Millie felt like crying.Later, Pierce returned in the evening to find Bill had already prepared dinner. He glanced disapprovingly at the dishes, then at Millie, who dared not meet his gaze.The dishes were all reputed for their nourishing effects in improving sexual drive."Have some more," urged Bill, piling food onto Pierce's plate without any reservation, as if signaling to everyone in the house that the latter was having trouble in that department.Millie wanted to vanish from the surface of the earth."Alright, I'll eat.""Um, Grandpa, I'm done eating. I'll go upstairs first." Millie excused herself."Go ahead.""By the way, how long can you actually last? I know a couple of medicines…"Millie almost tripped on the stairs upon hearing Bill's words.After finishing his meal, Pierce headed upstairs with an incredibly sullen face.Millie wished she could pretend to be asleep, but she had to change his bandages.Given Pierce's status, hospitalization was inconvenient and
"That's right. I thought that since you two haven't known each other for that long, your relationship wasn't that deep yet. But now, it seems like you were in quite a hurry. Seeing how you share such a great relationship, I feel at ease."Bill looked relieved.Millie suppressed the bitter feeling in her heart. She hadn't expected Pierce to have said something first.That was fine too. At least that saved her some trouble.After Bill left, the first thing Pierce did was to order someone to move all his things back to the guest bedroom.While the household staff moved the things, they gave Millie weird looks.If a newlywed couple was sleeping in separate rooms, surely they didn't have a good relationship. "Mrs. Atkinson is so pretty. I wonder why Mr. Atkinson wants to sleep apart from her.""Who knows? Maybe he doesn't like her. If I was in a loveless marriage not long after getting married, I would definitely ask for a divorce.""There's no way she would ask for a divorce. Aft
"Leave this matter alone. You don't need to get involved," Pierce said sternly.In the face of Pierce's strong insistence, Tobias couldn't say anything in return. He muttered quietly, "Millie must have been devastated when she heard them say that nonsense."Pierce buried his head in his documents as though he hadn't heard that. However, the hand around his pen tightened.After Tobias left, he picked up his phone, wanting to call Millie. Yet, in the end, he didn't end up explaining anything to her.There were some things that she didn't need to know.…After Millie handled the matters at home, she made her way to her studio.Two days had passed, but she still hadn't managed to recruit a single person. Things were looking dismal.Celia was going crazy with anxiety."Don't worry. It doesn't matter if we don't manage to recruit. We can just take custom orders. An order is still an order!""Millie, do you think I'm worried about recruitment? No, I'm worried about the bet you made
Millie was over the moon. If Julian was willing to help her, then that would be excellent. "Did you really not make any advancements all these years? I saw the drafts submitted to the fashion design competition, and one of them was very similar to your style. I wanted to reach out to the designer, but the organizer said that this person didn't like showing their face in public, and I couldn't get in touch with them either…"As Julian spoke, he stared straight at Millie.Millie felt a little guilty."It's you, isn't it?""I didn't think you'd still remember my style.""It's bold and meticulous at the same time, yet it doesn't focus on the nitty gritty. Its ideas are also unique and imaginative. When I saw those clothes, I immediately thought of you. I had been worried that you had disappeared without a trace after graduation. I even thought that you had left the industry.""If you joined too, I'm sure you'd do an even better job than me.""Why didn't you promote yourself and bu
"Is this… your girlfriend? Pierce asked."No, it's not like that…" Millie said nervously.Julian laughed and explained, "This is Millie Jordan. She was a year below me in college. Millie, allow me to introduce you to Pierce Atkinson, the CEO of the Atkinson Group. My grandmother lives across from him. I used to go to his place to play when I was younger."Millie has a studio in Arbelton, which I'll also be joining. Remember to give us orders! We can do staff uniforms or personal orders.""Are you two going to become partners?""Yes.""That's nice. I'll definitely let you know. Do you mind if I join you for lunch? It's not every day that we see each other.""Sure. The more, the merrier."Pierce sat down calmly. On the other hand, Millie felt like she had been caught red-handed. She wished she could crawl into a hole and hide.At that moment, her phone rang. Julian had secretly sent her a text that read, "Weren't you worried about not having orders? If you build a rapport with P
Millie felt Pierce's cool gaze sweep over her. "See you again."With that, he left.It took Millie a long time to regain her senses."Millie, what's the matter? Why do you look so pale? Do you feel unwell?" Julian asked."I-I'm fine."At that moment, her phone beeped. It was a text from Pierce. "I want to see you in the underground parking lot in ten minutes."Millie wanted to cry. She was going to get her retribution."Um, I just remembered something I have to do. I need to go. You can drop by tomorrow to sign the contract.""You haven't finished your food…""I'm out of time."Millie left in a hurry. She circled the perimeter once before heading to the parking lot.She began to search for Pierce's car. When she walked past a van, an arm suddenly reached out and yanked her back.Frightened, she opened her mouth to scream when she caught a whiff of a familiar scent.Pierce pressed her against the car door, circling his arm around her. He looked down at her with a cold and j
