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
Milie was so harsh that no one dared to talk back to her. She was betting on her life now."Fine. You won this round. Let's see if you can keep winning in the future." Kent stormed out of the place. Samantha looked at Millie's belly with a shocked expression. "Are you pregnant? This has got to be a trick. Pierce never told me about it.""Let's go, Tobias." Millie didn't even bat an eye at Samantha. She turned around and left, leaving Samantha to scream and holler. Then, both of them arrived at the CEO's office. Worried, Tobias said, "Why did you put your life at risk, Millie?""You're the one who said we have to believe in Piere. If I'm going to put my trust in him returning here, then I have to act as if I won't die."Tobias pursed his lips. He said what he'd said to comfort Millie. Why would she have believed him wholeheartedly?Millie reassured him, saying, "Don't worry. I'll be fine. I said it to stop Kent from getting the upper hand. By telling him that I'm pregnant,
After Pierce said his piece, he left without any hesitation. To this day, his words still had a deep impression on Stefan. After Pierce had left, Stefan calmed himself down and gave his words a long thought. What did Millie do to deserve him abandoning her over and over?The truth was that Millie had entrusted herself to Stefan completely when it all began. These thoughts, combined with the sight of Millie now, washed over Stefan and overwhelmed him, making it hard for him to breathe. "Millie..." Stefan thought about how close they used to be and called her in the most affectionate way. However, Millie mercilessly cut him off and said, "Excuse me, Mr. Leach. Are we close? Please refrain from calling my name in such a tone. Your wife might misunderstand and think that there's something untoward between us."Millie was sharp and hostile, glaring at Stefan and clenching her fists. She would never forget the way he'd hurt her, not even in a million years. As far as she was
That was when the office phone rang again—it was time for another meeting again. Kent wanted everyone in Atkinson Group to have meetings over menial matters. In his words, Millie was the CEO's wife. So, she had to decide on everything, big or small. They were in a dire situation now, and everyone was standing by at their respective workstations. So, Millie couldn't take a break. She asked Tobias to prepare the documents for the meeting. Then, she asked him to run everything with her, giving her a chance to get familiar with the contents. That would make it easier for her to make a decision. If Millie wasn't sure how she should proceed, she would follow Tobias' proposal. That way, she wouldn't make mistakes. Tobias began, "Kent has overdone it. You explicitly told him that you're pregnant and that you need rest. Everyone knows that we shouldn't overwork a pregnant lady too."But he calls for a meeting with the top management staff at the slightest trouble. He jumps through ho
That night, Millie couldn't sleep at all. She tossed and turned, unable to quiet her thoughts.When morning finally arrived, she immediately got up, washed up, and packed her things to head to the hospital. Pierce saw how anxious she was but said nothing. He simply accompanied her to the hospital without a word.Once Millie got there, she took over looking after Stefan from Agnes and Robin. She urged them to go home, wash up, and get some rest."Pierce and I are here. We'll take good care of him," Millie said reassuringly."Alright. I'll leave Stefan in your care then," Agnes replied.Only then did she finally leave, walking away with slow, heavy steps.After that, Millie changed into sterile clothing and entered the ward.Stefan looked weak, but his spirits seemed a little better. When he saw Millie, he even forced a smile and greeted, "You're here.""Does your wound hurt?" Millie asked in concern."No, not really. I have painkillers and a PCA pump, so I barely feel anythin
In the end, she and Stefan were simply not meant to be. The distance between them only grew wider as life went on. He should never have saved her.Pierce held Millie close. "Don't overthink it. The doctors are still working on him. We'll know once they come out. He's tough. He'll be fine.""Pierce, why did he have to do that? My heart feels so heavy." Millie wept."I know, I know." Pierce gently patted her back. He understood exactly how she felt.He wasn't afraid of Stefan scheming against him, but what worried him more was that Stefan would suddenly change and sacrifice himself to make amends for his past mistakes.If he had remained cruel, Millie could have hated him completely. But now, by repaying his debts bit by bit, he had placed Millie in an impossible position. She couldn't love him, but she also couldn't bring herself to hate him.Soon, Agnes and Robin arrived too.Agnes had aged significantly in the recent months, and she seemed to be in noticeably weaker spirits as
"Stefan, are you okay? Hold on! I'll take you to the hospital right away," Millie urgently said."Are… Are you hurt anywhere?" Stefan asked in a trembling voice, forcing himself to endure the pain.Even at a time like this, he was still worried about her."I'm okay… I-I'm fine," Millie replied with a slight stutter."That's good." Stefan breathed a sigh of relief.Millie glanced at the rotting, festering wound on his back and couldn't help but anxiously tear up. She didn't wait for Pierce and immediately hailed a cab.Meanwhile, the surrounding crowd had subdued the attacker—it turned out to be the disgruntled Carlos who had been fired. Even as he was restrained, he kept screaming that he wanted to kill Millie and make Pierce regret it for the rest of his life.As the commotion went on, Millie helped Stefan into the car. His back was so badly wounded that he couldn't lean against the seat. His face was as pale as a sheet of paper, and his entire body was drenched in cold sweat
