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
"Let's go home, I'm tired." Millie didn't want to discuss it, so she changed the topic.Pierce looked at her in frustration, but he could only drive her back home. Millie pretended to be asleep on the way home to avoid the awkwardness of being alone with Pierce. When she returned to the villa, she went directly upstairs. She didn't allow Pierce to sleep in the room, either. …The next day, Millie overslept on purpose so that she wouldn't have to leave the house with Pierce. When she went downstairs, she found that the housekeepers were energetically decorating the living room. "What are you doing?""It's Mr. Atkinson's birthday in a few days. We're secretly putting up some decorations to give him a surprise."Millie lightly knocked her head. She had been so busy that she'd forgotten Pierce's birthday at the end of the month. "How do you usually celebrate?" she asked."Ms. Sammy would buy a cake and make a home-cooked meal for him, and there'll be presents too.""Despi
No one was cooking in the kitchen. Were they going to eat out?As Millie was pondering this, the sound of a car horn honking came from outside. Unexpectedly, Samantha and Pierce arrived together.Samantha, who was usually lively and chatty, silently stood behind Pierce. She was unusually subdued that day."You're back! Are we eating out tonight? Should we bring the cake with us?" Millie asked.Pierce froze, his expression dark as he stared at the cake on the table. He questioned, "Did you prepare this?""What's wrong?" Millie instinctively took a step back as a chill ran down her spine. Pierce's gaze was terrifying.Just then, Samantha quickly spoke up, "Pierce, Millie just joined us recently and isn't aware of this. Don't be mad at her. "You know… Pierce was kidnapped at his birthday party when he was a child and almost died. He hasn't celebrated a birthday since then."Millie's face became ashen at her words. It was Samantha who had suggested celebrating Pierce's birthda
"How dare you hit me? Why are you all just standing there? Help me already!" Samantha became agitated and called for help.The maids came forward at her command, clearly siding with Samantha. Although the maids' movements were light, Millie could feel them sneakily battering her. When they grabbed her arms, their fingers cruelly dug into her skin.Millie felt pain all over her body. The maids subtly pinched her thighs, her waist, and other places concealed by clothing. Some even covertly pricked her with needles.Their methods were calculated and sinister, and it was obvious that Samantha had prepared them for this in advance.The pain was so intense that cold sweat dripped down Millie's face, and she realized that she had to get out of there immediately.Knowing that she was at a disadvantage, Millie acted quickly. If they managed to restrain her, she would sustain numerous injuries in the most covered up places that were not easily detectable when one looked at her.With he
"Pierce, now you've seen my true colors. I'm not a good person. From the very beginning, I got involved with you to get revenge on Stefan. I ruined Wanda's reputation to punish that scumbag and that vile woman. I was even willing to risk everything, including myself."You've seen it all—I'll stop at nothing to achieve my goals. Now, whether you call the police and have me arrested or decide to divorce me, I have nothing more to say," Mille evenly stated.Pierce frowned deeply, his expression unreadable. "The maids did call the police, but I suppressed the matter. This is a family matter, and I believe you didn't mean to harm Sammy. But no matter what, you shouldn't have used a knife!""Then what do you want me to do? Apologize to Samantha? Let me tell you, I'm not the type to bow my head. I'll never apologize!" Millie's voice rose sharply."I expected this," Pierce said with a frown, his gaze filled with a complicated mix of emotions, including disappointment.Millie met his eyes,
Pierce then picked up the fruit knife from the table. "I am her husband. Since I failed to keep her in line, then I share the blame. I'll take responsibility for her mistakes. So, I'll cut myself twice to double the punishment.""Pierce, no!" Samantha shouted in panic. But it was too late. With one swift motion, Pierce slashed his left arm twice. It left two deep wounds, and blood began gushing from the cuts. The wounds were severe, and he might even have damaged his tendons or nerves."Doctor! Get the doctor!" Samantha screamed.A vein throbbed at the side of Pierce's temple, but he didn't make a sound."Is this enough? If it isn't, I can add two more cuts. She's my wife, so her mistakes are my responsibility," he firmly said."It's enough! Stop! Doctor, hurry up!" Samantha cried even harder.The doctor rushed in and quickly bandaged Pierce's arm. Fortunately, the treatment was prompt enough to prevent any long-term damage to his left arm.Samantha, now a sobbing mess, clun
