Verdier Club was a place Stefan often frequented to drink and hang out with his friends. Millie's conscience told her that the abductor had been lying to her, so she shouldn't be believing what he said. However, she just couldn't stop herself from coming over to have a look for herself.She had been with Stefan for three years and knew the private room he was often in. She rushed there at once."You lost, Ste! So, truth, or dare?""Truth.""Alright then. Who is the woman you love the most?""How's that even a question? Of course, it's Wanda.""Ooh!"Everyone in the private room started to laugh and riot.Millie stood outside the door, her face turning more pale with every second. Her legs felt like lead, and her hand hung mechanically in the air. She couldn't bring herself to knock on the door.A while later, the people in the room seemed to have played another round of "Truth or Dare", and the "Wanda" from before seemed to have lost."You lost, Wanda! So, truth, or dare?"
Pierce extended his hand toward Millie. His fingers were long and slender, and he had a large palm.Millie was frozen in place when she heard his voice again. She was shocked. However, the drunk man rushed up to them just then. Still under the influence of alcohol, he yelled, "Are you fucking blind? Did you not see me standing there? I'm going to skin you…"Pierce said nothing. He handed the umbrella over to Millie and grabbed the drunk man, forcing his arms behind his back.Then, he pulled out his phone and called someone. A while later, the police officers from the nearby station showed up."This man harassed a young woman on the street. He should be a repeat offender. Take him back to the station as a fair warning to him.""Alright, we'll take care of him," the police officers said politely before taking the drunk man away.Millie should have grabbed the opportunity to run while Pierce was busy talking to the police. However, her legs refused to budge. She was still rooted t
Pierce was on the phone with someone and didn't notice Millie coming out."Alright, I'll go shopping with you this weekend. I'm driving now, so I'm hanging up. Okay, I'll do whatever you say."Pierce gave off the impression that he was a tough guy who spoke his mind in an assertive way. However, he was now speaking gently into the phone with a ghost of a smile on his lips. Suddenly, he didn't look too intimidating anymore.He was most probably talking to someone he liked on the phone. Since he used to work with the law, he upheld it and didn't drive while talking on the phone.Millie looked like she'd just seen her savior. She hurriedly knocked on the driver's door.Pierce frowned and rolled the windows down. "What?" His voice was tinted with suspicion."I'm hanging up now. Something just came up. You can do whatever you want to me next time."Pierce seemed like he was trying to pacify the other person on the line before he hung up. Then, he stayed inside the car while looking a
Millie was shocked. She hurriedly called for the nurses at once.Bill had just been eating a second ago, but now, he was being wheeled into the emergency ward. Meanwhile, the sanatorium also hurriedly called Bill's relatives to inform them of the matter.Millie waited anxiously outside the ward. About an hour later, someone arrived in a hurry."Officer Atkinson?""What are you doing here?"Pierce frowned when he saw Millie. Bianca hurriedly explained, "She's a regular volunteer here, and Bill loves her the most. He's been complaining of shallow breathing lately and often wakes up in the middle of the night. We never thought his condition would suddenly relapse…"Pierce didn't bother chatting with Millie and continued asking about his grandfather's condition instead. It was only then that Millie finally learned of Bill's full name—Bill Atkinson.Bill was later wheeled into the operating theater for an emergency operation. He was only wheeled out four hours later.By the time B
Upon hearing that, Wanda glared at her friend before taking Millie's hand with enthusiasm. "Ms. Jordan, you must be here to give me your blessing, right? I knew you weren't a petty woman. I would rather receive your blessing than the blessings of hundreds of others. Only your blessing will make me happy."Wanda's eyes sparkled innocently. What a fake bitch!Millie snapped, "Don't put words into my mouth. I'm here for lunch. I had no idea Stefan would be here."She was about to leave, but Wanda grabbed her arm and wouldn't let go. Wanda even shed a few tears in sadness. She lamented, "You still refuse to forgive me, right? I know I wronged you, and I'm willing to do anything to make it up to you. How about I go down on my knees?"Before Millie could speak, Wanda shakily went on her knees while sobbing, which attracted the attention of customers at the restroom.Infuriated, Wanda's friends went up to help her up from the ground.One of them yelped, "Why did you get down on your k
