Agnes and Stefan were still arguing when a sudden thud rang out.Wanda had fainted.She had staggered for a bit before falling onto the floor.Stefan immediately stepped forward and carried her in his arms. He didn't bother about whatever his grandmother said as he carried Wanda away."That wench has some decent tricks up her sleeve. No wonder Stefan would be fooled by her. Millie, you're just too tough sometimes. You have to pretend to be weak every now and then so that men will want to protect you."Millie put on a bitter smile when she heard that. That was something she could never learn to do.In terms of winning a man's heart, Millie had to admit that Wanda was indeed impressive.…Wanda was taken to the hospital. According to the diagnosis, there wasn't anything wrong with her. Stefan refused to believe that."Then why would she faint? Even now, she hasn't regained consciousness. Are you quacks or something?"The doctor had no choice but to patiently ask more questions.
"You're quite good at making the elderly happy, huh? Now that Mrs. Leach Senior is backing you, are you regretting getting married to me now? You must be so happy now, aren't you?"Millie frowned. What was going on with Pierce?"So, you want me to return to the Leach family?"She returned the question."If you behave like that, I'd assume that you don't welcome me here. If you want me to leave, you could've just told me straight out."Millie didn't go upstairs. Instead, she turned around to leave. Unable to stay still anymore, Pierce grabbed Millie's hand and pinned her onto the couch.He had an extremely gloomy and terrifying air about him. He looked just like a demon from hell.His fingers tightened around her neck as he said viciously, "Millie, how could you just come and go as you please? What do you take me for? Sure, go ahead and try walking out that door. Let's see if I break your legs or not!"Pierce had finally stopped pretending. Millie felt a little better when he wa
"You…" Pierce was furious. "How would you know if you don't at least try? Millie, all investments come with risks. You don't even dare to make assessments, but you're talking about seducing me already?"Millie felt a little awkward as well. She was quite adept at giving up."I'm tired today, so I'll seduce you some other time. I just want to go upstairs and catch some sleep.""You…"Thanks to Millie, Pierce felt like he had just gone on a roller coaster of emotions. But Millie herself didn't seem particularly bothered by that. She was only concerned about getting sleep."Fine, just go… Hurry up. You're being an eyesore."Pierce was a little annoyed.Millie returned to her room. She should have been extremely sleepy, but her mind was racing with thoughts.After thinking for a moment, she sent a message to Sharon."How do you win a man's heart? How do you seduce him with a higher chance of success?"Sharon's call immediately came in."What happened, Millie? Which man are you t
Pierce chuckled when he heard that.Millie strode over to him. Then, she sat down on his lap."The gift is in my arms. Open my coat."Pierce undid her coat as he was told, proceeding to catch sight of the red nightgown within. The collar was lined with lace from which her skin could be subtly seen.The nightgown was made of real silk, so it was extremely smooth.The red color was quite vibrant, and Millie's beauty seemed almost otherworldly when paired with it.Pierce looked like he was admiring a painting. He examined every detail, and he would even touch it gently sometimes.As Pierce gazed at her, Millie was surprised to feel a shiver running down her spine. His gaze was so earnest and focused that she couldn't quite get used to it.He could've gotten straight to the point or heartlessly shoved her away, but he simply remained motionless.Millie's heart was beginning to break, but then, she sensed something odd.She looked at Pierce in surprise.He looked so calm on the s
When Pierce heard those words, his eyes immediately widened. He pursed his thin lips, and his jaw was tense.A long while later, he finally said, "I told you before that if Stefan is still in your heart, then I don't want you."Millie replied, "He may have made me sad for a few days, but I won't be sad forever. After all this while, I've witnessed his true colors as well. There is not a single person in my heart."Pierce, if you don't want me, then give it to me straight. You don't have to come up with those excuses. If I can't become Mrs. Atkinson for real, I'll look for other ways—"She could take the money Wanda offered. Then, she and her family could go overseas and hide somewhere.She would eventually find a way to survive…But before Millie could finish her sentence, Pierce unexpectedly leaned toward her, keeping her still."No one said that I don't want you."Pierce's large hand lifted the hem of her skirt and pulled down her last line of defense. His other hand got to w
