Jules demanded that both men bring the ransom money inside.The metal shutters lifted just enough for them to enter. As soon as they stepped inside, the doors closed behind them again."Wanda, Millie." Right away, Stefan instinctively called out these two names. Then, he added, "Wanda, are you alright?""Stefan, save me!" Wanda cried out.Ultimately, his gaze rested on Wanda."Pierce, I'm so scared. Please get me out of here. I don't want to die here," Samantha pleaded.Pierce's expression turned unnaturally pale upon hearing those words. He frowned deeply as cold sweat dotted his forehead.The scene felt eerily familiar, like the one from years ago.Millie wanted to speak. But when she met Pierce's gaze, she hesitated, and her words got stuck in her throat."I've brought the money. Let them go," Pierce coldly said.Together, Pierce and Stefan had brought in four heavy suitcases filled with dinors. Jules' men took the suitcases and meticulously counted the money, confirming
Pierce was responsible for saving Millie because she was his wife, and he was her husband. But he was also Samantha's most cherished older brother."Millie, why are you just standing there? Cry, beg for a chance—maybe you'll come out on top," Sharon whispered, trying to nudge her into action.On the other side, Samantha was sobbing so hard that she could barely breathe. It was a scene that could evoke pity from anyone who saw her. Even Sharon admitted to herself that if she were a man, she'd probably choose Samantha too.But Millie was too proud and strong-willed. Even in dire straits, she kept her back straight and her head held high. That kind of unyielding strength made it hard for anyone to pity her.It was the same with Stefan. Wanda played him like a fiddle, but part of the reason lay with Millie's stubborn nature. Though she might seem vulnerable on the surface, she was more determined and unrelenting than anyone underneath.Millie glanced at Samantha, and then at Pierce.
"I'll be taking Samantha," Pierce firmly said."Alright, then all of you can leave—except you," Jules replied, gesturing toward Millie.Millie had anticipated this outcome, but it didn't hurt any less. Her heart ached painfully as the reality set in.Everyone else was saved. Yet, she was left behind, alone and uncertain of what awaited her.Samantha's dramatic act of getting herself shot had been unnecessary. Even without it, Pierce wouldn't have chosen Millie. What was the point of risking her life like that? Such recklessness was both frightening and pitiful."Millie, I'm not leaving. I'll stay with you," Sharon resolutely declared.Millie exhaled deeply, trying to calm herself. "Sharon, don't be ridiculous. Pierce won't just leave me be."However, as she spoke, Pierce turned and left, carrying Samantha in his arms. He didn't spare Millie a single glance. Her words carried no weight now. She swallowed hard, forcing down the bitter taste of abandonment."You should leave
Just then, the sound of a door opening came from outside.Millie immediately tensed, her gaze fixed on the door with a mix of fear and dread. Then, a man stepped inside—it was the bald thug that she had bitten.Millie's heart sank. She didn't think for a second that he was here for a friendly chat. His eyes glinted with malice as he stared her down, his expression cold enough to make her shiver."What do you want?" Millie asked, taking a step back.She was weak from lack of food and water—they hadn't given her anything to eat or drink. Combined with the fear that had paralyzed her since boarding the ship, her legs felt like jelly. She was in no state to fight back.The bald thug sneered. "You think you're tough, huh? Let's see how tough you really are.""Don't you dare. If you touch me, Pierce will come after you," Millie warned, her voice trembling."And what if I do? What are you going to do about it? When you're rescued, are you going to tell Pierce that I had my way with
Millie couldn't hold on any longer. Her body ached terribly, and her mind was starting to drift into unconsciousness.Meanwhile, the bald thug greedily tore at her clothes, his face beaming with excitement.Suddenly, the door burst open. After a deafening bang, a bullet struck the bald thug squarely in the forehead. His eyes widened in shock, and his pupils slowly lost focus before his lifeless body slumped forward onto Millie.Millie quickly pushed his body off of herself, her heart leaping with joy. At that moment, she felt an overwhelming sense of relief. "Pierce! You came…"The words froze on her lips as her eyes landed on the figure in the doorway.It wasn't Pierce—it was Jules."What's the matter? Disappointed to see me?" he asked with a smirk.Millie said nothing. She bit her lip as she shuffled toward a corner of the room. Then, she curled into a heap on the floor, hugging herself in despair.She had long known the answer. What had she allowed herself to hope for? J
Jules whistled at Pierce as his ship drew closer. "Well, well, Mr. Atkinson, you've got guts—coming all alone to deliver the ransom.""The money's here. Let her go," Pierce said, patting the two large suitcases he carried."Come aboard. Once I've verified it, I'll let her go," Jules said."Don't get on the ship!" Millie desperately cried out.Pierce intently stared at her but stepped aboard anyway.When he saw the injuries on Millie's body, his chest tightened. He reached out to gently caress her. "I'm sorry you had to go through this," he softly said."Didn't you already choose Samantha?" Millie asked."She's my sister, so I had to save her. But you're my wife. I have to protect you too. If Samantha didn't get immediate treatment, she would've died. I had no choice but to save her first. "But I won't stand by and let anything happen to you. If I can't save you, then I'll die with you," Pierce said firmly. His words carried a resounding conviction. In response, Millie's he
