"I wouldn't," Pierce replied.Everyone stared at Millie with amusement. No one noticed that Stefan heaved a sigh of relief, except for Wanda. Her heart dropped.Millie tried to stay composed. Although Pierce humiliated her, he was speaking the truth. Their contract marriage would end after Bill's death. A man as wealthy and distinguished as Pierce would never set eyes on her.Still, she felt humiliated. She lost the next round, maybe because she was distracted or because Pierce deliberately elbowed her.Anyway, she lost the round. Pierce smiled at her. "Ms. Jordan, you're unlucky today. Truth or Dare?""Truth," she cautiously replied as she struggled to gauge his attitude."Did you enjoy the kiss just now?" The look in his eyes deepened. "Do not lie. I was a cop, and no lies go undetected by me."Her heart nearly stopped. Was he trying to put her on the spot? She became sure that he must have deliberately elbowed her so she'd lose the game.Pierce might look unserious, but he w
Pierce studied her with amusement. "Are you sure?""I-I'm sure…" She was tongue-tied.He closed in and placed a hand on the back of her head and another on her waist.Their bodies pressed against each other. She clearly sensed his muscular chest and the warmth that radiated from under his shirt.She held her breath. Her eyes wavered in shock."Looks like I failed to pleasure you because I am not good at kissing. I'll make it up to you." With that, he started kissing her.Her body stiffened, and her mind went blank. She should have shoved him away, but she could not move as though someone had cast a spell on her.Pierce's kissing skills improved like crazy. He no longer caused her pain like before, when he had kissed her aggressively.His damp and warm tongue traced her lips before slithering into her mouth. He even exchanged positions with her, so she could take a breather.It was a long, tender, and heart-fluttering kiss.After what seemed like an eternity, he pulled back
"God knows what's going on in that bastard's mind! Millie, don't waste your time grieving over him. He's not worth it!" Sharon fumed.Millie finally gave up on making sense of Stefan's decision because she could not wrap her head around it.She would be lying to claim that she wasn't heartbroken. After all, she truly loved Stefan.She could not believe that her three years with him were an illusion. She lived like a fool!She wasn't grieving over losing Stefan; she felt sorry that she wasted her true love on a jerk. Ultimately, she felt sorry for herself."Millie, where are you? I'll meet with you.""It's fine. I'm okay. I need… some alone time." Millie cut off Sharon and ended the video call abruptly.Staring at her face in the mirror, she took in her reddened eyes, but she refused to let her tears fall.Dotting away the tears from the corners of her eyes, Millie swallowed hard and put on a determined look. She did not regret offering up her body during the abduction in exc
Millie halted in her tracks. She could behave recklessly if she wanted, but she'd never risk the well-being of her family.How could Stefan threaten her with her family? Since when had he changed into such a vile man?"I can crush your family like they're bugs. All I want is for you to apologize to Wanda. Is that a difficult task?" "Is it that difficult for the two of you to apologize to me?" Millie retorted."Millie—" Stefan seethed in anger in the face of her stubbornness. She was gentle and compliant back when they dated. She always looked at him with light in her eyes, but now, she stared at him coldly as if he were a stranger.Millie was at the door. She could not believe that Stefan refused to let her go. He asked the security to stop her."Get her back here. I want her on her knees!""Stefan, I'm scared…" Wanda whined."Don't be. I'm here."Unable to fight against the security guards, Millie swiftly grabbed the fruit knife from the table. Seeing that, Stefan barked,
Before Millie could react, Pierce had already put down his cutlery and sent the photo to Bill.Soon, Bill responded with a voice message."Very well. It puts my mind at ease to see you two getting along. You need to take better care of Millie. She's too skinny. Make her put on some weight, or people will think you're letting your wife waste away."Millie understood that this was all just an act to reassure Bill. However, Pierce's sudden action could easily lead to misunderstandings."Eat up," Pierce said, resuming placing food on her plate but did not feed her again."Grandpa is right. You're too skinny. If word got out, people would laugh at me for failing to care for my wife. They might think that I'm depriving you of food.""That won't happen. Our marriage is a secret; no one knows I'm your wife," Millie replied without thinking.Pierce's hand paused slightly. Then, he stopped serving her, and the harmonious atmosphere abruptly became tense.Millie didn't know what she had s
"She has the same demeanor and mannerisms... It should be her.""What do you mean, 'should'?" Stefan roared, slamming the table.Jerry's legs finally gave way, and he collapsed to the floor."Maybe... maybe it wasn't her…" he mumbled incoherently.Wanda clutched her chest, looking devastated."Millie, you're implying I framed you. What would I gain from that? Have you seen my injuries? If Stefan had arrived a few minutes later, I might have bled to death."Also, Stefan has already decided to be with me. Why would I risk my life to frame you?""How would I know—"Millie started, but Stefan cut her off with a furious expression, "How much did you pay him to act out this charade with you?"Hearing this, Millie finally understood that no matter how solid her evidence was, Stefan wouldn't believe her. His bias toward Wanda was blatant and unwavering."Stefan, tell her to leave. I don't want to see her. I won't pursue this matter any further. The guilty will get their karma. Stefan
