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
Mille folded the tie neatly and placed it into the drawer.She then got up and went to the bathroom to stare at herself in the mirror.Her face was still visibly flushed, and even though Pierce and her had not gone all the way, the teasing alone had already worn her out.Millie wondered what would happen if they were to reach that final step. Then, she immediately splashed her face with cold water to stop her mind from wandering further.Pierce did not want to go all the way with her. The only time he had ever brought it up was because she wanted to go public about her past.He mentioned that he would take responsibility for the rest of his life so long as she became his wife. Given his sense of duty and responsibility, he felt obliged to protect her once he had taken over her body.It served as a shackle of sorts.Pierce resisted that notion deep within his heart. Even as he reached orgasm, he had taken several steps back so as to put some distance between Millie and himself.
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
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 shut herself away from the outside world. In the following days, she didn't step out of her home at all. She had already informed Julian and Sharon not to argue on her behalf online, saying that justice would prevail sooner or later.Furthermore, to protect her employees and shield them from being adversely affected, she ordered everyone in her design studio to take leave for the time being. She would hold Wanda accountable for the studio's losses and make her pay back the damages down the road.Meanwhile, the rumors spread like wildfire on the internet.When Stefan saw them, he felt conflicted. He wanted to help but didn't want to risk Wanda finding out and losing her mind over it. He knew he had no other options left—his only choice was to firmly stand by Wanda. So, he decided to stay on the sidelines and waited for Pierce to act.Occasionally, he found satisfaction in the online discourse. Millie had claimed that she would never stoop so low as to become someone's
"But right now, the situation doesn't look good for you. Pierce and Charlotte are still engaged, and you've already divorced him. Yet, you're frequently seen together. The public backlash against you may be severe," Sharon warned."Don't worry. I'll be fine," Millie reassured her. Then, she ended the call and turned to Pierce.Coincidentally, Pierce was looking down at his phone and had just looked up as their eyes met. For a brief moment, an unspoken understanding passed between them."It seems like you've heard of the rumors being spread," Pierce said. "Yes. I plan to let it blow up first and create a bigger uproar before releasing the news of your annulled engagement with Charlotte," Millie replied."Alright, I'll follow your lead. I'll find out who's behind this soon enough." Pierce agreed.Millie changed the topic. "Didn't you sleep well last night? You have dark circles under your eyes.""It's nothing, I just had one too many dreams. It's not a big deal," Pierce said wi
Millie and Pierce had been able to handle amorous moments previously. But ever since she found out that Pierce was the man back on the ship, she'd developed a significant aversion whenever she got too close to him. So, they hadn't done anything more intimate since then.Millie wanted to suppress her fear and to try and take things further with Pierce. She kept trying to convince herself that given the circumstances back then, Pierce didn't have any better option to help her.If he had had any other options, he would never have taken that path. He was different from others. He had deceived her later on because he feared that she wouldn't be able to accept it—all of his efforts were for her sake.Millie struggled to control her emotions and forced herself to move her trembling hand downward. Her hand uncontrollably shook, and her face grew paler by the second.However, Just as she was about to touch Pierce, he firmly caught her hand. His eyes were filled with absolute tenderness
Wanda met Stefan's gaze, still feeling reluctant to back down. But at that moment, she couldn't find the words to refute him.She was incredibly jealous that Millie got to be with Pierce—that meant that she had secured a better other half than she did. Also, she was displeased by the fact that Leach Group was overshadowed by Atkinson Group.Wanda had yet to see Millie on her knees, begging for mercy. She wanted Millie to admit that she had lost and was inferior to her. She wasn't willing to let it all go. On the surface, she agreed with Stefan. But in her heart, she was already plotting how to deal with Millie.Didn't Millie claim she would never be a mistress? But Pierce and Charlotte were engaged in the eyes of the public now. So, hadn't Millie knowingly become a mistress? If the media caught wind of this, the backlash alone could destroy Millie.…That evening, Millie visited Agnes and stayed for dinner at Robin's residence. Pierce had originally planned to attend a busin
