Stefan slammed his fist against the head of the bed. His fist immediately flushed red, but the pain didn't seem to bother him in the slightest."She really got together with Pierce. How is this possible…""Perhaps Ms. Jordan was so heartbroken that she chose Mr. Atkinson just to get back at you.""Really?" Stefan asked doubtfully, frowning.Mark replied, "Of course. Ms. Jordan still loves you, and that's why she did that. She just wanted to see how you would react, Mr. Leach. If you let it get to you, then you'll have played right into her hands."When Stefan heard that, the anger slowly dissipated from his face. He snorted. "She is really willing to go to any lengths. Does she think I'll go back to her like this? How ridiculous."As long as I don't pay it any mind, then Millie won't be able to get to me. However, Pierce…"If Pierce agreed to get with her, it meant that he was most likely trying to get back at him too.Back then, his mother had been opposed to him being with Wa
"What's the matter?" Pierce asked."My zip is stuck. Can you call the salesperson over to help?" Millie said."Allow me.""I-Is this appropriate?""Millie, we're legally married. You keep making me feel like we're having an illicit affair."Millie's face flushed. It was just a zipper after all.Pierce walked into the dressing room. The room was actually quite big, but because of his overwhelming presence, the room felt cramped.The dressing room was so quiet that they would be able to hear a pin drop. The sound of the zip was the only thing they could hear.His fingertips unintentionally brushed against her back.Her skin was as smooth as porcelain. It was completely flawless.It looked like it should be used as a canvas for a beautiful painting.Using the sweat on her body, he wanted to mix colors on her skin to paint a beautiful picture of a flower.At the thought of this, his eyes darkened."Are you done yet?"Millie felt very uneasy, as though a predator had set its s
After the two separated, Pierce's gaze was predatory and lustful. Millie felt like he was going to swallow her whole any second.Soon, the desire in his eyes completely vanished, as though it never existed."Let's go. The party is about to start."Millie steeled her nerves. After Pierce got down, he opened her door like a gentleman. The two of them got onto the cruise after flashing their invitations.People immediately came up to greet Pierce. They all noticed Millie standing next to him."Who is this, Mr. Atkinson?""Hello, my name is Millie Jordan. I run a fashion design studio. This is my name card." Millie quickly tried to sell herself.Suddenly, she felt like it was inappropriate to be taking her name card out right now. She snuck a glance at Pierce, scared that he would get angry."Mr. Wales, I hope you'll support her business.""Of course."When Millie heard that, she sighed in relief. Her speech grew even more animated and lively.At that moment, someone called ou
The waitress, Mila Granger, paced back and forth, as though she was looking for Millie. When she spotted her target, she immediately walked over.There was a champagne flute on her tray. "Miss, would you like a drink?""I don't want to drink now, but I want to see someone else drink. You should drink that. I'll pay you a hundred thousand dollars if you drink that. What do you say?"Mila smiled nervously. "I wouldn't dare. These drinks are for our honorable guests. I'm not worthy of drinking them. Not to mention, I have a sensitive stomach. I get a stomach ache when I drink—""I'll pay you a million dollars.""Really?" Mila's eyes light up. She was ready to switch sides."Yes! So, are you drinking it?""Sure, I will."Now, it was Millie's turn to be puzzled. She wondered what was in the drink. Did Mila even know what was inside? If she did, she wouldn't be wearing this expression right now.Was it spiked with a date rape drug, or something else?At that moment, someone came ov
"Don't look at me. You'll sully your eyes.""Huh?""Use your hand… Use your hand to help me… Don't look. There's nothing to see…"Pierce's voice was extremely hoarse, and he stammered and stumbled over his words.Millie was surprised to hear traces of embarrassment in his voice.Pierce was actually embarrassed too.Her hand touched something.He gripped her hand, slowly exerting force.…Before they knew it, it was finally over.Millie didn't dirty her clothes or her body.As she sat quietly on the bed, she heard sounds of flowing water coming from the bathroom.She wanted to remove the blindfold, but Pierce wouldn't let her do it. So, she had no choice but to listen to him.After a dozen minutes, Pierce came out. Millie could hear the rustling of fabric as he put on his clothes.He seemed to be cleaning up the place. Then, he wiped her hands with a wet towel."Forget what happened just now."Pierce spoke in a commanding tone."Okay."Millie nodded.She didn't sacrif
Millie finished the wine in one go."Let's go over there."Putting an arm around Millie's waist, Pierce led her away.The ship sailed for another hour or so before they finally reached the island.Everyone shared the cake, which was several feet tall. Then, they presented the birthday gifts.Millie felt like her horizons were broadened. The birthday banquet went on until midnight before it finally came to an end.Pierce still had matters to deal with, so Millie went back to their room to rest.Millie was about to close the door when a large hand suddenly gripped the edge of the door.Millie was startled. Then, she watched as Stefan squeezed in through the gap.She immediately frowned."What are you doing? What if someone sees you?""What were you and Pierce doing in the room?"Stefan asked slowly.Millie couldn't help but laugh. She thought that Stefan had turned over a new leaf, but as it turned out, he hadn't."I'm his partner, and we're even going to sleep together ton
