Millie Jordan was about to experience what a woman would go through if she were abducted by a group of perverted kidnappers.A dark cloth was tied over her eyes and her mouth was taped shut. She shivered in a corner like a frightened animal. Her body was littered with cuts and bruises all over. The rope around her neck was only less than three feet long. If she moved any further forward, the rope would tighten around her neck, making her unable to breathe.She'd tried struggling many times before, but she always ended up breathless and blue in the face. Her voice was hoarse, and her throat hurt. She simply couldn't get away.She could hear the abductors angrily cursing at her outside the door. They had tried forcing themselves on her just now, but she fought back and bit one of them harshly in the throat. She'd bitten him so hard that his laryngeal bone nearly broke and she nearly killed him.That was the reason why she was beaten half to death and tied up in a corner like this.
Verdier Club was a place Stefan often frequented to drink and hang out with his friends. Millie's conscience told her that the abductor had been lying to her, so she shouldn't be believing what he said. However, she just couldn't stop herself from coming over to have a look for herself.She had been with Stefan for three years and knew the private room he was often in. She rushed there at once."You lost, Ste! So, truth, or dare?""Truth.""Alright then. Who is the woman you love the most?""How's that even a question? Of course, it's Wanda.""Ooh!"Everyone in the private room started to laugh and riot.Millie stood outside the door, her face turning more pale with every second. Her legs felt like lead, and her hand hung mechanically in the air. She couldn't bring herself to knock on the door.A while later, the people in the room seemed to have played another round of "Truth or Dare", and the "Wanda" from before seemed to have lost."You lost, Wanda! So, truth, or dare?"
Pierce extended his hand toward Millie. His fingers were long and slender, and he had a large palm.Millie was frozen in place when she heard his voice again. She was shocked. However, the drunk man rushed up to them just then. Still under the influence of alcohol, he yelled, "Are you fucking blind? Did you not see me standing there? I'm going to skin you…"Pierce said nothing. He handed the umbrella over to Millie and grabbed the drunk man, forcing his arms behind his back.Then, he pulled out his phone and called someone. A while later, the police officers from the nearby station showed up."This man harassed a young woman on the street. He should be a repeat offender. Take him back to the station as a fair warning to him.""Alright, we'll take care of him," the police officers said politely before taking the drunk man away.Millie should have grabbed the opportunity to run while Pierce was busy talking to the police. However, her legs refused to budge. She was still rooted t
Pierce was on the phone with someone and didn't notice Millie coming out."Alright, I'll go shopping with you this weekend. I'm driving now, so I'm hanging up. Okay, I'll do whatever you say."Pierce gave off the impression that he was a tough guy who spoke his mind in an assertive way. However, he was now speaking gently into the phone with a ghost of a smile on his lips. Suddenly, he didn't look too intimidating anymore.He was most probably talking to someone he liked on the phone. Since he used to work with the law, he upheld it and didn't drive while talking on the phone.Millie looked like she'd just seen her savior. She hurriedly knocked on the driver's door.Pierce frowned and rolled the windows down. "What?" His voice was tinted with suspicion."I'm hanging up now. Something just came up. You can do whatever you want to me next time."Pierce seemed like he was trying to pacify the other person on the line before he hung up. Then, he stayed inside the car while looking a
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 B
Upon hearing that, Wanda glared at her friend before taking Millie's hand with enthusiasm. "Ms. Jordan, you must be here to give me your blessing, right? I knew you weren't a petty woman. I would rather receive your blessing than the blessings of hundreds of others. Only your blessing will make me happy."Wanda's eyes sparkled innocently. What a fake bitch!Millie snapped, "Don't put words into my mouth. I'm here for lunch. I had no idea Stefan would be here."She was about to leave, but Wanda grabbed her arm and wouldn't let go. Wanda even shed a few tears in sadness. She lamented, "You still refuse to forgive me, right? I know I wronged you, and I'm willing to do anything to make it up to you. How about I go down on my knees?"Before Millie could speak, Wanda shakily went on her knees while sobbing, which attracted the attention of customers at the restroom.Infuriated, Wanda's friends went up to help her up from the ground.One of them yelped, "Why did you get down on your k
