After checking the surveillance footage, Pierce noticed a group of suspicious people pushing a large cleaning cart. Given how petite Millie and Samantha were, they could easily be stuffed inside it. His chest tightened with worry for their safety, and he immediately started tracking down the group. …Meanwhile in the lounge, Mark was updating Stefan on the situation. "Alright," Stefan replied coolly. The room was filled with the rhythmic tapping of his fingers on the table. Feeling frustrated, he narrowed his eyes and murmured, "Pierce, I never thought you'd care about her so much that you'd lose your cool. "How could she pour her heart into making you love her but not me? Millie, have you ever really loved me over these past three years?"Just then, Wanda finished putting on her makeup and walked out. The crutches already made her look fragile, but the pitiable makeup further drew out a sense of sympathy."Make her lips a little paler," Stefan instructed.At his request,
Wanda continued, "I'm really sorry for letting everyone down. I hope the public can give me another chance to make things right. "From now on, I'll be more careful with my words and actions. Meanwhile, I promise that I will never make bets with anyone again," Wanda said.Her last line carried a subtle jab at Millie, hinting that Millie had despicably tricked her into making the bet."Thank you, everyone!" Wanda concluded. With that, she bowed deeply for the third time, acting out genuine sincerity.Just as the reporters in the audience were about to ask their questions, Wanda's doctor stepped in. He then explained that her throat hadn't fully recovered, so she was unable to speak any further.But Wanda insisted, "Just go ahead and ask. I can handle it."The doctor replied, "Ms. Lytle, you're still a patient, so please listen to your doctor. If you keep talking, your vocal cords could be permanently damaged. Do you really want to risk losing your voice forever?""But…" Wanda hes
"Really? Can you be more specific?" a reporter pressed.But Millie didn't have any evidence to pin the blame on Stefan. So, she forced a weak smile onto her pale face and said, "Well, it was just an accident. I was joking."The reporters saw that Millie was struggling to move forward, so they parted in sync to let her through.Climbing the stage was now an effort for her. The moment she stepped up, she wobbled and nearly fell.Instinctively, Stefan approached to steady her.However, Millie had already steadied herself and unhesitatingly avoided him.Stefan's hand hovered in mid-air before he slowly pulled it back."Wanda, I'm here now. It's time for you to give me a proper apology," Millie said. She stood at the center of the stage, her icy gaze locked onto Wanda.Wanda bit her lip, her gaze darting around. It was obvious that she didn't want to apologize to her.Wanda's doctor seemed to read her mind and spoke up, "Ms. Jordan, Mrs. Leach isn't avoiding her apology. She'd alre
Millie felt a wave of dizziness and collapsed to the ground.The sight of her falling made everyone's chests tighten.Stefan instinctively ran off the stage toward her, but before he could reach her, Millie had already fallen into Pierce's arms.The moment Millie saw Pierce, she whispered his name, "Pierce…" With that, her strength gave out entirely, and she slipped into unconsciousness.Pierce's heart clenched at the sight of the deep gash on Millie's calf. Without hesitation, he scooped her up into his arms and rushed to the hospital.The wound on Millie's calf needed more than a dozen stitches. On top of that, the rust in the wound raised her risk of contracting tetanus, so the doctors had started her on antibiotics right away.However, Millie's immune system was weak. So, she experienced a high fever for days and remained unconscious.At the time of the attack, Tobias had found Samantha while checking the cleaner's room. She had been drugged and was unconscious.Since Milli
Millie woke up to find a familiar face staring at her.She immediately felt a wave of overwhelming emotions and clung to Pierce's neck, holding him tightly.She felt like a child, utterly helpless in that moment.Pierce's heart ached for Millie as he gently stroked her head. His voice was soft and comforting as he whispered, "I'm sorry I'm late."He had believed that Millie and Samantha were taken away in a cleaning cart and had immediately chased after the vehicle, but it had all been a diversion.He'd realized his mistake and turned back, but the delay had cost him precious time. By the time he returned, the press conference was nearly over.Millie cried for a while before gradually calming down.She didn't blame Pierce. Anyone would have assumed that it was a kidnapping. But in reality, it was just a tactic that Stefan had used to ensure she missed the press conference."Is Samantha okay?" Millie suddenly asked, concern flashing in her eyes.Even though Millie didn't like S
The post was likely from a socialite, with tags like "wedding of the century" attached.In the photo, everyone stood clapping and cheering. Among the crowd, someone had captured a faint silhouette through the gaps between the people.Onstage, a couple was locked in a passionate kiss. Offstage, another couple was also stealing a quiet moment, their embrace and kiss going unnoticed by most.Someone commented, "What a beautiful shot."Millie zoomed in again and again. Whether it was due to the filter or the angle, the image was unclear and showed only two vague outlines.Still, she knew without a doubt that it was her and Pierce.They had kissed in secret, and somehow, it had been caught on camera and shared online.Fortunately, the image was blurry, and the publisher didn't elaborate. So, the viewers had no idea who the couple was.Millie locked her phone. But moments later, she unlocked it again. Almost without thinking, she saved the photo. After all, it was quite a beautiful
