Millie didn't hesitate when she heard Agnes' words. She raised her hand and slapped Wanda across the face.Wanda tried to fight back, but Agnes was prepared and had someone hold her down tightly."She can't seem to think straight. Just beat some sense into her!" Agnes said sternly. She came from a family of martial artists, and her decisiveness and fierce spirit were evident.Millie slapped Wanda again. "Don't you know why it happened? Was your birthday so important that you didn't care about my well-being? You must have been so pleased with yourself back then, right?"I haven't owed you anything these past three years. You knew he was my boyfriend, but you seduced him anyway! People like you will eventually pay the price. And if karma doesn't get you, I will!"Millie continued slapping Wanda until her hand was red and numb from the pain. Wanda's mouth bled, her hair was disheveled, and she was too weak to cry out anymore.On the other side, Pierce had Stefan pinned down, leaving
"Mrs. Leach Senior, I would have been willing to trade my life for Stefan's if I were there that day," Wanda said pitifully."I know how much you love him, so just sign this," Agnes responded, unimpressed by Wanda's hypocrisy. She had seen and experienced too much in her life. Wanda's little tricks didn't stand a chance."If you don't sign, it proves that you love the Leach family's wealth, not Stefan himself!"Wanda glanced at Stefan, who stood silently, frowning. If she didn't sign, Stefan would surely begin to doubt her. But if she did sign, and things didn't work out between them in the future, she'd walk away with nothing."Wanda, if this is the only way Grandma will give her blessing, then sign it. I love you, and I always will. Time will prove that I'll never let you down," Stefan reassured her."Of course, after you marry Stefan, I won't let you down either. You'll have a monthly allowance of fifty thousand dollars, deducted from a trust fund. It can't be withdrawn as cash
Agnes had met countless people after living for so long and could easily see through the thoughts of the younger generation at a glance. But she couldn't quite read the young man in front of her.Pierce was reserved and calm, with an air of darkness about him. He was proud and aloof, not someone to be trifled with. Despite having been a police officer, which should have given him a sense of righteousness, Pierce carried an ambiguous presence, straddling the line between good and evil.She wanted to know if Pierce truly liked Millie."Mrs. Leach Senior, why are you asking this?" Pierce responded."I had hoped that Millie and I could become family, but that's not going to happen now. The Leach family has wronged her, but I care about her deeply. I want to know if she's found a good person.""I'm her husband, and I will be loyal to her as long as we're married. I'll do everything in my power to treat her well, to protect and care for her.""What if you get divorced?""Then I won't
Seeing that Millie was hesitating, Agnes was about to kneel to beg her. She was truly desperate. Stefan was all she had left after losing Gracie years ago. She couldn't bear to see Stefan fall into ruin.Agnes started to lower herself to the ground in the bustling airport.Millie quickly stopped her, overwhelmed by the gesture. "I promise. If it comes to that, I'll help Stefan through it.""Good child, you're such a good child," Agnes said with tears streaming down her face. "That foolish boy, if only he had half your sense."After an emotional farewell, Millie left the airport, feeling a sense of melancholy. She took a cab back and heard on the radio that the Leach Group had cut off all ties with the Atkinson Group, officially ending their cooperation. The news sent shockwaves through the city, as the two most powerful families in Arbelton were now at odds, forcing others to choose sides.Both families would suffer significant losses, but Stefan didn't seem to care. Millie felt a
At that moment, the private room fell into a dead silence. The music stopped, and the chatter ceased. Everyone's eyes were wide, fixed on Millie and Stefan at the center of it all.Pierce had already stood up in anger."What's this? Mr. Atkinson, are you stepping in to defend her? So, is she Mrs. Atkinson now, or is she still a designer? Does this mean that from now on, if Millie takes on a project and doesn't do a good job, we can't criticize her because of her title as Mrs. Atkinson? And if we do, will we face your retaliation?""Millie, why bother being a designer? Why not just go home and be a pampered Mrs. Atkinson?"Stefan's words were sharp and cutting. He was the kind of person who valued his pride above all else. He'd turn vicious the moment he sensed someone making a fool of him.Millie exhaled deeply and wiped off the wine that had spilled on her."When it comes to business, I represent myself, and Pierce is Pierce," she said, signaling to him with her eyes to not inte
"You scared them away," Millie said irritably. But just as she stood up, she was pulled into a warm embrace."I'm all dirty…" she muttered, trying to pull away, but Pierce only held her tighter."Why did you come out? Didn't I tell you to stay put? The more you worry and rush out, the more pleased he gets. How did I not see before how awful his character is? He can't handle losing—""Can we not talk about him?" he interrupted her, clearly not wanting to hear Stefan's name.Not sure what was wrong, Millie simply nodded obediently.His embrace chased away the chill of the night air that had clung to her.Not far away, Stefan watched the scene unfold and felt a sharp sting in his eyes. The woman who had been devoted to him for three years and depended on him for everything had moved on so quickly and found someone new, leaving him behind.He even started to doubt that those three years meant anything, that maybe she had only been pretending, stringing him along. Now that she had fo
