Millie knew that Pierce wouldn't kick her while she was down. She also knew that his gaze held no deeper meaning.She understood all of that.Yet, standing there in her disheveled state, her mind spun with thoughts she couldn't control.Next to him, Charlotte Cole seemed to notice something unusual in Pierce's demeanor. He had stopped walking, and his body stiffened as his deep gaze lingered in a certain spot in the distance.Charlotte followed his line of sight and eventually spotted Millie. "Do you know her, Pierce?" she asked in Cazarian.Millie overheard Charlotte's words and was surprised at how close they seemed."I don't know her," Pierce said indifferently. His voice was cold as he turned his gaze away, walking forward with long strides while holding Charlotte's hand.Without sparing Millie another glance, he led his entourage out of sight.Millie fought back the bitterness welling up inside her. She had asked for the divorce, and now she'd gotten what she wanted. There
Millie put on light makeup to cover the exhaustion on her face. Her complexion looked slightly better with some blush and a little lipstick on. She then changed into clothes that were appropriate for the occasion and headed to the hotel. Isla had given her the number to a private room and said she would meet her there.Millie was about to reach Isla's room when the door to a nearby private room flew open unexpectedly. Felicity walked out. She had come to dine with her friends. Running into her right now felt like a cruel twist of fate for Millie. Felicity had been the first client to cancel her order, and she hadn't bothered to keep her as a client. Now that they had bad blood, Millie couldn't even be bothered to greet her and turned to leave. However, Felicity blocked her path."Well, if it isn't Mrs. Atkinson?" Felicity said mockingly.Someone interjected, "That's not right, Mrs. Searle. She's the former Mrs. Atkinson.""Oh, I nearly forgot. You're divorced now, so you don'
Felicity wanted to ruin Millie's beautiful face so that she would lose even her last advantage. At that moment, she was driven by her overwhelming anger toward Millie.She held the blade close to Millie's cheek as she said threateningly, "There's still time to beg me!""You'd better think this through, Mrs. Searle. I'm a public figure too. I'm an international designer. So, anything I say carries some weight. If you ruin my face because you think you can fall back on your family's power to escape the law, I'll fight you to the death!" Millie warned. She then added, "Also, I have another identity—I'm Pierce's ex-wife. If you dare to cut my face, I'll make sure the Searle family kicks you out!"Millie raised her head and looked at Felicity with unwavering defiance. She wasn't just some nameless nobody. She had a prominent identity, though perhaps it seemed insignificant compared to these high-society elite ladies. But that didn't mean she was completely powerless.She was a renowne
Pierce had appeared right behind Millie without her noticing.She turned around and looked at him. "Pierce…"Just as she spoke his name, he leaned down and kissed hers. His large hand gripped her slender waist, pinning her against the wall. He slid one leg between her legs to hold her in place. It was also to prevent her from struggling and interrupting the kiss.The oxygen in Millie's chest was completely taken away. He kissed her like a desperate and parched traveler lost in the desert, greedily drinking in the sweetness of her mouth.Millie felt dizzy and overwhelmed, and her body nearly caved in.Pierce became even bolder. He lifted the hem of her dress with one hand and slipped underneath it. He effortlessly reached beneath her bra and grabbed the soft part of her. Then, he teasingly pinched her sensitive peak, causing her to feel tiny jolts of electricity throughout her entire body.This sensation made Millie regain her senses. Her eyes widened, and she used all her strengt
Millie was still in the restroom. She stared at the bright red invitation card in her hand and found it laughable.Pierce invited her, his ex-wife, to attend his engagement party and even demanded her blessing. What was he thinking? How was this any different from giving her blessing to Wanda and Stefan?He had violated her, and she hadn't even cursed him out with the vilest of curses. How dare he ask for her blessing?Pierce was getting engaged, yet he had kissed her in the restroom. What did that even mean?Millie felt an overwhelming sense of anguish, thinking that Pierce must be sick—seriously sick.She returned to Sharon's place dejectedly. To her surprise, Sharon was home."Aren't you supposed to be on a business trip?" Millie asked in surprise.Sharon replied, "It was canceled at the last minute, so I didn't go. Your eyes…"Millie's eyes were red-rimmed. It was obvious that she had been crying.She hadn't gone back to the office, as she was afraid that Julian would noti
Could this be Pierce's doing?Millie thought it wasn't likely. This was too significant and well-planned to happen randomly overnight. Even if Pierce had suddenly wanted to retaliate against the Searle family, it wouldn't have been possible for a scandal of this scale to break so quickly.Besides, he hadn't helped her at all during her recent struggles. Why would he go after the Searle family just because Felicity slapped her?Perhaps this was just a coincidence. Felicity had been throwing her weight around for too long. It was only fitting that the consequences caught up with her now."This is more dramatic than a prime-time soap opera! The uncle had an affair with his brother's wife and let his brother raise his child. "Do you think the older brother suspected something all along? Otherwise, why did he favor the eldest son and give him everything while ignoring the younger one most of the time?" Sharon commented.She gossiped away enthusiastically. Since this wasn't entertainm
