Chapter 101
Millie moved to slip past Brandon, but he blocked her path,holding firm.
He caught her wrist, his voice low. "I know Babette provoked you with the Bennett family."
At the sound of that name,Millie stopped in her tracks,her gaze steady and expectant.
"She's not joining that department," Brandon went on,hair tousled by the restless night wind. "Whenever you're ready to come back, that position will still be waiting."
Back?
Millie searched his face for some hint of sincerity, but her heart had long since closed that door.
Returning to Brandon and the Watson Group was the last thing she wanted. She'd had enough-of everything.
Brandon held her gaze, trying to decipher her thoughts, but her expression gave nothing away.
The wind shifted, sending a swirl of dry leaves skittering across the dimly lit path between them.
"And then?" Millie pressed, her voice edged with impatience.
"And then?" Brandon hesitated, his brows furrowing as he searched for the right words. "Vivian just needed something from me," he finally said. "She didn't go over there on purpose."
Millie let out a sharp,incredulous laugh.
Earlier, Babette had all but shoved her phone in Millie's face. One glance was enough-she'd seen through their little scheme in an instant.
Yet Brandon expected her to believe Vivian was innocent?
Did he really not know people, or did he just think she was that gullible?
Fed up,Millie wrenched her hand free from Brandon's grip and strode down the hallway,her heels clicking out her frustration.
He immediately stepped in front of her again, refusing to let her pass.
Millie stopped short, her patience snapping. "Brandon,"she bit out, pinning him with a glare. "Ever since the night you brought up divorce, I haven't interfered in your life at all."
She drew in a shaky breath, fists balled at her sides."But you..." Her voice rose, trembling with anger.
"You're the one who keeps parading your relationship with her around, turning it into a spectacle before our marriage is even over. Haven't you seen the headlines?Do you have any idea what people have been saying about me?"
Brandon's brow was knotted in frustration, and his silence hung between them. Millie let out a soft,rueful laugh, and then turned her attention to a spider methodically spinning its web in the shadowy corner of the hallway.
"I understand how much you care for her. You told me yourself-she's only got six months left," Millie noted,her voice low and even. "So please, can I ask you to spend those months quietly by her side?”
She paused, holding his gaze for a heartbeat longer before adding, "Just leave me alone. Stop dragging me into your mess."
She wanted nothing to do with their tangled lives.
Not anymore.
Without waiting for a reply, Millie strode away, her steps brisk and final.
Brandon's hand twitched, tempted to stop her, but he couldn't bring himself to reach for her.
He simply watched as she walked toward the elevator.
The doors slid shut, cutting her off from his sight- leaving him standing alone in the hallway, with nothing but silence for company.
Millie's words still reverberated in his head, each one cutting deeper than the last.
He'd come to clear the air, but in the end, any explanation felt meaningless.
As long as the truth about Vivian remained untold-and as long as Vivian was still alive-nothing he said could reach Millie now.
His hands curled into tight fists,haunted by the fading sensation of Millie's touch, and a hollow certainty that she was slipping farther away.
He lifted his gaze, following where she'd looked moments ago.
The spider in the corner had finished spinning its web,poised right in the center, waiting in absolute stillness.
Brandon forced himself to let go, pushing down the ache inside.
He finally understood the anger burning in Millie's eyes tonight. For now, he would give her space-wait for a better chance, another day,to say what truly mattered.
He shut his eyes, drew in a slow breath, and fought to regain his composure.
When he finally looked up, his face had smoothed into a mask of calm.
Brandon slipped into the driver's seat of the Maybach but left the engine off, motionless in the dim light.
His gaze drifted up, landing on the single lit window of Millie's apartment.
He didn't want to leave-not tonight. If al he could do was sit there in silence, that would have to be enough.
Upstairs,Millie finished her bath and stretched out on the bed, her damp hair fanned across the pillow.
She saw his presence lingering below through the window but stubbornly refused to let her thoughts wander to him.
Outside,the night air slipped through the half-open window, carrying the faintest trace of gardenia
And quietly, with neither of them moving, the long night slipped away.
Sometime during the night, a brief rain had swept through,leaving the street gleaming with moisture.
The following morning, as Millie gazed out her window,she noticed the storm had passed and the Maybach was nowhere in sight.
A single dry rectangle stood out against the dark,rain -soaked pavement-a silent marker that the car had sheltered there until dawn.
So,that was the end of it.
Millie drew in a slow breath, deciding right then to let the past drift away and focus on living well,come what may.
The days blurred together.
Before she knew it, the fourth round of the talent show Heavenly Melody had arrived.
Twenty-seven days had already slipped by since she and Brandon filed for divorce.
Inside the recording studio, Brandon was already there,just as he had been for the previous three broadcasts.He occupied the exact same seat.
Myron, Jayceon, and Adriana showed up as well.
Vivian offered them a polite greeting, but the trio from the Elliott family ignored her, their expressions frosty.When Vivian tried to approach, they simply brushed past, claiming seats as far away as possible.
Once they were seated, Adriana and Jayceon immediately launched into another one of teir endless squabbles, their sharp back-and-forth leaving no room for outsiders to chime in.
Shut out, Vivian had no choice but to turn her attention to Brandon.
Backstage in the dressing room, Millie had already finished preparing. This was the semi-final-tonight,half of the six contestants would be eliminated,leaving only the top three to continue.
Standing quietly with her phone in hand, Millie reread the message Vivian had just sent to Serena's account."Tonight is your last chance."
She lifted her gaze, catching sight of Vivian chatting up Brandon, a saccharine smile plastered across Vivian's face.
Since that bitter argument, Millie and Brandon hadn't exchanged a single word.
Brandon hadn't made any effort to approach Millie,and Millie, for her part, pretended he didn't exist.
They were nothing but strangers now-a clean break that made the prospect of signing the divorce papers in three days much simpler.
Charles finished giving a few instructions, and then hesitated before weaving his way toward the audience to catch up with the Elliott siblings.
The Elliott family hadn't even been involved with the show as one of its investors until just yesterday, when they swooped in at the last minute.
They'd missed their shot at a share of the profits, so they took a spot as advertisers instead.
More ad placements, whether in the live broadcast or the post-production edits, meant their brand would be everywhere.
The Elliott family's move wasn't exactly subtle. As one of the three powerhouses in Crobert, their grip on the gemstone and luxury goods market made their sponsorship instantly eye-catching.
Because it had all happened so abruptly, Charles wanted to get a read on their true intentions.
After exchanging a few pleasantries, he turned to head backstage-but just as he passed Brandon's row,Brandon called him over.
Vivian had already slipped away to get ready,so Brandon sat alone, his gaze fixed and unreadable.
Charles strode over, barely bothering to hide his disdain. "Did you need something?" he asked curtly,making no effort to sound friendly.
Brandon picked up on Charles' hostile tone, his brows drawing together in a faint frown.
"What exactly is your relationship with Millie?" His stare was sharp, relentless, searching Charles' face for any flicker of truth. "And Serena? What's really going on between you two?"
Charles nearly laughed out loud.
He wanted to snap, "None of your damn business,"
but reined himself in and forced his temper down."That's not something you need to know."
"Millie is my wife," Brandon declared, the words landing with deliberate force.
Charles let out a short, incredulous breath. He couldn't hold back anymore. He glanced over at Vivian, still visible across the room, and jabbed a finger in her direction. "Then who's that supposed to be?"
His tone dripped with sarcasm, the mock surprise doing nothing to hide his scorn.
If it weren't for all the cameras nearby, Charles would've openly rolled his eyes.
How the hell did Brandon have the guts to say that to him?