Millie halted in her tracks. She could behave recklessly if she wanted, but she'd never risk the well-being of her family.How could Stefan threaten her with her family? Since when had he changed into such a vile man?"I can crush your family like they're bugs. All I want is for you to apologize to Wanda. Is that a difficult task?" "Is it that difficult for the two of you to apologize to me?" Millie retorted."Millie—" Stefan seethed in anger in the face of her stubbornness. She was gentle and compliant back when they dated. She always looked at him with light in her eyes, but now, she stared at him coldly as if he were a stranger.Millie was at the door. She could not believe that Stefan refused to let her go. He asked the security to stop her."Get her back here. I want her on her knees!""Stefan, I'm scared…" Wanda whined."Don't be. I'm here."Unable to fight against the security guards, Millie swiftly grabbed the fruit knife from the table. Seeing that, Stefan barked,
Before Millie could react, Pierce had already put down his cutlery and sent the photo to Bill.Soon, Bill responded with a voice message."Very well. It puts my mind at ease to see you two getting along. You need to take better care of Millie. She's too skinny. Make her put on some weight, or people will think you're letting your wife waste away."Millie understood that this was all just an act to reassure Bill. However, Pierce's sudden action could easily lead to misunderstandings."Eat up," Pierce said, resuming placing food on her plate but did not feed her again."Grandpa is right. You're too skinny. If word got out, people would laugh at me for failing to care for my wife. They might think that I'm depriving you of food.""That won't happen. Our marriage is a secret; no one knows I'm your wife," Millie replied without thinking.Pierce's hand paused slightly. Then, he stopped serving her, and the harmonious atmosphere abruptly became tense.Millie didn't know what she had s
"She has the same demeanor and mannerisms... It should be her.""What do you mean, 'should'?" Stefan roared, slamming the table.Jerry's legs finally gave way, and he collapsed to the floor."Maybe... maybe it wasn't her…" he mumbled incoherently.Wanda clutched her chest, looking devastated."Millie, you're implying I framed you. What would I gain from that? Have you seen my injuries? If Stefan had arrived a few minutes later, I might have bled to death."Also, Stefan has already decided to be with me. Why would I risk my life to frame you?""How would I know—"Millie started, but Stefan cut her off with a furious expression, "How much did you pay him to act out this charade with you?"Hearing this, Millie finally understood that no matter how solid her evidence was, Stefan wouldn't believe her. His bias toward Wanda was blatant and unwavering."Stefan, tell her to leave. I don't want to see her. I won't pursue this matter any further. The guilty will get their karma. Stefan
"Do you like it?" Pierce suddenly asked."Of course. Who wouldn't like something so brilliant and beautiful? It's a shame it's so fleeting and impossible to hold onto."Pierce pressed his lips together, choosing not to respond.Meanwhile, Millie had forgotten about her sadness after having so much fun.By the time they were heading back, it was already past midnight. Tired, Millie fell asleep in the car with her head resting on Pierce's shoulder.Pierce glanced at her briefly, then continued working on his documents.Soon, they arrived at the villa."We're here—""Quiet," Pierce ordered softly.Tobias immediately fell silent.Pierce then gently lifted Millie in his arms and carried her upstairs, laying her down on the bed."It's amazing how soundly you sleep," Pierce remarked as he tapped her forehead lightly. He watched her for a while before leaving the room.It was a beautiful night, the moon shining brightly, accompanied by a light breeze.Early the next morning, Milli
Wanda majored in finance at university, a field unrelated to fashion design. Now that she had set up a fashion design company upon her return, it was obvious that she intended to undermine Millie.Poaching her employees was just the beginning. Wanda would likely attempt to steal her clients and projects in the future."Did she not try to poach you too?""Of course she did! She offered me the position of design director, but I couldn't accept it. That would make me a traitor. I'm sticking with you!" Celia stated with a grin.Millie felt touched by her words. Celia had stayed by her side out of loyalty and gratitude after Millie had helped her out of a difficult situation once."Go ahead and hire two more people. It's time to get the studio fully operational again.""Will do!" Celia responded enthusiastically before heading out.Millie returned to her office and was ready to get to work when her phone rang again. It was another international number."Ms. Aurora, someone reached o
Millie stretched with a contented sigh.Just then, she received a call from Pierce."What's up?""Grandpa doesn't want to stay at the sanatorium anymore. He wants to head home. Come with me to pick him up.""I'll be right there."The two of them hurried to the sanatorium, where Bill had already packed his things.Whether it was due to his treatment or because Pierce had recently gotten married, Bill was in high spirits. He looked nothing like someone with a chronic illness.As soon as he saw Millie, Bill eagerly took her hand. "Millie, you've grown prettier! Wait, have you lost weight? Is Pierce not taking good care of you?"You rascal, what the hell have you been doing? She's getting skinnier!" Bill reprimanded Pierce as he hit him in the leg with his walking cane.Millie quickly intervened. "Grandpa, I've been on a diet recently. I thought I looked better with a few pounds off. Pierce keeps telling me to eat more. It's my own doing.""Really? It's not that he's neglecting
