Millie struggled to open her eyes, trying to make out who it was. But with the light streaming in behind them, all she could make out was a tall silhouette and nothing else."Who are you? How dare you mess with me? Do you know I'm—"Before Alex could finish, the newcomer sent him flying with a heavy kick. The next moment, Millie found herself in a warm embrace.Millie couldn't open her eyes because her eyelids felt too heavy. Despite that, she could vividly sense his presence. The newcomer had to be Pierce. After all, she felt a cold and aloof air, as if he stood apart from everything.The worry that had been weighing over her chest melted away. Having him nearby always brought her comfort.Pierce gently brushed Millie's cheeks with his hand. Even in her unconscious state, she winced in pain.Feeling a pang in his heart, Pierce withdrew his hand because he was scared of hurting Millie further. He gently set her down on the couch and draped his coat on her to keep her covered. T
Pierce could feel Millie's warm tears seeping through his shirt.After some time, Millie finally returned to her senses. She looked up, teary-eyed."What are you doing here?""I heard you calling for help."They were destined to meet. Whenever she was in danger, he always managed to show up in the nick of time. He was like her lucky star."Are you hungry? Do you want something to eat?"Mille shook her head."Are you tired? You should take a nap.""Stay with me," Millie asked softly. She knew she was being unreasonable, but she was still shaken from the ordeal. Alex's touch made her feel like she had fallen into an abyss. That was her greatest fear.Pierce pursed his lips as he made up his mind. "Alright. I'll stay with you.""Not on the couch. Stay with me by the bed. Is that okay?" Millie pleaded. Having him closer would make her feel safer."Alright. Whatever you say."Pierce was incredibly gentle and patient that night. He complied with all her requests.Millie leaned
Millie's hand froze in place, awkwardly lingering where it had landed. At that moment, she wished she could just disappear."I was just checking out your chest muscles. You work out a lot, so I wanted to see how they were."She tried to sound calm as she slowly withdrew her hand, patting his chest. "It's not bad. It feels quite firm. Impressive."Pierce raised an eyebrow and watched as she babbled on with a straight face."I'm going to freshen up." Millie turned and quickly left without looking back, feeling the weight of his intense gaze on her the whole way.Once inside the bathroom, she locked the door and leaned against the wall. Of all the times for him to wake up, why did it have to be right then?After washing up, she came out and saw Pierce changing clothes. His back was facing her, and his pants were already on, revealing his strong and muscular back.His body was covered in scars, some from bullets, others from sharp weapons. He wore each one like a badge of honor.A
Since Pierce had made his decision, Millie decided she wouldn't be concerned with it anymore.While she was resting at home, Samantha completely ignored her. Her attitude was arrogant and dismissive. Millie didn't bother with her either. Samantha had returned to Atkinson Group to work as Pierce's secretary. Everyone knew her status. Even Tobias had to show her some respect.Two days later, the mark on Millie's cheek had faded, but there were a few bruises on her body that would take longer to heal. Celia immediately burst into tears when she saw Millie return to the studio."Why are you crying? I'm fine, aren't I?""It's all my fault. If only I hadn't messed up. If only my stomach didn't hurt that day, I could've gone with you. Then, that Thorne guy wouldn't have dared to do anything to you!" Celia cried."How could anyone have known what would happen? It's not your fault. I don't blame yourself, and I haven't given it a second thought." Millie tried to make Celia feel better.
Millie froze when she heard those words.Samantha wasn't biologically related to the Atkinson family. She was adopted. No one outside the family knew about it. This meant it had been kept a tight secret.Samantha stared at the frame, caught in a daze. It was obvious she was deeply in love with Pierce.No wonder Millie always felt uncomfortable about the sibling's close relationship.Millie froze, feeling like she had stumbled upon a huge secret. She didn't know if she should be there. She staggered away and hurried back to her studio, locking herself inside her office.That would explain why Samantha didn't like her. She was her love rival.Millie wondered if Pierce felt the same way about Samantha. Perhaps he refused to accept his feelings for her because of societal boundaries, or maybe something else was stopping him.Millie recalled his gentle tone toward Samantha on the phone. He had never spoken to her that way nor to anyone else. He adored Samantha, and he was aware the
Millie said, "They're quite close, huh?""Is Sammy making things difficult for you because she found out about your relationship with Pierce? Millie, you should break it off. Pierce is more dangerous than you realize," Stefan asked."Thanks for your concern. I'll handle it myself," Millie replied.Millie felt light-headed as she left Leach Manor. She couldn't understand why her chest felt so heavy, so she breathed deeply, forcing herself to calm down.Pierce had saved her multiple times. He was like a savior to her, and she held him in the highest regard. Her respect and admiration for him grew as she began to understand the hardships faced by police officers and soldiers.Thus, despite knowing that men are unreliable, she developed feelings for Pierce. She was upset to learn that Pierce had forbidden feelings for Samantha. However, she quickly regained her composure.Fortunately, she found out about this early. Otherwise, she would be forced to relive her past if she got too inv
Julian felt embarrassed, thinking that Pierce had crossed a line."Pierce, how could you say that to a girl?" he said in a low voice."Did I say something wrong?" Pierce replied casually, raising an eyebrow at Millie.Millie felt a surge of anger. She would gladly comply if he wanted to act like they were strangers. "Right. I'm a stranger. You guys can chat. This is my office, so, please get out."Pierce said nothing more and turned to head to Julian's office."I know you're usually cold to women, but you should be more considerate. What did Millie do to deserve that?"Pierce pursed his lips, clenching his fists tightly. He heard her say they would break up sooner or later. Did she merely see him as a tool for revenge or something to kill her loneliness?"Let's stick to business. I don't want to talk about anything else."Julian couldn't say much.After they finished discussing the order, Pierce was about to leave when Julian stopped him."Can you give me some advice? I rea
Despite the tension over the past few days, Millie knew her health was more important, so she decided to call.Usually, Pierce would answer quickly, but this time, the phone rang for a long time before someone finally picked up."Pierce, I'm at—""Millie, it's me."To her surprise, Samantha was the one who answered. At that moment, a cold chill ran through Millie's body, and she could no longer feel the pain."Where's your brother?""He's in the shower. He can't answer the phone now. He won't be going home tonight, so stop bothering him."With that, Samantha coldly ended the call, leaving Millie no chance to say anything more."How's everything? Is your family here? We're ready for the surgery." The nurse walked out."I'm sorry. My family can't make it. I can handle this alone.""You just need to be aware that there are risks involved with the surgery. Just sign the forms after you've read through everything."Millie signed her name with a heavy heart. Her signature was wonk