Stefan was at a loss for words. He felt his anger bubbling within him with nowhere to go."Pierce, are you turning against me for a mere woman?"With a cold look on his face, he straightened his back. He refused to be intimidated."Remember, our families have very close connections, and we have numerous partnerships in business. It's not worth it to abandon all that for the sake of a woman, let alone a woman who would make use of everything to survive."Did you know that she surrendered herself to her kidnappers just to stay alive? Your parents wouldn't allow a dirty woman like that to be married into the family.""That's my business. Don't worry about it.""Alright, then." Stefan smiled despite his fury. He gave Pierce a sullen look. "I'll just stand by and watch, then!"The two parted ways in a foul mood. Stefan got up straight away and walked off.On his way back, Pierce noticed a message Millie sent to him a dozen minutes ago."The moon looks beautiful tonight. I'm off to
Millie's eyelashes gently brushed against Pierce's palm."Don't look.""Is she… dead?"Millie's voice trembled as she spoke, and her whole body stiffened.It was quite traumatic for her to see a dead person right before her eyes."Walk ahead and don't look back.""What about…""We don't have to do anything about this. I'm not the police. Someone will be here."Pierce only wanted to take Millie back.After returning to the room, Pierce was still a little worried. After making sure multiple times that she was unharmed, he finally let out a sigh of relief."Why would you go near the sea at night? Don't you know how worrisome that is?"Pierce returned to his senses and began reprimanding her.He looked so fierce that his expression could frighten Millie to tears.But when Millie remembered that Pierce was just concerned about her safety, she wasn't scared anymore."So, you didn't want me to die?""I don't care… whether you die or not. But I need you to trick Grandpa with me.
Agnes glared at Stefan, feeling exasperated that he never seemed to get the point. "Wanda isn't as simple as she seems on the surface. Aren't you worried that you may be speaking up for the wrong person?"Stefan's face turned a shade paler, but he firmly insisted, "Even if I'm backing the wrong person, I'll continue to stand up for her! Wanda isn't as bad as you think. Why are you so prejudiced against her, Grandma? "The first time we slept together, I was drunk and forced myself on her. If anyone is to blame, it's me. Isn't it because you're biased toward me that you push all the blame onto Wanda?""You're incorrigible and completely hopeless!" Agnes' voice trembled in anger as she spoke.Millie hadn't intended to intervene. After all, this was their family matter. However, she couldn't stand by and watch Stefan agitate Agnes to the point of making her collapse either. So, she pushed the door open and stepped out. When Stefan saw her, his expression shifted, and he immediately
Bill just told the woman to jump off his rival's company building instead of his own so that her suicide wouldn't affect his property values and stock prices."The woman was so mad that she jumped right away! Luckily, someone rescued her in time, or it would have been a tragedy," Agnes narrated."Grandpa was terrible back then. How did you end up with him?" Millie asked.Agnes replied, "I didn't know any of his bad deeds back then, and the internet wasn't as developed. I came to Arbelton to study and met him at the university's social event. Then, he started to pursue me."Bill was really handsome back then, so I fell for him. We became a couple shortly after. Later on, I started hearing all the rumors about him, and it made me furious."She continued, "But women in love are foolish. We all hope that we're the ones who make the playboy settle down. He indeed dated me for six months, and we were very compatible. I thought I was different and that he would settle down for me."I wa
Millie parted her lips. She wanted to say something, but at that moment, she didn't know what to say.She knew that if Pierce hadn't shown up in time, she would have been assaulted. However, if it had been the kidnapper who'd assaulted her, she could have hated him for her whole life, and at least then, she'd even have good reason to murder him if she could. But it was Pierce. She couldn't bring herself to hate him. If it hadn't been him, it would have been someone else. Still, Millie felt like she didn't even have the right to resent the criminal who had tried to force himself on her. She couldn't let go of the pain, and it felt like she was being deadly stubborn.She couldn't persuade Pierce, and he couldn't persuade himself either. They were stuck in this stalemate and had no idea when it would end.Perhaps time would provide an answer.Millie walked forward with her head down. She drove to the mall, bought a few things, and headed to the Lytles' family residence.She had t