"It depends. If I can get along with that person, I'll help them a little more."Millie felt like she had heard those words before."Millie, you could offer yourself if you'd like. If there ever comes a day when you actually fall hopelessly in love with me, you're welcome in my bed."With that, Pierce turned around and left.Millie was still bothered about something. "Remember… to wash your hands, okay?"He was gone. The room had turned quiet, but the man's aggressiveness still permeated the air.Millie felt as if there was a lustful quality to the air.She hid herself under the blanket, feeling extremely embarrassed. She couldn't believe that he had turned the tables on her.Millie wanted to discuss something with Pierce after that, but unexpectedly, Pierce had gone to work. He also wouldn't be returning anytime soon.Millie didn't mind it at first, but to her surprise, Tobias called her and asked carefully, "Millie, did you get into a fight with Pierce?""No, I didn't.""T
"Sorry, but I'm married."Pierce didn't even raise his head as he answered straight away."Huh? I won't tell your wife. I would never destroy your family.""You're already destroying it right now. Get out.""Mr. Atkinson…"Isabella still refused to give up as she threw herself at Pierce. With a counter-grappling move, Pierce pressed her onto the desk.With a crack, Isabella's arm was dislocated."Go get it fixed at a hospital."Isabella's face had already turned pale from the pain. If she foolishly tried to stay here, her arm might get broken for real.She couldn't believe how resistant Pierce was to seduction!Isabella felt both pissed and indignant. She sobbed as she ran off.Millie was so absorbed in the drama that she forgot to step aside. So, Isabella ran right into her.Isabella's face turned pale. She already felt ashamed enough, but now, she just found out that someone had witnessed the scene!She stormed away, and Millie left awkwardly as well. Unexpectedly, Isabe
Isabella patted Millie on the shoulder. "It's okay, he's out of our league, so let's not dream of winning his heart. Just getting to spend a night with him is a win."By the way, can I add you on WhatsApp? I'm in a group where we're all trying to get involved with… I mean, we all admire Mr. Atkinson there. We can share our experiences in the group."Millie felt that since she had to part with 50 thousand dollars anyway, it would be a huge loss if she didn't join the group and learn from the experiences there.So, she decisively joined the group.To her surprise, someone in the group had already nicknamed her "The 109th Fan Mr. Atkinson Rejected".She didn't expect Pierce to have rejected so many women already.But this wasn't the time to be delving into details. She had a score to settle with Pierce.Opening the door and entering the office, Millie questioned angrily, "Why did you drive me out?""I didn't want to fake it."Pierce crossed his arms as he leaned lazily against th
"Thank you for stopping me from acting recklessly, Mr. Atkinson," John said, wincing from the pain."You need medical attention," Pierce reminded him. He didn't even spare Yulia a glance while she was lying unconscious on the ground.Soon, Yulia regained consciousness in the hospital. Only her mother, Helena, was by her bedside. She looked around but didn't see her beloved Pierce."Pierce… Is he away to get my medicine?" Yulia weakly asked, struggling to sit up.Helena wept and said, "That man you keep talking about never showed up—not even once.""Impossible!" Yulia gasped in disbelief, her eyes widening. She had been in such a dire state. How could he not come to visit her?Helena went on, "Not only that, but the club is holding you accountable, and Mr. Presta is also demanding compensation. We've received two court notices. The lawyer told me that we need to pay five million dollars in total!""Five million dollars is nothing. If I ask Pierce, he'll definitely give it to
As soon as Yulia walked in, her eyes were wet with tears. She looked pitifully at Pierce, acting as if the nightclub had forced her into selling her body and that she had suffered countless injustices.She walked straight toward Pierce. "Mr. Atkinson, I never expected us to meet again in a place like this."Pierce frowned because he wasn't exactly familiar with her.While the other hostesses were enthusiastically entertaining other men by pouring drinks and joking around, Yulia was the only one wearing a mournful expression. Clearly, she was dampening the mood."Mr. Atkinson, do you have any idea how miserable my life has been since Mrs. Atkinson kicked me out of Atkinson Group? My father went back to gambling, and those people even took my mother away. If I didn't return to this line of work, I wouldn't have any way to survive."They were originally willing to give me a one-month grace period because I had a stable salary at Atkinson Group. But now… Mrs. Atkinson has ruined me!"