"Do you like it?" Pierce suddenly asked."Of course. Who wouldn't like something so brilliant and beautiful? It's a shame it's so fleeting and impossible to hold onto."Pierce pressed his lips together, choosing not to respond.Meanwhile, Millie had forgotten about her sadness after having so much fun.By the time they were heading back, it was already past midnight. Tired, Millie fell asleep in the car with her head resting on Pierce's shoulder.Pierce glanced at her briefly, then continued working on his documents.Soon, they arrived at the villa."We're here—""Quiet," Pierce ordered softly.Tobias immediately fell silent.Pierce then gently lifted Millie in his arms and carried her upstairs, laying her down on the bed."It's amazing how soundly you sleep," Pierce remarked as he tapped her forehead lightly. He watched her for a while before leaving the room.It was a beautiful night, the moon shining brightly, accompanied by a light breeze.Early the next morning, Milli
Wanda majored in finance at university, a field unrelated to fashion design. Now that she had set up a fashion design company upon her return, it was obvious that she intended to undermine Millie.Poaching her employees was just the beginning. Wanda would likely attempt to steal her clients and projects in the future."Did she not try to poach you too?""Of course she did! She offered me the position of design director, but I couldn't accept it. That would make me a traitor. I'm sticking with you!" Celia stated with a grin.Millie felt touched by her words. Celia had stayed by her side out of loyalty and gratitude after Millie had helped her out of a difficult situation once."Go ahead and hire two more people. It's time to get the studio fully operational again.""Will do!" Celia responded enthusiastically before heading out.Millie returned to her office and was ready to get to work when her phone rang again. It was another international number."Ms. Aurora, someone reached o
Millie gently closed the box.Suddenly, a single tear slipped down, landing silently on the surface. Only then did Millie realize that she had been crying. She wasn't sure if she was mourning the love she once had or if her tears were for something else entirely.No wonder Pierce had told her to look at it in private. He didn't want to see her shedding tears for another man."It's all in the past. Why send this now?" Millie murmured.She wiped away her tears and picked up her phone. "Tobias, do me a favor. Auction something for me. Donate every last cent of the proceeds to charity. Not a single penny should be kept."She then ended the call and looked at the small box again. At least this way, it would be put to good use…Afterward, Millie headed to the study to check on Pierce. He watched her closely, his deep eyes unreadable.Millie pretended not to notice and said, "You keep working. I'm just going to sketch for a while."Pierce pressed his lips together as if he wante
Millie followed Pierce back home. As she stepped into the familiar space that belonged to just the two of them, her heart felt heavy with emotions.It had been two months since she had last been here, yet everything remained unchanged. Even the wardrobe had been stocked with new seasonal outfits.In those two months, Millie had lost a lot of weight. So, Pierce instructed the kitchen to prepare nourishing meals for her. He was determined to bring her back to full health.Pierce remained bedridden for another half month before he could finally use a cane to walk around a bit. His right leg was still severely injured, and every step sent searing pain through his body, making his face go pale and his forehead damp with cold sweat.Millie couldn't bear to watch him suffer and urged him to rest. But Pierce was stubborn and walked until his legs trembled, and he could no longer stand. Only then would he sit down."Does it hurt?" Millie worriedly asked."It doesn't. I just need to pr
With that, Millie turned around and left without hesitation. But just as she was about to step out of the room, Stefan's voice called out behind her once more, "Millie, I owe you an apology for everything. I never really said it before. It's late… but at least I'm finally saying it. "Millie, I'm sorry. I was the one in the wrong." Stefan's voice was soft, weakened by his injuries. It sounded as though those few words had drained all the strength from his body.Millie's body stiffened, and her hands were tightly clenched into fists at her sides.Stefan was apologizing at long last.Millie wanted to turn around to see if he was truly sincere or if this was just another one of his manipulations. However, she held herself back. Unimportant people didn't deserve even a second glance.Millie didn't say anything. She didn't say whether she would or would not forgive him. She just walked away.Stefan's face turned even paler. He knew that after everything he had done, he would never
