Chapter 1317:

But she wasn’t following the script he’d prepared in his head.

Why?

Wade had come up with this plan after thinking it over for quite some time. Since Millie refused to come to him, he figured he might as well go looking for her instead.

He’d practiced his lines over and over, determined to finally use them.

But now Millie wasn’t reacting the way he’d imagined, and he had no idea what to say next.

Millie watched him cautiously.

“That day, you said it was only a plant and that you wouldn’t be stingy.”

And yes… he had said that. But… that wasn’t the point. Wait—

“You can’t go back on your words now and take it back,” Millie said, hugging the plant as if she were guarding a treasure.

“If you’re into flowers and plants, I can pick a really nice one later and send it to you.”

She paused, thinking it through.

“And if you’d rather I didn’t show up at your office like you said, I’ll just tell Taylor to drop it off.”

“That’s not what—” Wade blurted out.

“Then I’ll deliver it to you myself,” Millie said without hesitation.

“No, no… now you’re confusing me,” Wade whined, sounding completely at a loss.

Millie only smiled.

“What I’m trying to say is… I gave it to you, so it’s yours now,” Wade finally managed.

That should clear everything up. At least now he wouldn’t look like some cranky old man.

“That’s great,” Millie replied, looking genuinely relieved. She led Wade back toward the sofa, making sure to keep a safe distance between him and the plant.

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She brought over a cup of coffee.

“Mr. Butcher, please have some.”

Wade gave a slight nod, took the cup from her, and sipped. After setting it down, he couldn’t stop himself from glancing toward Millie’s desk.

Millie sat calmly, unbothered, as she poured herself some coffee.

“How’s Nicole been doing these days?” Wade asked out of nowhere.

“You mean my mom?” Millie asked.

“Yeah,” Wade confirmed.

Millie set down her cup.

“After my dad died, my mom had a hard time taking care of me on her own,” she said softly, her gaze drifting to the tabletop.

“She worked all sorts of jobs, and eventually…”

Millie paused. Her eyes lowered for a moment before she continued, “She got married again.”

Wade watched her in silence, taking in the side of her face.

He’d heard bits of her story before—how her stepfather used to hit her, and how Brandon had eventually had the man thrown in jail.

The room fell completely quiet as both of them sank into their own thoughts. The scent of coffee lingered in the air.

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