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
Samantha daren't tell the truth. She could sense that Pierce was serious about Millie. She could accept if Pierce married someone their parents arranged. He wouldn't love the woman, and they would just be married by name. Then, his focus would still be on her, and she could stay close to him, even only as his sister. That was enough for her.But Millie was different. She had taken all of Pierce's attention and affection, leaving Samantha feeling less important. She was no longer the most important person in Pierce's life, and that realization devastated her, but she didn't dare voice her thoughts.She knew Pierce well. He would surely stay away from her if he found out she had such thoughts about him."You looked into her? Did you tell Mom and Dad?""Shouldn't I tell them? Have you ever thought of what would happen to the Atkinson family if people in Arbelton found out you married a tainted woman? Even if you don't care about your own reputation, you should think about Atkinson Gro
Pierce said, "Millie's home alone. I'm worried.""Pierce, you weren't even worried when I ran away from home. We haven't talked in awhile. I have so much to say. I miss the days when you would tell me stories and help me fall asleep. How about we spend the day together tomorrow? I've accepted her, so why don't you spend some time with me?"Pierce realized he had been a bit harsh on Samantha lately and agreed to her request. He stayed up late, soothing her to sleep until midnight.Instead of staying in the same room, he went downstairs and sat in his car. He turned on the villa's security cameras to check when Millie returned and what she had been doing at home.Even though they were in a fight, he kept a close eye on her every move. He knew it was wrong to spy, but he couldn't help himself.However, Millie didn't return home that night.He furrowed his eyes. His first thought was that she was out with Julian. But he didn't think Millie would do such a thing.He felt worried, so
"Don't worry. I'll never cheat," Millie yelled angrily. However, her tone was too weak to be convincing."Where were you last night? You didn't go home either.""I was looking for Samantha. She's been acting out, hanging out with all sorts of thugs!" Pierce answered."You stayed out all night?" Millie asked."Yeah, I watched over her at the hotel. I was afraid she would run away," Pierce said calmly. He didn't want her to know that he'd spent the whole night watching over her, unable to sleep.Millie sneered inwardly. These siblings really do care for each other. They even watched over one another even at night. Pierce must like Samantha too. Maybe he was unaware of his feelings, or maybe he knew but was holding back because of the nature of their relationship.Just as she thought of it, Samantha walked in with a bouquet."Millie, I'm here to see you," Samantha said in a much softer tone. She even had a smile on her face. Millie didn't know what Pierce said to her, but he manage
Samantha left the hospital room and called Stefan, "Hey Ste, how's Wanda doing?""She's been sent home. I've taken care of the online comments, and once things calm down, I'll take her out for a bit.""Good to hear. Lately, it seems like everyone's been in the hospital.""Who else is in?""Millie. She had surgery, and it sounds pretty serious. It's a shame. Pierce hasn't done anything for her; he just left her at the hospital. She didn't even tell her family and only hired a caregiver. I felt so bad for her, so I went to visit.""What kind of surgery? Is it serious?" Stefan sounded worried."I don't know. She won't say, and I didn't want to push her. It seems pretty serious. Ste, maybe you should go visit her. Millie had been with you for three years. Even if she didn't do much, she worked hard. Now, she probably really needs someone there with her.""If Wanda finds out…""Wanda would understand. She'd want you to go see Millie. Honestly, you and Wanda owe Millie. She's in this
The call was quickly answered."Where are you?" Millie asked."I'm still on a business trip," Pierce replied."Then turn on the video. I want to see your face."There was a brief silence on the other end of the call. Millie knew Pierce was lying. "Are you still not willing to tell me the truth? Jason came to the house, asking to take back your gun. What's going on? What happened in the days you were away?""I'll tell you when I get back home." Pierce's voice was a bit muffled.He then hung up the call and removed the bandage from the corner of his eye.The wound was right beside his eyebrow. Since he had dark eyebrows, the scar shouldn't be that noticeable. He could only cling on to this wishful thinking.With that, Pierce returned to the villa.Millie hadn't seen him for days. She felt that he had lost a lot of weight and looked even more exhausted after the trip."How did you get injured again?" she asked.Pierce initially thought it would take her a long time to notic
Jacob eventually calmed down and said, "Do you still insist on doing this when you know it doesn't exactly benefit us?"Pierce replied, "I wouldn't dare to deceive you, neither do I dare to contact you in private. But this doesn't affect our operations, which was why I dared to do so. I want to find someone, but I can't no matter how hard I've tried, so I had no choice but to ask for their favor.""You… Are you still doing it even though we won't get anything good out of this?" Jacob asked.Pierce fell silent and clenched his fists. "Yes. I will resolve whatever problems I've caused. After that, I'll kill them in my own way."Jacob threw his cup at Pierce upon hearing this.With Pierce's skill, he could have dodged it. However, he chose to stand straight.The cup hit him right at the corner of his eye, causing him to bleed."You…" Jacob angrily stood up. "W-Why didn't you dodge?" he asked in a shaky voice."I did something wrong. It's right for you to punish me," Pierce simply
