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
Millie at last snapped to her senses, and tears filled her eyes as the blood drained from her face. She struggled under Pierce's hold and urged, "Let go of me right now, Pierce! Do you even know what you're doing? This is rape!""Rape?" Pierce repeated incredulously. He snorted and pointed out, "You're my wife. No one can fault me for what I'm about to do. This is the price you have to pay for breaking my trust and playing me for a fool!"Millie stared at him in horror, wondering if this was the same man she had fallen in love with. There was nothing kind or human in his eyes; he looked like a monster."Let go of me! Let go—" Her cries were cut off by the sound of ripping cloth, and her shirt came away in shreds.Pierce's gaze roved over the swaths of unblemished, alabaster skin before him. He couldn't help himself. For a moment, he was transported back in time to that fateful night.Millie's face was ashen, and her heart grew cold. She felt like she had just plunged into an icy a
Pierce wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and suddenly chuckled. "You've gotten stronger. You can take an average person in a fight. I guess I've taught you well."Millie couldn't believe he was in a joking mood after what happened. He closed his eyes and let out a sigh of relief."Let's get a divorce." When he opened his eyes, his gaze was clear, and he sounded resolved as he added, "If this is what you want, Millie, then so be it. I'll let you have your way."Millie pursed her lips and said nothing. After that, Pierce drove her home.She ducked into her room and took out her copy of their marriage license. Pierce had a duplicate.As she stared at their names, she recalled how they had been no closer than strangers at the time of registration. Things between them had been awkward and unnatural.She considered divorcing Pierce now. He was dangerous. He could be the sweetest person on earth one moment but terrifying and vicious the next.They hadn't gotten married out o
Pierce impatiently slapped Millie's hand away."Hurry up, my patience is limited. Don't make me change my mind," he said."Change your mind and take all of this back?" Millie asked curiously.Pierce didn't answer; instead, he gazed at her with deep, enigmatic eyes. It was as if they held a black hole that could swallow someone whole.She felt uneasy under his stare and couldn't hold his gaze."Perhaps… I should take this back for now and think it over?" Millie suggested.For some reason, Pierce felt incredibly irritable. Even though he suggested the divorce and was willing to let go and step aside, Millie's uncertainty unsettled him nonetheless. It pulled at his nerves. "Decide right now," Pierce demanded with a domineering look.Millie then stood there, seriously considering it. "Fine, let's just get divorced," she thought. She felt Pierce was more dangerous than anyone else, and this kind of danger made her want to explore his inner thoughts. There was just an inexplicab
Stefan probably hadn't seen it; otherwise, he would've contacted her.Hence, Millie decided to explain everything clearly so they could officially part ways. As she left, she didn't notice a car following her to the city hall.Surprisingly, Stefan was actually waiting there."You're finally here!"Stefan glared at her with a menacing look, as if he wanted to devour her. He was used to others waiting for him, so standing around like this wasn't something he tolerated easily."Why didn't you answer your phone?""My phone broke."Technically speaking, he smashed it himself.Earlier that morning, Wanda called him, telling him she understood his difficulties as a dutiful grandson.She acknowledged his respect toward his family and assured him she wouldn't pressure him, sparing him from a dilemma. She even wished him a happy life with Millie."Ms. Jordan is gentle and beautiful; she'll take great care of you. Ste, once I leave, who knows when we'll meet again. Promise me, be happy.
Wanda began, "Ste, I'm already one month along. I won't terminate this pregnancy. I want to keep the baby. This is my child, and it has nothing to do with you…""What are you talking about? Our child has everything to do with me! If you hadn't fainted at the airport, were you planning to never tell me? You idiot, don't you know how hard it is to be a single mother? How will you manage?" Stefan said. Wanda began to cry when she heard this."I don't have a choice… I'll be satisfied as long as you let me keep this baby. I won't ask for anything more. I'll protect our baby no matter how tough it gets."Millie cleared her throat at the right moment, catching Wanda's attention. Wanda's face turned pale when she saw her, and she immediately got out of bed and knelt on the floor."Ms. Jordan, please let me keep this child. I won't come back or use the child to claim any property. I just want a memento of Ste. Please, let me have this.""Why are you even begging her…" Stefan started to s
"No! Mr. Atkinson, you can't do this! I did it for you!" Carlos cried."I don't know Yulia personally, nor did I secretly ask you to take care of her. No wonder she kept misinterpreting my intentions and tried to get close to me. You were part of the reason that she's delusional," Pierce said with a scoff.Yulia must have assumed that all the special treatment Carlos had given her was Pierce's doing. Naturally, she would have started to fantasize.Pierce also reflected on himself. He never should have sympathized with her or helped her in the first place. When he saw her, he had been reminded of Millie from years ago and had wanted to make up for his inability to help her back then in some small way. Never did he expect that it would cause so much trouble for him.Whatever compensation John decided to ask from Yulia was none of his business too.After that, Pierce sent Carlos away and began addressing the false rumors spreading online."Well, well. You seem to have a lot of rom
Yulia believed that Pierce must have felt the same way. Since fate had brought them together, how could she possibly give up?Now that Pierce had paid for her hospital stay, she felt she should recover properly and not waste his kindness.…Meanwhile, back at Atkinson Group, Tobias never mentioned the matter to Pierce. The situation had been urgent when Yulia was hospitalized, and anyone would have covered the cost in such circumstances. After all, a life was at stake.Tobias reported, "Mr. Atkinson, the former Head of Sales, Carlos Reyes, keeps asking to see you. The receptionist has alerted me about this multiple times. He said he needs to see you for something important. Do you want to meet him?""Is he the one Mills fired?" Pierce coolly looked up."Yes," Tobias replied."Useless trash like him isn't worth my time," Pierce indifferently responded. After all, anyone who crossed Millie had also crossed him.So, Tobias immediately informed Carlos that if he ever came again, he
Yulia kept waiting for an opportunity, but the two times she saw Pierce, he was with Millie. The sight of this drove her mad with jealousy. How she wished she could tear Millie apart. If it weren't for her, she wouldn't be struggling just to get into Atkinson Group now.And so, Yulia obsessively staked out the parking lot every day like a madwoman. As a result, she had grown noticeably thinner. Sometimes, she saw Tobias. However, she didn't approach him. But finally, after nearly a week, she found her chance.Pierce had arrived alone with no one in the passenger seat. Just as he got out of the car, a shadow flitted into his peripheral view. As a former police officer, his reflexes were sharp. He immediately subdued the person with a grappling move."Ow… Ouch! It hurts…" Yulia pitifully whimpered.Pierce hadn't seen Yulia's face yet. He only realized that it was a woman and that she posed no real threat. So, he released his grip.However, upon realizing that it was Yulia, he
"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