"Your grandmother has kept it under wraps. I only learned about it last night and was about to break the news to you," Jorge explained.

He held out a photo and added, "Take a look. This is Millie Evans. She's the woman you're supposed to marry."

Aiden didn't even give it a glance. His frown was cold. "I don't need to see it. I've already picked the woman I want to marry. As for this Evans girl, send someone to break off the engagement right away!"

Jorge paused for a beat. "It's too late to call it off now. Your grandmother already went behind your back and registered your marriage to her. The wedding in three days is just for show."

Aiden drew a long breath. He shut his eyes. He pushed down the rage burning inside him and let out a bitter laugh. "Grandma's getting on in years and losing her wits. She actually bypassed me and handed me a done deal? Pity for her. I can give ground on other matters, but not this. Not ever marriage. Ready the car now. I'm going to drag that cursed woman to the courthouse. I'm divorcing her today!"

...

At the same time, the Evans family's residence was in an uproar over Millie going missing.

"Useless idiots! They've been looking all night and still haven't found that little bitch!" Linda's face was contorted with fury.

Eliza was sobbing her heart out next to her. "What are we going to do, Mom? If we can't track down Millie soon, won't I have to marry into the Elliott family instead of her? I don't want to marry that man!"

Linda's heart ached for her. "Don't you fret. That little tramp can't have escaped from Ostruron. We'll locate her!"

Just as the mother and daughter were tearing their hair out, some welcome news finally arrived that made them catch their breath.

They had captured Millie!

Linda and Eliza hurried to the living room in haste. When they caught sight of how drawn Millie appeared, their vicious true nature showed itself.

"You bitch, you thought you could get away?" Eliza raised her hand to smack Millie across the face.

Millie's reflexes took over. She struck back and seized Eliza's wrist.

But Millie had been worn out after a sleepless night. Eliza gave her a hard shove, and Millie lost her footing and hit the floor.

Eliza moved forward, snatched a handful of Millie's hair, and mocked. "You almost pulled it off! Shame you got nabbed anyway, didn't you? Seems like it's meant to be that you'll wed Aiden!"

Eliza's voice rang with victory. "Millie, garbage like you only deserves to wed into the Elliott household and be the bride of that hideous monster! People say he's already finished off multiple fiancées. I wonder when we'll hear the wonderful news that you've been tortured to death? The mere idea gives me a rush!"

Millie flinched from the pain but didn't even consider pleading. Her defiant eyes were brimming with contempt. "Shame your clever little plot is going to explode in your face. You don't honestly think I spent all night sitting on my hands, do you? Just wait and see. Since you want to destroy me, I certainly won't let you off the hook!"

No man would stand for being made a fool of, let alone a man with Aiden's standing.

Millie was dead certain that once Aiden laid eyes on those photos, he would fly into a rage and bring hell down on the whole Evans family!

"What is that supposed to mean?" All at once, a sinking feeling washed over Eliza.

Just then, a maid's polite voice drifted in from outside. "Mr. Evans, you're back!" she said.

Jed burst into the living room hall like a thunderclap. Fury ate away at him. He flung an envelope with crushing strength. It smacked Millie square in the face.

"You cursed wretch!" he bellowed. "See what you've caused! You nearly destroyed us all!"

The force knocked Millie's head to one side. Her hair fell into disarray. A scratch opened up on her cheek and started to bleed.

Millie watched the envelope drop to the floor. Her face went white as a sheet.

It was the very envelope she had mailed out just a short time before! It held the photos inside.

Eliza's curiosity got the better of her. She bent down and grabbed the envelope. She pulled out the pictures and looked them over. Her eyes went wide with disbelief. "Good lord!" she cried. "What in heaven's name is this?!"

The woman in the picture was Millie!

The pictures also revealed a man's back.

His face was hidden, but his trim, muscular frame was easy to make out. What grabbed attention most was the black wolf tattoo on his back. Even in the picture, it appeared to radiate a menacing air.

These were several explicit photos. They showed Millie in bed with another man!

Jed's rage knew no bounds. "She's gone completely mad!" he roared. "It's bad enough she doesn't know her place from one day to the next. But now she actually attempted to deliver these disgraceful pictures to the Elliott household! If Aiden caught sight of these pictures, how could he possibly want to wed her? If I didn't have connections who intercepted this mail, our family would be completely ruined!"

Eliza finally grasped the source of Millie's earlier boldness. So this was her game plan!

"Dad, thank goodness you stopped it in time," Eliza cut in. "What would this family do without you?" She looked at Millie with pure glee.

Linda was privately amazed too. She moved forward without delay. She rubbed Jed's back and acted the role of the loyal wife. "Jed, don't lose your temper," she urged. "It's not worth damaging your health over a wretch like her."

Jed looked at Millie's face. Revulsion filled his expression.