"I'm going to sleep outside," Pierce muttered, his voice strained as if he was holding something back.Millie got up and turned on the light to find Pierce's flushed face and cold sweat on his forehead. He looked sick.Her drowsiness vanished instantly. She got out of bed and grabbed his hand in a concerned manner. She immediately pulled her hand back when she felt that it was like touching a hot stove. His body temperature was way too high, and his breathing was erratic and rapid. Was he running a fever?"Are you sick? Why are you so hot?" She reached out to feel his forehead, confirming that he was burning up."Don't touch me." He stepped back several paces, putting some distance between them. His voice was urgent and he even had a slight tremor."Should I call 911? Or get a doctor? We have some medicine at home. You could take something for the fever.""No need."This felt just like the last time he drank that aphrodisiac, but the effects were even stronger this time. What we
But Pierce didn't dare.He pushed Millie away."Don't worry about me, just leave.""Are you sure you don't need anything?""I've been soaking in cold water for half an hour, and it still hasn't helped. I can't be satisfied with anything superficial right now.""Then what do you want?""I want you!" Pierce's voice was hoarse.He wanted to make her lose herself, to see her cry and beg for mercy, to leave her unable to close her legs and keep her in bed the next day. These wild thoughts were taking over, threatening to destroy his self-control."Get out, and don't come back in!"Millie understood that even if she was willing, Pierce wouldn't take her. He was holding on to that last bit of restraint, unwilling to cross that line. She didn't know why he was like this, but since he didn't want her, she wasn't about to throw herself at him.Millie left, and Pierce continued soaking in the water.It wasn't until the middle of the night that he finally got out, feeling weak. He had s
Millie gently closed the box.Suddenly, a single tear slipped down, landing silently on the surface. Only then did Millie realize that she had been crying. She wasn't sure if she was mourning the love she once had or if her tears were for something else entirely.No wonder Pierce had told her to look at it in private. He didn't want to see her shedding tears for another man."It's all in the past. Why send this now?" Millie murmured.She wiped away her tears and picked up her phone. "Tobias, do me a favor. Auction something for me. Donate every last cent of the proceeds to charity. Not a single penny should be kept."She then ended the call and looked at the small box again. At least this way, it would be put to good use…Afterward, Millie headed to the study to check on Pierce. He watched her closely, his deep eyes unreadable.Millie pretended not to notice and said, "You keep working. I'm just going to sketch for a while."Pierce pressed his lips together as if he wante
Millie followed Pierce back home. As she stepped into the familiar space that belonged to just the two of them, her heart felt heavy with emotions.It had been two months since she had last been here, yet everything remained unchanged. Even the wardrobe had been stocked with new seasonal outfits.In those two months, Millie had lost a lot of weight. So, Pierce instructed the kitchen to prepare nourishing meals for her. He was determined to bring her back to full health.Pierce remained bedridden for another half month before he could finally use a cane to walk around a bit. His right leg was still severely injured, and every step sent searing pain through his body, making his face go pale and his forehead damp with cold sweat.Millie couldn't bear to watch him suffer and urged him to rest. But Pierce was stubborn and walked until his legs trembled, and he could no longer stand. Only then would he sit down."Does it hurt?" Millie worriedly asked."It doesn't. I just need to pr
With that, Millie turned around and left without hesitation. But just as she was about to step out of the room, Stefan's voice called out behind her once more, "Millie, I owe you an apology for everything. I never really said it before. It's late… but at least I'm finally saying it. "Millie, I'm sorry. I was the one in the wrong." Stefan's voice was soft, weakened by his injuries. It sounded as though those few words had drained all the strength from his body.Millie's body stiffened, and her hands were tightly clenched into fists at her sides.Stefan was apologizing at long last.Millie wanted to turn around to see if he was truly sincere or if this was just another one of his manipulations. However, she held herself back. Unimportant people didn't deserve even a second glance.Millie didn't say anything. She didn't say whether she would or would not forgive him. She just walked away.Stefan's face turned even paler. He knew that after everything he had done, he would never
