Chapter 5

Millie was shocked. She hurriedly called for the nurses at once.

Bill had just been eating a second ago, but now, he was being wheeled into the emergency ward. Meanwhile, the sanatorium also hurriedly called Bill's relatives to inform them of the matter.

Millie waited anxiously outside the ward. About an hour later, someone arrived in a hurry.

"Officer Atkinson?"

"What are you doing here?"

Pierce frowned when he saw Millie.

Bianca hurriedly explained, "She's a regular volunteer here, and Bill loves her the most. He's been complaining of shallow breathing lately and often wakes up in the middle of the night. We never thought his condition would suddenly relapse…"

Pierce didn't bother chatting with Millie and continued asking about his grandfather's condition instead. It was only then that Millie finally learned of Bill's full name—Bill Atkinson.

Bill was later wheeled into the operating theater for an emergency operation. He was only wheeled out four hours later.

By the time Bill finally stirred after the anesthesia wore off, it was already nighttime.

The doctor said that Bill's condition didn't look optimistic. Also, since he was so old, his heart was getting weaker and weaker, and his time was almost up. Even with the best medicines and most advanced technology, they would only be able to prolong Bill's life by a year at most.

The next morning, Bill finally regained consciousness. He spoke in a weak voice, "Am I… dying?"

"Bill, the doctor said that your health is improving…"

Millie wanted to tell Bill a white lie, but Bill stopped her.

"You're a good girl, Millie. But I know my body, so you don't have to lie to me. I don't have many days left. But that's alright. I'm old and wrinkly now anyway, and I've lived long enough." He then coughed a few times and said, "Pierce, come here."

Bill called Pierce over and took Millie's hand, placing it in Pierce's palm. Millie's first instinct was to withdraw her hand, but to her surprise, Pierce grabbed hold of her and didn't let her leave.

His dark eyes landed on her body. Millie felt as if her soul was being sucked into his deep, dark eyes.

"Millie is a good girl. A nice young lady. Don't let her down."

"Okay."

Millie was stunned. She looked at Pierce suspiciously. She was just about to retort when Pierce discreetly grabbed hold of her wrist.

"Marry her."

"Okay." Pierce's voice was calm and unbothered. Millie couldn't tell what he was feeling from his tone.

"Then hurry up and register your marriage. Let me pass away in peace."

"We'll register our marriage immediately."

Pierce and Millie went out of the ward. Pierce then said, "Ms. Jordan, I'd like to ask you to play along and register for a fake marriage license with me. We'll visit him together sometimes to make him happy. I can pay for your trouble. Just tell me how much you want."

Millie felt her heart beating quickly when she heard these words from him. She'd suddenly thought of a way to exact revenge on Stefan. And that would be to get together with his best friend, Pierce.

As soon as the idea popped into her head, it wouldn't go away. Her eyes turned red as she looked up at Pierce and said, "I want you to marry me for real."

Pierce frowned deeply when he heard this. He looked at her for a long time, the abyss in his eyes swirling the whole time as he took her in.

"That's impossible. Since we can't come to an agreement, we'll—"

Before Pierce could fully turn Millie down, however, Bianca ran out exclaiming, "Mr. Atkinson Senior is throwing up blood!"

Bill was wearing the oxygen mask once more. He kept mumbling, "Marry… Marry Millie… Let me die in peace…"

Pierce watched over Bill until his condition finally stabilized. It was only then that he heaved a sigh of relief.

By then, Millie had also calmed herself down. She watched as Bill fell into deep sleep and felt sorry for him.

She must have been out of her mind! How could she use the marriage as an excuse to get revenge on that jerk?

Whatever, she was fine with putting on a show anyway. She'd do anything to make Bill happy.

"Pierce, about that—"

"Okay. Let's get married."

Millie was stupefied.

"You want to get your revenge on Stefan, don't you? I'll help you."

Millie felt her mind draw a blank. "But… But I…"

"What, you're not interested in getting back at Stefan anymore?"

Millie stood up straight and replied, "Of course, I still am! Let's get married then. I've got nothing to lose!"