The smile froze on Millie's face. How could she have forgotten about her man?She turned around, only to bump into his solid chest. She touched it and gasped. His was an eight-pack body for real.She quickly removed her hand and stumbled backward, only for him to pull her closer.His air of dominance overwhelmed her. She had no way to escape, and she breathed faster.He teased, "Want to give it a try? I won't mind."He lowered his gaze and spoke to her in an alluring tone. Her cheeks flushed as blood rushed to her head.She stammered, "Just now… Well, it came out in the heat of the moment. It wasn't my intention to offend you.""It's fine. Call me anytime if you ever have those needs." Without warning, he moved away and released her, putting a distance between them like a gentleman.His tone changed from flirty to serious when he was gauging her intentions toward him. She couldn't help but marvel at his flexibility.She assumed he did not have much chance to interact with the
Pierce turned around when he heard the sound. Millie grabbed her chance to check his shoulder area.There wasn't any injury.It was all in her mind.She let out a relieved sigh as she really hoped Pierce wasn't her assaulter. Before long, she panicked again, as she had seen his naked body.She lifted her head stiffly and peered into his eyes. They were shining so brightly and scarily.She was doomed!Her first instinct was to escape, but he beat her to it. He quickly slid on his bathrobe before catching up to her.He grabbed her by the neck and dragged her into the bathroom. "Were you peeping when I showered?"She shook her head. "No, I didn't. Listen to me. This is a misunderstanding. I was sleepwalking. Yes. I have a condition…" Her voice trailed off. She was too embarrassed to keep lying under his scrutiny.Oh, what was she blabbering about? No one would believe in that flimsy excuse!"Did you regret your decision and hoped for some sexy times?" He gripped her waist tigh
"Millie, stop messing around. Pierce keeps his distance from women," Stefan snapped with a frown.In his eyes, Millie would always belong to him."Millie, take a seat by my side. I'll apologize to you for the misunderstanding last time. I have so much to say to you—""Who do you think you are? Stop speaking to me in that disgusting tone when we aren't even close," Millie retorted instantly.Wanda paled and teared up."Wanda, just ignore her. She'll behave once Pierce kicks her out," said Remi Burnett, Stefan's lackey.While speaking, his eyes hardened. Pierce did not stop Millie from taking a seat by his side as if he had given her the seal of approval."Pierce…""Yeah? What?" Pierce replied coldly.Everyone was at a loss for words. Stefan fixed a malicious look at Pierce.Someone suggested, "Let's play some games rather than just drinking."Millie nodded fearlessly. However, she lost in the first round because she rarely played the game.Before Remi announced the dare, Wan
Pierce asked Millie that question with determination.Millie fell silent. Technically, she should treat Pierce and Stefan similarly and steer clear of Pierce.But her heart always swayed when it came to Pierce for some reason. It was probably because Pierce was always there for her whenever she had a hard time. Whether it was before or after their marriage, he never disappointed her. He wasn't like Stefan, who kept breaking her heart to the extent that she had gotten used to it. Stefan was constantly deliberating the pros and cons and picking the side that benefited him the most. To him, Millie was always the one who could be discarded as the other option.On the contrary, Pierce had never made her his second option. There was an awkward silence in the room. Millie didn't know how to respond to Pierce's question. As she was pondering her answer, she saw the corner of Bill's eye twitch. Was he regaining consciousness now?"Grandpa… Grandpa's eyes twitched just now," she sa
"Why are you here?" Pierce asked, despite knowing the answer."Grandpa must have been confused and called me in his disoriented state. Is he doing alright now?" Millie asked urgently. "I don't know what's going on inside." Pierce shook his head. "They're still performing emergency treatment on him. But the doctor did mention that his condition was quite severe this time. Grandpa might not be able to…" He drifted off, not finishing the rest of his sentence.Millie staggered on her feet, almost falling to the ground. She knew it was only a matter of time before Bill would have to say goodbye to the world, but she didn't expect it to be so soon. It had barely been a year!Bill had always looked after her. Ever since she married Pierce, Bill treated Millie even better than before. Despite the gossip about her, Bill always empathized with her, feeling her pain as if it were his own.Although she didn't have blood ties to Bill or Agnes, they still showed her the utmost love and c
Pierce said, "Yes, I wanted to marry her. So, the fact that you were pretending to be sick wasn't really a threat to me. You just provided me with a valid reason to do so."He continued, "I've transferred you to a different sanatorium these three years instead of letting you stay alone because of her too.""I see. No wonder you insisted that I stay here despite how much I dislike Mrs. Leach Senior. You're certain I'd see Millie here often and like her, huh?" Bill asked in curiosity."Not really."Pierce hadn't expected things to turn out this way. All he wanted was to see Millie more often. After finding out that Millie was taking care of Agnes in this sanatorium, he decided to visit Bill frequently to increase his chances of seeing her.Even a quick glance was more than enough for him. "Well, why did you agree to a divorce then? I don't understand at all. You care about her so much," Bill said.Bill knew that they were going to get a divorce. In fact, he wanted to stop them.