"Ms. Atkinson, please calm down. It was Pierce's decision. It had nothing to do with Millie," Tobias tried to explain."Millie Jordan, you better hope my brother is fine. I won't forgive you if anything happens to him!" Samantha coldly glared at Millie, her eyes dark and menacing.Tobias helped Millie into the ambulance. She, too, had sustained several injuries—all inflicted by the bald thug.Millie was so thin that it seemed like a gust of wind could knock her over. With injuries all over her body, she had clearly reached her physical limit. The moment she got into the ambulance, Millie lost consciousness.However, one thought echoed in her mind."Millie, I will survive as long as you're alive. Wait for me."There was nothing she could do but cling to Pierce's words.…Millie woke up more than an hour later in a hospital bed. When she opened her eyes, she saw a blurry figure nearby. The figure had their back turned to her and was speaking on the phone about work matters. T
"Why don't we… let Kent manage the company for now? When my brother comes back, we can discuss it again," Samantha suggested.Mille heard her voice from outside the room."No—" Tobias burst through the door, exclaiming loudly."Since Samantha has suggested it, I'll take on the responsibility to lead—" Kent Gomez, the vice chairman, was interrupted in the middle of his sentence. "Wait!" Tobias' voice cut through the room. "Mr. Atkinson has only been missing for a few hours! Aren't you all being too hasty? Everyone should remain in their roles and keep things running as usual. No one has the authority to make any decision!""And who do you think you are?" Kent retorted in disdain. "This is a directors' meeting. Who gave you the right to speak here?" The room erupted into murmurs, with many people voicing their disagreement with Tobias.Even Samantha seemed lost and agreed with them that contingency plans were necessary. If Pierce's death was announced, the chaos in Arbelton woul
Millie only breathed a sigh of relief after getting into the car. However, right when she was about to buckle up, Pierce held her head and pulled her close.Startled, Millie instinctively tried to break free. Then, Pierce whispered in her ear, "Don't move. Stefan followed us out here. He's staring at us from the outside.""He is?" Millie asked, wanting to turn to look. But Pierce stopped her and said, "The more you spare him glances, the more he'll think you're not over him, so don't."Millie felt that he made sense. Stefan was an overthinker and might indeed mistake her mere glance for something else.To put it bluntly, Stefan was just resentful because if she had not gotten together with Pierce and forgotten about him, she would still have some feelings for him.Once upon a time, Millie had looked at Stefan with pitiful eyes full of despair, but he'd never cared. He was only acting so out of character now because he had lost control over her."What about now? Is he gone?" M
Using miscarriage to her advantage, Wanda almost put Millie in jail.However, Millie didn't want to break the promise that she had made to Agnes.It had been a long day for Agnes, and she needed some rest. So, Millie said, "Mrs. Leach Senior, the doctor said that you need more rest. Don't worry about us. I'll pay you a visit in two days."Agnes nodded."Sleep tight. I'll be here until you fall asleep," Millie added.Since Agnes was tired, she soon fell asleep.Once Millie saw Agnes fall into a deep sleep, she quietly left the room.However, she didn't expect that the man she hated the most, Stefan, was standing outside the door.She thought that he had just arrived and said, "Your grandma's asleep. I think you should come later after she wakes up on her own. Don't disturb her with any noise."Stefan kept quiet. All he did was look at Millie with a complicated look in his eyes.He had thought that she would have more to say to him. He didn't expect her to just leave after such
Stefan and Wanda bared their hearts to each other, revealing everything honestly.Wanda had cried uncontrollably by the sea side, and each tear that fell from her face felt like a hit to Stefan's heart."I didn't betray you. It was your parents who told me to marry him. They said that it was the only way to make you completely give up. I shouldn't have tried to look for you… Just leave me," Wanda said.Stefan was furious when he heard that, but what he felt even more was heartache for her.He held Wanda incredibly tight, completely unwilling to let her go.Stefan had been with many women before, but the first was always the most unforgettable.Wanda was his first.Wanda hadn't gotten a divorce, and he was still with Millie. So, the two of them couldn't be together openly.But Stefan's trips abroad became more frequent. His parents had passed away, and Agnes was in poor health. Millie was completely unaware as well.Nothing could stop him from pursuing his love.Later on, Agne
