Millie shot Stefan a cold glare. "You've wrongfully already accused me once. Are you going to do it a second time?"Stefan had been about to say something, but her words left him speechless. His retort got stuck in his throat.Wanda angrily pointed at Millie and screeched, "This time, it's obvious you pushed me on purpose!""Don't you know why I pushed you? My phone is my personal property. Why did you snatch it from me?""You were messaging my husband. You shameless whore!""You heard that, Stefan. She grabbed my phone without my permission to look at our chats. If she wants to check up on you, it's fine because you're her husband. She can check your phone as she likes, but she shouldn't snoop through mine."I have nothing to hide. You know better than anyone whether or not I've ever tried to seduce you!"With that, Millie turned and headed upstairs without sparing Stefan another glance.As she walked past him, Stefan instinctively reached out as though he wanted to grab her h
Wanda met Stefan's gaze, still feeling reluctant to back down. But at that moment, she couldn't find the words to refute him.She was incredibly jealous that Millie got to be with Pierce—that meant that she had secured a better other half than she did. Also, she was displeased by the fact that Leach Group was overshadowed by Atkinson Group.Wanda had yet to see Millie on her knees, begging for mercy. She wanted Millie to admit that she had lost and was inferior to her. She wasn't willing to let it all go. On the surface, she agreed with Stefan. But in her heart, she was already plotting how to deal with Millie.Didn't Millie claim she would never be a mistress? But Pierce and Charlotte were engaged in the eyes of the public now. So, hadn't Millie knowingly become a mistress? If the media caught wind of this, the backlash alone could destroy Millie.…That evening, Millie visited Agnes and stayed for dinner at Robin's residence. Pierce had originally planned to attend a busin
Millie and Pierce had been able to handle amorous moments previously. But ever since she found out that Pierce was the man back on the ship, she'd developed a significant aversion whenever she got too close to him. So, they hadn't done anything more intimate since then.Millie wanted to suppress her fear and to try and take things further with Pierce. She kept trying to convince herself that given the circumstances back then, Pierce didn't have any better option to help her.If he had had any other options, he would never have taken that path. He was different from others. He had deceived her later on because he feared that she wouldn't be able to accept it—all of his efforts were for her sake.Millie struggled to control her emotions and forced herself to move her trembling hand downward. Her hand uncontrollably shook, and her face grew paler by the second.However, Just as she was about to touch Pierce, he firmly caught her hand. His eyes were filled with absolute tenderness
"But right now, the situation doesn't look good for you. Pierce and Charlotte are still engaged, and you've already divorced him. Yet, you're frequently seen together. The public backlash against you may be severe," Sharon warned."Don't worry. I'll be fine," Millie reassured her. Then, she ended the call and turned to Pierce.Coincidentally, Pierce was looking down at his phone and had just looked up as their eyes met. For a brief moment, an unspoken understanding passed between them."It seems like you've heard of the rumors being spread," Pierce said. "Yes. I plan to let it blow up first and create a bigger uproar before releasing the news of your annulled engagement with Charlotte," Millie replied."Alright, I'll follow your lead. I'll find out who's behind this soon enough." Pierce agreed.Millie changed the topic. "Didn't you sleep well last night? You have dark circles under your eyes.""It's nothing, I just had one too many dreams. It's not a big deal," Pierce said wi
Millie shut herself away from the outside world. In the following days, she didn't step out of her home at all. She had already informed Julian and Sharon not to argue on her behalf online, saying that justice would prevail sooner or later.Furthermore, to protect her employees and shield them from being adversely affected, she ordered everyone in her design studio to take leave for the time being. She would hold Wanda accountable for the studio's losses and make her pay back the damages down the road.Meanwhile, the rumors spread like wildfire on the internet.When Stefan saw them, he felt conflicted. He wanted to help but didn't want to risk Wanda finding out and losing her mind over it. He knew he had no other options left—his only choice was to firmly stand by Wanda. So, he decided to stay on the sidelines and waited for Pierce to act.Occasionally, he found satisfaction in the online discourse. Millie had claimed that she would never stoop so low as to become someone's
"Take him downstairs and give him whatever he wants," Stefan ordered through gritted teeth. If there hadn't been an outsider present, he might have lost his temper on the spot.Mark sensed the tension in the air. So, he quickly escorted the man out and dealt with the matter before rushing back to the office.By the time he came back, the office was a mess. Everything on the desk had been hurled across the room and scattered everywhere.Stefan was not one to easily lose his cool—he was usually calm and composed. But this time, he couldn't hold back his anger.Mark understood why Stefan found this unbearable. After all, the man's arrival was a blatant reminder to him that Wanda had been in contact with Celia, and there had been financial dealings between them.This meant that Wanda wasn't as innocent as she made herself to be when she had the miscarriage.Stefan had been staunchly defending Wanda. So, this was essentially a harsh slap to his face for blindly choosing to stand b
"You will go to Stefan and accuse Wanda of the heinous act and force him to tear away the last shred of their façade. I've set the stage. When the time comes, everyone will play their part," Pierce calmly explained."I'll be going to him?" Millie asked, incredulous."Yes, you. You'll be the victim. Because of the uproar surrounding this controversy, you were attacked by a group of irrational people, and your life was nearly taken. Among them, there were people sent by Wanda."Wanda wasn't the culprit, but that didn't matter because Pierce would make sure that she was. This act was staged for Stefan to deepen his guilt toward Millie and heighten his loathing for the venomous Wanda."So, do I need to get injured?" Millie questioned."A fake injury will suffice. I'll have a special effects artist create a realistic wound for you," Pierce replied, stepping closer. He placed a finger near Millie's heart and said, "You'll take a stab here. If it's a little deeper or slightly toward
It was a document.Stefan opened it and saw evidence detailing how Wanda had bribed the media to manipulate public opinion. It showed how she'd egged the incensed internet users on in chat groups, encouraging them to confront Millie in person.The document even implied that Wanda had hired the person who stabbed Millie!Stefan stared at the document, his hands slightly trembling. He blurted in disbelief, "This… This can't be true. Wanda wouldn't do something like this. I've done my best to make her feel secure, and she promised to live a good life with me… You're making false accusations!"Millie coldly retorted, "You're still the same as always. You take her side no matter what. Must I die in her hands before you'll finally admit the truth?""No… That's not what I meant…" Stefan's voice faltered, his words weak and unconvincing.The evidence was damning—it pointed squarely at Wanda.He had already promised to cut ties with Millie and avoid her to focus on his own life. Yet, w
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