"I'll wait for you at The Rose! I'm not leaving until you show up!"Rachel's words reminded Millie of Winston's. He also made a similar remark when he waited for her at Iris Sky Dining.Millie fell silent before finally agreeing to meet with Rachel. She hung up.The Rose was located on the 66th floor of a building splat at the center of Yerwick.When Millie stepped foot into the establishment, the waiter immediately greeted her and took her coat. It didn't take long for Millie to find Rachel busy taking photos at the window seat.Rachel was indeed a celebrity. She looked ravishing even from afar. She didn't bother to put on a disguise as the restaurant exclusively catered to the rich and powerful.She waved at Millie. Millie wore a white velvet camisole paired with a black miniskirt, her slender legs on full display. Her long locks tumbled over her shoulders.The men seated at nearby tables couldn't help but steal a few glances at Millie and Rachel. It was hard not to check them
"What did I do to that woman? She hasn't stopped cursing me out ever since we met!" Winston ground his teeth in resentment.Jake let out a soft cough. Smiling bitterly, he comforted his friend, "Well, besties always speak up for each other. They'll always tell their girls to break up. I'd be surprised if Rachel takes a liking to you."He added softly, "I do think her rant is justified…"Winston narrowed his eyes at Jake. "Jake Webson, what's wrong with you? Are you siding with Rachel Shaw now? I thought you hated A-list celebrities." He took a jab at his friend.Jake's expression fell. "I have never hated A-list celebrities, and I have always respected Rachel. It's not easy to reach her height at such a young age!"Winston squinted skeptically at Jake. Hah! He saw right through Jake's intentions.At the same time, Rachel went off about Winston again. "Millie, you'll lose my respect if you get back with Winston! Just wait and see! If you do that, you'll lose all your friends!"Ev
Millie noticed Winston at the same time. Her heart fluttered. She lamented silently, "Yerwick is such a small city. Why do I keep running into Winston when I'm dining out?"Rachel gaped at Winston. It struck her that Jake had told her about having dinner with a friend, but he dared not mention Winston's name.It seemed that Winston was the friend in question. Rachel's eyes traveled to Winston's table and saw Jake.Jake stared at her wordlessly. Then, he quickly looked away, hoping that Rachel would ignore him.Wearing a grim expression, Rachel thought, "These two losers are always hanging out together because they are as despicable as each other!"Millie remarked, "Ah, Mr. Webson is here too, it seems."Jake flashed a stiff smile at the ladies. Since they had noticed his presence, it would be inappropriate for him to remain seated at his place.He poured himself a glass of wine before approaching the ladies with a forced smile. "Hello there, Ms. Caldwell and Ms. Shaw. What a coi
After Jake returned to his seat, he asked, "Win, do you want to say hi to them?""I'm good," Winston replied, shaking his head. He put away his phone and poured himself a glass of wine, determined to keep his promise of not bothering Millie.Jake sighed. "Win, are you giving up this soon? Sean is going to take advantage of this.""I have nothing more to say if she's happy with Sean," Winston said, pouring himself a second glass of wine and downing it.Jake watched Winston in silence, noticing the dimming light in his eyes.Winston stole a glance at Millie. She was having dinner peacefully, occasionally laughing and chatting with Rachel. Rachel had stopped her insults, perhaps aware of their presence, and was now speaking to Millie in a much lower voice.Winston set his glass on the table and looked away. Jake seemed to have something to say but struggled to find the right words to comfort Winston. He felt that Winston and Millie still had a chance, but if Winston gave up, that
Millie lowered her head, thinking, "I bet the arrogant Mr. Greer will never understand why I would leave him, even when he gets aggressive in his pursuit."She looked out of the window, holding a lukewarm glass of water. She took a sip of water with a complicated look in her eyes.Winston stared down with a wry smile. He couldn't understand why his marriage ended up a mess. Why did he hurt Millie, who loved him so? She too was a human with dignity and feelings!He realized he had been too harsh on Millie."Hi, ma'am," a waiter suddenly addressed Millie.She turned to see the waiter holding a mojito on his tray, accompanied by a tiny bouquet of roses. "The gentleman at table 23 requested this be delivered to you."She looked up and saw a man in his 40s seated at table 23, just in front of her to the right. Older men were not her type at all.With a soft smile, she said, "Please turn him down for me. Tell him he's not my type."It was the waiter's first time being so close to Mil
Winston placed his glass on the table and shot a complicated look at Millie. He watched as she reverted to acting like a stranger, picking up her phone and ignoring him completely.He couldn't stand this anymore. He fought the urge to rush up to her and force her to pay him some attention.In the end, he hung his head. He couldn't give in to his urge, as he had promised not to bother her. All he could do was to keep his emotions under control, torturing himself.He had finally empathized with Millie's past struggles of feeling stuck in a one-sided relationship, facing rejection after rejection.How did she manage to survive those difficult years?He downed the wine in his glass. The look in his eyes deepened—a fearful and unreadable abyss.After that, Rachel and Jake returned to the restaurant, seemingly engaged in an upsetting discussion."What's wrong?" asked Millie.Rachel slammed her fist on the table. "I was wrong to think that larger companies have better work culture! Bu