Millie didn't want to see Pierce struggling alone, bottling up all his pain like a wounded lion licking its wounds in solitude.Upon hearing her words, Pierce simply tightened his embrace around her. "Mills… I'm scared…""I know. I understand," Millie whispered, gently patting his back."I'm afraid I won't be able to lift you anymore, and I'm afraid I won't be able to run or jump. I'm scared I won't be able to fight the bad guys and protect you anymore." Pierce's voice was soft and barely above a whisper. His sorrow was almost imperceptible, but it could be because he still hadn't fully released his emotions.Millie started, "You still have me. If you can't carry me, then don't. If you can't run fast or jump high, then I'll slow down and walk beside you. I can be your crutch and your support for a lifetime, okay?"And listen, Pierce, you may not be able to fight on the front lines anymore, but you're still there in spirit. We can move to the back lines to provide funding and strat
Pierce didn't tell Millie everything—such as the fact that Stefan had initially wanted to kill him. He spared Stefan some dignity, not wanting Millie to hate him forever.Millie stayed in the hospital to care for Pierce for two days when there was finally a change in Stefan's condition.Before he even regained consciousness, he was already calling her name. Robin anxiously rushed in to find Millie, and she hurried over."The patient's wound has gotten infected, leading to complications. We need to start emergency treatment immediately!""How could this have happened? Wasn't he supposed to wake up?" Robin was beside himself with worry."Millie… Millie…" Even in his fevered delirium, Stefan kept murmuring her name.Millie went over to him. His hand, which had been weakly grasping at the air, finally caught hold of something—her fingers. He clung to her tightly."I'm here, Stefan," she softly uttered.It was as if her words held some kind of magic, as Stefan immediately calmed d
Every word Pierce spoke was firm and impactful. Each word hammered on Stefan's heart mercilessly.Pierce owned up to his mistakes. But what about him? Could he do the same?All this while, he had been shifting the blame to everyone else. He blamed Pierce for stealing Millie away. Then, he blamed Millie for not forgiving him. He even blamed Wanda for seducing him, and the list went on…He had blamed so many people, holding onto their faults while conveniently brushing aside his own. When it came to himself, he always found a way to justify his actions. He completely ignored that he was the true cause of everything.Stefan's grip on Pierce's collar loosened. He took a few steps back in a daze and stumbled on his own feet, causing him to nearly fall to the ground."Those criminals… They're planning to strike again. I agreed to help them," Stefan said."Why are you telling me this?" Pierce responded."She said… She said that if you died, she wouldn't live either." Stefan's voice was
Millie gave Pierce a profound look that contained a myriad of emotions. Pierce could have been selfish and not tell her any of Stefan's good deeds. He could've even stopped her from visiting Stefan. Yet, he didn't do that.After giving Pierce one heavy nod, Millie went over to the adjacent hospital room.Stefan was seriously injured too. His health wasn't as good as Pierce's to begin with, so he still hadn't woken up yet.Robin was in his room, sitting beside him. He kept silently wiping away tears at one side."This is my only nephew. If anything were to happen to him, how would I face his late parents?" Robin mournfully said."Does Grandma know about this?" Millie inquired."I don't have the heart to tell Mom about this. She's old and frail. I don't want her to have a breakdown," Robin replied."I'll keep him company, Robin," Millie said.Robin hesitated for a moment and ultimately nodded. He believed that Stefan would want to see Millie upon waking up. So, Millie staye
"Don't move around. You're still very weak. The doctor said to give you some oatmeal porridge when you wake up. Your digestive system is still quite weak, so you need to eat something that goes down easily."A familiar voice sounded in Millie's ears."G-Grandpa? Why are you here? Where's Pierce? Pierce? Pierce…" After a moment of silence, Millie mumbled, "I forgot… Pierce is dead. Not even his body remains.""What nonsense are you speaking, child? Isn't he lying right beside you?" Bill interjected.Millie visibly froze for a second. Then, she whipped her head around to look. As Bill had said, Pierce was indeed right beside her. Layers of gauze were wrapped around his body, and he seemed to be heavily injured. However, his vital signs were steady, and his heartbeat was rhythmic—he was no longer in a critical condition."Pierce…" Millie tumbled out of bed without a care for the pain in her limbs.Bill quickly went over to support her and combined their beds together."H-How is t
Millie broke down emotionally. She was done with Stefan's constant self-righteous justification. He always blamed everyone else and deemed himself free of any wrongdoing. He acted as if the whole world had wronged him, while he had never wronged anyone.He painted himself as the pitiful and innocent victim, twisting logic to justify everything he did.Millie was done acting her part. She would let things play out however they should. There was no longer anything tying her to this world. If anything happened to Pierce, she wouldn't live either. Just the thought of being imprisoned by Stefan for three years was worse than death.And so, she locked herself in her room and refused to come out. Every day, the housekeepers delivered her meals. She had no appetite but still ate well.Millie also no longer cared whether Stefan had drugged her food or not. If she turned into a mindless lunatic, maybe that would be better than this painful clarity.…Days passed one after another.One