Celia exclaimed, "She had a grudge against Mrs. Leach. So, she pushed her, a pregnant woman over five months along, to the ground. Then, she asked me to bear false witness! When I refused, she sent someone to kill me. "Just now, while I was on my way to have my statement recorded in the police station, a car tried to run me over. Thankfully, I was lucky and managed to survive. Officers, you have to protect me! Millie wants to kill me. She's trying to kill me!""Miss, please come inside," urged a police officer."No… Don't touch me! You're working with Millie. You're trying to kill me too!" Celia continued screaming hysterically outside the station.Her incessant screaming drew a massive crowd. People surrounded the entrance, blocking it completely. Some even recorded videos and uploaded them online.In no time, Millie was labeled as the culprit behind the child's death. Her name became synonymous with infamy, and the public deemed her guilty and deserving of death. There were wid
Night fell over the hospital.In recent days, Stefan canceled all his engagements and stayed by Wanda's side. He never left her side for even a moment. Their relationship grew closer during this time, which gave Wanda a sense of comfort.After enduring so much pain, she had finally gained Stefan's affection and deepened his hatred for Millie. To her, that was enough.Just then, Stefan's secretary entered the room and whispered something into his ear. His voice was low, so Wanda couldn't hear it."What's wrong?" She noticed the change in Stefan's expression and felt a pang of worry."It's nothing. I need to handle an issue at the company. I'll come back to see you later," Stefan replied."Go ahead. Come back to me when you're done," Wanda said softly and understandingly. Stefan tucked her in and smoothed her hair gently."Wanda…" His voice faltered for a moment. "Have you ever done anything to betray me?"Wanda froze."Have you ever schemed anything against me?" he asked agai
Stefan's phone rang as a call from Pierce came in."What do you want to say now? You must have heard the call records by now," Stefan said impatiently."Wanda was clearly hinting at something through the call. With the huge commotion she caused at the studio, Celia would naturally know how to respond accordingly. Of course, they wouldn't say much over the phone to leave any evidence," Pierce explained."You're too biased toward Millie. You don't even know her or her true character! You're blind to everything she does," Stefan retorted.Pierce continued, "Six months ago, Celia's family encountered financial troubles. Her brother got married, and her mother fell seriously ill. They urgently needed money. This financial gap was filled when her father received a workplace injury settlement."The compensation was worth hundreds of thousands of dollars. Coincidentally, the person running that company happened to meet Wanda at a banquet in Arbelton."Stefan snorted and countered, "So, d
Millie was brought into the interrogation room once again."Do you remember a man named Alex Thorne?" Karen showed her a photo. Millie recognized him immediately—he was the man who had nearly assaulted her. "Yes, I remember him.""Can you recount what happened that night?"Millie described the events in detail.Karen nodded and said, "It seems what Celia said is true. Were you aware that Celia and Wanda had been in touch?""I didn't know before, but now it's not hard to guess.""So, you had no idea at the time?""No."Karen nodded, seemingly piecing things together. Only one witness was left to question—Wanda.And so, Wanda was summoned for questioning."Mrs. Leach, do you still insist that Ms. Jordan pushed you?" Karen asked."Yes, she pushed me!" Wanda gritted her teeth, confirming it repeatedly."Mrs. Leach, defamation and false accusations are crimes. Every word you say must be truthful and accountable," Karen said sternly, her gaze sharp.Wanda's heart skipped a bea
As soon as Stefan left, Wanda opened her eyes and began analyzing the entire situation.Celia had proven unreliable. What should have been the perfect opportunity to destroy Millie fell apart when she turned against Wanda.Narrowing her eyes, Wanda thought she should have anticipated this. If she could bribe Celia, someone else could do the same too. Pierce likely offered her even more.Fortunately, she kept all of her interactions with Celia neutral, so there was no evidence of wrongdoing.Wanda promised to give the company that compensated Celia's father some form of monetary reimbursement or a lucrative business deal within a year. For now, there was no visible connection between that company and Wanda.Celia had been her top priority when she targeted Millie's studio and poached all her employees.Right away, Celia was enticed by the high salary. But instead of having Celia come over to work under her directly, Wanda instructed her to stay at Millie's studio to monitor her.
