"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
Caleb seemed a little cautious. When it was just him and Millie, his smile was genuinely bright. But now that Pierce was here, Caleb didn't know how to smile anymore. Instead, he offered a classic fake smile, grinned broadly to show his teeth, and raised a peace sign."Move aside a bit." Pierce wanted to be next to Millie and mercilessly squeezed Caleb aside.Millie angrily glared at him before wrapping an arm around Caleb and pulling him closer with a faint smile."Miss, can I kiss you?" Caleb asked."Of course," Millie replied.So, Caleb happily kissed her cheek.Just as Millie raised her phone and was about to capture the moment, Pierce suddenly leaned in from the other side.Caught off guard, Millie took the photo.In the photo, she was smiling brightly, with one person on each of her sides, both of them kissing her cheek.Millie cast a peculiar glance at Pierce. She wished he could stop acting like this. After all, people would easily misunderstand them.Millie thought t
"Millie, just because you've come across a piece of trash, you're writing off the whole lot. Isn't that a bit too hasty?" It was a long while before Pierce finally spoke up."Maybe. Anyway, I don't have the courage anymore," Millie responded.Upon hearing these words, Pierce remained silent with his fists tightly clenched.His biggest regret was being one step too late. He had been away on a job when he received the news about the Jordan family. Without hesitation, he'd rushed back without taking a moment to rest. He was only a day late, and Stefan had already reached out to assist her.Secretly, he had stolen a glance at her once—it was three years ago when Millie still possessed that youthful and innocent glow. The way she gazed upon Stefan was like she was admiring a deity, overflowing with admiration and affection.He had protected so many people. Yet, he couldn't protect the one person he cared for the most.One misstep, and it was all over.He realized that he would ne
On the inside, Millie was losing her mind. Did Pierce know how irresistible he was being?Millie couldn't stop the rush of her blood to her head. Her breaths came in short gasps, and her cheeks flushed with heat.Pierce had a way of exuding raw sexual energy. His hand was on her leg, slowly stroking up and down.Millie felt herself growing weak under his touch. In a flustered state, she quickly pulled away her foot.Pierce raised his gaze, looking at her with a puzzled expression. "What's wrong? Did I hurt you?""Your grip was too strong. I'll do it on my own," Millie replied."Just say the word, and I'll be more gentle." Pierce's fingertips inched closer and softly grazed against her calf.Immediately, Millie pulled away, avoiding his touch. "I'd rather do it myself. I'm not used to this.""Why is your face turning red?""Oh, I'm just tired and need to rest.""Okay then, go ahead and rest."It wasn't until Pierce left that Millie felt like she could finally compose hersel
"Don't… Don't touch me…" Millie felt Pierce's large hand wrap around her wrist, attempting to move her hand aside in order to check the injury.His palm bore thick calluses—a testament to years of disciplined practice. Millie remembered how those same hands had explored every inch of her body in her dream, and the roughness of his calluses against her soft skin sent shivers down her spine.Startled, she quickly backed away several steps. "I'm fine. Don't worry about me... I'm fine..." she repeated those words as she hurriedly walked past Pierce and descended the stairs.Pierce was concerned about her and wanted to follow her, but she quickly stopped him. "I'm only headed downstairs to get some fresh air. Please don't follow me. I... I need to be by myself for a bit." Then, Millie scurried off as if being pursued by wild animals or a raging storm.Pierce was utterly confused. Had he done something to upset her?Millie descended the stairs and made her way to the yard.She was in
Immediately, Pierce retreated a couple of steps, looking at Millie with a mix of emotions in his eyes.Millie became even more interested as Pierce appeared a little aggrieved. The more he avoided her, the more excited she became.In her dream before this, Pierce was always dominant, and it made her want more. But the tables had turned now, and she liked it."Is there a part of your body I can't touch?" she asked."Millie, are you drunk?" Pierce asked in confusion. Otherwise, why else would she be so bold?"I didn't drink any alcohol. Can't I call the shots since this is my dream? Come over here and let me love you.""Your dream?""Isn't it?""What do you wish to do to me in your dreams?" Pierce clenched his fists and suppressed the complicated emotions in his heart.He wanted to know what Millie would do to him in her dreams. Although he knew that he was playing with fire, he went ahead with it without care."Since you asked…" The moment Pierce stepped closer, Millie dragged
Millie had no idea why she was so stimulated recently, but she had no way of release. Indeed, women had their needs once they matured.While her thoughts were running wild, the bathroom door swung open. Startled, Millie sank into the bathtub and hugged herself."W-What do you want?" she asked."I thought it over and decided that I can't leave.""What?"Pierce paced toward her step-by-step. "You're always the one helping me with my needs. Now that I know what you're going through, it'd look bad if I did nothing about it. I can take care of your needs, too.""Never mind! I'll find a solution. I can buy a toy, or call someone—""Call someone?" Pierce's face turned dark."No, I was just running my mouth. I'd never do something like that. I'll buy a toy—"But it was too late—Pierce already joined her in the bathtub. It was a double bathtub, so it was large and had more than enough space for two people.Millie was in her bathing suit, but in contrast, Pierce had already changed
Millie didn't know that even before finishing, love-making could put her through a rollercoaster ride, lifting her high and throwing her down.In the beginning, she bit her lip, refusing to make a sound because she thought that she was being too promiscuous and shameful.However, Pierce always had his ways and patiently coaxed her so that she would relax little by little.He would even encourage her, saying, "The sounds you make are cute."Millie, you look really good like this. Don't be so nervous and relax, otherwise you won't feel good. Follow my rhythm."Suddenly, he asked a random question, "Millie, you've never called me hubby, have you?""Yeah," Millie mumbled in reply. Covered in sweat, she gasped for air. The pleasure had brought her waves of spasms."Will you call me hubby?"Millie's body turned stiff when she heard this. Calling Pierce hubby was more embarrassing than moaning. Their relationship was inappropriate. While they resembled friends with benefits, they we
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