Millie felt her nose tingling with emotion, but she kept it bottled up. However, the moment she saw her room, she could no longer hold it in and began to cry. In the past, the master bedroom had been inhabited by her parents. Both she and her younger brother, Mateo, had smaller rooms. However, Mateo's room was much bigger than hers, and it also had a balcony and a walk-in closet.Before Mateo was born, that used to be Millie's room. But after he was born, Millie found that all her possessions had been moved to the guest room one day after returning home from school."You'll eventually be married off to someone else, but your brother is different. He'll bring a wife home one day," her parents had said.So just like that, the room that originally belonged to her was given to Mateo. But now, that room with the balcony and the walk-in closet was back, and it was filled with all her possessions. Even the bedsheets and the plushies were perfectly duplicated—everything looked the same.
"It's okay. I'll care about it on your behalf," Pierce said. "Pierce, have you ever thought about the possibility that I could have kept enduring Stefan's treatment toward me? Or imagine if we missed each other because you came back only after I'd left Arbelton."All these things you've done would have been meaningless and nothing would have come out of them," Millie said. "Not all flowers must bear fruit, Mills. It doesn't matter as long as they had the chance to bloom before. Plus, I never would have given up. I would still have shown up in front of you to fight for a chance. Even if you rejected me, I would have met my own fate."Whether it was dying in a mission or being alone for the rest of his life, Pierce would still have met his fate. It just wouldn't be a happy ending."There's no need to do things like that anymore, Pierce. You can love me boldly and openly. You can even announce it to the world! Don't make yourself twisted by forcing yourself to secretly do these t
Sharon began, "At first, I wondered how there could be two people in the world who looked so similar to each other. Turns out, they were actually the same person. He didn't use to go by the name Tristan. "Back then, he moved away to a better house because his family business became successful. However, it turned out that his father was having an affair. As a result, his parents swiftly divorced."He went to live with his father and his cruel stepmother. Soon after, his stepmother became pregnant, and his father began to act like a stepfather. Tristan suffered a lot while he was under the care of his father and stepmother. They prevented him from going to school and even starved him at times."Soon, his mother came to know of the way he was being treated and took back custody of him. It seemed like a fresh beginning for him, but it turned out that the man his mother got remarried to was a deadbeat. "The real reason she took back custody of Tristan was so that she could get child s
Sharon was still bawling her eyes out.Millie felt deeply sorry for her. She patted Sharon's head to comfort her while saying, "I'll find out who she is."And so, Millie had Tobias to investigate the rich lady's background. They uncovered that her name was Helen Whitmore. Her husband had passed away early, and her son, Ethan Keaton, didn't care about her. So, she spent her days hanging out at clubs with her friends.Ethan ran a tech company, and its AI system which was undergoing development at the moment was highly sought after by many. AI technology was currently a hot commodity, and Atkinson Group was one of the interested parties extending an olive branch to him."Is Atkinson Group interested in securing this particular project?" Millie asked."Yes. But right now, Leach Group is in negotiations with that company. It seems they're close to finalizing the contract—"Tobias' phone was suddenly snatched away."Mills, don't worry about me. Do whatever you want. If the sky fa
Ethan was overjoyed. Back then, he was in a dilemma over choosing between Atkinson Group and Leach Group.Ethan preferred Atkinson Group, but Pierce's strong and dictatorial attitude left no room for compromise. So, he reluctantly chose Leach Group instead.But now, Ethan knew he was in the wrong. It didn't matter who he worked with as long as this issue could be solved.…Stefan appeared to be uneasy after Ethan left.Mark spoke up at just the right moment, saying, "Mr. Leach, logically speaking, you shouldn't make further concessions on the contract terms. Ms. Jordan doesn't seem to welcome you.""I know, but this is going to be beneficial for Leach Group. I have to give it a shot. I can offer her benefits…" Stefan said.Mark wanted to say something, but he held back. Clearly, Millie wasn't someone who could be swayed by material benefits. After all, was there anything she couldn't get when she had Pierce backing her up?Stefan, however, was simply driven by pride—he just
The Jordans were humiliated and disgraced in Arbelton. They'd rather die than face the shame of returning.They'd even cut ties with Millie. It was as if just the thought of Millie would bring back the memories of the sneers and the ridicule they had to endure from their so-called friends."Frederick, what a remarkable daughter you have! Rumor has it that she met Mr. Leach while working at a nightclub. Congratulations! With Mr. Leach's favor, you will turn your life around!" one friend had said.Frederick was ashamed of Millie ever since. Perhaps, he had already decided to give up on her back then.Millie's thoughts snapped back to reality as her phone continued ringing. Finally, she mustered up her courage and picked up the phone."Dad…""Don't call me 'Dad'! Do you know what people are saying about you out there? They called you a seductress! First, you seduced Stefan, and now you're after Pierce!"You embarrassed yourself when you decided to be with Stefan. You should've just