Millie's eyes widened in disbelief. She couldn't believe that such a bold statement had come from a little boy."H-How old are you? Do you even know what it means to get married?" Millie asked."I'm already ten. I'm not a kid anymore. Of course, I know what it means—it's spending my whole life with you. I'll be good only to you, and you'll only be good to me," Caleb replied matter-of-factly.Millie was stunned, but more so by the fact that he claimed to be ten! He barely looked six or seven, and his frame was frail—a clear sign of malnutrition."Why do you want to get married? You're just a child," Millie exclaimed.Caleb dropped his head, his expression crestfallen.He began, "When Mom passed away, she held my hand and said that she wouldn't get to see me grow up and get married. I… I won't get to grow up into an adult either. So, I just want to make her wish come true and find a bride ."Millie's heart clenched at his words.His mother had died. And he was sick—gravely ill, j
"Does he have a gun? The very powerful kind?" Caleb asked."Of course," Millie replied without hesitation. "His aim is legendary. He could hit a target a hundred yards away." Millie started shamelessly fabricating the story.Caleb's eyes sparkled with awe, all traces of his earlier fright gone. "Can he turn invisible?""Sure. He can easily climb walls and move things without touching them!""Does he shoot webs like a superhero?""Only foreign superheroes can do that, but we're not into that. Instead, he's mastered martial arts and street fighting."Pierce had been away for over ten minutes, and Millie spent every second of it exaggerating his feats.She didn't notice Pierce at all even though he was standing beside her, still enraptured in her fabricated storytelling.She continued, "He can even capture ghosts! If someone dies unjustly, he can negotiate with the devil in hell and bring them back.""Wow, that's so amazing!" Caleb exclaimed."Millie, if you were Pinocchio, your
That night, Millie couldn't sleep at all. She tossed and turned, unable to quiet her thoughts.When morning finally arrived, she immediately got up, washed up, and packed her things to head to the hospital. Pierce saw how anxious she was but said nothing. He simply accompanied her to the hospital without a word.Once Millie got there, she took over looking after Stefan from Agnes and Robin. She urged them to go home, wash up, and get some rest."Pierce and I are here. We'll take good care of him," Millie said reassuringly."Alright. I'll leave Stefan in your care then," Agnes replied.Only then did she finally leave, walking away with slow, heavy steps.After that, Millie changed into sterile clothing and entered the ward.Stefan looked weak, but his spirits seemed a little better. When he saw Millie, he even forced a smile and greeted, "You're here.""Does your wound hurt?" Millie asked in concern."No, not really. I have painkillers and a PCA pump, so I barely feel anythin
In the end, she and Stefan were simply not meant to be. The distance between them only grew wider as life went on. He should never have saved her.Pierce held Millie close. "Don't overthink it. The doctors are still working on him. We'll know once they come out. He's tough. He'll be fine.""Pierce, why did he have to do that? My heart feels so heavy." Millie wept."I know, I know." Pierce gently patted her back. He understood exactly how she felt.He wasn't afraid of Stefan scheming against him, but what worried him more was that Stefan would suddenly change and sacrifice himself to make amends for his past mistakes.If he had remained cruel, Millie could have hated him completely. But now, by repaying his debts bit by bit, he had placed Millie in an impossible position. She couldn't love him, but she also couldn't bring herself to hate him.Soon, Agnes and Robin arrived too.Agnes had aged significantly in the recent months, and she seemed to be in noticeably weaker spirits as
"Stefan, are you okay? Hold on! I'll take you to the hospital right away," Millie urgently said."Are… Are you hurt anywhere?" Stefan asked in a trembling voice, forcing himself to endure the pain.Even at a time like this, he was still worried about her."I'm okay… I-I'm fine," Millie replied with a slight stutter."That's good." Stefan breathed a sigh of relief.Millie glanced at the rotting, festering wound on his back and couldn't help but anxiously tear up. She didn't wait for Pierce and immediately hailed a cab.Meanwhile, the surrounding crowd had subdued the attacker—it turned out to be the disgruntled Carlos who had been fired. Even as he was restrained, he kept screaming that he wanted to kill Millie and make Pierce regret it for the rest of his life.As the commotion went on, Millie helped Stefan into the car. His back was so badly wounded that he couldn't lean against the seat. His face was as pale as a sheet of paper, and his entire body was drenched in cold sweat
