When Joanna pushed the door to Room 999 open, there was no one inside. Her bodyguard asked, "Miss, is M a reliable man?" She glared at the bodyguard and said, "Of course he is!" This was the man who could help her find the Snowdrop. Whoever said he was unreliable, she'd be the first to call them out. Joanna sat on the couch and took her phone. She messaged Winston excitedly. "Win, I've found the Snowdrop without your help!" After she finished, Joanna switched off her phone and waited excitedly. At eight, Joanna stood up and got ready to welcome M. He seldom showed his face in public. Wasn't it her pride and joy to meet him? Joanna smiled and paced. Time trickled by. However, she didn't see M even though it was past eight. "Miss, hasn't M come?" Joanna bit her lip. She was feeling nervous as well. However, for the Snowdrop, she mumbled, "Perhaps he's too busy. Let's wait a while longer." The bodyguard nodded and went out. Joanna thought for a moment and picke
Joanna was furious! She waited for him for the whole night, from eight to twelve. Now, he wasn't coming at a moment's notice. Wasn't he playing her? She was Joanna! Joanna! The heiress to the Lowell family! She was always the absent one when making plans with others. Who did he think he was to do this to her? Joanna was furious. She picked up her phone and was about to scold him. The man sent another message. "I'm so sorry! Let's set another time for tomorrow!" Joanna narrowed her eyes. Were they setting another time? "You won't be absent like today, right? I'm telling you, I'm very unhappy!"M replied, "Of course not. I'm really sorry for today! I can bring the Snowdrop with me tomorrow to our meeting. Naturally, if you're really dissatisfied and unwilling to meet again, I understand entirely. I won't waste your time." Joanna furrowed her brows. Was he going to bring the Snowdrop? When she saw his message, she couldn't care less about his absence. She was des
It was raining cats and dogs when Millie stepped out of the bar.A sense of foreboding hung in the air, with occasional flashes of lightning illuminating the sky while the thunder remained silent.There was something peculiar about her. Millie liked gloomy days, especially when she could watch shows and indulge in snacks while the rain pattered outside. It brought a sense of tranquility.However, she was terrified of thunder. Ever since she fell into the ocean, she developed a fear of thunder. The noise would strike a chord of dread within her. It was as if something exploded next to her ear.Just as Millie was about to get into the car, she spotted a black Maybach parked nearby. The door swung open, and a man in a suit hurriedly stepped out with an umbrella to pick Joanna up.Millie narrowed her eyes as she stared at the man, her gaze darkening. The most esteemed figure in Yerwick City, regarded as a legend, braved the pouring rain in the wee hours of the morning just to pi
Joanna gazed out the window, and suddenly, there was another roar of thunder. The flash of lightning looked like it was about to split the sky open.She drew a sharp breath, saying, "This is terrifying."Winston looked up, a sense of unease settling in his heart.Despite the pouring rain, he could vaguely see Millie slumped over the steering wheel when his car passed by her vehicle. Even after a long while, Millie's car remained stationary. Slumping over the steering wheel, Millie pressed both hands firmly on her ears, attempting to block out the thunder. But for some reason, it was as if the thunder was aware of her fear and roared louder to mock her.When she lifted her head again, her face was pale.Millie pulled a blanket from the backseat to wrap it tightly around herself. The windshield wipers continued moving steadily as she curled into a ball, trying to find solace. Usually, Yerwick should have been bustling with the start of nightlife at 1:00 am. Yet, the rain h
Millie's thoughts were muddled. Hence, she did not notice that Winston was following her.Simon stepped on the accelerator, hoping to leave Winston in the dust. However, the latter sped up, too. As the cars reached the overpass, rain pounded on the windows.Right then, Millie inadvertently spotted Winston's car in the rearview mirror. There was a pause before she turned back to look. "Winston is following us," said Simon. What was he doing there? Wasn't he supposed to take Joanna home?Millie thought about it for a moment, then answered, "Maybe he's just going the same way."But Simon did not think so. He could tell Winston was not going the same way from his accelerating. The two cars raced on the overpass. Winston, with his impressive driving skills, would intermittently find himself side by side with Simon. As Millie looked at Winston's vehicle, she felt a myriad of emotions swirling within her.If he was indeed following them, did that mean he cared about her, even j
Later, Millie had no choice but to call Terence.The man who had insisted on severing ties with her braved the storm and rushed to the villa to keep her company. The next morning, Terence cooked spaghetti bolognese for Millie, too. However, Millie ended up having a heated argument with Terence because he had spoken ill of Winston. In the end, the spaghetti was sent flying everywhere.At that thought, tears welled up in Millie's eyes. She had done nothing wrong to Winston and others but had let her family down. "Why are you crying? Is the spaghetti that good?" Terence took a bite, smacking his lips. "They're alright. They taste just the same! But there's no need to cry over pasta."Millie ignored him. Her head hung low as tears would not stop flowing. Sensing something amiss, Terence hurried to her side and asked, "What's the matter?"Millie raised her head. Her eyes glistened with tears, evoking a sense of pity. She could only reveal her vulnerable side before her family.