Millie decided that she couldn't just sit around and wait for Pierce to deal with her. After all, why should he be the one to decide her fate?Worst came to worst, she'd call the police and turn herself in. Even in prison, she'd get food. It was still better than being tortured like this.Determined, Millie steadied herself against the wall as she got up. After drinking enough water to fill her stomach, she regained some strength and headed toward the balcony.It was the dead of night, and the maids were all asleep. Millie studied the external structure of the house.Right outside the balcony was the outdoor unit of the air conditioner. If she climbed over the railing, jumped onto the unit, and slid down the drainpipe bit by bit, she might be able to make it safely to the ground.And if she missed and fell… Well, the maids wouldn't dare stand by and let her die. They'd have her sent to the hospital.Her choices were simple—stay here and starve to death, or take a chance and f
Unfortunately, Millie was still preoccupied by Pierce's situation that she hadn't picked up on the subtle hint in Julian's comment."Besides, things are fine as they are. Marriage is all about living life with someone. Being with Pierce isn't too bad," Millie said. Then, she lowered her head to work on her design drafts, missing the flash of disappointment that crossed Julian's eyes.Julian wondered—if he had appeared in Millie's life before Pierce, would she have chosen to live her life with him instead?Julian knew that he should be content with the hand that he'd been dealt. After all, Millie was already married. Even if there wasn't much affection between the pair, it would be immoral and against the law to interfere between them.But how could he accept losing the one he loved just because he was a step too late?He had to try.…Millie had recently been focusing on her career.Regardless of the prejudice others held against her, they couldn't deny her talent. Internatio
"Jason came by today," Pierce said.Millie's heart stuttered at his words. She had almost forgotten about it. It seemed like the approval had gone through, and he had received his gun."I see," she simply replied.Millie wanted to ask if he liked it but stopped herself when she recalled that he didn't celebrate his birthdays.However, Pierce seemed to have guessed her thoughts. He gently stated, "I really like the gift you gave me.""That's good. Let's eat." Millie changed the topic."I'm sorry I've disappointed you," Pierce said."It's nothing. You should have told me earlier. I don't want to hear about you from Samantha. You can tell me things yourself, but if you don't… then forget about it. I'm not that interested anyway."Although Millie was in front of him, Pierce felt like she was very far away. Millie didn't dwell on what had happened and never brought it up again. It was as if nothing had happened. However, Pierce knew this had left a mark that was hard to erase.
Millie tried to break free, but Pierce held her too tightly that it even caused her ribs to ache."It Hurts..." she couldn't help but let out a soft cry.Pierce immediately released her and anxiously looked at her. "I… didn't mean to do that. I hurt you, right? I'll be more careful next time..." He was rather a little flustered, as if he were a child who'd done something wrong."It's fine. Just get back to bed and lie down," Millie replied.So, Pierce obediently lay back on the bed.Millie then asked, "Are you hungry? I passed by a fast food restaurant earlier. Many people are eating there even though it's so late. It must be delicious, so I got two portions to go."Pierce simply nodded at her words.When Millie looked up, she felt like she was falling into a deep abyss. Pierce's gaze was intently fixed on her, and it made her a little uncomfortable. "Why are you staring at me like that?" she asked.Only then did Pierce look away.This felt unreal to him."I thought you wer
Millie was rather annoyed. "What do you want to say?""Millie, aren't you curious about how Pierce got injured?" Tobias asked."I don't care," she retorted.Tobias began, "Ms. Atkinson was hurt. If the wound had been a little deeper, it could have severed an artery, and she might not have survived. "Pierce didn't know that you were innocent. Back then, all the evidence was against you. Ms. Atkinson was adamant about punishing you too. She's his sister, and you're his wife—he was caught between the both of you."Tobias continued, "He didn't want to let his sister suffer, but he also didn't want to punish you. He wanted to return a knife wound with another, but because he took the blame on your behalf, he decided to punish himself with two cuts."Pierce is an honest person. He could have made it superficial, but no—he insisted on cutting deep enough to expose the bone. That way, Ms. Atkinson would be appeased and not trouble you any further."He then added, "He ended up covered
