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
A special program followed the simple dance number. "Put on your masks, everyone, and separate into two groups—men and women. Then, find your dance partner and couple up as quickly as possible! Let's see if all of you can find your partner in time!"Millie thought it was a rather fun idea. After all, only those intending to leave the reception with a special lady or gentleman had come up to dance. At this rate, the reception was more like a large-scale mixer.Millie put on her mask, and before long, the stage lights went on again. The crowd began to move.Several tall, masked men walked up to Millie and asked, "May I have this dance, miss?"She had a feeling none of them were Pierce. They didn't make her feel safe like he did. She looked around and realized almost everyone had partnered up, but she still couldn't find Pierce in the crowd.Just then, her phone rang. "Come to the backyard," the man on the other end of the line said.Millie hurried to the backyard and found a man in
The words struck Millie like a lightning bolt. She gaped at Stefan in disbelief, and her first thought was that he had lost his mind. The second was that she might be dreaming.Stefan bit out gravely, "Come with me to the city hall right now before I change my mind. You got what you wanted, Millie. Wanda and I have broken up. Are you happy now?"But don't think you've won just because things played out in your favor! I will never love you after I marry you. Instead, I'll torture you slowly over the days."Only then did Millie snap out of her daze. She reckoned Agnes was behind this, but Stefan seemed determined to blame her for meddling."Go see the doctor and get your head checked out, Stefan. Leave me alone," Millie snapped. She was about to turn and leave when Stefan grabbed her by the wrist. "What more do you want, Millie? Wanda and I are over because of you! Isn't that what you wanted?" he demanded. How long would she continue to play hard to get? He continued, "Meet me at
Agnes had her girlish moments, and this was one of them. She pressed, "Go on, tell me who's the lucky young man?"Millie had already announced her marriage, but word about it spread slowly because of the lack of coverage. Stefan knew she and Pierce were an item, but he didn't know they had already registered their marriage.Millie told Agnes about Pierce."Bill's grandson?" Agnes cringed. "Bill is a piece of trash, but his grandson isn't. Far be it from me to villainize his entire family just because he's a bad apple."Millie was stunned. "You know Mr. Atkinson Senior?"Agnes snorted. "Of course! He's a useless, grumpy old git—"Just then, Bill showed up and snapped, "You hag! There you go again, spreading vile rumors about me!""I can say whatever I want about you!" Agnes retorted.Millie gaped at them while they bickered. She was surprised that they knew one another. Then again, they both came from families who ran businesses. Surely, they would have crossed paths in business