"The best way now is to find a reason to detain him and investigate slowly. Are his passports and other documents all in order?" Jason asked."There's nothing we can exploit." Thomas was a seasoned detective skilled in handling cases.Being a customs officer was inherently dangerous, making it crucial to stay under the radar. Pierce had no intention of involving his old comrades.Thomas' and Jason's families were both in Arbelton, where Pierce had the means to provide protection."Wait, I think I might have an idea. Pierce, didn't you rescue a victim from that ship? Let William know that this victim tipped you off, hence why you could act so quickly. According to their rules, they'll need to catch and kill that person to avenge their fallen comrades."Pierce, you could find that person and then leak the information. William sure has a lot of guys under him to make him rise to this level. If he wants to maintain his authority, even if he doesn't want to take action, someone will pu
"Millie, are you listening?" Thomas asked, noticing Millie's silence after he finished speaking.It took Millie a while to come back to her senses. She gripped her phone tightly. Her palm was drenched in cold sweat."Yes… I'm listening. I'll talk to Pierce. I understand your point. Sacrificing one person could save many others.""It's not about sacrifice. We ensure the bait's safety through proper measures. In special circumstances, we handle things differently. William is not just any smuggler, and both Pierce and I are retired professionals. Sometimes, unconventional methods are necessary.""I understand. I'll talk to him.""You're always so understanding, Millie. Thank you."As soon as the call ended, Millie leaned against the wall, feeling weak.She didn't want to be used as bait. She didn't want to go through another terrifying experience. Despite their protection, she was scared. What if something went wrong and they couldn't protect her?She even had a fleeting thought o
"Why'd you call me over so urgently? Do we have a new plan?" Jason asked, his face full of confusion.Suddenly, Pierce threw a punch at him, leaving Jason with a bruised nose."What the hell?" Thomas jumped in and quickly pulled Pierce back.Jason, now on the ground, was just as confused. "What's gotten into you, Pierce?""Why did you tell Millie?""Millie? Millie knows? How could she? I didn't tell her." Jason was stunned. His confusion quickly turned to panic."If not you, then who?""You can't blame Jason for this. Millie called me, and I mentioned it casually, asking her to talk to you. So, have you agreed? Where's the victim? Have you explained everything to her? Is she willing to cooperate?" Thomas asked with an eager expression.At this, both Pierce's and Jason's expressions turned grim.Pierce clenched his fists so tightly that the veins on the back of his hands bulged, as if he were just moments away from landing another punch—this time on Thomas.But eventually, his
After their discussion, Thomas and Jason left. Thomas' gaze toward Millie was apologetic.Millie knew how much they valued Pierce. If they had known she was the victim, they never would have done such a thing.This was entirely an accident, indicating that it was meant to be her fate.After they left, the room fell into an eerie silence, with the weight of their breaths almost palpable.Pierce wrapped his arms tightly around Millie from behind. "I know sacrifices are inevitable. I'm prepared to make one if necessary, but I don't want you to be involved."He couldn't bear to think of a day when Millie might have to sacrifice herself too."What, are you giving me special treatment?" Millie turned to face him, her eyes twinkling with a gentle smile.She tried to sound light-hearted to comfort him, though her tightly clenched fists betrayed her inner anxiety."Pierce, we're doing the right thing, so let's not worry about anything else."Pierce remained silent. His expression was g
Millie was feeling a bit weary, so she sat on the edge of the pool.Suddenly, she heard faint footsteps approaching from behind her. Her heart raced. Had William come to find her now that she was alone?She was now the one responsible for the deaths of many of William's men. As the leader, he had to deal with her to maintain his authority, even if it meant taking risks.In their world, even the most ruthless criminals valued loyalty. A leader had to demonstrate care for their men to ensure their obedience.She lowered her voice and asked, "Jason, is William here?""The surveillance in the backyard has been tampered with. We can't see anything right now!"Millie's heart skipped a beat upon hearing this.She wanted to run, but reason told her that if William were to push her into the pool and stage an accidental drowning, their mission would be accomplished.Sweat began to bead on her forehead. She remained perfectly still, holding her breath out of instinct.At that moment, a t
William winced from the pain. His eyes were dark with menace as he glared at Millie, yet he refrained from slapping her.He used his other hand to grip her jaw tightly, enough to dislocate it.Millie was equally fierce. She was determined to bite off a piece of his flesh even if her jaw was dislocated.They were like two predators locked in a deadly standoff, each clutching the other's throat.At that moment, Pierce rushed over. "Millie, let go."Instantly, the fiery anger within Millie was extinguished. She was no longer the aggressive little tigress from earlier.She released her bite immediately. Without bothering to put on her shoes, she rushed toward Pierce.As William glanced at his bloodied hand, a smirk played on his lips. "Your woman is quite fierce, Officer Atkinson." His tone carried a hint of reproach.Frowning, Millie looked at him with disgust.Meanwhile, Pierce narrowed his eyes. He could sense the predatory gleam in William's gaze, as if he were eyeing his next
Pierce's breathing quickened. As he prepared to tear at her clothes, Thomas' cough reached his ears."Pierce, I know you're eager, but please hold on. We really didn't want to interrupt, but… despite it looking like a two-person affair, it's actually a four-person game."Pierce froze. Damn, he had forgotten about the two unwanted spectators outside. He was wearing an earpiece, and Millie had a hidden camera on her. Had those two just seen everything?"Why did you stop?" Millie looked pained. Her eyes were both dazed and innocent. She was waiting for him to calm her desire."We need to deal with some problems first," Pierce said as he removed the earpiece.The moment Millie saw him do that, her mind went into overdrive, and her blood seemed to rush backward.She let out a scream. There was still surveillance on her! Everything they had done and said was known to Jason and Thomas. How could she face them now?In a surge of strength she didn't know she had, she kicked Pierce, sendi
Millie was so outraged that she nearly slapped William. Fortunately, she leashed her temper at the last minute. However, she hadn't expected Pierce to raise his fist. She immediately gripped his hand and warned, "No, Pierce."William was spoiling for a fight, just like they had baited him to throw the first punch. Their goal was the same—to blame the person who started the fight.Millie refused to let Pierce rise to the bait, so she reassured him, "I can stand up for myself, especially when the other party resorts to such crass taunting."She made up an excuse to clink glasses with William. When she got close enough to him, she stomped on his foot and made him frown in pain. Then, she pretended to trip and deliberately spilled wine over him."Oh, no! How clumsy of me… I'm terribly sorry for the mess. It was an accident," Millie said, pursing her lips innocently even as she stepped on his foot harder.William sputtered in disbelief."Are you alright, Mr. Wilson?" Landon hurried
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