After all the effort that Millie had made to escape the villa, was she now out of the pan and into the fire?She struggled desperately, her strong survival instincts giving her unexpected strength. Still, the disparity in strength between a man and a woman was undeniable—she couldn't overpower the taxi driver."Let me go!" Millie cried, her voice trembling and on the verge of breaking into sobs."Relax, sweetheart. I'll take good care of you. Heaven must have taken pity on me to send you my way!" the man said with a lecherous, greedy smile.Millie felt nauseous at his words. Just then, her hand brushed against a rock on the ground. Immediately, she grabbed it and smashed it against the man with all her might.Millie didn't know where she'd hit, but the man yelped in pain and released his grip.Millie then seized the opportunity and bolted away without hesitation. If he'd managed to drag her into the abandoned building, there would be no escape. No one would hear her cries f
The driver, a middle-aged man who remained a bachelor, had found Millie on the road. He acted on his vile impulses and planned to take her to a deserted place to assault her.Stefan happened to have just returned from a business trip and was taking a shortcut when he stumbled upon the scene."Did you find out anything from the Atkinson residence?" he asked Wade.Wade reported, "Yes. Ms. Jordan accidentally injured Ms. Atkinson, so Mr. Atkinson locked her up as a punishment and to appease Ms. Atkinson. The maids at the villa cut off her food and water, took her phone, and locked her in her room. "She was left to survive on tap water for days before she managed to escape late at night. None of the maids checked on her as she was in solitary confinement. I think they haven't realized that she's missing yet. But they'll find out about it soon."Stefan let out a cold laugh. "Pierce pretended to care so much, and this is how he treats her? What a joke."He glanced at the unconscious M
"Well, it seems like you don't have great taste in men," Stefan commented with biting sarcasm."That's true. Otherwise, why would I have dated you?" Millie instantly shot back.Stefan was rendered speechless. He felt as if he'd shot his own foot with that remark. Still, he found Millie's fiery temper both irritating and endearing.Since their separation, Millie had stirred emotions in him that he didn't know he was capable of—love, hate, and everything in between.Just then, Stefan's phone rang. He glanced at the screen, and his expression turned serious. "I need to take this call," he said, stepping away from Millie.Then, he walked into the hallway to answer the call.Millie immediately knew that it was Wanda calling him.Unsurprisingly, Wanda's voice came from the other side of the line, "Stefan, what have you been so busy with lately? You're not even answering my calls." "I'm still on a business trip. Work has been hectic. I hope you understand," Stefan smoothly replied.
"Well played, Pierce."I'll come visit sometime again, Millie," Stefan said before leaving.If Wanda found him there, he wouldn't be able to explain himself. He thought that not getting into trouble with Wanda was the wiser choice.After that, Pierce immediately pushed open the door to Millie's room. However, the bed was empty. The IV needle had been removed, and Millie was gone."Millie?" Panic set in as Pierce began frantically searching the room.When he opened the bathroom door, he found her attempting to climb out through the window. His heart sank—they were on the tenth floor!He rushed forward and grabbed her wrist, forcefully pulling her back. "What are you doing? Are you trying to get yourself killed?"Millie was equally shaken. She had thought that she could climb out the window and use the air conditioning unit to reach the adjacent room. She had even torn down the shower curtain and tied one end around her waist and the other to the faucet as a precaution. But
Samantha pouted in frustration, feeling wronged. "Pierce, isn't that in the past already? I'm not even holding it against her anymore, so why are you still bringing it up? "No matter what I did, it doesn't justify her pulling a knife on me, does it? That's attempted murder. It changes the situation completely!""The maids told me everything," Pierce coolly said, his gaze sharp and icy as it locked onto Samantha.Samantha's heart sank. Her eyes nervously darted left and right for a moment before she regained her composure. But Pierce had already seen enough to piece things together.He hadn't actually questioned the maids yet—he didn't need to. A thorough investigation would inevitably reveal the truth. What he wanted was for Samantha to admit it herself.After all, she was his sister."Pierce, I admit I bullied her. I told her to get you a cake for your birthday as a joke. How was I supposed to know that she'd get so upset? She just couldn't take a joke…" Samantha continued to
"What do you mean by that?" Samantha understood what Jessie was hinting at. She frowned hard and showed a strained expression."I have the records of our chats. If Mr. Atkinson finds out…" Jessie trailed off."Are you threatening me?" Samantha hadn't expected Jessie to be so bold as to turn on her like this.In truth, Jessie didn't actually have the courage to go against Samantha. But she had worked hard to climb her way up to head housekeeper, and she was already earning an annual salary of tens of thousands of dollars at that point in time. Now that Pierce had dismissed her, she knew that finding another job that paid this well would be difficult. She had ended up in this position because of Samantha, so it was only natural that Samantha should take responsibility for her dismissal."Ms. Sammy, I only ended up like this because I did your bidding. You have to help me. Otherwise, I'll have no choice but to turn to Mr. Atkinson." Jessie stressed."Fine. I'll make it up to you,
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
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
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