"Ms. Shaw, if you don't leave now, someone will have to escort you out," Tobias said.So, Yulia slunk downstairs in embarrassment. She even got to see Tobias harshly reprimanding the receptionist."Are you out of your mind? How dare you bring just anyone to the CEO's office? You're fired!" Tobias sternly said.The receptionist argued, "But, Mr. Shaw, this isn't my fault. She's someone Mr. Atkinson seems take special care of—""That was nothing more than a few minor favors. You failed to do your job properly, so don't make excuses. Pack your things and leave," Tobias stated indifferently.The receptionist felt deeply wronged, and her gaze toward Yulia turned resentful.Yulia didn't understand where things had gone wrong. Pierce had seemed to be so concerned about her previously, so why was he being so cold to her now? Had Millie discovered something? Was that why he wanted to cut ties with her completely?Feeling lost and dejected, Yulia left the company, only to run into Carlo
After that, Millie went upstairs to look for Pierce and told him the story of her firing Carlos and Yulia."Okay," Pierce nonchalantly said. He didn't even look up once, and his tone sounded very calm as well."I've been laying off employees without your consent. Don't you have anything to say about that?"Pierce laughed after hearing what Millie said. "You're my wife, so you also have a say in Atkinson Group. You're just exercising your authority, so why would I say anything about it? I know you're not a reckless person. If you fired them, you must have had your own reasonings." Pierce didn't even question why Millie had fired two employees or the reason behind their layoffs.What's done was already done. He couldn't care less about the two employees who got fired."Does this mean that I can do whatever I want as long as I'm here?" Millie asked."Of course! Whatever I own is also yours. I'll even let you sit on my lap if you want." Pierce sounded exactly like a king back in th
While some people chose to stay away from Yulia to avoid getting into trouble, there were still a few who sided with her. Then again, these people were just going to use her as a stepping stone to climb the corporate ladder with less effort."You're firing me? What did I even do wrong?" Yulia confronted the HR Department."The case that you messed up here has cost Atkinson Group millions of dollars. This big of a screw-up is enough to get you fired."Even if Yulia filed for labor arbitration, she would not receive any compensation. But of course, she couldn't be bothered by that small amount of money anyway. As long as she managed to keep her job in Atkinson Group, she would still be working under Pierce's leadership and was bound to see him again eventually. Unfortunately, she was about to leave the company for good. Now how was she supposed to see Pierce again?"I have to go find Mr. Reyes," she said.However, when she came to Carlos' office, he seemed to be in a gloomy
Millie had the distinct feeling that Yulia and her colleague were talking about her, but she had no proof. All she could see were their furtive glances.She became annoyed by their persistent glances and said, "If you two have something to say, why don't you say it out loud? Are you gossiping about me?""Of course not! I have no idea why you'd say that, Mrs. Atkinson," Yulia replied with a smile."You better not be lying."Yulia and her colleague left the elevator when they reached their floor, leaving Millie standing there with a frown.Millie just couldn't bring herself to like Yulia. It led to her pondering whether she should just fire Yulia. That way, she wouldn't have to see her every time she visited Atkinson Group.The strange thing was that Millie had never seen Yulia before when she was still working here. But now, she ran into Yulia almost every single time she came to Atkinson Group.In the end, Millie made up her mind to just fire Yulia.Instead of heading to the CE
When Yulia tried returning the cleaned clothes, she ran into Tobias downstairs. "Mr. Shaw," she greeted."Who are you?" Tobias didn't even remember Yulia."We met before at the CEO's office.""Oh, I remember you now. Is there something you need?" Tobias curiously looked at Yulia.Yulia showed him the bag in her hand. "Is Mrs. Atkinson coming in today? I accidentally stained her clothes last time, so she told me to have them dry cleaned. They're cleaned now, so I wanted to return them to her. "If she's not here, I can hand them over to Mr. Atkinson instead.""Give the clothes to me then. I'll handle it." Tobias extended his hand.However, Yulia shook her head. "These clothes are very expensive. It's better for me to return them in person. It's going to be troublesome in case something goes missing."Women's clothing tended to have accessories, and some were not cheap either.Tobias was not Millie, so naturally, he didn't know what the clothes originally looked like. If somet
Millie couldn't help but share with Pierce who she'd met earlier on."Who?" Pierce asked."Do you still remember the young lady who tried to hit on you while we were waiting in line to buy cake last time? She's currently working at Atkinson Group—as a permanent employee, no less! She's probably been working here for a while."Since interns had a three-month probation period, Yulia must have worked for the company for quite some time now if she was already a permanent employee. "Really?" Pierce didn't know this, but neither did he care about it. He simply continued, "By the way, I have something to tell you too. I met her not long ago—she was being forced to work at a nightclub. Apparently, her family was declared bankrupt, and loan sharks were looking for her to collect debt."When I saw her, I couldn't help but think of you. If I had not been sent on a mission and stayed at Arbelton back then, maybe you wouldn't have been forced to a dead end. And in turn, maybe you wouldn't hav
"Are you all done with your work? Why are you slacking off during working hours? "Yulia, your proposal is terrible. Fix it!" It was Isabella. She just could not stand the arrogant look on Yulia's face.Yulia pouted, but she didn't dare get on Isabella's nerves. After all, she was the top performer in the sales department.When she got the chance to see Pierce, she was definitely going to talk about how Isabella was bullying her.When Isabella walked away, someone immediately took the proposal from Yulia. "I've done something similar before. Let me do it. It won't take me too much effort anyway.""Thank you so much.""Yulia, I bought an extra cup of coffee. Here you go.""Thanks, Wady."So, Yulia sat leisurely at her workstation. The only eyesore was that paper bag. If only it was really Pierce who'd sent it.…Besides getting her clothes dirtied, Millie's body was also sticky, so she decided to take a shower.Once she was done, she got out of the shower wrapped in just a