Pierce had been the one who saved her the last time, so he would know everything she had been through. And she had nothing to lose but everything to gain if she married a powerful person like him.

Most importantly, her marrying Pierce would make Stefan uncomfortable and drive him into a frenzy. Just thinking about the expression on his face was already worth it.

Millie then signed a contract with Pierce. They were both to stay married to each other for as long as Bill was alive. And in return, Millie would also get one million dollars every month as her pocket money.

They went to the city hall to register their marriage. Millie still couldn't believe it even when she was holding the marriage license in her hands.

Did she just get married in a flash?

What was Stefan going to do if he found out that she'd married his best friend? Stefan was a specifically possessive jerk, after all. Nobody was allowed to pick up after him, even if he didn't want it anymore.

So, what about now?

Millie showed the marriage license to Bill. Bill was simply delighted.

"You both have to live together now! Bring Millie to go look for a suitable house and make sure you renovate it according to her liking, understand?"

"I understand."

"Alright, you both should get going now because Mr. Atkinson Senior needs to rest. You can visit him once a week. If his condition worsens, we will alert you immediately.

"It's crucial that Mr. Atkinson senior stays in a positive mood more often. Who knows, his heart condition may improve and he might end up living for up to three more years! It's all up to the both of you now!"

Pierce and Millie left. As soon as they were gone, Bill sat up in bed, dropping the vegetative act, and pulled out the glucose drip from the back of his hand.

"It looked real, didn't it? When I acted like I got a heart attack earlier? My acting was so good that my grandson didn't even notice anything amiss although he has a keen eye for such things. I'm good at this."

"Yes, Mr. Atkinson Senior. You also scared us all half to death! We really thought your health was in trouble!"

"That brat wouldn't have settled down if I hadn't done this. He's old enough now, and yet, he still refuses to find a nice young lady to start a family with. He drove me crazy for years.

"Still, he managed to make it. I can't believe Millie also coincidentally broke up with her ex. Haha, I did the right thing! Millie is a real gem!"

…

Pierce first brought Millie to his home. As soon as she stepped foot into the house, she felt that Pierce was a cold person. Everything in the house was in muted cool colors.

Although the sun was shining brightly outside the window, Millie felt cold and chilly inside the house. She couldn't help tugging her clothes a little more tightly to herself.

"I'll transfer the money into your card in a while. This is my supplementary credit card with no credit limit to it. Use it to buy whatever you want."

Pierce had always been generous with his money. He wasn't financially lacking anyway.

Millie didn't reject his offer. It was better for her to have money on her at all times.

After washing up and changing into some new things, Pierce brought her out for dinner at a pasta house.

They got a table on the second-floor balcony that had a close-up view of the lake. After Pierce made his order, he then excused himself to the bathroom.

When he came back, he told Millie, "Stefan is in one of the private rooms in there and we bumped into each other just now. He insists that I grab a drink with him. Do you want to come with me?"

Millie wanted nothing more than to show up with her arms around Pierce's and take in Stefan's reaction. However, she chickened out.

"I'm not going."

"Then, I'll go there for one drink and come back. You can start eating first if the food arrives. You don't have to wait for me."

Millie nodded. However, things didn't go quite smoothly after that since the waiter accidentally spilled her drink on her clothes.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to do it. Can you please not complain to my manager? I'll lose my job if that happens."

"It's fine. I'll just use the bathroom for a while."

Millie didn't purposely make things hard on the waiter. She just went to the bathroom to try and get the stain out.

When she came back out, she caught sight of Wanda walking toward her with a few of her friends. They were actually heading for the private room in the back.

"I heard that Mr. Leach is going to propose to you. How big do you think the diamond is going to be?"

"It's Mr. Leach we're talking about! It's got to be at least a 14-carat diamond ring! Don't forget to invite us as your bridesmaids at your wedding!"

Wanda just smiled shyly, her face full of happiness.

Meanwhile, Millie kept her head down and thought of leaving in another direction. However, things just didn't go as she pleased.

They called out to her and stopped her.

"Oh, isn't that the homewrecker bitch? What a loser. How could she come crawling after Mr. Leach like a lapdog?"