Joanna's mouth twitched slightly. There was a hint of unease was evident in her expression."Millie wants to meet M, too?" she wondered."Ms. Lowell, you're really well-connected. You can even meet someone like M. Unlike me, I can only hear stories about him…" Millie remarked, wearing an expression that showed her longing to meet M. Joanna scoffed. Of course, she could meet M. She was the daughter of the Lowell family. Anything she wanted was just a snap of the fingers away. "Although my family is powerful, we can't compare to the Four Great Families. We're still nowhere near your level. Since we're good friends, why not let me broaden my horizons?"Millie would not stop belittling the Caldwells.Joanna raised an eyebrow. Being admired by others was her weakness. She loved the feeling of being worshiped, especially when the person before her was Millie. "I'll have to ask M first," Joanna responded. Millie immediately questioned, "Considering how close you are with M, is it
Millie's words elicited a chuckle from Joanna. "Millie, you're quite strange, aren't you? After all, I'm Win's next wife. Yet, here you are, calmly chatting with me."Joanna could not help but burst into laughter.Millie rubbed her nose, thinking that Joanna was a fool. Of course, she was sitting there to enjoy the spectacle.Putting on an aggrieved expression, Millie responded, "What else can I do? With your cunning ways, I can't possibly outwit you, Ms. Lowell.""It's not that you can't outwit me. It's just that Winston's not backing you up," Joanna countered.With Winston supporting Joanna, she had been able to get away with her antics all these years.Millie never liked it when Joanna spoke. However, she silently acknowledged the truth behind her comment.Millie lowered her head.The corners of Joanna's lips curled into a smirk. She felt satisfied. "What's wrong? Did I hit a nerve? Honestly, I'm curious, Millie. Since Winston doesn't love you, how did you manage to hold o
"Dear, could you give me a hand?" Layla asked. "Oh no, why is this step so slippery?"The next day, Winston sat in his car, watching as the elderly couple came out of the Caldwell residence.Arthur held the shopping cart in his hand, and the two of them were all geared up, ready to go out shopping.Winston got out of the car. The elderly couple happened to see Winston at that moment.Arthur and Layla exchanged glances. Layla spoke up first. "Mills is not here!""I understand. I'm not looking for Mills." Winston approached and stopped in front of them. "Grandma, Mills should have mentioned it to you. I was thinking of spending the Spring Festival with you and her."Layla reacted as if she had just heard a joke, saying bluntly, "When you were married, we never saw you spend the Spring Festival with her. "Now that you two have nothing to do with each other, why are you coming to spend the Spring Festival with her? She has family; she doesn't need you to spend the Spring Festival w
Even though Winston wasn't eating, he was really good at paying and carrying things.Millie felt a strong sense of nostalgia for her own college days as she watched the university students eating.She wished she could go back to high school or maybe even college.She had seen many novels where the main female character went back to high school, and in each of these stories, she no longer loved the male lead when she returned back in time.If she went back to high school…"What are you thinking about? You're about to walk into the wall." Winston interrupted Millie's thoughts and pulled her closer to him.Millie really had almost bumped into a wall."Nothing." She smiled at Winston.Winston raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything.The light from the food trucks shone on him and cast an indescribable sense of fate about him.He didn't belong here. Millie felt an increasingly strong urge to take him out of the scene immediately.Millie felt that if she went back to high school
"Hey, young lady, would you like to try some beef organs?" a vendor selling snacks asked Millie while preparing the food. "You're such a pretty girl, and your boyfriend is quite handsome too!"Millie and Winston exchanged a glance.Millie shook her head and was about to say she didn't want any.But Winston simply said, "I'll take two."Millie gave Winston a questioning look.Winston said to her, "I wasn't planning on buying it either, but she called me your boyfriend. With her having such good taste, shouldn't I buy two to show some support?"The vendor laughed heartily.Millie pressed her lips together and moved her mouth slightly. For a moment, she didn't know what to say.The vendor said, "It seems like I was right. If I had mentioned the word husband, then would you have bought out my whole car?"Winston nodded. "I'm considering it. However, I don't think she'd approve."The vendor laughed heartily and said, "You all look unfamiliar, so you probably aren't from the school