"Millie…" Pierce murmured. He suppressed the fervor in his eyes, restraining the impulse to pull her into his arms. He approached her cautiously.Millie looked at him, feeling a complicated mix of emotions. She wanted to smile at him, but for some reason, her vision went dark. Her body went limp as she collapsed.In that instant, Pierce felt his heart skip a beat. Dropping the umbrella, he caught her with both hands.He rushed her to the hospital, where the doctors diagnosed her with mild nervous exhaustion. It was nothing serious. In fact, it was understandable since she had spent days in such a stifling environment.Millie had also contracted a viral infection and ran a fever for two days, so she remained hospitalized. Pierce stayed by her side without leaving, all while continuing his investigation into the stillbirth. Finally, he made some progress. He focused intently on the screen before him.The footage showed Millie bumping into someone at the hospital entrance, scatteri
"It's understandable, really. Stefan trusts her like how you trust me. All the evidence out there points to me pushing her and causing her miscarriage. Yet, you still believed in me and kept looking for the truth," Millie said.Pierce disagreed and said firmly, "You and Wanda are not the same. She's not even worthy of being compared to you. Stefan is blind. He doesn't even love Wanda that much. He's just invested too much to marry her. "He defied his parents, used you as a stand-in, and went against his grandmother. He gave up too much. Admitting Wanda is manipulative was equivalent to admitting he has poor judgment and can't see people for who they are."But I know you've always been good. You're better than anyone else."He looked at her, speaking each word with sincerity.Millie's heart raced uncontrollably. His gaze was always so earnest and intense that one couldn't help but avert their gaze. The way his eyes met hers felt almost scorching.Pierce then asked tentatively, "M
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
"No one will regard you as a mute even if you don't talk," Pierce said irritably.Tobias frowned, not daring to speak anymore.Pierce rushed back to the sanatorium and found Millie dozing by the bed while Bill was sleeping deeply and peacefully.The doctor said, "Ms. Jordan has been by Mr. Atkinson Senior's side constantly, handling everything. She even took over as caregiver when Mr. Atkinson Senior had no appetite. She cooked some appetizing meals for him."Over the years, we've all seen how Ms. Jordan treated Mr. Atkinson Senior with such care. She's genuinely kind-hearted and isn't someone looking to manipulate the situation for personal advantage."The elderly brought here were from powerful families, and their children were too busy to care for them, leaving them lonely. At least they would have some company here.No one in the Atkinson family was looking after Bill, who was stubborn and a loner. After getting into an argument with Donald, Bill moved here on his own accord.
Nero knew he would die for sure, but he didn't want to die for some fabricated accusations. It turned out Pierce was fuming because he thought that Nero laid his hand on Millie.Pierce still had more to say, but Nero couldn't hold on any longer.His wounds were bleeding profusely. They hurt so much that he felt completely numb. At last, he couldn't handle the pain anymore.Nero blacked out, completely losing consciousness. Pierce's brows pulled together in a deep frown. He was very confused. Judging from Nero's reaction just now, he didn't seem like he was lying. Everyone knew that Millie was Pierce's wife. Thus, Nero should have known what he did wrong when he was brought here, but he still asked for the reason so he wouldn't die in confusion. Something felt off in this situation. "Find a way to wake him up. He hasn't finished what he was saying yet," Pierce said.Tobias hastily brought some chicken soup over, helping Nero to regain consciousness. Finally, Nero woke up
Nero was also a Caledynian. He was called "Nero" because he was slightly more tanned than the others.Both Nero and William worked in the Golden Triangle area. They mostly made smuggling trades in Solandra's black market, especially in places like Moanelay and Lyza. "Who are you, and why did you take me here?" Nero asked.If the police had arrested Nero, he would have been sent away to be interrogated. So, why was he secretly brought here?"You're here, Pierce," Tobias said, ignoring Nero. He walked over to Pierce when he heard the footsteps. Nero was flabbergasted the moment he saw Pierce. "You… You're Pierce Atkinson?"Pierce was a legendary customs officer with a lengthy list of achievements at a young age. Besides, he had arrested a large number of underground dealers, including Nero's accomplices.People like Nero swore an oath to kill Pierce if they ever came across him whenever they were out there dealing in the black market. Everyone was desperate to kill him to as
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