Piercy uttered each word with bone-chilling intensity. His voice sounded as if it came from the depths of hell. His face was unnaturally pale, and large beads of sweat slid down his face incessantly.He had summoned all his strength to strangle Millie—there was an unmistakable intent to kill. Piercy tightened his grip bit by bit, and Millie's entire body was lifted off the ground by his single arm.Soon, Millie felt the sensation of suffocation wash over her. She struggled in agony but couldn't pry his hand away or make him budge in the slightest.Her consciousness grew weaker and weaker. Suddenly, her body felt light, and she fell to the ground.Before she lost consciousness, she seemed to hear Piercy's voice. It was so faint that it was almost inaudible. In fact, it was so soft that she wondered if it was just her imagination."Don't you get it? This kind of low-level hypnosis won't work on me. Only you can truly hurt me. Pierce would go to any lengths for you, Millie… You owe m
This time, Millie wasn't crying for Pierce, but for someone else. Piercy had said that once she recovered, they would go camping, enjoy the outdoors, and watch a movie together.He had also said that he was a living, breathing human being. He wasn't Pierce's appendix, a kidney stone, or a polyp that could be surgically removed when it became a problem.Piercy had his own thoughts, and he could feel pain, too.Millie had gained his trust and then stabbed him in the back. How hopeless Piercy must have felt! He probably wouldn't forgive her for the rest of his life.She had only known him for a few days, so why did she feel this overwhelming sadness? She hadn't done the physical act of killing, yet she had killed someone all the same.Millie's heart ached with unbearable pain.Pierce stood at the door, his expression full of worry. Bruce walked over to him with a limp and said, "I think Ms. Jordan needs my treatment. The struggle between you and the secondary personality is someth
Pierce's eyes became bloodshot in an instant. His gaze burned with searing anger as he stared at Millie intently.He bellowed, "Do you know what you're doing?"Millie lowered her head, staring at the knife tip that was less than an inch away from her chest. Pierce's hand was gripping the blade tightly.The knife had cut into his palm. Blood dripped heavily from it, pooling into a small puddle on the floor.A complicated feeling rose within Millie. In that fleeting moment, she had bet that Pierce would stop her. She hadn't expected that Pierce would grab the blade with his bare hand in desperation."Your hand…" Millie murmured.Pierce threw the knife onto the ground with a loud clatter. He gripped her shoulder so firmly that pain shot up from where his hand was placed instantly."Listen to me, Millie. No matter what happens, you must never hurt yourself. You can point your blade at anyone else, but never at yourself. Do you hear me?" he roared, his voice deep and furious.Mill
Since Wanda had some dirt on Samantha, they were in the same boat. Because of their shared interests in scheming and prevailing over Millie, they naturally had much to talk about. Wanda was the one who contributed the ideas for Samantha to avoid going on the forced blind dates.After listening to Wanda, Samantha asked, "What? You went for a checkup and ran into Millie?""She must have realized it was me. She even picked up my medical report. What should I do?" Wanda asked anxiously, feeling butterflies in her stomach.A few months earlier, Wanda had found out she was pregnant. She thought everything would be fine after making it past the risky first trimester. But after about four to five months into her pregnancy and before her belly had fully shown, she had been experiencing frequent spotting.Wanda dared not tell Stefan about this because he had been eagerly anticipating the baby's arrival. Thus, she had gone to the hospital alone for a checkup. The results were devastating—her
Wanda knew she couldn't delay dealing with her situation any longer. The longer the dead fetus remained in her womb, the greater the harm it would cause.She returned to Leach Manor and kept an eye on the time. Stefan should be back around this time. So, Wanda deliberately picked up her phone and pretended to make a call.She said into the phone, "Watch over Millie's studio and make sure her business isn't doing too badly. Don't let her know it was my idea. I'll reimburse all your expenses…"After Wanda was done uttering her staged instructions, she put down the phone. When she turned around, she pretended to be startled to see Stefan standing there."Stefan? Oh, you scared me! Why didn't you say something when you came in?" Wanda asked with a playful pout."Are you helping Millie?" he asked, frowning."Yes. Although she and I don't get along, I don't think this incident is her fault. It was her staff cutting corners and substituting her products with inferior ones. I admire he