Millie's mind raced. At that moment, she desperately wished to crawl into a hole. "I… I'm a caregiver who was hired to care for you tonight," she lied."Millie, I'm a police officer. I can easily see through your disguise," Pierce replied.Millie blushed. She forgot that he was a professional.She took off her mask, annoyed. "It's me. What about it? I've come to see if you've died," she retorted, deliberately putting on a fierce attitude. "Since you're not dead, I'll leave now…" Millie quickly walked over to the door. However, the moment her hand touched the handle, it fell off.The door was broken. Now, she couldn't leave at all."Is there anyone there? Open the door! Help!" she called out.But no matter how much Millie yelled, there was no response from the other side of the door. She then gave the door a hard kick in a fit of anger, but it was only to hurt her toe in the process. The pain made her grimace and nearly made her cry.Upon seeing this, Pierce—not caring th
Millie didn't think she'd see Tobias here. He was working at the front desk, so he didn't notice her. He then hastily left.Millie froze. Tobias kept saying that Pierce was sick. He said his condition wasn't too good, and he hoped that she would visit. However, Millie was still angry with him, so she constantly refused.Over the past two days, Tobias hadn't sought her out. Hence, Millie was under the impression that Pierce wasn't seriously ill and that he had recovered. But considering how Tobias was in the hospital now, did this mean that Pierce might still be here too?"Millie, why are you still here?" Julian suddenly asked."Julian, could you help me ask around if Pierce is in this hospital? Is he unwell? Is it serious?" Millie simply replied."Sure, I'll do that for you.""Don't disclose that I'm the one asking, okay?" Millie added."Alright, I understand," Julian answered with a smile. However, as he turned away, his expression turned bitter.If Millie understood his fee
Tobias grew increasingly anxious. If Millie were to speak up and ask Pierce to take care of himself, he would undoubtedly listen.After Pierce finished his meeting, he was already running a low-grade fever. Still, he continued working as though nothing was wrong. Tobias couldn't bear it anymore and decided to personally find Millie.At that time, Millie was at her studio handling some work."Millie, Pierce has been working nonstop. He's skipping lunch, and he's only sleeping four or five hours a night. No one can withstand such exhaustion no matter how robust they are."You don't have to visit him. Just give him a call or send a message to ask him to rest. If you do that, he'll definitely listen to you," Tobias pleaded."His body is his responsibility. If he doesn't care for it, what does that have to do with me? Don't overestimate my importance. My relationship with Pierce is just… ordinary," Millie replied, her tone detached. But as she uttered those words, a hint of diffidenc
The commotion subsided after everyone had been dragged away. Finally, Millie felt a rare moment of peace.She wasn't a saint. Why should she go easy on the maids who had tormented her?Millie glanced at Pierce, wondering if he regretted his decision to marry her. After all, she was indeed a bad woman in the eyes of others. If he wanted a divorce, she'd agree without hesitation.But Pierce's intense gaze was filled not with disgust. Rather, it was filled with admiration.Millie couldn't fathom what he meant by that."Take a moment to rest. I'm going upstairs to grab something," Pierce said."Do whatever you want," Millie replied indifferently.A short while later, Pierce came back down. He said, "I've moved all my belongings to the guest room. It's locked, so you won't have to see them. I won't be staying here. You can make any changes to the house you like."In fact, you can even tear it down if you want. The maids answer only to you, and I'll cover the expenses. If they're n
After that, Stefan didn't come and visit again.Millie stayed in the hospital for five days, during which her condition steadily improved. She no longer felt light-headed when she stood, and the bruises and injuries on her body began to heal too.When it was time to leave, she packed her things and decided to go to the villa to retrieve her personal belongings.During her hospital stay, Millie had barely spoken to Pierce. He'd come to visit her daily, and although sometimes he would be delayed by work, he would still come late at night. Often, it seemed like he wanted to say something, but he ultimately held himself back. His deep-set, unreadable eyes seemed to hold countless emotions, but Millie didn't try to decipher them.When she was discharged, Pierce drove her back to the villa.To her surprise, she was greeted by a row of maids in matching uniforms as soon as she entered. All of them were unfamiliar faces.They stood respectfully and greeted her in unison, "Greetings, Mr