Yulia's words had tainted Pierce's ears. Since that was the case, he would find a way to make sure she could never speak again.If it had been the Pierce of the past—the one who worked as an anti-smuggling officer—he would never have considered such an option. But now that he was freed from the constraints of that identity, there were some matters that he no longer had to be so cautious about.He was never a purely kind person. His heart was far darker and more calculating than most could imagine. He could be a ruthless executioner without a shred of hesitation, or he could appear as an untouchable, noble paragon of benevolence.After resolving the situation with Yulia, Isabella felt relieved and invited Millie out for drinks.Millie was glad to hang out with her. Sharon had taken Tristan abroad, so she no longer had a drinking buddy."You have no idea how utterly disgusting that Yulia made me feel. It was like someone had forced a mouthful of dirt down my throat!" Isabella comp
Yulia locked herself in her room. She was curled up on the bed, disheveled and unkempt.Her phone screen was lit as she scrolled through the comments under Pierce's latest Twitter post—all of them were insults directed at her. She had completely lost herself in obsession."I did nothing wrong! Why should I apologize? Pierce is the heartless one! He betrayed me! Even as a woman, I have more courage than he does! Mom, I want to appeal my case. I want to sue him a second time. That lawyer was useless…"Helena had finally reached her breaking point and delivered a heavy slap across Yulia's face. Yulia's head snapped to the side as a clear handprint formed on her cheek."When will you wake up? Everyone can see that Pierce never liked you! In fact, if you hadn't done all those ridiculous things, he wouldn't even know who you were! How long are you going to deceive yourself? You're completely delusional!" Helena roared.Then, she added, "And even if… even if something had actually happ
Yulia wept and continued to blabber in her livestream. "If you don't love me, then why did you stop others from hurting me and take me to the hospital? If you don't love me, why did you pay for my medical expenses?"Can you swear that you didn't feel even a tiny bit of emotion when we locked eyes in front of that bakery? I understand that marriages in wealthy families are complicated and involve many parties' interests, where one small move can set off a chain reaction. "I was so considerate of your predicament, but what did you do to me? To protect yourself, you threw me under the bus. Pierce Atkinson, is this fair to me?"After saying all that, she burst into tears, sobbing uncontrollably. Meanwhile, viewers in the livestream showered her with virtual gifts, comforting her and telling her not to cry, claiming their hearts ached for her.Millie came across her livestream as well. The platform's algorithm had pushed it to her feed, so there was no avoiding seeing it.She was sp
"No! Mr. Atkinson, you can't do this! I did it for you!" Carlos cried."I don't know Yulia personally, nor did I secretly ask you to take care of her. No wonder she kept misinterpreting my intentions and tried to get close to me. You were part of the reason that she's delusional," Pierce said with a scoff.Yulia must have assumed that all the special treatment Carlos had given her was Pierce's doing. Naturally, she would have started to fantasize.Pierce also reflected on himself. He never should have sympathized with her or helped her in the first place. When he saw her, he had been reminded of Millie from years ago and had wanted to make up for his inability to help her back then in some small way. Never did he expect that it would cause so much trouble for him.Whatever compensation John decided to ask from Yulia was none of his business too.After that, Pierce sent Carlos away and began addressing the false rumors spreading online."Well, well. You seem to have a lot of rom
Yulia believed that Pierce must have felt the same way. Since fate had brought them together, how could she possibly give up?Now that Pierce had paid for her hospital stay, she felt she should recover properly and not waste his kindness.…Meanwhile, back at Atkinson Group, Tobias never mentioned the matter to Pierce. The situation had been urgent when Yulia was hospitalized, and anyone would have covered the cost in such circumstances. After all, a life was at stake.Tobias reported, "Mr. Atkinson, the former Head of Sales, Carlos Reyes, keeps asking to see you. The receptionist has alerted me about this multiple times. He said he needs to see you for something important. Do you want to meet him?""Is he the one Mills fired?" Pierce coolly looked up."Yes," Tobias replied."Useless trash like him isn't worth my time," Pierce indifferently responded. After all, anyone who crossed Millie had also crossed him.So, Tobias immediately informed Carlos that if he ever came again, he
Yulia kept waiting for an opportunity, but the two times she saw Pierce, he was with Millie. The sight of this drove her mad with jealousy. How she wished she could tear Millie apart. If it weren't for her, she wouldn't be struggling just to get into Atkinson Group now.And so, Yulia obsessively staked out the parking lot every day like a madwoman. As a result, she had grown noticeably thinner. Sometimes, she saw Tobias. However, she didn't approach him. But finally, after nearly a week, she found her chance.Pierce had arrived alone with no one in the passenger seat. Just as he got out of the car, a shadow flitted into his peripheral view. As a former police officer, his reflexes were sharp. He immediately subdued the person with a grappling move."Ow… Ouch! It hurts…" Yulia pitifully whimpered.Pierce hadn't seen Yulia's face yet. He only realized that it was a woman and that she posed no real threat. So, he released his grip.However, upon realizing that it was Yulia, he