Chapter 554:

“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.

Millie 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.

“I was just a teenager then,” Myron 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 fix it, 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 round, 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.

.

.

.