Millie and Celia were still busy, so Millie ordered takeout for both of them."Celia, stop for now and take a break," Millie said."If only Mr. Saville were here, we could relax a little," Celia responded.Upon hearing this, Millie glanced toward Julian's office. She felt a little melancholic as she stared at the empty office. It seemed like they wouldn't even be able to remain friends in the future.Just then, Celia gasped. "Mrs. Leach?"Millie froze. What was Wanda doing here?Her business was open to everyone, and she couldn't stop Wanda from coming in."What are you here for?" Millie asked warily."I'm here to take you to see Stefan. I'll be there tonight as well," Wanda said with a smile.Millie was immediately confused. She had thought Stefan had invited her alone, but it turned out Wanda would also be there."I'm very busy and don't have time," Millie said dismissively.Wanda continued, "I've already spoken to Stefan. If this were ancient times when polygamy wasn't fr
Even though Millie knew this was Wanda's trap, a life was at stake. She couldn't afford to think too much about it now.She quickly dialed 911. When the ambulance arrived and Wanda was carried away, a large pool of blood was left on the ground. Millie stared at the blood, her heart pounding rapidly. "How… How could someone use their own child just to drag another person through the mud?"Wanda was pregnant with Stefan's first child. She needed this baby and would never harm it just to set someone up. Because of this, Millie had always been wary when dealing with Wanda. So far, Wanda had never shown any intention of using her baby to set her up.But this time… Was it an accidental fall? Or was there something more to it?"Don't worry, Ms. Jordan… I saw everything clearly. You didn't push her. She… She broke free from you and deliberately fell to the ground," Celia stammered, clearly shaken as well."What about the surveillance cameras?" Millie responded.She reviewed the securit
"Celia?" Millie couldn't believe that those words had come out of Celia's mouth.Celia had worked for her for over three years. During this time, Millie had never mistreated her.However, Celia openly betrayed her right at this crucial moment. She had turned against Millie and made accusatory claims that were contrary to what she'd said back in the studio."You're with Wanda." Only now did Millie realize the truth.Celia refuted her with tears streaming down her face, "I'm not associated with Mrs. Leach in any way, Ms. Jordan. I simply couldn't go against my conscience. I couldn't stand by and watch you do such terrible things.""Why would you frame me…" Millie's emotions flared as she stepped forward to confront Celia.But before she could get close, Stefan intervened and grabbed her wrist. He glared at her with a complicated expression and spat, "You're a fine piece of work, Millie! How could you lay a hand on a pregnant woman? My child is dead now! Are you happy? "Let me tel
Pierce asked Millie that question with determination.Millie fell silent. Technically, she should treat Pierce and Stefan similarly and steer clear of Pierce.But her heart always swayed when it came to Pierce for some reason. It was probably because Pierce was always there for her whenever she had a hard time. Whether it was before or after their marriage, he never disappointed her. He wasn't like Stefan, who kept breaking her heart to the extent that she had gotten used to it. Stefan was constantly deliberating the pros and cons and picking the side that benefited him the most. To him, Millie was always the one who could be discarded as the other option.On the contrary, Pierce had never made her his second option. There was an awkward silence in the room. Millie didn't know how to respond to Pierce's question. As she was pondering her answer, she saw the corner of Bill's eye twitch. Was he regaining consciousness now?"Grandpa… Grandpa's eyes twitched just now," she sa
"Why are you here?" Pierce asked, despite knowing the answer."Grandpa must have been confused and called me in his disoriented state. Is he doing alright now?" Millie asked urgently. "I don't know what's going on inside." Pierce shook his head. "They're still performing emergency treatment on him. But the doctor did mention that his condition was quite severe this time. Grandpa might not be able to…" He drifted off, not finishing the rest of his sentence.Millie staggered on her feet, almost falling to the ground. She knew it was only a matter of time before Bill would have to say goodbye to the world, but she didn't expect it to be so soon. It had barely been a year!Bill had always looked after her. Ever since she married Pierce, Bill treated Millie even better than before. Despite the gossip about her, Bill always empathized with her, feeling her pain as if it were his own.Although she didn't have blood ties to Bill or Agnes, they still showed her the utmost love and c
Pierce said, "Yes, I wanted to marry her. So, the fact that you were pretending to be sick wasn't really a threat to me. You just provided me with a valid reason to do so."He continued, "I've transferred you to a different sanatorium these three years instead of letting you stay alone because of her too.""I see. No wonder you insisted that I stay here despite how much I dislike Mrs. Leach Senior. You're certain I'd see Millie here often and like her, huh?" Bill asked in curiosity."Not really."Pierce hadn't expected things to turn out this way. All he wanted was to see Millie more often. After finding out that Millie was taking care of Agnes in this sanatorium, he decided to visit Bill frequently to increase his chances of seeing her.Even a quick glance was more than enough for him. "Well, why did you agree to a divorce then? I don't understand at all. You care about her so much," Bill said.Bill knew that they were going to get a divorce. In fact, he wanted to stop them.
