It was Wanda who let Millie feel like she had no other options."Just think about how you'll keep Stefan from finding out it was you," Millie said with a smile as she watched Wanda's face turn even paler.Millie stood up and looked deeply at Stefan. "Stefan, could you walk me out?""Sure."Stefan's gaze toward Millie was filled with complex emotions. She really did love him deeply, even willing to humble herself and plead with his grandmother to stop meddling in their relationship.Stefan then followed Millie downstairs.Meanwhile, Millie went into a nearby fruit shop. She carefully picked out a fruit basket and bought a bouquet of flowers."Take these up with you. Even though she's okay now, she's probably scared after taking a fall while pregnant. Make sure you comfort her well.""I never knew… you could be so generous.""People change. I want the best for you too, no?" Millie nearly gagged saying that, but she forced herself to keep it together."Stefan, since you chose he
Pierce's breathing was erratic, quick, and hot against Millie's chest. It was sending tingling sensations like a feather brushing against her skin, lifting and falling.Her face flushed uncontrollably, and her ears slowly turned red. Pierce's gaze was dark and obscure like a wolf watching her, ready to devour her whole."Are you nervous?""Put me down!" She snapped in annoyance."Kiss me, and I'll let you go.""You… Pierce Atkinson, have some sense of shame! Who's the one uncomfortable here?""I can control myself.""You…""Let's just stay like this then."Millie glanced outside the window and noticed quite a few passersby giving them strange looks, probably thinking this scene was too scandalous in broad daylight.She bowed her head, feeling mortified.Pierce's self-control was terrifying; even now, he remained steady as a rock, though the desire in his eyes was turbulent and ready to overflow at any moment. Yet, he held his composure, confident that he would win.Finally,
"It's not even real…" Millie couldn't help but mutter softly under her breath.Pierce's face immediately darkened, and she stuck out her tongue in fear, deciding not to say anything further.Pierce then took Millie home, but he didn't truly ignore Samantha. He sent someone to follow her instead.Samantha had been away from Arbelton for a long time and had no close friends left. The only place she could think of going was the Leach Manor, especially since she had once dated Stefan.But it was all just casual as neither of them had ever taken it seriously."Ste, my brother doesn't want me anymore…""What happened?" Stefan had no romantic feelings for Samantha. When his parents sent Wanda abroad, he'd become reckless and started fooling around, dating whoever came along.He'd been involved with Samantha for over six months but always treated her like a little sister, never crossing any lines. He wasn't cruel enough to truly harm a good friend's sister."My brother… He brought home
Tears welled up in Samantha's eyes, looking pitiful as she reluctantly glanced at Millie."I'm sorry," she said loudly, her voice full of resentment. She then stormed upstairs, slamming her door shut behind her.Millie gave Pierce a helpless look. "Was that really necessary? I don't need a fake apology; it'll just make her resent me even more.""She needs discipline, or she'll become uncontrollable. I'm sorry you have to endure this now, but she'll come around eventually.""I'm going to rest…" Millie said as she turned to head upstairs, but Pierce stopped her."I moved your things to my room.""What?""Sammy will probably report to Grandpa. Don't worry, I've set up a folding bed; it won't be a problem.""Alright, that works."Millie didn't say much else and went to the master bedroom. She noticed her belongings neatly arranged.Meanwhile, the bed was made with perfect corners like a military cot. It almost made her burst into laughter.As she was working on her laptop, she h
The room door opened, and Millie saw Pierce's tall figure walk in. She instinctively straightened her back, trying not to look disheveled."How did things go at the hospital? Was the scrape serious?""She has a congenital blood clotting disorder, so the family usually takes extra precautions. Even the smallest cut can be a problem because it's hard to stop her bleeding.""It's that serious? I… I didn't push her…""I know.""You… know?"This time, it was Millie's turn to be stunned. She had expected to explain herself for a long time, with her throat drying out in the process. But Pierce simply said he knew."I was worried about her condition at the time. She needed immediate medical attention, so I didn't have time to explain.""Oh… So, she's alright now?""She's fine now. It was a false alarm, but we still need to be careful." Pierce wearily rubbed his temples."Have you washed up?""Yes, I have.""Then go to bed early. I'll wash up too."After showering, Pierce unfolded
"I've arranged for a driver to take you elsewhere. There will be a housekeeper and a driver ready for you. If you need anything, call me," Pierce said calmly.Samantha stood there, stunned. She never expected she would be the one to leave. She had always stayed here, but now that her brother had a new wife, he no longer doted on her. She felt deeply wronged, and tears started streaming down her face."Pierce, are you really sending me away?""I'm doing this to protect you. If you keep getting hurt, it means you and Millie don't get along. It's for your own good.""I…" Samantha deflated. "It's not that we don't get along; I was just careless. I'll be more careful next time."Her brother cared most about her well-being. She had hoped to drive Millie away, but her plan backfired, and now she was the one leaving.She had no choice but to back down."Then apologize to your sister-in-law. You got hurt and scared her.""Apologize to her? I'm the one who got hurt!""Then moving out wi