Upon hearing those words, Stefan immediately found his thoughts drifting back to three years ago.He remembered how Millie was huddled within a crowd with innocent eyes resembling those of a newborn fawn. They were full of naivety and fear about what lay ahead.She had caught his attention immediately. Then, his next thought was how much she resembled Wanda. They were very similar, yet not quite the same. Instantly, his heart had softened."You and he are not the same. You met me on your first try," Stefan said."No, we are the same. If it weren't for Pierce's backing, I'd be no different from Tristan to you. We're both people you could easily deal with! I refuse to let this go no matter what!" Millie resolutely replied, enunciating every word.Stefan's expression took on a hint of displeasure. "Why must you interfere in a matter involving some male escort? Is it because you two had been involved at some point in time? Aren't you afraid that Pierce will be upset if you stand up fo
When Stefan saw Pierce, his face turned ashen. "See? I wasn't wrong. All you do is rely on Pierce!""And what about you? You're nothing more than someone who was born into privilege and happened to inherit the Leach family's legacy. How could you bask in the glory your forefathers built so unabashedly?" Pierce retorted."Don't forget that you and I come from similar backgrounds. What gives you the right to lecture me?" Stefan hotly argued."No, I'm not like you. Even without Atkinson Group, I'd still have my own career. Without the Leach family, what would you be? Could you climb the career ladder from the bottom up like an ordinary person? Without your status as the CEO of Leach Group, what are you even capable of?"You're just as much of a bully, so who are you to criticize others? Listen, Millie has never relied on me—it was me who willingly offered everything to her. For Millie to spare me a glance is my greatest blessing! That, too, is a skill. She has the ability to make me u
The call was quickly answered."Where are you?" Millie asked."I'm still on a business trip," Pierce replied."Then turn on the video. I want to see your face."There was a brief silence on the other end of the call. Millie knew Pierce was lying. "Are you still not willing to tell me the truth? Jason came to the house, asking to take back your gun. What's going on? What happened in the days you were away?""I'll tell you when I get back home." Pierce's voice was a bit muffled.He then hung up the call and removed the bandage from the corner of his eye.The wound was right beside his eyebrow. Since he had dark eyebrows, the scar shouldn't be that noticeable. He could only cling on to this wishful thinking.With that, Pierce returned to the villa.Millie hadn't seen him for days. She felt that he had lost a lot of weight and looked even more exhausted after the trip."How did you get injured again?" she asked.Pierce initially thought it would take her a long time to notic
Jacob eventually calmed down and said, "Do you still insist on doing this when you know it doesn't exactly benefit us?"Pierce replied, "I wouldn't dare to deceive you, neither do I dare to contact you in private. But this doesn't affect our operations, which was why I dared to do so. I want to find someone, but I can't no matter how hard I've tried, so I had no choice but to ask for their favor.""You… Are you still doing it even though we won't get anything good out of this?" Jacob asked.Pierce fell silent and clenched his fists. "Yes. I will resolve whatever problems I've caused. After that, I'll kill them in my own way."Jacob threw his cup at Pierce upon hearing this.With Pierce's skill, he could have dodged it. However, he chose to stand straight.The cup hit him right at the corner of his eye, causing him to bleed."You…" Jacob angrily stood up. "W-Why didn't you dodge?" he asked in a shaky voice."I did something wrong. It's right for you to punish me," Pierce simply
Gideon really admired Pierce's calm and composed demeanor."What's the matter?" he asked."I need you to help me find a lady who went missing. I have to know if she's still alive or not," Pierce answered. "I need her, dead or alive. I can't do this on my own, but with your help, it'll be much easier."He had used every legal method he could think of. But desperate times called for desperate measures, and there was only one option left—to enter the underworld."You're making such a big scene just to look for this one person? What? Is she like your lover or something?" Gideon asked."She's an enemy, the kind that I want dead more than anything."The way Pierce paused after each word made him sound eerily intimidating."Is she also like us, from the underworld?""No, she's just a nobody."Gideon felt chills running down his spine. Having dealt with Pierce for this long, he thought he knew his true nature well enough—a righteous police officer who always played by the book. But ri