Yulia's words had tainted Pierce's ears. Since that was the case, he would find a way to make sure she could never speak again.If it had been the Pierce of the past—the one who worked as an anti-smuggling officer—he would never have considered such an option. But now that he was freed from the constraints of that identity, there were some matters that he no longer had to be so cautious about.He was never a purely kind person. His heart was far darker and more calculating than most could imagine. He could be a ruthless executioner without a shred of hesitation, or he could appear as an untouchable, noble paragon of benevolence.After resolving the situation with Yulia, Isabella felt relieved and invited Millie out for drinks.Millie was glad to hang out with her. Sharon had taken Tristan abroad, so she no longer had a drinking buddy."You have no idea how utterly disgusting that Yulia made me feel. It was like someone had forced a mouthful of dirt down my throat!" Isabella comp
Yulia locked herself in her room. She was curled up on the bed, disheveled and unkempt.Her phone screen was lit as she scrolled through the comments under Pierce's latest Twitter post—all of them were insults directed at her. She had completely lost herself in obsession."I did nothing wrong! Why should I apologize? Pierce is the heartless one! He betrayed me! Even as a woman, I have more courage than he does! Mom, I want to appeal my case. I want to sue him a second time. That lawyer was useless…"Helena had finally reached her breaking point and delivered a heavy slap across Yulia's face. Yulia's head snapped to the side as a clear handprint formed on her cheek."When will you wake up? Everyone can see that Pierce never liked you! In fact, if you hadn't done all those ridiculous things, he wouldn't even know who you were! How long are you going to deceive yourself? You're completely delusional!" Helena roared.Then, she added, "And even if… even if something had actually happ
Yulia wept and continued to blabber in her livestream. "If you don't love me, then why did you stop others from hurting me and take me to the hospital? If you don't love me, why did you pay for my medical expenses?"Can you swear that you didn't feel even a tiny bit of emotion when we locked eyes in front of that bakery? I understand that marriages in wealthy families are complicated and involve many parties' interests, where one small move can set off a chain reaction. "I was so considerate of your predicament, but what did you do to me? To protect yourself, you threw me under the bus. Pierce Atkinson, is this fair to me?"After saying all that, she burst into tears, sobbing uncontrollably. Meanwhile, viewers in the livestream showered her with virtual gifts, comforting her and telling her not to cry, claiming their hearts ached for her.Millie came across her livestream as well. The platform's algorithm had pushed it to her feed, so there was no avoiding seeing it.She was sp
"No! Mr. Atkinson, you can't do this! I did it for you!" Carlos cried."I don't know Yulia personally, nor did I secretly ask you to take care of her. No wonder she kept misinterpreting my intentions and tried to get close to me. You were part of the reason that she's delusional," Pierce said with a scoff.Yulia must have assumed that all the special treatment Carlos had given her was Pierce's doing. Naturally, she would have started to fantasize.Pierce also reflected on himself. He never should have sympathized with her or helped her in the first place. When he saw her, he had been reminded of Millie from years ago and had wanted to make up for his inability to help her back then in some small way. Never did he expect that it would cause so much trouble for him.Whatever compensation John decided to ask from Yulia was none of his business too.After that, Pierce sent Carlos away and began addressing the false rumors spreading online."Well, well. You seem to have a lot of rom
Yulia believed that Pierce must have felt the same way. Since fate had brought them together, how could she possibly give up?Now that Pierce had paid for her hospital stay, she felt she should recover properly and not waste his kindness.…Meanwhile, back at Atkinson Group, Tobias never mentioned the matter to Pierce. The situation had been urgent when Yulia was hospitalized, and anyone would have covered the cost in such circumstances. After all, a life was at stake.Tobias reported, "Mr. Atkinson, the former Head of Sales, Carlos Reyes, keeps asking to see you. The receptionist has alerted me about this multiple times. He said he needs to see you for something important. Do you want to meet him?""Is he the one Mills fired?" Pierce coolly looked up."Yes," Tobias replied."Useless trash like him isn't worth my time," Pierce indifferently responded. After all, anyone who crossed Millie had also crossed him.So, Tobias immediately informed Carlos that if he ever came again, he
Yulia kept waiting for an opportunity, but the two times she saw Pierce, he was with Millie. The sight of this drove her mad with jealousy. How she wished she could tear Millie apart. If it weren't for her, she wouldn't be struggling just to get into Atkinson Group now.And so, Yulia obsessively staked out the parking lot every day like a madwoman. As a result, she had grown noticeably thinner. Sometimes, she saw Tobias. However, she didn't approach him. But finally, after nearly a week, she found her chance.Pierce had arrived alone with no one in the passenger seat. Just as he got out of the car, a shadow flitted into his peripheral view. As a former police officer, his reflexes were sharp. He immediately subdued the person with a grappling move."Ow… Ouch! It hurts…" Yulia pitifully whimpered.Pierce hadn't seen Yulia's face yet. He only realized that it was a woman and that she posed no real threat. So, he released his grip.However, upon realizing that it was Yulia, he