Millie was taken aback. She couldn't believe she was Pierce's first woman."Millie Jordan!"Pierce's voice took on a different tone, and Millie realized she had gone too far. The towel was sticking up in a way that couldn't be missed."I'm just curious.""Curiosity killed the cat. Have you heard of it?"Pierce walked up aggressively, cornering Millie against a glass cabinet. Inside it were all sorts of fancy watches and jewelry.Feeling the cold surface on her back, Millie felt a chill running down her spine."What do you want?""No peeking. Just give me a hand.""Why can't I look?""It's filthy.""I don't want—""I'm begging you," Pierce whispered into Millie's ear. He kept his voice down as he tried to hold back.His pleading sounded like a puppy in distress. She felt her heart skip a beat. Eventually, she gave in; no one could resist his surprisingly cute side.Pierce appeared fearless and untouchable in public, exuding a haughty and sophisticated presence. But in a si
"I just assume you don't want to sleep with me," Pierce replied with a raspy voice.Millie responded, "Why?""I'm stubborn, brooding, and downright scary, so I'm not who you think I am. I figure you'd rather avoid someone like me, so what's wrong with keeping things the way they are? "We're married, but I haven't actually done anything with you. That way, if you decide to marry someone else in the future, it'll make things smoother with your next husband."I'm fine with anybody else but Stefan, Millie. If you find someone you like who truly loves you back, I'm willing to let you go.""What's wrong with Stefan?""I don't think much of him." Pierce scoffed at the mention of Stefan. He had always disapproved of Stefan's views on love and believed that Stefan wasn't worthy of Millie."So, what kind of person are you, actually?""I've warned you. Curiosity can get you in trouble."Pierce gazed down at her, his eyes narrowed with a hint of irritation.Millie could more or less fig
Millie parted her lips. She wanted to say something, but at that moment, she didn't know what to say.She knew that if Pierce hadn't shown up in time, she would have been assaulted. However, if it had been the kidnapper who'd assaulted her, she could have hated him for her whole life, and at least then, she'd even have good reason to murder him if she could. But it was Pierce. She couldn't bring herself to hate him. If it hadn't been him, it would have been someone else. Still, Millie felt like she didn't even have the right to resent the criminal who had tried to force himself on her. She couldn't let go of the pain, and it felt like she was being deadly stubborn.She couldn't persuade Pierce, and he couldn't persuade himself either. They were stuck in this stalemate and had no idea when it would end.Perhaps time would provide an answer.Millie walked forward with her head down. She drove to the mall, bought a few things, and headed to the Lytles' family residence.She had t
Sharon was at a loss for words.She had been a victim of bullying herself, and she still remembered the ugly faces of those who had bullied her. Sometimes, she would wake up in the middle of the night feeling terrified from trying to heal the scars from her childhood.The initial reason that drove Sharon to become a journalist was because she wanted to expose the violence that took place on school grounds to the world.She could never forgive a bully. To her, anyone who preyed on the weak deserved punishment."I wouldn't be with him. I would break up with him immediately," Sharon stated."But what if you really liked him?" Millie asked.Without hesitation, Sharon replied, "If I stayed with him and dismissed his mistakes out of love, I'd start to think bullying isn't wrong. I might even become a bully myself one day." Empathizing with a bully could lead one to become the next perpetrator.Millie responded, "That's exactly how I feel now. Pierce did something wrong. And if I forgi
"Ahem…" Bill coughed to cover the awkwardness and said, "Pay Mrs. Leach Senior a visit with generous gifts tomorrow, okay? Establish a close rapport with the Lytles as a respective young man."Pierce immediately understood what he meant. Bill was trying to back Agnes up by having him bear generous gifts and show some regard to her younger relatives during the visit.There would definitely be members of the Lytle family who would be there to visit Agnes tomorrow. He had to show them that any member of the Lytles, including Wanda, should not be subject to mockery."I can tell you really care for Mrs. Leach Senior, Grandpa," Pierce remarked."Millie's going to be there too. I'm just creating an opportunity for you. It's for your own good," Bill replied."Oh, really?" Pierce responded indifferently, explicitly calling Bill out for his made-up excuse.Upon reading between the lines, Bill merely shot him a glare before turning over and going to sleep with his blanket tightly wrapped ar