Pierce felt like he was drowning, but if someone were to pull him out of the water right now, he would survive.Sometimes, Millie couldn't imagine what would happen if she left Pierce one day because of her disappointment in him. Would he still be able to move on?Pierce survived by clinging onto his sheer will. At first, it was the fixation on avenging his sister's death. But now, it was all because of Millie."What are you going to do now?" she asked."I can't tell you just yet, but I promise it won't take longer than three months."Since Pierce wasn't planning to elaborate, Millie didn't bother to keep on asking either.For the past few days, Millie had been carefully taking care of the wound on Pierce's neck. Even though a small patch of new pink flesh had grown over his wound, it still looked pretty hideous. Fortunately, Pierce always wore suits with collars that were high enough to cover his neck. Millie would always start tearing up whenever she saw his scar.She said,
Pierce was aghast. Mills! His poor Mills!Everyone around Pierce had accused him of committing a crime, but he didn't do it. He had been trying so hard to find out the truth, but in the end, he still got nothing.Did he really betray Millie? Did he really taint himself by sleeping with Sarah?Even if he truly believed that Piercy didn't do anything, he still couldn't find any evidence to prove it.Sarah and Piercy were nowhere to be found either.How was he supposed to prove his innocence? He felt like a trapped beast that couldn't find its way out.Just then, Millie made a subtle twitch. It startled Pierce, and he immediately withdrew his arm around her and pretended to remain unconscious.Millie didn't sleep well at all. The first thing she did after waking up was to check on Pierce. The monitor showed that Pierce's heart was racing.She then brought out a warm towel and gently wiped his face.She began, "Your hair has grown so much longer, but you didn't even properly
Millie rushed forward and saw the disconcerting look in Pierce's eyes.Pierce hadn't rested for two days, so his nerves were stretched to their absolute limit. His eyes were completely bloodshot too.The moment he saw Millie, he grabbed her like he was a drowning man who finally got his hands on a life buoy. His large hands clamped down on her arm with such force that it felt like he was going to crush her bones.Pierce howled, "Tell him to come out, please! He listens to you. Ask him to come out, Millie. I don't care if he takes over this body. I just need him to tell me the truth! Did I betray you? Did I mess around with another woman? I'm begging you…""Pierce, calm down please." Millie tried to soothe him."How can I calm down? I want to be with you, but if I really did betray you, then at least let me die knowing the truth! What am I supposed to do now? How long does he plan to torture me?"Pierce shoved Millie aside, frantically searching around the room. He even lunged at
Samantha looked at Stefan in disbelief. "You still have feelings for Millie… Is that what you're saying?""What else? Do you expect me to have feelings for you? As long as you stay in your place, I won't make things too difficult for you. But don't overestimate yourself," Stefan sternly warned."You… You weren't like this before! I'll abort this child and make you regret it for the rest of your life! I'll really do it—try me!" Samantha cried.Stefan didn't bother mincing his words. "Do you think you can threaten me? There are plenty of women who want to have my child. Who do you think you are? If you don't give birth, Wanda will probably be thrilled. "The Atkinson family doesn't want you anymore. So, you're no longer some rich heiress. You're just Betty Miller now. If you leave me, who else can you rely on?"Ever since Samantha got pregnant, Stefan's goal had already been achieved. He didn't even care about his own child. He was happy to let Samantha and Wanda fight to the death,
For the next two days, Millie still didn't see Pierce.During that time, she continued visiting the hospital every other day to check on Stefan's condition. There were signs of improvement, but because of the sulfuric acid burns and the severity of the wounds, recovery would not be a quick process.Since they didn't have much to talk about, Millie simply read to him to help pass the time."I'll come back the day after tomorrow," she softly said, setting the book down.Stefan nodded, unsure whether he should keep holding on or let her go for good.Just as Millie reached the door, he couldn't help but call out to her again, "Do you regret it?""Regret what?" Millie turned back to look at him."Regret… being with me."Millie replied, "I do. But people don't have the ability to see the future. So, some mistakes are worth experiencing because at the very least, they teach us lessons. "I've learned to approach love with more clarity now. I will love myself first before loving any
Stefan said, "I'll take good care of myself…" Then, he suddenly started coughing. At this point, he couldn't tell whether the pain in his body was worse or if his heart hurt more.Millie panicked. If Stefan's condition worsened, how would she explain things to Agnes? So, she quickly got Stefan a glass of water and helped him take a sip. Only then did he finally manage to catch his breath.Millie felt completely useless sitting there. No matter what they talked about, it felt inappropriate. Her presence might even be making things harder for him."How about I turn on the TV for you? It'll help pass the time." Millie suggested."You don't need to do anything. Just stay here with me quietly," Stefan said."Alright then." So, Millie picked up a book and began reading to him.Her voice was as sweet as a songbird's. However, Stefan couldn't focus on anything she was reading—the only thing he saw was her delicate face.Time ticked by slowly.Meanwhile, Pierce stood outside the