"Mrs. Leach Senior, I won't go. After all, it's your family gathering. How about I treat you to dinner alone some other time?" Millie suggested."You're part of my family too," Agnes insisted."I know you care about me, but Stefan is married to Wanda. If I attend, how do you think Wanda will feel? I don't want to stir up unnecessary trouble," Millie replied.She wasn't afraid of Wanda, but she had no desire to see her again. Wanda had already lost everything, especially after losing the baby. Her real goal wasn't to fight Millie to the bitter end—it was to secure Stefan's affection.Unfortunately, she had lost the ability to conceive children. The Leach family's vast fortune would eventually require an heir. No matter how much Stefan loved her, Wanda was destined to be abandoned.Millie found herself pitying Wanda. As always, her schemes had spectacularly backfired against herself."But I invited several exceptional young men to meet you. It's a chance for you to meet potential s
"Stefan, I've already ended up this way, yet you're still going to see your ex?" Wanda asked as tears streamed down her face."Wanda, it's not what you think. Grandma is back and wants to host a family gathering. She wanted Millie to come as well," Stefan explained."Family gathering? And you're inviting an outsider?""Wanda, Millie was with me for three years. When Grandma was ill, it was Millie who took care of her and kept her company."Wanda scoffed. "I could've done that too. Do you think I didn't want to? Why is my life so miserable? My family went bankrupt, and before my parents passed, they left me with your family. Your parents looked down on me, so they sent me overseas and married me off to an abusive drunkard!"My life after marriage was hell on Earth. It was a nightmare! Your family owes me more than anything Millie ever did for you in those three years. I am your wife now, and yet your grandmother is still thinking about someone else?"Is it because your grandmothe
Stefan felt his stomach churn violently. The smell alone was nauseating, and all Wanda had done was add a pinch of salt for flavor. How could she possibly eat the placenta stew with an overpowering fishy smell?Wanda ate happily, enjoying every bite. For a moment, Stefan had an unsettling thought—it didn't seem like she was eating a placenta, but a child.He waited until she finished before heading downstairs, acting as if nothing had happened."I'm leaving now," he said calmly."Wait, Stefan," Wanda said, stopping him."Is there anything else?""Are you really just going to forget about the incident? If Millie hadn't argued with me and pushed me, the accident wouldn't have happened. Even if she wasn't the mastermind, she should still bear some responsibility. "She's an accomplice to killing our child, Stefan. Are you really not going to seek justice for our baby?" Wanda asked while shedding a few tears. Her crying made her act look sincere and convincing.When it came to cryi
Stefan and Millie would have probably ended up getting married, right? Since Stefan had already treated Millie as a substitute, and she was even better than the original, why couldn't they just continue like this forever?Stefan suddenly recalled the first time he met Millie. She was dressed in revealing clothes, trembling like a helpless lamb awaiting to be slaughtered. When he first saw her, he was captivated—not only because she resembled Wanda so closely but also because she was genuinely beautiful—more beautiful than Wanda, and she was stunning. He couldn't help but feel empathy for her.In the beginning, he hadn't thought much of it. Millie was just a substitute, a cure for the heartache Wanda had left behind. But over time, Millie proved herself. She was thoughtful, considerate, and kind. Her presence gradually eased the pain left by his breakup with Wanda.In reality, Stefan had broken up with Wanda years ago and spent several years living recklessly. Meeting Millie agai
"Don't you… have anything to say?" Stefan asked hesitantly.It would have been a perfectly normal reaction for Millie to yell at Stefan or even slap him.But instead, she was calm. Her tone was flat, and her gaze was cold, sending a chill down his spine.Instead of anger and disappointment, she looked at him now calmly and emotionlessly as though he were a mere stranger."I need to go, Mr. Leach," she said softly.She recalled when Wanda barged into her studio, yelling at her and saying if this were ancient times, she would willingly share a husband with her. Wanda also agreed to let Stefan keep her as a mistress.If they wanted to humiliate themselves, it was their own business, but why pull her into their chaos?Millie had tried to explain herself, but neither of them had been willing to listen. Why should she waste her breath arguing with people who refused to listen?Stefan couldn't let her go, while Wanda saw Millie as a rival and wanted to compete with her. But to Millie,
Julian spoke each word slowly, and his words left Millie speechless.Even though she knew she was innocent, Wanda's plans had made her imprisonment almost certain. If it weren't for Pierce, she would have been doomed."What's going on, Julian? I thought you left," Millie said."Who said I left? I told you I just needed a few days to rest. Since I couldn't help with your troubles, I figured I'd at least look after the company for you."I wasn't just sitting around during my off days. I gave a lecture in school and recruited some new talent. As for the contaminated fabrics issue, I've already cleared the studio's name. It might take a bit of time, but we'll be back on track soon.""Julian…"It turned out she was the only one being narrow-minded. She even thought she and Julian couldn't even be friends anymore.Julian laughed. "I'm not that petty. We're still business partners, and I'm still your senior. We're… still the same as before, alright?"Millie nodded firmly. "Thanks, Jul