Millie didn't think Pierce was kidding. He would put his money where his mouth was. After all, he used to be a public servant. He held himself to higher moral and legal standards than most people. One would expect him to be pure and righteous, but he wasn't. In fact, he even harbored a slight malevolence within him.He had an evil nature!He never dabbled in illegal business, but if it was technically legal, he would do as he pleased. For example, he took advantage of them being legally married to kiss and hug her as he wished.People like this were far more dangerous than she could imagine."I'll take you to the hospital. Your wound is still bleeding.""I'm not going to drop dead.""Go to the hospital," Millie said firmly. Then, she dragged him into the car and drove to the hospital.The reopened wound was gushing blood, staining his white shirt a terrifying shade of red. He needed new stitches and medication.Because she blamed herself, Millie took care of him by her bedsid
If it wasn't for Stefan, the other players in the fashion industry would have flown off the handle already.At some point, Wanda was going to reap what she sowed.Julian didn't even look at the contract before signing it. Before his pen touched the paper, Millie said, "Julian, you asked me before if I was single. I'm not anymore."The tip of Julian's pen shook, ripping a hole in the paper."T-That's so sudden. Weren't you single just two days ago? Did you find a suitable partner so soon?""Actually, I lied to you previously. I just didn't want to make it known, so… I'm sorry for lying to you, Julian."Julian smiled. "What's there to apologize for? Do you like him?"This question stumped her. She didn't dare to talk about romance anymore, especially since Pierce was such a dangerous person. He was even more difficult to handle than Stefan. There was no way she could like him.However, she admired him, was thankful to him, and feared him…If she said she didn't like him, then it
Millie gently closed the box.Suddenly, a single tear slipped down, landing silently on the surface. Only then did Millie realize that she had been crying. She wasn't sure if she was mourning the love she once had or if her tears were for something else entirely.No wonder Pierce had told her to look at it in private. He didn't want to see her shedding tears for another man."It's all in the past. Why send this now?" Millie murmured.She wiped away her tears and picked up her phone. "Tobias, do me a favor. Auction something for me. Donate every last cent of the proceeds to charity. Not a single penny should be kept."She then ended the call and looked at the small box again. At least this way, it would be put to good use…Afterward, Millie headed to the study to check on Pierce. He watched her closely, his deep eyes unreadable.Millie pretended not to notice and said, "You keep working. I'm just going to sketch for a while."Pierce pressed his lips together as if he wante
Millie followed Pierce back home. As she stepped into the familiar space that belonged to just the two of them, her heart felt heavy with emotions.It had been two months since she had last been here, yet everything remained unchanged. Even the wardrobe had been stocked with new seasonal outfits.In those two months, Millie had lost a lot of weight. So, Pierce instructed the kitchen to prepare nourishing meals for her. He was determined to bring her back to full health.Pierce remained bedridden for another half month before he could finally use a cane to walk around a bit. His right leg was still severely injured, and every step sent searing pain through his body, making his face go pale and his forehead damp with cold sweat.Millie couldn't bear to watch him suffer and urged him to rest. But Pierce was stubborn and walked until his legs trembled, and he could no longer stand. Only then would he sit down."Does it hurt?" Millie worriedly asked."It doesn't. I just need to pr
With that, Millie turned around and left without hesitation. But just as she was about to step out of the room, Stefan's voice called out behind her once more, "Millie, I owe you an apology for everything. I never really said it before. It's late… but at least I'm finally saying it. "Millie, I'm sorry. I was the one in the wrong." Stefan's voice was soft, weakened by his injuries. It sounded as though those few words had drained all the strength from his body.Millie's body stiffened, and her hands were tightly clenched into fists at her sides.Stefan was apologizing at long last.Millie wanted to turn around to see if he was truly sincere or if this was just another one of his manipulations. However, she held herself back. Unimportant people didn't deserve even a second glance.Millie didn't say anything. She didn't say whether she would or would not forgive him. She just walked away.Stefan's face turned even paler. He knew that after everything he had done, he would never