Millie shot Stefan a cold glare. "You've wrongfully already accused me once. Are you going to do it a second time?"Stefan had been about to say something, but her words left him speechless. His retort got stuck in his throat.Wanda angrily pointed at Millie and screeched, "This time, it's obvious you pushed me on purpose!""Don't you know why I pushed you? My phone is my personal property. Why did you snatch it from me?""You were messaging my husband. You shameless whore!""You heard that, Stefan. She grabbed my phone without my permission to look at our chats. If she wants to check up on you, it's fine because you're her husband. She can check your phone as she likes, but she shouldn't snoop through mine."I have nothing to hide. You know better than anyone whether or not I've ever tried to seduce you!"With that, Millie turned and headed upstairs without sparing Stefan another glance.As she walked past him, Stefan instinctively reached out as though he wanted to grab her h
"Weren't you asking for a remedy for getting pregnant? Why is it about improving your health now?" Rachel deliberately asked despite knowing what was going on.Wanda's face briefly flushed and turned pale."I'll go check on Mom. You two have a good chat and talk it out. After all, we're family. You don't have to hold anything back." Rachel excused herself, leaving Millie and Wanda alone in the living room.All the while, Millie remained calm. In contrast, Wanda felt diffident and restless.She began, "Millie, don't you know you should be mindful and avoid close contact with anything or anyone related to Stefan? This is his grandma's house. Why do you keep showing up around here? You claim you have no feelings for him, but look at yourself! You'd do whatever that draws his attention!"You pretend to be magnanimous, but you're in fact, the pettiest among us all! You know you can't take him from me, so you're trying to upset us on purpose, aren't you?"Millie wanted to laugh at su
Millie hadn't expected Wanda to be here as well. The fact that Wanda and Stefan had reconciled within a month surprised her. Rachel was insistent on Millie staying for dinner and refused to let her leave. So, Millie had no choice but to agree, partly because she was worried about Agnes. She got out of the car, and Rachel hooked her arm around her's, treating her like family. However, the two didn't go inside immediately. Rachel, clearly bursting with things to say, seemed eager to vent."You have no idea how much I can't stand Stefan's wife! She drives me crazy. Do you know why she came over today?""Why?" "She's here to ask me for a secret recipe to help her get pregnant. I wasn't in good health in my younger years, so I sought treatment from an alternative medicine doctor. We were family-planning at the time, and I wanted to make sure I'd have a boy. Lucky for me, it worked, and I had a son. "Wanda, after her miscarriage, is desperate to get pregnant again—and with a
Pierce was in the middle of explaining something when Millie's other hand gently touched his cheek."Does it hurt? I'm sorry… I didn't mean to be so rough," Millie said.Pierce reached out and gently held her hand. He opened his mouth, wanting to ask her if being with him was exhausting. He knew he was a complicated and contradictory person, and Millie had to overcome her fears to be with him. Was it a torment for her deep down? But Pierce didn't dare to ask. What if voicing it made Millie confront the question and she decided that couldn't stay with him anymore? He couldn't bear the consequences of losing Millie. He'd kept her in his heart for so long—far too long to simply let her go. Millie's heart skipped a beat as she caught the conflicted look in Pierce's eyes.What was he thinking about right now?"Pierce, you can tell me what's on your mind. Don't bottle everything up, okay?" Millie said."Okay."And then, they both fell silent.Millie felt a bit helpless.
Millie nodded in confusion, and Pierce kissed her even harder. He then began to remove her clothes as his hand continued moving downward.At first, Millie enjoyed the intimacy, but her body slowly tensed up without her knowing why.Slowly, the fear she'd felt on the ship that day crept back in.She had been insulted, humiliated, and tied up like an animal. Her eyes had been blindfolded, and due to the loss of sight, every touch was amplified.That large hand had roamed all over her skin, using her to ease his loneliness.At the time, she had been Stefan's girlfriend and was forced into being intimate with someone else.The trauma of the event had even made her think about taking her own life.Suddenly, the fear surged to its peak."No!" Millie yelled. She suddenly turned pale, her body breaking out in a cold sweat. Out of nowhere, she found the strength to slap Pierce hard.Her hand throbbed in pain, and her fingers trembled. Her palm was now swollen and red from the force