Millie didn't want to see Pierce struggling alone, bottling up all his pain like a wounded lion licking its wounds in solitude.Upon hearing her words, Pierce simply tightened his embrace around her. "Mills… I'm scared…""I know. I understand," Millie whispered, gently patting his back."I'm afraid I won't be able to lift you anymore, and I'm afraid I won't be able to run or jump. I'm scared I won't be able to fight the bad guys and protect you anymore." Pierce's voice was soft and barely above a whisper. His sorrow was almost imperceptible, but it could be because he still hadn't fully released his emotions.Millie started, "You still have me. If you can't carry me, then don't. If you can't run fast or jump high, then I'll slow down and walk beside you. I can be your crutch and your support for a lifetime, okay?"And listen, Pierce, you may not be able to fight on the front lines anymore, but you're still there in spirit. We can move to the back lines to provide funding and strat
Pierce didn't tell Millie everything—such as the fact that Stefan had initially wanted to kill him. He spared Stefan some dignity, not wanting Millie to hate him forever.Millie stayed in the hospital to care for Pierce for two days when there was finally a change in Stefan's condition.Before he even regained consciousness, he was already calling her name. Robin anxiously rushed in to find Millie, and she hurried over."The patient's wound has gotten infected, leading to complications. We need to start emergency treatment immediately!""How could this have happened? Wasn't he supposed to wake up?" Robin was beside himself with worry."Millie… Millie…" Even in his fevered delirium, Stefan kept murmuring her name.Millie went over to him. His hand, which had been weakly grasping at the air, finally caught hold of something—her fingers. He clung to her tightly."I'm here, Stefan," she softly uttered.It was as if her words held some kind of magic, as Stefan immediately calmed d
Every word Pierce spoke was firm and impactful. Each word hammered on Stefan's heart mercilessly.Pierce owned up to his mistakes. But what about him? Could he do the same?All this while, he had been shifting the blame to everyone else. He blamed Pierce for stealing Millie away. Then, he blamed Millie for not forgiving him. He even blamed Wanda for seducing him, and the list went on…He had blamed so many people, holding onto their faults while conveniently brushing aside his own. When it came to himself, he always found a way to justify his actions. He completely ignored that he was the true cause of everything.Stefan's grip on Pierce's collar loosened. He took a few steps back in a daze and stumbled on his own feet, causing him to nearly fall to the ground."Those criminals… They're planning to strike again. I agreed to help them," Stefan said."Why are you telling me this?" Pierce responded."She said… She said that if you died, she wouldn't live either." Stefan's voice was
Millie gave Pierce a profound look that contained a myriad of emotions. Pierce could have been selfish and not tell her any of Stefan's good deeds. He could've even stopped her from visiting Stefan. Yet, he didn't do that.After giving Pierce one heavy nod, Millie went over to the adjacent hospital room.Stefan was seriously injured too. His health wasn't as good as Pierce's to begin with, so he still hadn't woken up yet.Robin was in his room, sitting beside him. He kept silently wiping away tears at one side."This is my only nephew. If anything were to happen to him, how would I face his late parents?" Robin mournfully said."Does Grandma know about this?" Millie inquired."I don't have the heart to tell Mom about this. She's old and frail. I don't want her to have a breakdown," Robin replied."I'll keep him company, Robin," Millie said.Robin hesitated for a moment and ultimately nodded. He believed that Stefan would want to see Millie upon waking up. So, Millie staye
"Don't move around. You're still very weak. The doctor said to give you some oatmeal porridge when you wake up. Your digestive system is still quite weak, so you need to eat something that goes down easily."A familiar voice sounded in Millie's ears."G-Grandpa? Why are you here? Where's Pierce? Pierce? Pierce…" After a moment of silence, Millie mumbled, "I forgot… Pierce is dead. Not even his body remains.""What nonsense are you speaking, child? Isn't he lying right beside you?" Bill interjected.Millie visibly froze for a second. Then, she whipped her head around to look. As Bill had said, Pierce was indeed right beside her. Layers of gauze were wrapped around his body, and he seemed to be heavily injured. However, his vital signs were steady, and his heartbeat was rhythmic—he was no longer in a critical condition."Pierce…" Millie tumbled out of bed without a care for the pain in her limbs.Bill quickly went over to support her and combined their beds together."H-How is t
Millie broke down emotionally. She was done with Stefan's constant self-righteous justification. He always blamed everyone else and deemed himself free of any wrongdoing. He acted as if the whole world had wronged him, while he had never wronged anyone.He painted himself as the pitiful and innocent victim, twisting logic to justify everything he did.Millie was done acting her part. She would let things play out however they should. There was no longer anything tying her to this world. If anything happened to Pierce, she wouldn't live either. Just the thought of being imprisoned by Stefan for three years was worse than death.And so, she locked herself in her room and refused to come out. Every day, the housekeepers delivered her meals. She had no appetite but still ate well.Millie also no longer cared whether Stefan had drugged her food or not. If she turned into a mindless lunatic, maybe that would be better than this painful clarity.…Days passed one after another.One