"Mrs. Leach Senior, I won't go. After all, it's your family gathering. How about I treat you to dinner alone some other time?" Millie suggested."You're part of my family too," Agnes insisted."I know you care about me, but Stefan is married to Wanda. If I attend, how do you think Wanda will feel? I don't want to stir up unnecessary trouble," Millie replied.She wasn't afraid of Wanda, but she had no desire to see her again. Wanda had already lost everything, especially after losing the baby. Her real goal wasn't to fight Millie to the bitter end—it was to secure Stefan's affection.Unfortunately, she had lost the ability to conceive children. The Leach family's vast fortune would eventually require an heir. No matter how much Stefan loved her, Wanda was destined to be abandoned.Millie found herself pitying Wanda. As always, her schemes had spectacularly backfired against herself."But I invited several exceptional young men to meet you. It's a chance for you to meet potential s
"Stefan, I've already ended up this way, yet you're still going to see your ex?" Wanda asked as tears streamed down her face."Wanda, it's not what you think. Grandma is back and wants to host a family gathering. She wanted Millie to come as well," Stefan explained."Family gathering? And you're inviting an outsider?""Wanda, Millie was with me for three years. When Grandma was ill, it was Millie who took care of her and kept her company."Wanda scoffed. "I could've done that too. Do you think I didn't want to? Why is my life so miserable? My family went bankrupt, and before my parents passed, they left me with your family. Your parents looked down on me, so they sent me overseas and married me off to an abusive drunkard!"My life after marriage was hell on Earth. It was a nightmare! Your family owes me more than anything Millie ever did for you in those three years. I am your wife now, and yet your grandmother is still thinking about someone else?"Is it because your grandmothe
Stefan felt his stomach churn violently. The smell alone was nauseating, and all Wanda had done was add a pinch of salt for flavor. How could she possibly eat the placenta stew with an overpowering fishy smell?Wanda ate happily, enjoying every bite. For a moment, Stefan had an unsettling thought—it didn't seem like she was eating a placenta, but a child.He waited until she finished before heading downstairs, acting as if nothing had happened."I'm leaving now," he said calmly."Wait, Stefan," Wanda said, stopping him."Is there anything else?""Are you really just going to forget about the incident? If Millie hadn't argued with me and pushed me, the accident wouldn't have happened. Even if she wasn't the mastermind, she should still bear some responsibility. "She's an accomplice to killing our child, Stefan. Are you really not going to seek justice for our baby?" Wanda asked while shedding a few tears. Her crying made her act look sincere and convincing.When it came to cryi
Stefan and Millie would have probably ended up getting married, right? Since Stefan had already treated Millie as a substitute, and she was even better than the original, why couldn't they just continue like this forever?Stefan suddenly recalled the first time he met Millie. She was dressed in revealing clothes, trembling like a helpless lamb awaiting to be slaughtered. When he first saw her, he was captivated—not only because she resembled Wanda so closely but also because she was genuinely beautiful—more beautiful than Wanda, and she was stunning. He couldn't help but feel empathy for her.In the beginning, he hadn't thought much of it. Millie was just a substitute, a cure for the heartache Wanda had left behind. But over time, Millie proved herself. She was thoughtful, considerate, and kind. Her presence gradually eased the pain left by his breakup with Wanda.In reality, Stefan had broken up with Wanda years ago and spent several years living recklessly. Meeting Millie agai
"Don't you… have anything to say?" Stefan asked hesitantly.It would have been a perfectly normal reaction for Millie to yell at Stefan or even slap him.But instead, she was calm. Her tone was flat, and her gaze was cold, sending a chill down his spine.Instead of anger and disappointment, she looked at him now calmly and emotionlessly as though he were a mere stranger."I need to go, Mr. Leach," she said softly.She recalled when Wanda barged into her studio, yelling at her and saying if this were ancient times, she would willingly share a husband with her. Wanda also agreed to let Stefan keep her as a mistress.If they wanted to humiliate themselves, it was their own business, but why pull her into their chaos?Millie had tried to explain herself, but neither of them had been willing to listen. Why should she waste her breath arguing with people who refused to listen?Stefan couldn't let her go, while Wanda saw Millie as a rival and wanted to compete with her. But to Millie,
Julian spoke each word slowly, and his words left Millie speechless.Even though she knew she was innocent, Wanda's plans had made her imprisonment almost certain. If it weren't for Pierce, she would have been doomed."What's going on, Julian? I thought you left," Millie said."Who said I left? I told you I just needed a few days to rest. Since I couldn't help with your troubles, I figured I'd at least look after the company for you."I wasn't just sitting around during my off days. I gave a lecture in school and recruited some new talent. As for the contaminated fabrics issue, I've already cleared the studio's name. It might take a bit of time, but we'll be back on track soon.""Julian…"It turned out she was the only one being narrow-minded. She even thought she and Julian couldn't even be friends anymore.Julian laughed. "I'm not that petty. We're still business partners, and I'm still your senior. We're… still the same as before, alright?"Millie nodded firmly. "Thanks, Jul