"Why?" Millie asked."No reason. It's an order."Then, Millie was shut inside the bathroom, feeling bewildered.Her curiosity got the better of her, and she quietly cracked the door open. She could vaguely hear strange noises coming from the bedroom."Mmm...""Ah—"The heavy breathing of a man and the soft moans of a woman.It sounded like... porn!Millie's face turned bright red at the realization.In her panic to close the door, she slipped and tumbled out of the bathroom.Seeing her fall, Pierce quickly approached her. "Didn't I tell you to stay put? If you were one of my soldiers, I'd have you running laps as punishment."Put these on and stop listening to those filthy sounds." Pierce scolded her and then placed the earplugs in her ears, shutting the door once more.Millie guessed that Bill was likely eavesdropping outside the bedroom, trying to determine if they were truly behaving like a married couple.After half an hour, the noises ceased. Millie hurriedly finished
Millie choked on her toast upon hearing Bill's query.Pierce shot Bill a glare and patted Millie's back, handing her a glass of milk."Grandpa, these things can't be rushed. Millie and I want to enjoy our time alone first.""But you're not getting any younger.""Millie is still young, so there's no hurry. We will have children, just not right now," Pierce replied with such conviction that Millie was taken aback for a moment.Nevertheless, she quickly reminded herself that it was just a lie to placate Bill.Though somewhat dissatisfied, Bill didn't press the issue further.After breakfast, Pierce headed to the company, and Millie stayed home with Bill."It's time to reorganize some of the old stuff. Millie, come give me a hand."At the end of the corridor on the second floor, there was a locked door.Bill unlocked it, revealing a room filled with items covered in dust. He instructed the housekeepers to clean up and then opened a drawer, pulling out a thick photo album.His ha
After all the effort that Millie had made to escape the villa, was she now out of the pan and into the fire?She struggled desperately, her strong survival instincts giving her unexpected strength. Still, the disparity in strength between a man and a woman was undeniable—she couldn't overpower the taxi driver."Let me go!" Millie cried, her voice trembling and on the verge of breaking into sobs."Relax, sweetheart. I'll take good care of you. Heaven must have taken pity on me to send you my way!" the man said with a lecherous, greedy smile.Millie felt nauseous at his words. Just then, her hand brushed against a rock on the ground. Immediately, she grabbed it and smashed it against the man with all her might.Millie didn't know where she'd hit, but the man yelped in pain and released his grip.Millie then seized the opportunity and bolted away without hesitation. If he'd managed to drag her into the abandoned building, there would be no escape. No one would hear her cries f
Millie decided that she couldn't just sit around and wait for Pierce to deal with her. After all, why should he be the one to decide her fate?Worst came to worst, she'd call the police and turn herself in. Even in prison, she'd get food. It was still better than being tortured like this.Determined, Millie steadied herself against the wall as she got up. After drinking enough water to fill her stomach, she regained some strength and headed toward the balcony.It was the dead of night, and the maids were all asleep. Millie studied the external structure of the house.Right outside the balcony was the outdoor unit of the air conditioner. If she climbed over the railing, jumped onto the unit, and slid down the drainpipe bit by bit, she might be able to make it safely to the ground.And if she missed and fell… Well, the maids wouldn't dare stand by and let her die. They'd have her sent to the hospital.Her choices were simple—stay here and starve to death, or take a chance and f
Pierce then picked up the fruit knife from the table. "I am her husband. Since I failed to keep her in line, then I share the blame. I'll take responsibility for her mistakes. So, I'll cut myself twice to double the punishment.""Pierce, no!" Samantha shouted in panic. But it was too late. With one swift motion, Pierce slashed his left arm twice. It left two deep wounds, and blood began gushing from the cuts. The wounds were severe, and he might even have damaged his tendons or nerves."Doctor! Get the doctor!" Samantha screamed.A vein throbbed at the side of Pierce's temple, but he didn't make a sound."Is this enough? If it isn't, I can add two more cuts. She's my wife, so her mistakes are my responsibility," he firmly said."It's enough! Stop! Doctor, hurry up!" Samantha cried even harder.The doctor rushed in and quickly bandaged Pierce's arm. Fortunately, the treatment was prompt enough to prevent any long-term damage to his left arm.Samantha, now a sobbing mess, clun