Sharon was at a loss for words.She had been a victim of bullying herself, and she still remembered the ugly faces of those who had bullied her. Sometimes, she would wake up in the middle of the night feeling terrified from trying to heal the scars from her childhood.The initial reason that drove Sharon to become a journalist was because she wanted to expose the violence that took place on school grounds to the world.She could never forgive a bully. To her, anyone who preyed on the weak deserved punishment."I wouldn't be with him. I would break up with him immediately," Sharon stated."But what if you really liked him?" Millie asked.Without hesitation, Sharon replied, "If I stayed with him and dismissed his mistakes out of love, I'd start to think bullying isn't wrong. I might even become a bully myself one day." Empathizing with a bully could lead one to become the next perpetrator.Millie responded, "That's exactly how I feel now. Pierce did something wrong. And if I forgi
"Ahem…" Bill coughed to cover the awkwardness and said, "Pay Mrs. Leach Senior a visit with generous gifts tomorrow, okay? Establish a close rapport with the Lytles as a respective young man."Pierce immediately understood what he meant. Bill was trying to back Agnes up by having him bear generous gifts and show some regard to her younger relatives during the visit.There would definitely be members of the Lytle family who would be there to visit Agnes tomorrow. He had to show them that any member of the Lytles, including Wanda, should not be subject to mockery."I can tell you really care for Mrs. Leach Senior, Grandpa," Pierce remarked."Millie's going to be there too. I'm just creating an opportunity for you. It's for your own good," Bill replied."Oh, really?" Pierce responded indifferently, explicitly calling Bill out for his made-up excuse.Upon reading between the lines, Bill merely shot him a glare before turning over and going to sleep with his blanket tightly wrapped ar
"Grandpa, Pierce and I have divorced. I can be anyone's partner now," Millie said."I can't have that. I need to talk to Pierce to have him remarry you. You didn't even have a proper wedding ceremony back then after you registered your marriage. Just do it one more time, so that I can plan your wedding for you and make it as grand as possible. That's what you deserve!" Bill said. Millie didn't respond.After some small chat with Bill, she left the room.Upon stepping out, she noticed Pierce speaking in a foreign accent with Charlotte on the phone outside.Millie was far away from him, so she couldn't hear what they were talking about. But judging from the smile on his face, they were probably having a nice conversation.Millie wanted to inform him that she was leaving. However, after waiting for a few minutes, he was still on the phone. So, she spoke to the nurse before leaving. She told the nurse, "When he's done with his call, tell him that I've left. Also, let him know that
Millie only breathed a sigh of relief after getting into the car. However, right when she was about to buckle up, Pierce held her head and pulled her close.Startled, Millie instinctively tried to break free. Then, Pierce whispered in her ear, "Don't move. Stefan followed us out here. He's staring at us from the outside.""He is?" Millie asked, wanting to turn to look. But Pierce stopped her and said, "The more you spare him glances, the more he'll think you're not over him, so don't."Millie felt that he made sense. Stefan was an overthinker and might indeed mistake her mere glance for something else.To put it bluntly, Stefan was just resentful because if she had not gotten together with Pierce and forgotten about him, she would still have some feelings for him.Once upon a time, Millie had looked at Stefan with pitiful eyes full of despair, but he'd never cared. He was only acting so out of character now because he had lost control over her."What about now? Is he gone?" M
Using miscarriage to her advantage, Wanda almost put Millie in jail.However, Millie didn't want to break the promise that she had made to Agnes.It had been a long day for Agnes, and she needed some rest. So, Millie said, "Mrs. Leach Senior, the doctor said that you need more rest. Don't worry about us. I'll pay you a visit in two days."Agnes nodded."Sleep tight. I'll be here until you fall asleep," Millie added.Since Agnes was tired, she soon fell asleep.Once Millie saw Agnes fall into a deep sleep, she quietly left the room.However, she didn't expect that the man she hated the most, Stefan, was standing outside the door.She thought that he had just arrived and said, "Your grandma's asleep. I think you should come later after she wakes up on her own. Don't disturb her with any noise."Stefan kept quiet. All he did was look at Millie with a complicated look in his eyes.He had thought that she would have more to say to him. He didn't expect her to just leave after such
Stefan and Wanda bared their hearts to each other, revealing everything honestly.Wanda had cried uncontrollably by the sea side, and each tear that fell from her face felt like a hit to Stefan's heart."I didn't betray you. It was your parents who told me to marry him. They said that it was the only way to make you completely give up. I shouldn't have tried to look for you… Just leave me," Wanda said.Stefan was furious when he heard that, but what he felt even more was heartache for her.He held Wanda incredibly tight, completely unwilling to let her go.Stefan had been with many women before, but the first was always the most unforgettable.Wanda was his first.Wanda hadn't gotten a divorce, and he was still with Millie. So, the two of them couldn't be together openly.But Stefan's trips abroad became more frequent. His parents had passed away, and Agnes was in poor health. Millie was completely unaware as well.Nothing could stop him from pursuing his love.Later on, Agne