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
That night, Millie couldn't sleep at all. She tossed and turned, unable to quiet her thoughts.When morning finally arrived, she immediately got up, washed up, and packed her things to head to the hospital. Pierce saw how anxious she was but said nothing. He simply accompanied her to the hospital without a word.Once Millie got there, she took over looking after Stefan from Agnes and Robin. She urged them to go home, wash up, and get some rest."Pierce and I are here. We'll take good care of him," Millie said reassuringly."Alright. I'll leave Stefan in your care then," Agnes replied.Only then did she finally leave, walking away with slow, heavy steps.After that, Millie changed into sterile clothing and entered the ward.Stefan looked weak, but his spirits seemed a little better. When he saw Millie, he even forced a smile and greeted, "You're here.""Does your wound hurt?" Millie asked in concern."No, not really. I have painkillers and a PCA pump, so I barely feel anythin
In the end, she and Stefan were simply not meant to be. The distance between them only grew wider as life went on. He should never have saved her.Pierce held Millie close. "Don't overthink it. The doctors are still working on him. We'll know once they come out. He's tough. He'll be fine.""Pierce, why did he have to do that? My heart feels so heavy." Millie wept."I know, I know." Pierce gently patted her back. He understood exactly how she felt.He wasn't afraid of Stefan scheming against him, but what worried him more was that Stefan would suddenly change and sacrifice himself to make amends for his past mistakes.If he had remained cruel, Millie could have hated him completely. But now, by repaying his debts bit by bit, he had placed Millie in an impossible position. She couldn't love him, but she also couldn't bring herself to hate him.Soon, Agnes and Robin arrived too.Agnes had aged significantly in the recent months, and she seemed to be in noticeably weaker spirits as
"Stefan, are you okay? Hold on! I'll take you to the hospital right away," Millie urgently said."Are… Are you hurt anywhere?" Stefan asked in a trembling voice, forcing himself to endure the pain.Even at a time like this, he was still worried about her."I'm okay… I-I'm fine," Millie replied with a slight stutter."That's good." Stefan breathed a sigh of relief.Millie glanced at the rotting, festering wound on his back and couldn't help but anxiously tear up. She didn't wait for Pierce and immediately hailed a cab.Meanwhile, the surrounding crowd had subdued the attacker—it turned out to be the disgruntled Carlos who had been fired. Even as he was restrained, he kept screaming that he wanted to kill Millie and make Pierce regret it for the rest of his life.As the commotion went on, Millie helped Stefan into the car. His back was so badly wounded that he couldn't lean against the seat. His face was as pale as a sheet of paper, and his entire body was drenched in cold sweat
Yulia's words had tainted Pierce's ears. Since that was the case, he would find a way to make sure she could never speak again.If it had been the Pierce of the past—the one who worked as an anti-smuggling officer—he would never have considered such an option. But now that he was freed from the constraints of that identity, there were some matters that he no longer had to be so cautious about.He was never a purely kind person. His heart was far darker and more calculating than most could imagine. He could be a ruthless executioner without a shred of hesitation, or he could appear as an untouchable, noble paragon of benevolence.After resolving the situation with Yulia, Isabella felt relieved and invited Millie out for drinks.Millie was glad to hang out with her. Sharon had taken Tristan abroad, so she no longer had a drinking buddy."You have no idea how utterly disgusting that Yulia made me feel. It was like someone had forced a mouthful of dirt down my throat!" Isabella comp
Yulia locked herself in her room. She was curled up on the bed, disheveled and unkempt.Her phone screen was lit as she scrolled through the comments under Pierce's latest Twitter post—all of them were insults directed at her. She had completely lost herself in obsession."I did nothing wrong! Why should I apologize? Pierce is the heartless one! He betrayed me! Even as a woman, I have more courage than he does! Mom, I want to appeal my case. I want to sue him a second time. That lawyer was useless…"Helena had finally reached her breaking point and delivered a heavy slap across Yulia's face. Yulia's head snapped to the side as a clear handprint formed on her cheek."When will you wake up? Everyone can see that Pierce never liked you! In fact, if you hadn't done all those ridiculous things, he wouldn't even know who you were! How long are you going to deceive yourself? You're completely delusional!" Helena roared.Then, she added, "And even if… even if something had actually happ
Yulia wept and continued to blabber in her livestream. "If you don't love me, then why did you stop others from hurting me and take me to the hospital? If you don't love me, why did you pay for my medical expenses?"Can you swear that you didn't feel even a tiny bit of emotion when we locked eyes in front of that bakery? I understand that marriages in wealthy families are complicated and involve many parties' interests, where one small move can set off a chain reaction. "I was so considerate of your predicament, but what did you do to me? To protect yourself, you threw me under the bus. Pierce Atkinson, is this fair to me?"After saying all that, she burst into tears, sobbing uncontrollably. Meanwhile, viewers in the livestream showered her with virtual gifts, comforting her and telling her not to cry, claiming their hearts ached for her.Millie came across her livestream as well. The platform's algorithm had pushed it to her feed, so there was no avoiding seeing it.She was sp
"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