"Grandpa, Pierce and I have divorced. I can be anyone's partner now," Millie said."I can't have that. I need to talk to Pierce to have him remarry you. You didn't even have a proper wedding ceremony back then after you registered your marriage. Just do it one more time, so that I can plan your wedding for you and make it as grand as possible. That's what you deserve!" Bill said. Millie didn't respond.After some small chat with Bill, she left the room.Upon stepping out, she noticed Pierce speaking in a foreign accent with Charlotte on the phone outside.Millie was far away from him, so she couldn't hear what they were talking about. But judging from the smile on his face, they were probably having a nice conversation.Millie wanted to inform him that she was leaving. However, after waiting for a few minutes, he was still on the phone. So, she spoke to the nurse before leaving. She told the nurse, "When he's done with his call, tell him that I've left. Also, let him know that
Millie only breathed a sigh of relief after getting into the car. However, right when she was about to buckle up, Pierce held her head and pulled her close.Startled, Millie instinctively tried to break free. Then, Pierce whispered in her ear, "Don't move. Stefan followed us out here. He's staring at us from the outside.""He is?" Millie asked, wanting to turn to look. But Pierce stopped her and said, "The more you spare him glances, the more he'll think you're not over him, so don't."Millie felt that he made sense. Stefan was an overthinker and might indeed mistake her mere glance for something else.To put it bluntly, Stefan was just resentful because if she had not gotten together with Pierce and forgotten about him, she would still have some feelings for him.Once upon a time, Millie had looked at Stefan with pitiful eyes full of despair, but he'd never cared. He was only acting so out of character now because he had lost control over her."What about now? Is he gone?" M
Using miscarriage to her advantage, Wanda almost put Millie in jail.However, Millie didn't want to break the promise that she had made to Agnes.It had been a long day for Agnes, and she needed some rest. So, Millie said, "Mrs. Leach Senior, the doctor said that you need more rest. Don't worry about us. I'll pay you a visit in two days."Agnes nodded."Sleep tight. I'll be here until you fall asleep," Millie added.Since Agnes was tired, she soon fell asleep.Once Millie saw Agnes fall into a deep sleep, she quietly left the room.However, she didn't expect that the man she hated the most, Stefan, was standing outside the door.She thought that he had just arrived and said, "Your grandma's asleep. I think you should come later after she wakes up on her own. Don't disturb her with any noise."Stefan kept quiet. All he did was look at Millie with a complicated look in his eyes.He had thought that she would have more to say to him. He didn't expect her to just leave after such
Stefan and Wanda bared their hearts to each other, revealing everything honestly.Wanda had cried uncontrollably by the sea side, and each tear that fell from her face felt like a hit to Stefan's heart."I didn't betray you. It was your parents who told me to marry him. They said that it was the only way to make you completely give up. I shouldn't have tried to look for you… Just leave me," Wanda said.Stefan was furious when he heard that, but what he felt even more was heartache for her.He held Wanda incredibly tight, completely unwilling to let her go.Stefan had been with many women before, but the first was always the most unforgettable.Wanda was his first.Wanda hadn't gotten a divorce, and he was still with Millie. So, the two of them couldn't be together openly.But Stefan's trips abroad became more frequent. His parents had passed away, and Agnes was in poor health. Millie was completely unaware as well.Nothing could stop him from pursuing his love.Later on, Agne
Just as Stefan was about to knock on the door, he heard Agnes' words from inside. His whole body stiffened as his hand froze in mid-air."Mrs. Leach Senior, it's all in the past now," Millie softly said.Agnes sighed. "How unfortunate for the Leach family. Now, the family will never rid itself of Wanda. You don't know this, but her family used to be on par with the Leach family. However, her parents were greedy and unscrupulous. "They went down the wrong path, which eventually led to their assets being seized by the government. Her parents couldn't bear the thought of going to prison and ended up jumping to their deaths instead."Agnes continued, "Out of respect for the ties between our families, we extended a helping hand, and Wanda and Stefan had a marriage arrangement. "We felt that the sins of the parents should not pass down to the daughter. So, when we saw that Wanda had inherited her parents' deviousness, we'd hoped to guide her and prevent her from going astray."If thi
Stefan said, "Didn't you once say that you'd be willing to share a husband with Millie if it were ancient times? Didn't you say that since she divorced Pierce, it was the perfect chance for me to make her my mistress? "Wanda, it hasn't even been that long since you said all of that. Have you already forgotten? "If it bothered you, you could have just told me directly. I would have been considerate of your feelings. Instead, you've been acting so hypocritical. You say one thing to my face and do something else behind my back!"Stefan continued, "I admit that I do have some inappropriate thoughts about Millie. She frustrates me to a degree that I've never felt before. But my feelings for her are borne out of competitiveness and my desire to outmatch Pierce. "It's possible that my feelings for her are shallow and that you're the one I've always truly loved. But the way you're acting will only make it harder for me to let go of Millie. It's making my love for you slowly wear thin as