As Millie stepped back, the two men, Micah Reynolds and Neil Reynolds, noticed her retreat. They believed anyone with Natalie must have something valuable to offer. After all, how poor could someone be to dine in such an upscale restaurant?They chuckled and asked, "Got anything valuable on you?""No." Millie shook her head.The only valuable thing she possessed was the watch Terrence had given her, and that was non-negotiable. Thankfully, she hadn't brought it with her. It was still in the private room.Micah narrowed his eyes. "Nothing at all? Are you going to hand it over, or do you want us to search you?""Try touching me and see what happens," Millie retorted with a smirk, trying to intimidate them.Rafael and Stephen had made it clear that she should never give in. Otherwise, the robbers would only come back for more.With that in mind, she decided to stand her ground and see if her toughness could deter them."Do you really think you stand a chance? One woman against two
The door burst open the next instant, and Millie retreated.Rafael and Stephen looked up in unison, immediately spotting Millie stepping back with her hands raised."Put the gun down first," she urged calmly.Only then did Rafael realize that the man standing before them, appearing to be in his 40s, was brandishing a gun."Hand over anything valuable, or she dies," Micah threatened while glaring at Rafael.Millie met Rafael's gaze, but he was bewildered, unsure how to respond. It was his first time facing such a situation. However, she simply shook her head. "What do you want? We're just here for a meal!" Rafael snapped.As he spoke, Stephen subtly kicked Millie's bag under the table. His movements were slow and deliberate.The two robbers were fixated on Rafael and Millie. Micah yelled, "Take out your valuables! Anything worth something!""All the valuables are on that woman you just grabbed. Didn't you already take her?" Millie countered, her tone surprisingly steady."D
To survive in Harfush, Micah had no choice but to resort to robbing others."Hurry up and hand over your valuables!" he ordered while pressing the shotgun closer to Millie's face, making her heart race.As soon as Micah stepped forward, Neil's phone suddenly rang. He answered the call and put it on speaker. A voice crackled from the other end. "That woman has a watch. It's valuable! Get it!"Millie's expression hardened at the mention of her watch, and a surge of resentment toward Natalie washed over her. She had never felt such intense hatred for another woman in her life, aside from Joanna. Millie had always believed in the importance of women supporting each other. However, confronted with someone as loathsome as Natalie, how could she bring herself to help? Her kindness would only be trampled upon.Another voice chimed in from the phone, "By the way, I've already taken this woman's bracelet. If she hands over the watch, we'll let this one go!"Micah's head snapped up. "Did
The voice was rough, almost grating. Yet, the arrogance in it made Micah's and Neil's bravado seem weak by comparison.Millie wiped her fingers and took a couple of steps back.A hulking figure filled the doorway, standing at least six feet tall. He wore a black suit with a gold chain draped around his neck.Behind him stood a group of lackeys, all in baggy clothes, each armed and ready. One glance was enough to tell that they weren't the kind of men anyone would want to cross.Millie frowned. Had she just run into a big shot?"Boss! Boss!" Micah scrambled up from the floor, his voice whiny. "It's her! This woman beat us up! Look at what she did to my brother!"Neil rushed over, hand still covering his face, dripping with blood.The man, Colin Dalton, scowled at the sight of the two. "Useless idiots!" he spat. "You couldn't even handle one woman? Get out of my sight, both of you!"Millie raised an eyebrow and took another step back.As they left, Micah and Neil remarked, "Boss
Colin pointed at Stephen and threatened, "Shut up, old man! Otherwise, I'll kill you!"To him, Stephen was nothing but a nuisance.Millie shook her head at Stephen, signaling him to stay out of it. "Go ahead," she said, eager to hear what Colin had in mind.Colin let out a laugh before gesturing toward her shoes. "Take them off."Millie frowned, puzzled. Take off her shoes?"Well, it's just a little fetish of mine. Let's see if you can satisfy it," Colin remarked, a lewd grin spreading across his face.In an instant, Millie understood his intentions, and a wave of disgust washed over her. "You're so full of yourself," she spat.Colin, however, didn't flinch. After all, Millie was a striking woman, and women like her always had a fiery temper. A lady like that was far more interesting than the meek ones."Will you take them off or not?" he pressed.Millie pointed at his head and countered, "I could easily make you bleed. Care to find out?""Think it over," Colin said as he nar
Suddenly, a man in a suit standing behind Colin grabbed Millie. She bit her lip, feeling helpless in this place.What should she do next? For someone who was usually clear-headed, she found herself at a loss.Millie was sure that Natalie would be utterly useless in this situation. As for Rafael…She glanced over at him. At that moment, he was cautiously stepping forward. But all she could do was shake her head, silently warning Rafael not to take any risks."It's just a pair of shoes. Is it really that hard to take them off?" Colin stared at her ankles, irritation evident on his face.Millie glared at him and silently branded him a creep. She had never encountered anyone so twisted before."Come on, take them off her," Colin ordered as he waved dismissively.The men behind him stepped forward immediately. Then, they shoved Millie down into a chair.As she looked at the faces surrounding her, her heart raced with anxiety. "Don't touch me!" she warned, her voice icy.The men tur
Millie fixed her gaze on the cigarette in Colin's hand. She finally understood just how wildly different people could be in this world."I told you," Colin muttered, his irritation growing. "Once she takes off her shoes, I'll let her go. It's not my fault she won't cooperate."Of course, Millie refused to comply. "Isn't that just degrading to women? Why would I ever agree to that?""You're on the verge of death, and you're worried about your pride? How do you know I won't desecrate your body once you're gone?" Colin snapped.He then lit the cigarette, took a long drag, and flicked it at Millie. She instinctively flinched, causing the cigarette to fall to the ground. It had seared a hole through her shirt, just above her stomach. The scent clung to Millie, and it made her stomach twist with disgust."Well, aren't you quite the lady," Colin taunted.A wave of nausea churned through Millie as she glared at him. "If I get out of here alive, you'll regret this.""In that case, I'
Colin raised his hand, stopping his men immediately.Everyone's attention shifted to Rafael, but Colin's gaze remained fixed on Millie. "Are you Joanna Lowell?" he asked, causing Millie's heart to sink.Was she Joanna? That question felt heavier than it seemed.Before she could respond, Rafael shouted, "How could Joanna possibly be Winston's wife?""Isn't Winston's wife Joanna?" Colin shot back. "He brought her to Harfush two years ago. I saw them together!"Millie stared at him in shock. She couldn't believe Winston had brought Joanna to Harfush two years ago."Joanna's the heiress to Lowell Group, and she's got two older brothers. I did some digging into her background."If the woman sitting before him was really Joanna, there was no way he would risk laying a hand on her. Millie's eyes reflected a quiet resignation as she held Colin's gaze, then lowered her head.Moments later, he motioned for his man to take his hand away. Millie gasped, her breaths quick and shallow.In
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