"Woah, you calm down that easily!" Millie gasped in disbelief.Rachel snorted. "Only because you're the one comforting me!"Smiling, Millie got onto Twitter and saw the trending topics about Rachel's alleged difficult behavior at work. Although she hadn't tweeted in a long time, she decided to speak up for her friend in this incident.When Rachel was begging for her attention, Millie tweeted from her account, "I'm having dinner with Rach when we found out that someone had spread photos to slander her. "Rach has worked her way up, and everyone who worked with her had nothing but praise for her. Why would people who've never met her criticize her? Ask yourself—has Rach ever lashed out at anyone or acted arrogantly in her career?"I get that some shills are paid to destroy her reputation, but at least get your facts straight before you tweet."Rachel's screen lit up from the notification of Millie's latest tweet. She didn't need to check out the content to know that Millie had twee
"Do I look like I want a fling with Rachel Shaw? This is Rachel Shaw we're talking about. I can't fool around with her," Jake replied with disappointment in his eyes."I'm glad you're aware." Winston set his glass on the table and picked up his coat.With a wry smile, Jake confessed, "Win, I finally came across a woman I can't win over."Winston stopped in his tracks before looking in the elevator's direction. He too shared Jake's sentiments.Jake caught up to Winston, asking, "Win, what do you think of me pursuing Rachel?"Winston replied, "Do it if you're truly into her."Jake tutted. He stole a few more glances at Winston. "Look at you! You sound like an ascetic monk!"Winston raised his gaze. He wasn't exactly ascetic; he wanted Millie but failed to win her heart."You regret not talking more to Millie in the past. Right?" Jake watched the numbers on the elevator panel jumping as Millie and Rachel took their elevator trip down."You probably think of the many times you wen
While in the hospital, Millie rubbed her arms to keep warm. Then, the person on the bed woke up.Millie turned her head and looked at the person on the hospital bed. Winston's eyes were dull and showed signs of exhaustion. Their eyes met, and neither of them said a word.The nurse entered and saw that Winston was awake, so she patiently asked about his condition.He just kept looking at Millie without saying anything.Millie glanced at the nurse, signaling that she could continue with her work. Winston seemed fine now."You're not allowed to drink anymore," Millie said, her voice calm and indifferent.He closed his eyes, turned his head away, and didn't look at her again.Millie frowned and asked, "What do you mean by turning your head?"Winston remained silent, unable to speak because of the tightness in his throat.Millie poured a glass of water and asked him, "Would you like some water?"He still remained silent.Millie grew impatient and said, "Then I'll call Eli to take
Other than that word, Everly couldn't hear anything else."Dad, I can't hear what you're saying at all." Everly was becoming frustrated.Thomas exclaimed, "I said, Mills!""Yes, you're talking about Mills. And then? What about her?" Everly was extremely confused.She picked up her phone to check the time—it was already 3:00 am.She was about to lose it. From New Year's Eve till now, she did nothing but take care of Thomas."Dad, why don't we just go to sleep?" Everly didn't want to listen anymore.Whatever it was, she would be nice to Millie and not go up against her.She didn't like Millie before, but that was simply because she disliked how obsessed Millie was with romantic relationships."Oh! Ah!" Thomas suddenly started grumbling as he threw back the blanket. "Why can't you understand?"He was getting agitated.Everly was also getting extremely agitated. What exactly did she need to understand?He wasn't even speaking loud enough."I mean your sister! Millie!" Thomas s
Everly, feeling exasperated, helped Thomas off the couch and took him to the bathroom.Thomas lifted his head. His face was flushed, and his eyes dazed over. "My daughter, my daughter, I didn't throw up…"Everly looked at the mess on the ground and felt a headache coming on. Thomas had already thrown up, yet he still claimed he hadn't."You're drinking so much even though you can't handle it!" Everly shouted."What are you saying? It's like you're saying, saying, saying… ugh!" Thomas immediately leaned over the toilet, unable to finish his sentence. It was like he was speaking in tongue twisters, and no one could understand him.Everly sighed. She twitched her nose and turned to go outside to wait for him.Ten minutes went by, and Everly had finished tidying up the house. There was no sound coming from the washroom where Thomas was.Everly furrowed her brows and called out, "Dad?"Fine. It seemed like he was going to end up sleeping on the toilet.Everly walked over and, as ex
