Frederick had made it seem like she would forever be indebted to the Leach family. And because of that, she'd always compromised, even during arguments. She never dared to speak her mind or stand her ground. She'd constantly yielded to Stefan's wishes and turned herself into the perfect doormat who would never get angry or upset.So, when Stefan dumped her, it had been as easy as throwing away worthless trash. He had done it without the slightest hesitation.How could a dull, submissive woman like her compare to the unattainable first love? She was ordinary and unremarkable, so Stefan had never truly valued her.At home, she was an obedient daughter and a good sister. She never fought back against their mistreatment. Over time, they believed her forbearance was only natural. Now, the moment she stopped backing down, she became the villain."Even without Pierce, I refuse to be a pawn manipulated by the Jordan family anymore!" Millie firmly announced with her back straight and he
Millie gave her instructions clearly and firmly, her decisiveness unprecedented.Frederick, Emily, and Mateo's faces turned pale. They realized that she wasn't joking from her tone.Pierce nodded and immediately called for Tobias. "Go get it done. Notify the auditors to investigate the Jordan family's accounts. I doubt their books are clean." There had to be something they could use to send Frederick back to prison."Bye. Feel free to keep making a scene," Millie said with a light wave of her hand, looking almost cheerful as she turned and walked away.The three of them were left speechless and frozen in place. They had arrived brimming with confidence, but now, they were utterly dumbfounded.Once Millie was out of sight, they finally snapped out of their stupor.Mateo stammered, "Dad, she won't really do that, right? She wouldn't be so heartless…" "We never should've had that daughter!" Frederick growled, his teeth clenched in fury.Emily wiped her tears. "Honestly, I don't t
"Where is Millie? She must be hiding somewhere, watching us. Bring her out right now!" Frederick bossily demanded."Sorry, I don't understand what you're saying. Please cooperate and come with us," one of the tax officers sternly replied."Millie… Millie…" Frederick continued to call out as he was forcibly taken away. Due to his vigorous resistance, the authorities had no choice but to use force.The sight of this left Emily and Mateo terrified, and they were at a complete loss as to what to do. They ran to the relevant authorities, but they weren't even allowed to see Frederick.In the end, Mateo decided to seek help from Stefan. However, when he went to Leach Manor, he was unceremoniously turned away. With nowhere else to turn, he swallowed his pride and reached out to Millie. However, she also refused to see him.Emily, overwhelmed by the stress, fainted and was rushed to the hospital. Mateo attempted to pay the bills, only to find that Frederick's credit card had been
Emily finally came to understand Millie's hardships. She could relate to Millie's struggles and how unfair they'd been toward her. They had benefited from Millie's sacrifices and taken her for granted. What right did they have to judge her afterward?The one who had suffered the most was Millie.Even now, their current situation wasn't as dire as it had been three years ago. Yet, Mateo had already given up on them and hid away like a coward.But three years ago, Millie had tirelessly run around. She'd even sacrificed herself to pay for Emily's hospital bills and hired the best doctors for her. She had even worked hard to have someone overturn Frederick's case while caring for a brother who was merely a few years younger than her.Millie had endured so much back then. Yet, when the family was reunited, all they did was shower gratitude on the Leach family. They believed that Millie had struck gold by attaching herself to Stefan and had never stopped to think about how much she had
Still, Millie couldn't be certain. If her parents could abandon her, how could she truly trust someone who wasn't related to her in any way? She tried her best to believe Pierce, but deep down, her doubts kept surfacing.Millie heavily exhaled. "I'm tired. I want to rest for a while.""Alright, go ahead and sleep," Pierce gently said.With that, Millie curled up on the couch and drifted off into a restless sleep. From time to time, she would frown in her slumber as if troubled by something.Pierce felt a deep ache in his heart as he watched her. He leaned down and kissed her forehead.No matter what, he would always stay by her side.…Over the next few days, Millie focused on her work and tried to stay unaffected by everything that was going on in the outside world.Emily didn't even last half a month. From her hospitalization to Frederick being detained, barely ten days had passed before she found Millie again.By then, Emily hadn't eaten for a day. For the first time, s
Frederick finally saw the light of day. Initially, he had been confident that Emily and Mateo would come to his rescue. He was certain that Millie wouldn't dare to keep him detained for long.Each day, he prepared to be released. But as the days passed, he watched others being bailed out while he was left to endure endless interrogations. His frustration turned into anger and defiance, but his resistance only led to his fellow detainees teaching him a harsh lesson with their fists.Humbled and bruised, he eventually fell in line. Fear began to consume him, and his thoughts drifted back to his time in prison. He'd been made to wake up at fixed hours, eat at designated times, and make his bed to perfection. He had to toil in the sun and endure the abuse of fellow inmates.Every day had been unbearable in there, and the desperation to escape grew stronger as time passed. He knew in his heart that he was innocent, and the injustice of it all only made him yearn for freedom.When
Mateo and Emily met Millie's gaze with guilt written all over their faces. They had finally come to understand the hardships that Millie had endured three years ago and realized just how over the line they had been.Still, Frederick was the head of the family, and their survival depended on him. They couldn't defy his authority."Mr. Jordan, what brings you here?" Millie asked, her tone calm and detached.Frederick had specially arranged for the book containing their family tree to be sent from their hometown. The old, yellowed book carried a significant weight, both physically and symbolically."Listen, Millie. You are being expelled from the family. Your name will be removed from the family tree! This is the Jordan family disowning you!" Frederick declared.He flipped to the page where her name was written and crossed it out in front of everyone present.He imagined that this grand and dramatic gesture would intimidate Millie. He then said solemnly, "From now on, the Jordan f
"Why did you hit Mateo?" Emily immediately stepped forward to shield Mateo."Are you mocking me too? Try me, and I'll kick you out of the Jordan family as well!" Frederick snapped.Emily clapped back at him, her voice trembling with rage, "Maybe my son and I should leave together! That's all you have left to threaten us with, isn't it? Because we still rely on you financially. "But Millie is different. She's independent and far more capable than you think. She doesn't need your money, so you can't control her. You've lost your authority, and it frustrates you. You can't accept it, so you lash out like a petty clown. "You can't win anywhere, so you take it out on Mateo. Was he wrong in what he said just now? Also, you don't seem to have reflected on this entire situation at all. Do you realize how much Millie suffered to save this family back then? You're still enjoying a fine life now, and this is all thanks to her. "Why are you biting the hand that fed you?"Another loud slap
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