Just as Stefan was about to knock on the door, he heard Agnes' words from inside. His whole body stiffened as his hand froze in mid-air."Mrs. Leach Senior, it's all in the past now," Millie softly said.Agnes sighed. "How unfortunate for the Leach family. Now, the family will never rid itself of Wanda. You don't know this, but her family used to be on par with the Leach family. However, her parents were greedy and unscrupulous. "They went down the wrong path, which eventually led to their assets being seized by the government. Her parents couldn't bear the thought of going to prison and ended up jumping to their deaths instead."Agnes continued, "Out of respect for the ties between our families, we extended a helping hand, and Wanda and Stefan had a marriage arrangement. "We felt that the sins of the parents should not pass down to the daughter. So, when we saw that Wanda had inherited her parents' deviousness, we'd hoped to guide her and prevent her from going astray."If thi
Stefan said, "Didn't you once say that you'd be willing to share a husband with Millie if it were ancient times? Didn't you say that since she divorced Pierce, it was the perfect chance for me to make her my mistress? "Wanda, it hasn't even been that long since you said all of that. Have you already forgotten? "If it bothered you, you could have just told me directly. I would have been considerate of your feelings. Instead, you've been acting so hypocritical. You say one thing to my face and do something else behind my back!"Stefan continued, "I admit that I do have some inappropriate thoughts about Millie. She frustrates me to a degree that I've never felt before. But my feelings for her are borne out of competitiveness and my desire to outmatch Pierce. "It's possible that my feelings for her are shallow and that you're the one I've always truly loved. But the way you're acting will only make it harder for me to let go of Millie. It's making my love for you slowly wear thin as
The guests came over from the hall due to the ruckus."Wanda, have you gone mad?" Stefan asked in exasperation."Have I gone mad, or have you gone too far? Look at what I've been through! Yet, you're still sneaking around behind my back. Where's your conscience?" Wanda howled.Stefan's face darkened in utmost displeasure, and Agnes was so furious that she almost fainted."I didn't cheat! A maid accidentally got my clothes wet, so they're being dried. It'll be done soon. Can you stop causing a scene?" Stefan tried to explain.Wanda exclaimed, "You're lying through your teeth without even trying to make it believable now! "Listen here, everyone. The woman Stefan is cheating on me with is Millie Jordan. The two of them had been in a relationship for three years before he married me. Even after Stefan and I got married, they've kept their relationship alive. "This isn't entirely Stefan's fault. It's that shameless vixen, Millie, who's behind everything. She's skilled at playing me
The maid had just caught a glimpse from afar, so she wasn't exactly sure what she'd seen. But since Wanda asked, she had to answer.Wanda felt her blood rush to her head upon hearing that. She knew it!Stefan had stopped her from coming to this family gathering but invited Millie—an outsider! It was obvious that they wanted to create an opportunity for her and Stefan to get closer.Wanda knew that Agnes disliked her. Plus, since she was still recovering and unable to be intimate with Stefan, Agnes had seized the chance to help Millie gain favor. Otherwise, why else would she have shown up right when she was at a disadvantage?It was all a conspiracy—a scheme!As Wanda was fuming with anger, she stormed off in the direction that the maid had indicated. Meanwhile, another maid had already informed Agnes about this. Agnes frowned when she heard that Wanda had arrived. "Where did she go?" she grimly asked."She's heading to the laundry room," the maid reported."I'll go over.
"You're overthinking it. I never once thought about trying to match you two together," Agnes said."Are you sure you never thought about it?" Stefan felt his pride take a hit upon hearing these words.Agnes retorted, "Do you think you're such a catch? If I had a daughter, and she wanted to marry you, I would break both her legs. "What I'm trying to say is that Pierce will be coming over with Millie later. Whatever gripe you two have, I don't care. Just don't cause trouble here.""Pierce? Why is he coming? They're divorced! This is a family gathering! What right does he have to be here?" Stefan's face darkened."Since when does being divorced mean that they can't show up together?" Agnes sharply responded."Of course it does! Divorce means it's over. They're nothing to each other anymore. Why does he keep clinging onto her? Where's his dignity?"Agnes' face turned cold. "Oh, so you do understand that after breaking up, you're not supposed to interfere in their life anymore. Then
Bill was in a tough spot. Handing over the phone did not seem right, but not handing it over was also not an option.Bill hesitated and kept hold of the phone. "Mrs. Leach Senior, Millie can go, but only if Pierce goes with her.""And why is that? What's their relationship now? They're already divorced. Stop dragging things out! Your grandson might have no shame, but Millie does!" Agnes responded."Fine, then neither of them will go!" Bill exclaimed before hanging up the phone abruptly.Millie felt a bit flustered. The two of them were over 150 years old combined, yet they argued like children."So, Grandpa, should I go or not?""Go… Go, but take Pierce with you. I'll have him bring you back here later. I still need you around, Millie.""But we're divorced.""Pierce can still visit Mrs. Leach Senior.""But this is a family gathering.""He's shameless enough to crash it without an invitation."Pierce stood by the door with a dark expression. He seemed to want to blast Bill ou