"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
Lying on the bed, Samantha hugged a plushie with tears streaming down her cheeks. She looked utterly pitiful.Pierce began, "Who told you that? I still care about you as much as I always have, and now you have another person to love and care for you. Isn't that amazing?" "Why would I want her attention? I don't even like her. How about getting a different wife, Pierce? The woman Mom and Dad have found for you is great, and I like her a lot. She's graceful and classy, so he's a perfect match for you."Pierce firmly stated, "But I like Millie."Hearing that, Samantha's eyes were filled with tears, and she stared at Pierce in disbelief without blinking.She knew him too well. When he said he liked someone, he meant it and wouldn't change his mind easily. He was a stubborn and sentimental person who could hold onto his feelings for someone for years."Why, Pierce? What did she do to make you like her? Is she even worthy?"Pierce's face fell. "Watch your tone, Sammy. Millie deserves
Stefan's intense stare made Millie feel uneasy, so she lowered her head and sipped on the coffee to avoid his gaze."Don't go ruining yourself just to get back at me, Millie. I know I hurt you deeply. If Wanda wasn't in the picture, I'd have chosen you. What a pity… You need to stop. If you're short on money, let me know and I'll help you.""We're not like that if that's what you're thinking.""What else could it be? Pierce is already married, and you've always despised the idea of being a third wheel. You couldn't get over me being with Wanda, so why lower yourself to be Pierce's mistress?""Why don't you ask your best friend about it? If there's nothing else, I'm leaving."Millie didn't feel like continuing the conversation. She turned to walk away, but Stefan called out to her again. "If you're set on being someone's mistress, you might as well be mine."She immediately stopped in her tracks and gaped at him in disbelief. "What did you just say?"Stefan seemed to have given i
Millie just transferred the money to Wanda.Wanda called right away and asked, "What's this about? Why are you suddenly giving me money?""The money is from Stefan. He thought I might be struggling and told me to spend it however I wanted. He even mentioned I could ask for more if needed, but I didn't want it. Since he refused to take it back, I figured giving it to you was the same. After all, you both are family.""Are you serious? There's no way Stefan is giving you money.""Think whatever you like."After hanging up, Millie sent a text to Stefan. "I don't want your money. We've cut ties, so you have no reason to spend on me. I handed all the money to Wanda.""Why are you so difficult, Millie? I've said everything I could, and you still won't budge."Stefan was quite annoyed with Millie repeatedly turning down his kindness.Millie didn't bother replying. Stefan should worry about handling Wanda instead.At this point, Millie had finished making Pierce's custom suit. But S
Pierce held Millie's waist firmly, relishing the moist, velvety touch of her tongue. Her lips, soft as velvet and painted crimson, kissed him with a tenderness that seemed to be stealing his very soul. By the time Millie was done, several hickeys were visible. "That should be enough, right?""Yeah, that should do the trick.""If there's nothing else, I'll head out first. Make sure to try on the sample outfit later and see if it fits. If it's not the right size, we'll fix it."Millie wanted to go, but Pierce still held her tightly in his arms. "What are you doing?""Well, I need to return the favor.""What do you mean? It was you—"Millie gasped in surprise. Instead of leaving hickeys on her neck, Pierce gently tugged her collar open, kissed her on the collarbone, and slowly kissed down from there.He continued kissing her, his breath a gentle caress as he savored every moment. But he seemed to know his limits and didn't take things too far, making it as intimate as possibl
Millie thought Pierce brought up marriage during the press conference to deal with his parents. But when she saw the news about Atkinson Group's stock soaring, she realized he was all about business.Pierce was upfront about being married. His sense of responsibility made people more confident about him taking over Atkinson Group.People on the Internet usually shared this same attitude. "A man who's willing to take on family responsibilities is usually a good catch. He's miles ahead of those who are secretly married and cheating."Thanks to Pierce's reputation and his honest demeanor, Atkinson Group's stock kept going up. It was hard to tell if the increase was due to the chip development or his charisma.The press conference at Atkinson Group swiftly made it to the top of trending topics. Many people talked about it on the Internet.Everyone started to wonder who Mrs. Atkinson was. She was so lucky to land a guy like Pierce, and she probably smiled in her sleep every night.Mil