The smile froze on Millie's face. How could she have forgotten about her man?She turned around, only to bump into his solid chest. She touched it and gasped. His was an eight-pack body for real.She quickly removed her hand and stumbled backward, only for him to pull her closer.His air of dominance overwhelmed her. She had no way to escape, and she breathed faster.He teased, "Want to give it a try? I won't mind."He lowered his gaze and spoke to her in an alluring tone. Her cheeks flushed as blood rushed to her head.She stammered, "Just now… Well, it came out in the heat of the moment. It wasn't my intention to offend you.""It's fine. Call me anytime if you ever have those needs." Without warning, he moved away and released her, putting a distance between them like a gentleman.His tone changed from flirty to serious when he was gauging her intentions toward him. She couldn't help but marvel at his flexibility.She assumed he did not have much chance to interact with the
Pierce turned around when he heard the sound. Millie grabbed her chance to check his shoulder area.There wasn't any injury.It was all in her mind.She let out a relieved sigh as she really hoped Pierce wasn't her assaulter. Before long, she panicked again, as she had seen his naked body.She lifted her head stiffly and peered into his eyes. They were shining so brightly and scarily.She was doomed!Her first instinct was to escape, but he beat her to it. He quickly slid on his bathrobe before catching up to her.He grabbed her by the neck and dragged her into the bathroom. "Were you peeping when I showered?"She shook her head. "No, I didn't. Listen to me. This is a misunderstanding. I was sleepwalking. Yes. I have a condition…" Her voice trailed off. She was too embarrassed to keep lying under his scrutiny.Oh, what was she blabbering about? No one would believe in that flimsy excuse!"Did you regret your decision and hoped for some sexy times?" He gripped her waist tigh
That night, Pierce was not as aggressive as usual. Instead, he was gentle and affectionate as he merged their bodies together.Millie had grown used to being carried to the bathroom afterward, where Pierce would help her clean up and wash away the traces of their passion. Millie was also accustomed to Pierce tenderly drying her hair, running his fingers through each strand until it was completely dry.She was used to the way he always held her tightly afterward, with his warm chest pressed against her back."Say, why do you think I haven't gotten pregnant yet?" Millie murmured."There's no rush," Pierce reassured her.Millie then suggested, "How about you get yourself checked too? We should determine if there's any issue with you too. If something's wrong, we'll fix it.""Alright. I'll do whatever you say," Pierce replied.Millie was exhausted and quickly fell into a deep sleep. But Pierce couldn't sleep at all. In a very low voice, he whispered so softly that his voice was
"Let her go, and you can do whatever you want to me tonight. Okay?" Millie forced herself to say those shameless words, ignoring the heat of embarrassment that scorched her face.Pierce's footsteps paused slightly as he carried Millie back to the bedroom. His breathing became somewhat uneven too. Millie was his greatest weakness. He clenched his jaws, and his lips pressed into a taut line. Millie couldn't tell if he agreed or not. Pierce then placed her on the bed, then turned and left. Millie had no idea what that meant. If even she couldn't rein Pierce in, she dreaded to think what he might become if left unchecked.Later on, Pierce returned after washing up. Then, he lay perfectly still beside Millie to the point where it seemed as if he had fallen asleep.Millie hesitated for a moment before reaching out in the darkness and groping around. But before she could move further, a strong hand suddenly gripped her wrist."This trick won't work," Pierce said."Really? Because
"Mills, I can't promise you that. I finally found her. I need to know the truth," Pierce firmly stated."And what if she refuses to speak?" Millie asked."I have my ways to make her talk," Pierce coldly said."Pierce! I—" Millie wanted to say more, but Pierce cut her off. "I will handle this. I promise that I won't kill her.""But—""Tobias, take Millie home."Tobias hesitated. He knew Pierce wasn't himself anymore. Bringing Millie here had been the right move, but deep down, he feared it wasn't enough.In the end, Millie was forcibly led away. As she was pulled out of the room, she shouted in Sarah's direction, "Piercy was wrong, Sarah. Don't be stubborn!"With that, Millie was taken back to the villa. Yet, she couldn't sit still. She had no idea what Pierce was going to do.Minutes turned into hours, and night fell. Pierce still hadn't come home.At that moment, Millie curled up on the couch. She didn't even have the appetite to eat dinner. After a long wait, exhaus
Millie's gaze was sharp. "Did he tell you about his connection to Pierce?"Whether Piercy had slept with Sarah or not no longer mattered. What mattered was whether or not Sarah knew the truth. If she knew nothing, she would only assume that Pierce was mentally unstable. But if Piercy had confided in her, then she had a dangerous secret in her hands.Sarah gleefully said, "Why, he has split personality disorder, doesn't he? Who would have thought that the CEO of Atkinson Group is actually a lunatic—"Before Sarah could finish speaking, Millie coldly cut her off. "If you say one more word, I will knock out all your teeth!""But I'm just stating the truth. What's this? I can't even say what's—""Shut her up. Slap her until she knows her place," Millie icily ordered.Just like that, Tobias instructed his men to go forward and slap Sarah hard. They struck her across the face over and over.Sarah screamed in pain. "I'm sorry! I won't say anything! I'll stay quiet!"Her face swelled
