Chapter 196

This was the first time Myron and Brandon had met alone since their last heated argument, and Brandon seemed calmer now.

They stood at a distance, studying each other in silence, Then Myron offered a faint smile and asked,"Care fora drink?"

In a private room at Blue Lounge, Myron held his glass and watched Brandon, who had already emptied one and sat with his head bowed.

Neither of them spoke.

Myron was waiting. He wanted Brandon to be the one to speak first.

Brandon poured another drink. Just before he finished it, he asked, "Why did you do it? "What do you mean?" Myron replied.

"Millie." Brandon said her name clearly, his eyes fixed on Myron.

"| thought I made it clear last time. I like her. I'm pursuing her," Myron replied.

Brandon's brow tightened as he stared at Myron,not with anger this time, but with intent. He looked like a man trying to peel back layers, searching for what lay beneath.

"Myron," he said, "from what I know of you, you wouldn't like someone like her."

Myron let out a quiet laugh. "There's a lot you don't know about me."

Brandon's tone turned sharp. "So you spent years exiled at sea and only now decided you like her?"

Myron lowered his gaze.

Those years had indeed been exile imposed by his family,though few knew the truth. His branch had not held power then. Someone else in the Elliott family had.

Myron had been forced to survive on his own,building shipping routes and amassing resources.Shipping had become the core of his empire.

He had formed an intricate web-routes, ports, trade partners, all tightly bound.

The gem business was only one part of it.

He dealt in far more. If it moved through customs,he took a cut.

But few people understood just how much he really controlled.

Even Brandon only knew Myron had been exiled by his family, not the extent of what followed.

Those years taught Myron brutal lessons. He faced betrayal, loss, and the painful cost of trust. He once believed loyalty didn't exist.

Until he met Millie. He had seen her love someone else with everything she had. He watched her throw herself into that love,again and again, without hesitation.

At first, he only observed. Then came envy. And eventually, jealousy. Night after night, it grew stronger.

In time, he realized he wanted her. Not to admire from afar-but to have her.

Even while she loved someone else, he had already fallen.

"What's wrong? Hard to answer?" Brandon asked,pulling him back to the present.

"You know as much as I do that human nature is complicated to begin with, Brandon," Myron said."There's no need to ask such childish things. But if you want a clear answer, here it is. I do like Millie.I've never lied to you about that."

He set his glass down and looked at Brandon, who seemed unable to hide the bitterness on his face. "Haven't you already chosen Vivian?" Myron asked."While you kept turning your back on Millie, do you know how many times she cried for you?"

Brandon stared at him in silence.

"If your decision is made, then don't look back,"Myron said. "Let her go. Stop hurting her."

"| can't." Brandon's eyes turned red. "I can't live without her."

Myron frowned and stayed quiet.

"You could have anyone," Brandon said, his voice low. "Why does it have to be her? She's not the only one-"

"How do you know that?" Myron interrupted, cutting him off.

Brandon fell silent, stunned by the intensity in Myron's eyes.

In that moment, he understood something clearly for the first time.

Myron was serious. He wasn't playing a game. He truly/ wanted Millie. And only her.

The night was cool. Millie lay alone in the bathtub,surrounded by warmth.

Steam rose around her, softening the edges of the room.

She stared at the water, her thoughts drifting through everything that had happened-recent events, old memories.

She was only twenty-five, but life had already spun her through one storm after another.

Her marriage to Brandon was beyond repair.

She didn't want to dwell on the past. She wanted to keep moving forward.

She thought of Myron, and the look in his eyes.Warm.Steady.Full of affection.

She dropped her gaze and stared at her reflection in the water.

For a moment, she had felt it too. That subtle,fluttering feeling.

Maybe it was the heat. Maybe it was something more. Her heart began to race.

Should she accept him? Should she allow herself to return those feelings?

Her thoughts grew hazy.

BackK at Blue Lounge, Myron had already left.

Brandon stayed behind, drinking one glass after another.

A dull ache pressed against his chest.

He couldn't breathe. So he drank. Only that gave him a brief escape. A fleeting numbness.

But the more he drank, the more Millie's face came into focus. Myron wanted her.

Egbert was also watching for a chance.

Charles and Giffard,too.

The bitterness inside Brandon deepened.

He couldn't let go. In his mind, Millie could only ever belong to him.

That night, Myron sat in the back of the Bentley,heading home.

He looked out the window, taking in the quiet scenery.

The weather was good. His mood was pleasant.

He thought about the look Millie had given him earlier. The hint of warmth in her eyes. He smiled, his heart feeling lighter.

The car passed through the gates of Elliott Mansion.

Jayceon was in the living room, playing with Kiki. He greeted Myron as he stepped into the house.

Myron returned the greeting, and then walked straight to his study.

He laid out a sheet of paper and picked up a charcoal pencil.

Stroke by stroke, he drew the image that had stayed in his mind all evening-Millie's eyes, filled with feeling.

He looked at the finished sketch. His eyes softened.

After a while, he placed the drawing in a frame and moved to another room.

He opened the door. The lights came on, revealing rows of shelves that lined the walls.

He walked slowly toward an empty one, the new painting in hs hands.

In the corner of the paper, he wrote the date. Then he set it on the stand.

Next to it hung another drawing-MAillie crouched down, feeding Kiki with treats.

He stood still, letting his gaze drift across the room.Every shelf. Every frame. Every image. All of them were of the same person.

Millie.