Chapter 201

Egbert stood on the ground below, glaring up as the hot air balloon drifted higher. Frustration burned in his chest.

He could do nothing but watch it rise beyond his reach.

Inside the balloon, Millie looked out over the island, watching it slowly unfold beneath her.

Then, she saw what Myron had prepared.

The entire island shimmered with lights, arranged to form one glowing word-"Millie."

"Wow," she whispered, staring as the island grew smaller below.

She turned toward Myron, who stood beside her,his hands now off the controls.

He still wore a half-face mask. His gaze stayed fixed on her.

"Why go to such lengths?" she asked quietly. "Am I really worth it?"

He understood her doubts. He knew her fears.

Being with her might even mean a future without their own children.

He could have chosen someone else. Someone healthier and stronger. Someone with a simpler background.

But instead of answering her questions, he opened a nearby box and took out a necklace

with a heart-shaped blue diamond pendant.

"Because of this," he said.

Milie stared at the pendant. Memories rushed in.

"Do you remember?" he asked, meeting her eyes.

Slowly,he removed his mask. There was a trace of sadness in his gaze.

"Millie," he said, his voice low. "I've waited for you. It feels like forever. After all these years, I can finally return this to you."

Memories came flooding back. She remembered it all, the events from years past.

She had been a child when her father, James, took her to Mirough. He showed her the empire he had built.They traveled together, and she saw his influence everywhere.

At the time, James stood at the peak of his power. Millie, his only daughter, was welcomed wherever she went.

The moment they arrived in Mirough, people flooded in with gifts, seeking favors. But she had already grown tired of that kind of attention.

She didn't know then that, within a year, her father would fall from a tall building and leave her forever.

She did know something though-people only valued her because of who her father was. One word from him could change a person's life.

With her father's permission, Millie visited the port, guarded by bodyguards.

"was just a teenager thenMyron said. "My family had sent me out to the sea to handle shipping. We met at the port." He paused.

"My father had failed in a family power struggle. He was supposed to fixit, but he died. My mother had to raise my younger siblings, and I took over. The sea is chaotic. Once you're out in uncharted waters, people vanish without explanation. Men disappear, thrown overboard. I was too young. My crew barely respected me. Just staying alive was hard. I couldn't even think about exploring new territory."

Then,he smiled. "And then I met you."

He looked at Millie.

"You gave me this. You told me to seek help from the Bennett family's men."

He turned the pendant, showing her the name "Bennett" etched in an ancient, totem-like script.

"With this, I found the Bennett family. I actually met your father that same day. I received help from both of you. Within a year,I managed to gather my crew and take control. I was on the sea pretty much all year around, and I only heard the news of your father's death almost a year later. I wanted to do something but there wasn't much I could do. And then I realized-I still wasn't strong enough to find the truth."

The balloon floated gently in the sky.

Millie stared at the necklace. She had never imagined the boy she once met would one day stand before her like this.

Back then, she hadn't thought much of it. She only wanted to help a struggling young man from the same homeland, speaking the same language.

She reached out and held the pendant.

Myron noticed the emotion in her eyes.

They had been just kids and their meeting had been brief.

To her,it was a small gesture of kindness. To him, it was everything.

Back then, he saw her and James as his saviors.

He had been powerless. But he made himself a promise-he would become strong, and he would learn the truth behind James' death.

Later, betrayal brought them together again.

And the bullet that should have killed him led him to her instead.

"When I returned," he said,"you were already with Brandon. Married, even. I kept digging into your father's death, but the truth kept slipoping away. I noticed a hidden force behind everything, and I couldn't get past it.I had to wait for the right moment."

Many had tried to uncover James' death throughout the years. Although Myron had been one of them,he couldn't risk exposing his link to the Bennett family. That would only bring more danger.

Even now,he confessed his love only in the stillness of the sky.

He had believed that Brandon loved Millie and treated her well, that she would be safe with him.

So Myron buried his feelings.

But now, Brandon had let her go.

Now, it was his turn.

He would love her fully. Without fear.

A single tear fell from Millie's cheek, landing on the blue diamond.

She looked at the pendant in her hand.

After her father's death and the fall of the Bennett family, she had almost nothing left from her past.

This was one of the treasures he once gifted her, which made it extremely special.

"Don't cry," Myron said. He reached out, removed her mask, and gently wiped her tears.

He cupped her face, looking into her eyes.

"Trust me, Millie," he said. "We'll find the truth. We'll bring the Bennett family back. It's only a matter of time.Just trust me."

She stared at him,overwhelmed by emotion.

Then,softly, she asked, "Will you help me put it on?"

"Of course," he said, taking the necklace from her and fastening it around her neck.

The gemstone settled against her skin, steady and warm. It felt like another heartbeat.

"Where are we going now?" she asked. "To relive the moments when I loved you," Myron said. "I want you to know-my love for you isn't gratitude.t isn't a way to prove anything. I love you, Millie. Truly. Simply because I love you."