"Pierce, now you've seen my true colors. I'm not a good person. From the very beginning, I got involved with you to get revenge on Stefan. I ruined Wanda's reputation to punish that scumbag and that vile woman. I was even willing to risk everything, including myself."You've seen it all—I'll stop at nothing to achieve my goals. Now, whether you call the police and have me arrested or decide to divorce me, I have nothing more to say," Mille evenly stated.Pierce frowned deeply, his expression unreadable. "The maids did call the police, but I suppressed the matter. This is a family matter, and I believe you didn't mean to harm Sammy. But no matter what, you shouldn't have used a knife!""Then what do you want me to do? Apologize to Samantha? Let me tell you, I'm not the type to bow my head. I'll never apologize!" Millie's voice rose sharply."I expected this," Pierce said with a frown, his gaze filled with a complicated mix of emotions, including disappointment.Millie met his eyes,
"How dare you hit me? Why are you all just standing there? Help me already!" Samantha became agitated and called for help.The maids came forward at her command, clearly siding with Samantha. Although the maids' movements were light, Millie could feel them sneakily battering her. When they grabbed her arms, their fingers cruelly dug into her skin.Millie felt pain all over her body. The maids subtly pinched her thighs, her waist, and other places concealed by clothing. Some even covertly pricked her with needles.Their methods were calculated and sinister, and it was obvious that Samantha had prepared them for this in advance.The pain was so intense that cold sweat dripped down Millie's face, and she realized that she had to get out of there immediately.Knowing that she was at a disadvantage, Millie acted quickly. If they managed to restrain her, she would sustain numerous injuries in the most covered up places that were not easily detectable when one looked at her.With he
No one was cooking in the kitchen. Were they going to eat out?As Millie was pondering this, the sound of a car horn honking came from outside. Unexpectedly, Samantha and Pierce arrived together.Samantha, who was usually lively and chatty, silently stood behind Pierce. She was unusually subdued that day."You're back! Are we eating out tonight? Should we bring the cake with us?" Millie asked.Pierce froze, his expression dark as he stared at the cake on the table. He questioned, "Did you prepare this?""What's wrong?" Millie instinctively took a step back as a chill ran down her spine. Pierce's gaze was terrifying.Just then, Samantha quickly spoke up, "Pierce, Millie just joined us recently and isn't aware of this. Don't be mad at her. "You know… Pierce was kidnapped at his birthday party when he was a child and almost died. He hasn't celebrated a birthday since then."Millie's face became ashen at her words. It was Samantha who had suggested celebrating Pierce's birthda
"Let's go home, I'm tired." Millie didn't want to discuss it, so she changed the topic.Pierce looked at her in frustration, but he could only drive her back home. Millie pretended to be asleep on the way home to avoid the awkwardness of being alone with Pierce. When she returned to the villa, she went directly upstairs. She didn't allow Pierce to sleep in the room, either. …The next day, Millie overslept on purpose so that she wouldn't have to leave the house with Pierce. When she went downstairs, she found that the housekeepers were energetically decorating the living room. "What are you doing?""It's Mr. Atkinson's birthday in a few days. We're secretly putting up some decorations to give him a surprise."Millie lightly knocked her head. She had been so busy that she'd forgotten Pierce's birthday at the end of the month. "How do you usually celebrate?" she asked."Ms. Sammy would buy a cake and make a home-cooked meal for him, and there'll be presents too.""Despi
At that moment, Julian called out to her, "Millie, there's a question that I've been meaning to ask you for some time.""Fire away, Julian," Millie replied."Who do you think is better-looking, me or Pierce?"Millie choked on her food and coughed so hard that tears gathered at the corners of her eyes. What sort of question was that?"Eat slowly, nobody's going to take your food away from you." Julian patted her on the back.Millie finally regathered herself after a while and quickly said, "Both of you are good-looking in your own way!" She wasn't going to offend anyone here. Julian's smile widened. He then put a hand on his cheek before continuing to ask, "Then from the two good-looking options you have, choose one who is better looking.""Julian… What a shallow question…""Just say it, I want to know too," Pierce said, his voice low and pleasing to the ear.He looked at Millie calmly, as if he was saying that he wouldn't be angry even if she felt that Julian was better-loo
Millie felt a little embarrassed after reading the message.She didn't blame Pierce for anything since she wasn't forced into it. If anything, she also willingly joined in at the end.Millie hesitated for a while and texted her reply: "It's not what you think. Something urgent just came up at the studio, so I had to leave. You don't have to stay at the company. Come home tonight.""Alright, then let's have dinner together tonight."Millie felt a mild headache come on. In truth, she didn't feel like having dinner with Pierce either. But if she were to refuse, he would probably assume that she was still hung up over what happened last night.So, she had no choice but to accept. Pierce replied, "I'll pick you up at six.""I might still be busy with work by then. I'm actually not sure when I'll be able to leave.""It's fine, I'll wait for you."Millie had no words left to argue.The studio had gotten significantly busier recently. Wanda's public apology paired with Millie's repu