"At first, having Millie marry into the Elliott household was just a stopgap measure," he declared. "As long as she went along without a fuss, I could swiftly find a way to help her escape Aiden's grasp. But now it appears there's no need for that! She's so thankless. She almost caused the collapse of the Evans family."

Linda's eyes burned with satisfaction. She had been annoyed by Millie for years. Now that they could get rid of her without trouble, it was surely heaven's work.

She didn't waste time. She shouted commands at the servants. "You there!" she commanded. "Lock Millie up right away! In three days, even if we have to tie her with ropes, we'll force her into the wedding! This match between us and the Elliotts absolutely must not be permitted to fall apart because of her any longer!"

Millie felt complete hopelessness sweep over her. She never imagined that in spite of all her struggles, she still couldn't dodge the fate of wedding Aiden.

Was everything really going to play out just as they wanted? Didn't she even have one last chance to fight back?

Right then, the butler came rushing in. He was in a panic. "It's terrible, Mr. Evans!" he cried out. "A group of men in black have forced their way onto the grounds! Our people can't hold them back."

Jed's face changed when he heard this. "What?" he demanded. "Who dares to break into our place? Call the police! Call them right now!"

But before the butler could make the call, a band of men in black swept in. They entered like a tornado. They encircled everyone who was present.

"Who is Millie Evans?" one of them asked. "We are sent by the Elliott family. Come with us immediately!"

Jed never thought the Elliott family's men would show up that fast.

He didn't think twice. He slapped on a groveling grin right away and jabbed his finger at Millie. "I didn't think you'd get here this quick. That's Millie, my oldest daughter. Grab her and get out of here fast!"

Linda and Eliza were scared they would get dragged into it. They ducked into a corner right away.

They both wore smug grins. They waited to watch Millie go down hard.

Millie watched the men dressed in black walk toward her. She couldn't stop herself from balling up her fists.

Was that disgusting creep Aiden so eager to grab her and make her suffer?

Bitterness and refusal welled up inside her.

No, she wouldn't let them haul her off like some animal!

Millie saw the men in black had let their guard down. She jumped up all of a sudden and bolted for the door.

"Stop her! Go after her!"

She heard the urgent footsteps pounding behind her, but she didn't dare turn around.

She knew one thing clear as day. If she stopped now, she would have no shot at saving her own skin.

The wind lashed her face as she ran. Her messy hair blocked part of what she could see.

Something knocked Millie back half a step. The next heartbeat, someone grabbed her wrist in an iron grip.

She raised her eyes. Right away, she locked onto a pair of searching eyes.

Those deep eyes seemed to carry some kind of natural pull. They hooked Millie for a moment. She found it tough to tear her gaze away. "You..."

Aiden's steady look shifted a bit as he picked up the familiar smell coming off Millie.

His brain flashed back without warning to those fuzzy, close memories from last night.

Aiden narrowed his eyes with suspicion. He demanded coldly, "Who are you? What are you doing here?"

Millie had no time to mull it over. She tried to twist free and begged fast, "Let go of me! I won't marry that old pervert!"

Before Aiden could ask who she was talking about, he spotted the bodyguards he had sent to the Evans family's residence running their way.

"Millie Evans's right there! Quick, don't let her slip away!"

When he heard that, Aiden got it. The woman in front of him was his wife.

Millie saw the bodyguards coming closer. Her face went white as a sheet.

"Let go of me!" she yelled in fear, but Aiden held on tight.

It wasn't until the head bodyguard suddenly bowed and greeted him with respect that Millie stared in disbelief. Her eyes bounced between Aiden and the bodyguards.

So they were in it together!

"Let me go! I'd rather drop dead than marry Aiden Elliott! Don't think you can drag me off! I won't bow down to that sick old man!" Millie kept fighting like a wildcat.

Aiden's frown cut deep. A hint of irritation showed up on his cold, hard face.

This woman didn't know who he was? And she had pegged him as an old man and refused to marry him?

Aiden studied Millie's face. It didn't look put on.

But right now, he couldn't waste time digging into whether this woman was playing him or really didn't want to go with him.

Getting a divorce fast was what mattered.

Aiden couldn't be bothered to spend breath explaining. He flat-out ignored Millie's fighting, threw her over his shoulder, yanked the car door open with one hand without breaking a sweat, and chucked her inside.

"You jerk!" Millie hurt all over. Even throwing everything she had at it, she was no match for Aiden. She could only watch like a trapped animal as he told the bodyguard to drive.

The luxury car shot forward. An odd silence dropped inside the car.

Millie caught her breath and glared with hate at Aiden's face.

This man actually worked for the old pervert? What a waste of a good-looking face!

Given where she was now, getting away easy was clearly off the table.

Millie's sharp eyes darted all over. All at once, she cooked up a plan.