Indeed, it was his own choice to be with her, but when it came down to taking that step with her, he hesitated. He just couldn’t bring himself to be intimate with an older woman like Lia. Lia’s eyes darkened, every time he would use this phrase to dodge her. "I will take back everything I’ve given you, Miles. You forced me to do this. I believe I’ve been good enough to you. There’s no need to go on ." Hearing her say this, Miles instantly panicked a bit. He knew well how much benefit he got from Lia. Now he’s famous; the dramas he starred in are popular—all thanks to Lia. If Lia were to take everything back, then in future, no directors would work with him, he’d basically be blacklisted. Despite panicking, he pretended to be calm. "I thought you genuinely liked me and were willing to wait for me to adjust. Turns out you’re just like everyone else, only pushing me." He instantly positioned himself as a victim, his eyes turning red. In the past, Lia would surely have surrendered immediately, but tonight she’d seen through it all, especially after knowing Miles helped Sienna escape the hospital, it made her feel even worse. In order to sabotage Eleanor Hollis and Hugo Quinn’s relationship, he even used his own sister. In his heart, Eleanor Hollis was the most important. Even if one day Eleanor told him to stab her, it’s believed he would do it without hesitation. Her lip curved into a smirk, and she clapped her hands. Two bodyguards instantly came in from outside and stood beside Miles. "Take him away, from now on, shelve him." With just a few words, Miles’s fate was sealed. Miles struggled unwillingly, his face full of fear. He had worked so hard to gain all this, now she was going to shelve him, on what grounds! He shouted, only to find that Lia had already bowed her head, continuing to study the chess board, with no intention to pay him any mind. Miles was truly panicking now. He broke free from the two men, came next to her, knelt down, and held onto her leg. "I was wrong, Lia, I shouldn’t have done this to you. Don’t shelve me, it’s been really hard for me to get to where I am today. Lia, you know I come from a poor background, I beg you, I’ll be obedient from now on..." Miles was somewhat incoherent, tightly holding onto Lia’s leg. Lia’s lips curved, her hand reached to pinch his jaw. "Then don’t interfere in your sister’s matters anymore. Miles, I’ve indulged you many times, you really think I don’t know what your sister is up to right now. I’ll tell you a secret, that child is not Hugo Quinn and Eleanor Hollis’s. It’s ours—yours and mine—and the child is destined not to be born. When months go by, it’ll naturally miscarry. Your sister will end up with nothing." Miles felt a chill all over, sweat poured down from his forehead in large drops. He helped Sienna escape from the hospital, where both acted out getting kidnapped, and now this person was telling him that the one inside is a child destined not to survive—their actions are just a joke to others! His teeth trembled slightly, he didn’t even dare to look at Lia’s face. "I... I’m willing to do everything for you, don’t abandon me, Lia, I have nothing, nothing left..." He clung to her even tighter, his eyes filled with terror. He was truly afraid now; he could never win against these people, they were born strategists. Lia’s eyes were full of mirth, she withdrew her hand. "Go clean up, you know what I want." Miles’s body went stiff, but finally closed his eyes slowly, blood-red in them. The two bodyguards were still standing in the room, but both had their heads bowed and didn’t speak. Lia leaned back on the sofa, closed her eyes exhaustedly. "You can leave, and in the future, stay by his side, watch him closely. Don’t let him contact any other women." She had given Miles freedom before; that man didn’t cherish it. Now, he just needed to be a good canary. The two men nodded, turned around, and left the villa. Miles wanted to contact Sienna and tell her the truth, but his phone had been taken by the two bodyguards. He anxiously paced back and forth in the room, and each time he thought of the child in Sienna’s womb—their child, yet destined not to survive—his body grew cold. He should’ve known, a man like Hugo Quinn wouldn’t let his child grow in someone else’s belly, he should’ve thought of all this earlier. But now he couldn’t reach Sienna at all, he could only despairingly wait in the room for Lia’s arrival. Sienna didn’t know these things yet. At this moment she was bound; her hands and feet had already grown numb, but she still hadn’t seen Hugo Quinn. "Damn it! You bitch, is what you said true or not! Is the child in your belly really Hugo Quinn’s?!"