Just then, Celia rushed in. "Ms. Jordan, um… that foreign woman is here.""What foreign woman?" Millie froze."Your love rival!" Celia squeaked.Millie got it immediately—Charlotte was here. Why had she come looking for her?"Julian, I'm going to see what this is about," Millie said, leaving hastily.Julian was left alone in the office. The words he wanted to say became caught in his throat. He opened and closed his mouth, feeling exasperated at the situation.When Millie saw the vivacious Charlotte, she couldn't help but notice her defined features and striking blue eyes. She even had natural mermaid waves."Oh, so you're Pierce's ex-wife… You're so beautiful!" Charlotte praised chirpily.Millie had a timeless beauty about her. She had an exceptional bone structure that made her delicate features pop. No matter the nationality, one would find her attractive at first glance.In contrast to Charlotte's enthusiasm, Millie was somewhat wary of her presence. She guessed that Charl
Charlotte often took advantage of her gender to get close to women, and the worst part was that those women never even realized it."Stay away from her in the future," Pierce warned icily.Charlotte realized he was serious and not joking this time. She asked, "If you like her so much, why did you divorce her?""She wasn't happy with me," Pierce replied."If that's true, then why do you care? You were upset when I held her hand today. But sooner or later, another man will hold her hand too. Are you going to warn all of them and sabotage her love life?" Charlotte was puzzled."If someone who's genuinely good for her shows up in her life, I'll let her go and wish her well," Pierce answered."Really?" Charlotte leaned closer, staring directly into his eyes. Pierce looked away, shifting his gaze to the scenery outside the window. "What are you looking at?""I'm looking at how diffident you look when you said that. Do you even believe what you just said?" Charlotte commented shrewdl
Just then, the car door on the other side opened, and a handsome man stepped out. He was Millie's date, Tristan Urban, and she had only spoken to him ten minutes ago.He approached her and took her arm. Then, he lifted the hem of her dress as they made their way up the steps together.Millie ignored the curious and judgmental stares of those around her and walked straight toward the entrance. Before she could get inside, a hand grabbed her wrist and pulled her off to the side.Tristan quickly followed.Millie looked at Stefan, bewildered. "Why did you pull me aside?""Who is he?" Stefan asked coldly, glaring at Tristan."An escort I hired. He's my date for today," Millie replied casually."Nice to meet you, Mr. Leach. I've heard so much about you," Tristan greeted politely."An escort you hired to be your date? Do you know what you're doing by bringing someone like him to an event like this? Are you crazy?" Stefan hissed."Who else should I bring? I didn't have anyone suitable
Millie was grateful that she hadn't given her life to a man who didn't deserve it. She was grateful she had only wasted three years and not more.So, when she realized that her relationship with Stefan was nothing but a joke, she forced herself to suppress her feelings and never held out hope for him again.But Pierce… Her feelings for Pierce were far more complicated. She had always regarded him as her savior. In her moments of crisis, he was the first person she thought of. He was someone she had put on a pedestal and thought was invincible—he had given her courage and security.But suddenly, her savior turned into her enemy and nightmare. While it was true that he had violated her, the fact that he had treated her well in every possible way was equally true. This contradiction tormented Millie, making it impossible for her to accept or reconcile what had happened between them.They had separated amicably, but she couldn't adjust her feelings as quickly.Pierce hadn't betrayed h
Julian watched as Millie's pupils contracted and her face turned pale. He couldn't help but find it a little amusing. She was so slow to react that she hadn't noticed his feelings for her at all."Julian, are… are you drunk?" she asked shakily."I haven't been drinking. I'm completely sober," he replied."T-Then, why are you t-talking nonsense?" Millie stuttered. How had this happened so suddenly? It caught her completely off guard—she hadn't been prepared for this at all.Julian confessed, "Millie, my feelings for you didn't just start now. I've liked you for a long time. Back in college, I already had feelings for you. But then, I had to go abroad for my studies, and I was afraid you couldn't accept being in a long-distance relationship. "I was also too much of a coward to take that first step. If I had, we might have already been together back then."Then your family ran into trouble, and I found out too late. By the time I came back, you were already with Stefan. I thought