"Are you okay?"Millie anxiously asked."I'm fine," Pierce replied. He held onto Millie with one arm for support and stood up, his other arm limp and dangling by the side of his body, obviously dislocated.Thomas quickly came to check on him and said, "Follow me to the office. I'll reattach it for you. "Millie, you should also go to the clinic and do a checkup to see if you have any other issues."Pierce's arm was dislocated, and that was something the clinic couldn't fix. However, since Thomas was an expert at this, he took Pierce away. When Pierce took off his shirt, there was a huge bruise on his back."Just bear with it for a moment. You'll be fine in no time." Thomas held Pierce's arm, gently rotating it before suddenly using force on it.Pierce's face turned deathly pale, with tiny droplets of sweat forming on his forehead.Before his arm was reattached, any small movements would cause immense pain. After the reattachment though, his entire arm went numb.Pierce exhaled
Thomas had mentioned the horse track before and had encouraged Millie to try it out, but she hadn't taken it seriously. But upon seeing the majestic horses now, she found herself intrigued."Can I ride this one?" she asked, pointing at a tall, spirited horse."Not this one. It's too wild and still being trained. If you want to ride, I'll find you a gentler one," Thomas replied."Okay!" Millie's eyes sparkled with excitement.Thomas then led her to the stables and carefully selected a calm and obedient horse. He started by teaching Millie how to mount the horse, then walked alongside her, holding the reins to help her get familiar with riding."Talk to it, pat it gently, and build some trust," he instructed."Got it," Millie said, stroking the horse's mane and softly speaking to it.After a few laps around the paddock, Millie gained enough confidence to ride on her own. She kept the pace slow and leisurely circled the track. There were other riders in the large paddock as wel
Stefan's expression faltered and darkened. For once, he couldn't come up with anything to refute Pierce.It was true that Millie had never come to Leach Manor willingly—it was always forced. So, he didn't exactly have any grounds to argue back.In the end, Pierce grabbed Millie's hand and led her away. After they got inside the car, the atmosphere was so tense that it was almost suffocating. Millie could barely breathe under the pressure.Was Pierce angry? But what did he have to be angry about? She had won the fight, and if it weren't for the potential fallout affecting the Atkinson family, she wouldn't have bowed her head and apologized in the first place.She should be the one to feel wronged. So, why was he the one sulking?Millie cleared her throat, breaking the silence and finding her voice. "Well… you saw it yourself. I'm nothing but trouble. You should divorce me as soon as possible and stay as far away from me as you can. I don't follow the rules, I'm fiery, and I don
Pierce did not have a speck of dust on him. It was an easy fight.Stefan looked mortified."Get a better fighter here!" Stefan demanded. "Mr. Atkinson, it's great that you're here. Your wife was misbehaving, so I just taught her a lesson out of kindness."Upon hearing this, Pierce pulled Millie behind him and stared at Felicity. She did not dare to meet his gaze as it was too intimidating."She's my wife. Who do you think you are to touch her?""She hit me just now!" Felicity yelled."Millie, is that true?" Pierce asked."She started it. Of course, I didn't just stand there and take it. She made things difficult for me, and they even ganged up on me. I was simply returning the favor," Millie replied. Millie didn't know why, but she felt assured in Pierce's presence, and her suppressed emotions began to surface.At that moment, she forgot that they were on bad terms and that she hadn't forgiven him."In that case, my wife was simply defending herself," Pierce said."Defend