Gideon really admired Pierce's calm and composed demeanor."What's the matter?" he asked."I need you to help me find a lady who went missing. I have to know if she's still alive or not," Pierce answered. "I need her, dead or alive. I can't do this on my own, but with your help, it'll be much easier."He had used every legal method he could think of. But desperate times called for desperate measures, and there was only one option left—to enter the underworld."You're making such a big scene just to look for this one person? What? Is she like your lover or something?" Gideon asked."She's an enemy, the kind that I want dead more than anything."The way Pierce paused after each word made him sound eerily intimidating."Is she also like us, from the underworld?""No, she's just a nobody."Gideon felt chills running down his spine. Having dealt with Pierce for this long, he thought he knew his true nature well enough—a righteous police officer who always played by the book. But ri
Pierce felt like he was drowning, but if someone were to pull him out of the water right now, he would survive.Sometimes, Millie couldn't imagine what would happen if she left Pierce one day because of her disappointment in him. Would he still be able to move on?Pierce survived by clinging onto his sheer will. At first, it was the fixation on avenging his sister's death. But now, it was all because of Millie."What are you going to do now?" she asked."I can't tell you just yet, but I promise it won't take longer than three months."Since Pierce wasn't planning to elaborate, Millie didn't bother to keep on asking either.For the past few days, Millie had been carefully taking care of the wound on Pierce's neck. Even though a small patch of new pink flesh had grown over his wound, it still looked pretty hideous. Fortunately, Pierce always wore suits with collars that were high enough to cover his neck. Millie would always start tearing up whenever she saw his scar.She said,
Pierce was aghast. Mills! His poor Mills!Everyone around Pierce had accused him of committing a crime, but he didn't do it. He had been trying so hard to find out the truth, but in the end, he still got nothing.Did he really betray Millie? Did he really taint himself by sleeping with Sarah?Even if he truly believed that Piercy didn't do anything, he still couldn't find any evidence to prove it.Sarah and Piercy were nowhere to be found either.How was he supposed to prove his innocence? He felt like a trapped beast that couldn't find its way out.Just then, Millie made a subtle twitch. It startled Pierce, and he immediately withdrew his arm around her and pretended to remain unconscious.Millie didn't sleep well at all. The first thing she did after waking up was to check on Pierce. The monitor showed that Pierce's heart was racing.She then brought out a warm towel and gently wiped his face.She began, "Your hair has grown so much longer, but you didn't even properly
Millie rushed forward and saw the disconcerting look in Pierce's eyes.Pierce hadn't rested for two days, so his nerves were stretched to their absolute limit. His eyes were completely bloodshot too.The moment he saw Millie, he grabbed her like he was a drowning man who finally got his hands on a life buoy. His large hands clamped down on her arm with such force that it felt like he was going to crush her bones.Pierce howled, "Tell him to come out, please! He listens to you. Ask him to come out, Millie. I don't care if he takes over this body. I just need him to tell me the truth! Did I betray you? Did I mess around with another woman? I'm begging you…""Pierce, calm down please." Millie tried to soothe him."How can I calm down? I want to be with you, but if I really did betray you, then at least let me die knowing the truth! What am I supposed to do now? How long does he plan to torture me?"Pierce shoved Millie aside, frantically searching around the room. He even lunged at
Samantha looked at Stefan in disbelief. "You still have feelings for Millie… Is that what you're saying?""What else? Do you expect me to have feelings for you? As long as you stay in your place, I won't make things too difficult for you. But don't overestimate yourself," Stefan sternly warned."You… You weren't like this before! I'll abort this child and make you regret it for the rest of your life! I'll really do it—try me!" Samantha cried.Stefan didn't bother mincing his words. "Do you think you can threaten me? There are plenty of women who want to have my child. Who do you think you are? If you don't give birth, Wanda will probably be thrilled. "The Atkinson family doesn't want you anymore. So, you're no longer some rich heiress. You're just Betty Miller now. If you leave me, who else can you rely on?"Ever since Samantha got pregnant, Stefan's goal had already been achieved. He didn't even care about his own child. He was happy to let Samantha and Wanda fight to the death,
For the next two days, Millie still didn't see Pierce.During that time, she continued visiting the hospital every other day to check on Stefan's condition. There were signs of improvement, but because of the sulfuric acid burns and the severity of the wounds, recovery would not be a quick process.Since they didn't have much to talk about, Millie simply read to him to help pass the time."I'll come back the day after tomorrow," she softly said, setting the book down.Stefan nodded, unsure whether he should keep holding on or let her go for good.Just as Millie reached the door, he couldn't help but call out to her again, "Do you regret it?""Regret what?" Millie turned back to look at him."Regret… being with me."Millie replied, "I do. But people don't have the ability to see the future. So, some mistakes are worth experiencing because at the very least, they teach us lessons. "I've learned to approach love with more clarity now. I will love myself first before loving any
Stefan said, "I'll take good care of myself…" Then, he suddenly started coughing. At this point, he couldn't tell whether the pain in his body was worse or if his heart hurt more.Millie panicked. If Stefan's condition worsened, how would she explain things to Agnes? So, she quickly got Stefan a glass of water and helped him take a sip. Only then did he finally manage to catch his breath.Millie felt completely useless sitting there. No matter what they talked about, it felt inappropriate. Her presence might even be making things harder for him."How about I turn on the TV for you? It'll help pass the time." Millie suggested."You don't need to do anything. Just stay here with me quietly," Stefan said."Alright then." So, Millie picked up a book and began reading to him.Her voice was as sweet as a songbird's. However, Stefan couldn't focus on anything she was reading—the only thing he saw was her delicate face.Time ticked by slowly.Meanwhile, Pierce stood outside the