"What do you want in return for telling me this?" Stefan shrewdly asked."Marry me and make me Mrs. Leach." Wanda still refused to give up on her fantasies.Stefan coldly scoffed. "Like hell I'd do that."Wanda didn't look particularly hurt. "Then give me a large sum of money and send me abroad. I promise never to interfere in your life again."Still, Stefan didn't release her just yet. Until he verified the truth, Wanda wasn't going anywhere. If she was telling the truth, she might have one last chance to live. So, Stefan ordered his people to keep Wanda under strict watch and launched a full investigation into the events from three years ago. Even though so much time had passed, he was determined to uncover the truth.…Millie heard about Wanda's "death" sometime later. She felt a little surprised that Wanda had gone insane and soon died from her illness. But since Wanda was dead, there was no point in holding onto old grudges anymore.From that point on, things settled do
"What did you mean by that message? If my parents' deaths weren't an accident, then who killed them?" Stefan anxiously demanded.Wanda bargained, saying, "If you find a way to get me out of here, I'll tell you. Otherwise, you'll spend your whole life in the dark like a fool while the person who murdered your parents is still out there. "You never avenged your parents. What a pathetic son you are.""Do you really think I don't know what you're up to? You're trying to trick me into helping you get out of here," Stefan said with a scoff.At this point, he was just half-convinced. He suspected that Wanda was only saying this as a ploy to get out of prison.Wanda simply smirked. "You can choose not to believe me."With that, she hung up the phone and turned away.Stefan's heart pounded violently. He couldn't afford to let this go since it concerned his parents. If Wanda was lying, he would make her suffer horribly once she was out. But if she was telling the truth, then she had on
Stefan felt a wave of emotion as he stepped forward to check the young woman's injury. He then fetched the first aid kit and carefully bandaged her wound.When the alcohol touched her cut, she sucked in a sharp breath, wincing from the sting."I'll be more careful," he said, his voice instinctively softening. It was as if he was afraid of startling her.Once he had finished, he finally asked, "What's your name?""Edith Zeller," the woman nervously answered, reciting her name like a rehearsed line."And do you know who I am?""Mr. Hudson told me everything. You're Stefan Leach, the CEO of Leach Group and my benefactor.""How do you plan to repay me?"Edith replied earnestly, "I-I'll do anything you want, Mr. Leach. I can bear you a child. If you don't think I'm worthy enough for that, then I can just stay with you for a few months. I dare not hope for anything else."You gave me so much money and never asked for anything in return. I… I'd feel guilty if I don't do anything for
Stefan rarely went outside.Mark brought work documents to him every day, and all his meetings were held online.Meanwhile, his health was worsening too. The injury on his back still hadn't fully healed, and since he lived alone, he didn't take care of himself properly. Not to mention, he avoided people and refused to step outside.Mark became increasingly worried. He even reached out to Agnes and Robin, but it was useless.Finally, he went to Millie. "Ms. Jordan, please go and see Mr. Leach. He's in terrible condition. Now that Wanda and Samantha are gone, it's like he doesn't know who to hate or fight against anymore. He has nothing to hold on to.""And what makes you think my visit would help?" Millie countered."It definitely would!" Mark insisted.Millie remained unmoved. "He and I have nothing to do with each other anymore. He did this to himself, not me. I have no obligation to be responsible for him.""Ms. Jordan, how can you be so heartless? He's like this because of
Stefan repeated, "You will never have children in this lifetime.""T-Then why did you give me so many fertility supplements? Why did you still sleep with me after you married Samantha? Why—"Wanda's lips trembled violently. She couldn't believe it and desperately searched for any reason to deny the truth. She needed to convince herself that Stefan had to have some feelings for her—even just a little bit. She refused to believe that he had manipulated her all along. It was impossible!Stefan smirked, but the smile never reached his eyes. Instead, it was icy and devoid of any warmth. "I gave you hope so that you'd believe that having a child would secure your place as Mrs. Leach. Otherwise, you wouldn't have gone all out against Samantha. "You were both pawns, but you thought you were so clever.""That's not possible!" Wanda wailed in denial.Stefan went on, "I did love you once, but you destroyed every last bit of that love. Since you don't want my love, then try my hatred inst