Millie was the type of person who stood firm on what she wanted, regardless of who was around. No setbacks or hardships could affect her.Winston thought about this and felt even more heartache for Millie. He was the one who turned the brave and passionate girl, someone who never cared about what others thought, into the cold person she was now.He felt that loving someone was akin to taking care of a flower. He had watched as a beautiful tulip transformed into a rose covered in thorns."Winston?"He heard Millie's voice close by.Winston turned his head and saw Millie frowning. "What are you thinking about? Let's go?""Not going to watch for a bit longer?" he asked."I've seen this fountain so many times. What's so special about it?" Millie remarked with a clear voice, glancing at the fountain.Winston smiled but didn't say anything.In the past, every time she was there, she would always use excuses like "I haven't seen enough" or "Let's watch the fountain a little longer" t
"Hey there, could you help me take a picture?" Millie was looking around when someone suddenly called out to her.Millie turned around to see a tall boy holding a camera. Behind him, there was a girl waiting.Millie nodded and was about to take the camera to help with taking a picture.Winston suddenly asked, "Can I help""Huh?" The boy paused. He looked at both of them and then said with a smile, "Alright then…"However, he was clearly hesitant.Millie chuckled and said, "Let me handle it. I might be a bit more skilled than Mr. Greer is."Winston shrugged and didn't say anything else.Millie stepped forward with a camera in her hand. The two students stood next to each other. They maintained an appropriate distance, suggesting they weren't close. The girl wore a dress layered with a coat, which made her look stylish.Millie observed the two individuals. She could tell that the boy had feelings for the girl, for he was being very cautious.The girl was smiling sweetly at the
The man was wearing a loose sweatshirt with black pants. On top of that, he wore a long padded coat. His tall stature made him stand out among the other students. He looked even more like a student because of his outfit.Millie was a bit surprised when the person happened to look up in her direction. The two of them stood gazing at each other from across a wide asphalt road.Millie walked over and asked, "What are you doing here?"Winston pressed his lips together and didn't answer her question. Instead, he asked her, "Why are you here so late?""I asked you first." Millie looked up at him, determined to get an answer."Just trying to revisit some memories," he said calmly. He ran a hand through his hair before putting both hands in his pockets.Millie hummed in acknowledgment."What about you? You're not from the University of Yerwick, are you?" he laughed.Millie looked at him with a calm expression, as if nothing could really stir her interest."I have quite a few memories
Millie felt guilty, squeezing the orange in her hand so hard it was almost about to burst. She mumbled softly, "I mean, is it alright that Winston also came to the Spring Festival?"Layla placed the items on the table, then sat down on the couch and asked, "Why? Doesn't he have a home to go to?"Millie hesitated. That was a tricky question to answer."Got kicked out by the Greer family?" She eyed Millie with an intense gaze that was overwhelming and quite fierce.Millie didn't dare speak, but she still had to answer, "No."Layla gave a cold smile and immediately asked, "So why isn't he going back to his own home for New Year's Day and instead coming to ours? Is he crazy?""Grandma, he…" Millie wanted to explain."I don't agree," Layla stated flatly, dismissing any further explanations.Millie choked up and quietly looked over at Arthur.Arthur's expression grew more serious, as if he agreed with what Layla had said, and he turned his attention to the television."You're not e
Winston could sense that Millie was helping him to look better in front of the elders.Millie's demeanor remained as gentle as ever.The more he pursued her, the more he felt unworthy of her. She was really too outstanding.It was true that with some people, the more one got to know them, the more one would fall in love with them.Meanwhile, some others became less noteworthy as more people got to know them.Winston sincerely expressed his gratitude, "Thank you, Millie."He felt grateful regardless of whether she was willing to give herself another chance or if she once loved him.Millie looked down and said, "No need to thank me. I'm giving you a chance, but it's also a chance for myself.""Winston, even if I'm not with you, I won't love anyone else again."One painful experience of love was more than enough for her.Winston chuckled softly and said with a deep voice, "That's my fault. Regardless of whether we end up together in the future or not, Millie, don't turn down som
"Are you complimenting me?" Winston suddenly felt like he turned into a fool in front of Millie.He couldn't understand what she said anymore, whether it was good or bad things. All he knew was that Millie was in front of him, and simply seeing her made him feel content.Millie could tell that Winston didn't seem to be in his right mind today. She wouldn't tease him anymore, then.Soon, an attendant served the food.The sound of the cello gently filled the room, and it sounded quite pleasant. It was a rare quiet night, and Millie had been tired recently. It was quite nice to suddenly enjoy this gentle moment.Millie was about to slice into some foie gras when Winston handed over a small piece of steak. "Try it. It's delicious," he said.Millie looked at Winston. He didn't make a move and just stared at her as she started eating.Millie pressed her lips together, not feeling her spirits dampen at all.The steak he gave did taste quite good.Winston noticed she enjoyed it, so he