Charlotte often took advantage of her gender to get close to women, and the worst part was that those women never even realized it."Stay away from her in the future," Pierce warned icily.Charlotte realized he was serious and not joking this time. She asked, "If you like her so much, why did you divorce her?""She wasn't happy with me," Pierce replied."If that's true, then why do you care? You were upset when I held her hand today. But sooner or later, another man will hold her hand too. Are you going to warn all of them and sabotage her love life?" Charlotte was puzzled."If someone who's genuinely good for her shows up in her life, I'll let her go and wish her well," Pierce answered."Really?" Charlotte leaned closer, staring directly into his eyes. Pierce looked away, shifting his gaze to the scenery outside the window. "What are you looking at?""I'm looking at how diffident you look when you said that. Do you even believe what you just said?" Charlotte commented shrewdl
Just then, Celia rushed in. "Ms. Jordan, um… that foreign woman is here.""What foreign woman?" Millie froze."Your love rival!" Celia squeaked.Millie got it immediately—Charlotte was here. Why had she come looking for her?"Julian, I'm going to see what this is about," Millie said, leaving hastily.Julian was left alone in the office. The words he wanted to say became caught in his throat. He opened and closed his mouth, feeling exasperated at the situation.When Millie saw the vivacious Charlotte, she couldn't help but notice her defined features and striking blue eyes. She even had natural mermaid waves."Oh, so you're Pierce's ex-wife… You're so beautiful!" Charlotte praised chirpily.Millie had a timeless beauty about her. She had an exceptional bone structure that made her delicate features pop. No matter the nationality, one would find her attractive at first glance.In contrast to Charlotte's enthusiasm, Millie was somewhat wary of her presence. She guessed that Charl
Could this be Pierce's doing?Millie thought it wasn't likely. This was too significant and well-planned to happen randomly overnight. Even if Pierce had suddenly wanted to retaliate against the Searle family, it wouldn't have been possible for a scandal of this scale to break so quickly.Besides, he hadn't helped her at all during her recent struggles. Why would he go after the Searle family just because Felicity slapped her?Perhaps this was just a coincidence. Felicity had been throwing her weight around for too long. It was only fitting that the consequences caught up with her now."This is more dramatic than a prime-time soap opera! The uncle had an affair with his brother's wife and let his brother raise his child. "Do you think the older brother suspected something all along? Otherwise, why did he favor the eldest son and give him everything while ignoring the younger one most of the time?" Sharon commented.She gossiped away enthusiastically. Since this wasn't entertainm
Millie was still in the restroom. She stared at the bright red invitation card in her hand and found it laughable.Pierce invited her, his ex-wife, to attend his engagement party and even demanded her blessing. What was he thinking? How was this any different from giving her blessing to Wanda and Stefan?He had violated her, and she hadn't even cursed him out with the vilest of curses. How dare he ask for her blessing?Pierce was getting engaged, yet he had kissed her in the restroom. What did that even mean?Millie felt an overwhelming sense of anguish, thinking that Pierce must be sick—seriously sick.She returned to Sharon's place dejectedly. To her surprise, Sharon was home."Aren't you supposed to be on a business trip?" Millie asked in surprise.Sharon replied, "It was canceled at the last minute, so I didn't go. Your eyes…"Millie's eyes were red-rimmed. It was obvious that she had been crying.She hadn't gone back to the office, as she was afraid that Julian would noti
Pierce had appeared right behind Millie without her noticing.She turned around and looked at him. "Pierce…"Just as she spoke his name, he leaned down and kissed hers. His large hand gripped her slender waist, pinning her against the wall. He slid one leg between her legs to hold her in place. It was also to prevent her from struggling and interrupting the kiss.The oxygen in Millie's chest was completely taken away. He kissed her like a desperate and parched traveler lost in the desert, greedily drinking in the sweetness of her mouth.Millie felt dizzy and overwhelmed, and her body nearly caved in.Pierce became even bolder. He lifted the hem of her dress with one hand and slipped underneath it. He effortlessly reached beneath her bra and grabbed the soft part of her. Then, he teasingly pinched her sensitive peak, causing her to feel tiny jolts of electricity throughout her entire body.This sensation made Millie regain her senses. Her eyes widened, and she used all her strengt
Felicity wanted to ruin Millie's beautiful face so that she would lose even her last advantage. At that moment, she was driven by her overwhelming anger toward Millie.She held the blade close to Millie's cheek as she said threateningly, "There's still time to beg me!""You'd better think this through, Mrs. Searle. I'm a public figure too. I'm an international designer. So, anything I say carries some weight. If you ruin my face because you think you can fall back on your family's power to escape the law, I'll fight you to the death!" Millie warned. She then added, "Also, I have another identity—I'm Pierce's ex-wife. If you dare to cut my face, I'll make sure the Searle family kicks you out!"Millie raised her head and looked at Felicity with unwavering defiance. She wasn't just some nameless nobody. She had a prominent identity, though perhaps it seemed insignificant compared to these high-society elite ladies. But that didn't mean she was completely powerless.She was a renowne