Stefan watched Millie's retreating figure with an ambivalent expression. He pondered on how she was willing to lower her pride for Pierce's sake. His hands silently clenched into fists as anger smoldered in his chest.Meanwhile, Millie had returned to the room where the women were. Though they had tidied themselves up, the scene was still chaotic. Felicity had a visible handprint on her face, and Wanda was pitifully clutching her stomach."What now? Are you here to beat us up again?" one of the women whimpered. They all trembled as they huddled together."No… I'm sorry for being impulsive earlier. I shouldn't have acted so recklessly. Felicity, I hope you can overlook my behavior and forgive me," Millie calmly spoke up.The room fell silent. None of them had expected Millie to back down so quickly."A-Are you being serious?" Felicity stammered, her voice shaking."Yes. I was wrong to lash out at you. I didn't consider the consequences. So, I'm sorry," Millie sincerely said w
Millie delivered a swift kick to Felicity's chest and slapped Wanda hard across the face. Then, she pretended to repeatedly hit Wanda by accident. The more Wanda tried to mediate, the more blows she received. On the other hand, Felicity suffered no major injuries despite looking disheveled."What's going on here? What do you take my house for?" The door suddenly burst open. Stefan was standing in the doorway with a thunderous expression.The moment Wanda saw him, she ran toward him like a damsel in distress with tears pitifully streaming down her face."Stefan, she hit me!" she wailed, clinging onto him."Why is it you again, Millie?" Stefan frowned as he stared at her with a complicated gaze.He remembered Millie as a gentle, soft-spoken woman—a timid little lamb who needed his love and protection. But now, she was like a fierce tigress with claws bared.He knew what type of woman he preferred, yet seeing this side of Millie stirred something within him. It irked him that he
Millie shook off Felicity's hand and walked away without looking back. Felicity was unwilling to let it go, so she went after Millie. "Wanda has been too soft on you. That's why you dare to be so audacious and trample all over her! If it were me, I'd skin you alive for your behavior—"As Felicity continued to rant, she reached out to grab Millie's shoulder. To her surprise, Millie grasped her hand and threw her to the floor with a clean over-the-shoulder toss with ease.Felicity cried out in pain, shocking the other three women. None of them could believe that Millie, who looked so slender and delicate, had just tossed the burly Felicity over her shoulder like it was nothing.Millie snapped, "Are you done? You've wasted my entire morning, and I haven't even demanded an apology from you. "Alright, then. Apologize now! You called me here when you had something going on and didn't have time for me. You'd been toying with me! Hurry up and apologize!""I-Is this how your studio tr
Millie refused to believe that a person could change so drastically without reason."Do you know the details of the birthday party kidnapping?" Millie asked."Unfortunately, I don't know anything about that," Julian replied.Millie suppressed her curiosity and picked up her phone. She thought of calling Pierce, but would he even tell her the truth?She rubbed her temples, debating that thought for a moment. In the end, she decided against it.After that, Millie pushed aside all distracting thoughts and focused on her work. She had several custom orders to complete, including one for Felicity Harmon, the daughter-in-law of a real estate tycoon. She had just finished drafting the design sketches and needed to discuss them with Felicity.So, Millie called her to arrange a meeting."I happen to be free today. I'm at Leach Manor. You can come over," Felicity said over the phone."Leach Manor?" Millie repeated."Yes, I'm having coffee with Mrs. Leach. Is there a problem?" Felicity
At the moment when Millie craved for vengeance against Stefan, Pierce had agreed to marry her. When she put herself in danger to lure William into taking action, he had promised to protect her. When Sharon was in peril, she had charged in alone—absolutely unafraid—because she knew Pierce would come for her.He taught her, step by step, how to shoot a gun. He gave her the confidence to stand up to Wanda.At that grand wedding, while everyone's eyes were on the couple kissing on stage, Pierce had secretly kissed her.How could she have been so foolish to miss all the signs? Everything he did had been so obvious, yet Millie had always believed it was purely out of his sense of responsibility. She had chalked it all up to the fact that she was his wife, and nothing more.She had suspected that he loved Samantha and every other person, but never herself.Before she learned the truth, Pierce had been nearly perfect in her eyes—he was flawless.He was a hero to so many. To her, he was