"I'll go get your medicine for you. Wait a moment." Millie intended to get the medicine from the bedside table.But then, Winston grabbed her arm. His palms were sweaty, and when he held her hand, it felt so hot it was as if he might burn her.Millie looked down at him.Winston looked up at her face, worried that if he let go, she might disappear.However, he knew very well that Millie wanted to leave, and he couldn't stop her."Millie, do you really have to give up on me?" Winston asked again, seeming determined to get an answer.Millie furrowed her brows, breathing heavily."Do you have to?" He looked at her. "Hmm?"Millie felt her heart tighten, and she just couldn't bring herself to say, "I have to let you go.""Winston," she called to him.Winston had no more strength left in him, as if he couldn't wait any longer to hear those words from her.He suddenly bent over and fell to the ground.Millie paused for a moment, then she quickly crouched down. "Winston?"She immed
Millie tightened her grip on the doorknob and turned to look at Winston.He stood next to the coffee table, his hands dangling awkwardly at his sides. The expression on his face seemed profoundly sorrowful. Although they were close, it felt as if a huge ocean stood between them when he looked at her, making it impossible for him to bridge the gap.Winston made a slight groaning sound, licking his lips and breathing heavily. His body was also swaying a bit. His stomach felt extremely uncomfortable, churning violently as if he might throw up at any moment.What bothered him even more was the comment Millie had just made.She said, "Let's end this."End it? But how would they just end it? Then were her seven years over just like that? Did his guilt and regret count for anything?She could move on from him, love someone else, and marry them. But what about him? He could never forgive himself for the rest of his life…Could they just end it?"Millie. Tell me, how are we supposed to
"Listen." Millie bit her lip but finally mustered up the courage to speak. "Let's end this between us."During those years with him, she caused her family a lot of worry and concern. She no longer wanted her family to worry about her.Or perhaps, she had become scared. She didn't want to gamble with her feelings anymore."Winston, I admit defeat. I don't have the courage to go through this with you again." Millie's voice was choked with emotion as she struggled to hold back her sadness while saying this.Winston instinctively reached for her hand."Millie, you promised me. You said you'd give me a chance. Why?" His eyes suddenly turned bloodshot, and his voice was so hoarse it seemed like he could barely speak."There's no reason. The new year has begun, and I hope you get better. Don't come looking for me anymore." Millie pulled away from Winston's hand, turned around, and got ready to leave.He suddenly hugged Millie tightly and said, "Don't…"Winston's voice seemed to pierce
Millie opened the car door and pushed Winston inside the car.Winston fastened his seatbelt in the dark by himself.Millie got into the car and saw him sitting there quietly, which made her smile and sigh.Millie drove at a moderate speed. The road was busy, with many people out to watch fireworks, while others were heading home.Winston looked to the driver's side, his gaze fixed on Millie.Millie could sense that he was watching her, but she kept avoiding eye contact. Her mind was preoccupied with the messages her dad had sent.Let him go… The question was, could she give up on him?Millie furrowed her brow and rested her hand on her forehead, deep in thought."Did I make you hate me…?" Winston's raspy voice suddenly sounded next to her ear.Millie looked over at him with confusion."Does my drinking make you hate me?" he asked again, just like a child afraid of upsetting Millie."No." Millie shook her head.Despite having drunk too much, he still made an effort to pay at
After the video call ended, Millie placed her phone on the table.Thomas said to Millie, "Hahaha! Mills, look, he can't handle his drink!"Having been the son-in-law of the Caldwell family for three years, I only just found out that he can't hold his liquor."Millie gave a wry smile. This statement seemed to be a double-edged sword. For three years, he hadn't visited the Caldwell family even once. Winston was truly ruthless at that time.Winston quickly explained to Millie, "Millie, I haven't had too much. I can still drink, honestly."His face was completely flushed, and it was clear that his speech was slurred.The two of them had already finished a bottle of vodka.Thomas was even ready to switch to a different type of alcohol.Thomas had spent many years away from home and was quite a heavy drinker. His drinking ability was different from that of Winston.Winston could ask Eli to drink on his behalf if he didn't want to, but if Thomas was trying to win resources for Rach
At the dining table, Thomas and Winston started drinking vodka.The TV was showing this year's New Year Gala while Millie was quietly eating pierogi.She hadn't had homemade pierogi for three years, and they tasted so good. It felt like being back in her childhood, celebrating the New Year with her family. That was what made the festival truly special.Millie looked at her grandparents with a constant smile on her face. She felt happier than she had ever been before.She wished her parents were here too. Oh, those two…Just as she was thinking about this, her phone rang. It was Terrence calling.Millie answered the call without saying a word and pointed the camera toward Thomas.This year, Thomas had no one to drink with, so he turned to Winston for company.Terrence was lounging in the sun when he caught sight of Winston. His eyes widened in surprise, and he immediately set down his juice."Who is that? Am I seeing this right?" Terrence sat up straight, his voice filled with