Millie didn't want to see Pierce struggling alone, bottling up all his pain like a wounded lion licking its wounds in solitude.Upon hearing her words, Pierce simply tightened his embrace around her. "Mills… I'm scared…""I know. I understand," Millie whispered, gently patting his back."I'm afraid I won't be able to lift you anymore, and I'm afraid I won't be able to run or jump. I'm scared I won't be able to fight the bad guys and protect you anymore." Pierce's voice was soft and barely above a whisper. His sorrow was almost imperceptible, but it could be because he still hadn't fully released his emotions.Millie started, "You still have me. If you can't carry me, then don't. If you can't run fast or jump high, then I'll slow down and walk beside you. I can be your crutch and your support for a lifetime, okay?"And listen, Pierce, you may not be able to fight on the front lines anymore, but you're still there in spirit. We can move to the back lines to provide funding and strat
Pierce didn't tell Millie everything—such as the fact that Stefan had initially wanted to kill him. He spared Stefan some dignity, not wanting Millie to hate him forever.Millie stayed in the hospital to care for Pierce for two days when there was finally a change in Stefan's condition.Before he even regained consciousness, he was already calling her name. Robin anxiously rushed in to find Millie, and she hurried over."The patient's wound has gotten infected, leading to complications. We need to start emergency treatment immediately!""How could this have happened? Wasn't he supposed to wake up?" Robin was beside himself with worry."Millie… Millie…" Even in his fevered delirium, Stefan kept murmuring her name.Millie went over to him. His hand, which had been weakly grasping at the air, finally caught hold of something—her fingers. He clung to her tightly."I'm here, Stefan," she softly uttered.It was as if her words held some kind of magic, as Stefan immediately calmed d
Every word Pierce spoke was firm and impactful. Each word hammered on Stefan's heart mercilessly.Pierce owned up to his mistakes. But what about him? Could he do the same?All this while, he had been shifting the blame to everyone else. He blamed Pierce for stealing Millie away. Then, he blamed Millie for not forgiving him. He even blamed Wanda for seducing him, and the list went on…He had blamed so many people, holding onto their faults while conveniently brushing aside his own. When it came to himself, he always found a way to justify his actions. He completely ignored that he was the true cause of everything.Stefan's grip on Pierce's collar loosened. He took a few steps back in a daze and stumbled on his own feet, causing him to nearly fall to the ground."Those criminals… They're planning to strike again. I agreed to help them," Stefan said."Why are you telling me this?" Pierce responded."She said… She said that if you died, she wouldn't live either." Stefan's voice was
Millie gave Pierce a profound look that contained a myriad of emotions. Pierce could have been selfish and not tell her any of Stefan's good deeds. He could've even stopped her from visiting Stefan. Yet, he didn't do that.After giving Pierce one heavy nod, Millie went over to the adjacent hospital room.Stefan was seriously injured too. His health wasn't as good as Pierce's to begin with, so he still hadn't woken up yet.Robin was in his room, sitting beside him. He kept silently wiping away tears at one side."This is my only nephew. If anything were to happen to him, how would I face his late parents?" Robin mournfully said."Does Grandma know about this?" Millie inquired."I don't have the heart to tell Mom about this. She's old and frail. I don't want her to have a breakdown," Robin replied."I'll keep him company, Robin," Millie said.Robin hesitated for a moment and ultimately nodded. He believed that Stefan would want to see Millie upon waking up. So, Millie staye
"Don't move around. You're still very weak. The doctor said to give you some oatmeal porridge when you wake up. Your digestive system is still quite weak, so you need to eat something that goes down easily."A familiar voice sounded in Millie's ears."G-Grandpa? Why are you here? Where's Pierce? Pierce? Pierce…" After a moment of silence, Millie mumbled, "I forgot… Pierce is dead. Not even his body remains.""What nonsense are you speaking, child? Isn't he lying right beside you?" Bill interjected.Millie visibly froze for a second. Then, she whipped her head around to look. As Bill had said, Pierce was indeed right beside her. Layers of gauze were wrapped around his body, and he seemed to be heavily injured. However, his vital signs were steady, and his heartbeat was rhythmic—he was no longer in a critical condition."Pierce…" Millie tumbled out of bed without a care for the pain in her limbs.Bill quickly went over to support her and combined their beds together."H-How is t
Millie broke down emotionally. She was done with Stefan's constant self-righteous justification. He always blamed everyone else and deemed himself free of any wrongdoing. He acted as if the whole world had wronged him, while he had never wronged anyone.He painted himself as the pitiful and innocent victim, twisting logic to justify everything he did.Millie was done acting her part. She would let things play out however they should. There was no longer anything tying her to this world. If anything happened to Pierce, she wouldn't live either. Just the thought of being imprisoned by Stefan for three years was worse than death.And so, she locked herself in her room and refused to come out. Every day, the housekeepers delivered her meals. She had no appetite but still ate well.Millie also no longer cared whether Stefan had drugged her food or not. If she turned into a mindless lunatic, maybe that would be better than this painful clarity.…Days passed one after another.One