Instinctively, Millie picked up the mask lying on the nearby chair and secured it in ce.


    “You don’t need to wear that around me.”


    He felt the need to remove her mask for her face to breathe freely. No matter how altered her


    appearance, he assured her that he would never disdain her.


    Millie hesitated momentarily, then proceeded to put on the mask.


    “No matter how you look, I won’t look down on you,” Marcus affirmed.


    Millie arched an eyebrow, asking, “Really?”


    A nod of agreement came from Marcus.


    A warmth washed over Millie’s heart.


    “Just so you know, I’ll have to dy my return by a few more days. I need to wait for my allergy


    symptoms to improve before I can take my grandma back to the countryside. Only after she’s settled


    there can I return to work at thepany.”


    Imagining the challenging journey back to the rural area, Marcus subtly furrowed his brow.


    “I’ll arrange for someone to take your grandma home. You needn’t trouble yourself.”


    Millie shook her head, asserting, “I want to be the one to apany my grandma back. Only when I


    know she’sfortably settled will I find peace of mind.”


    Her grandma was the anchor of her life, the person she had fought hard to bring back from the brink.


    Only once she had ensured her grandmother’s wellbeing could she return to work and find sce.


    In the past, Millie had even entertained the idea of returning to the countryside to live a simple life by


    her grandma’s side.


    Marcus didn’t push the matter any further, silently epting her determination.


    “Marcus, Millie.”


    A voice came from behind, and the two turned to find Bruce approaching, a bottle of red wine in his


    hand.


    Marcus fixed his gaze on Bruce, his dark eyes narrowing slightly.


    Property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    Prior to Bruce’s approach, he had been positioned in close proximity, quietly witnessing their


    interaction. He had seized the instance when Marcus and Millie shared a tender smile.


    His meeting with Millie had been captured by someone and put on thepany’s website. Yet, that


    hadn’t impacted Marcus and Millie’s rtionship.


    “Marcus, I apologize. I’ve heard that pictures of Millie and me have been circting on thepany’s


    internalwork. It was myck of vignce that allowed someone with malicious intent to exploit the


    situation. This 30


    -year-old bottle of wine is a gesture of my apology to you.”


    Bruce extended the wine towards Marcus, but Marcus remained immobile, the tension palpable in the


    air.