Chapter 317

Marcus’ icy stare was fixed on Millie’s pale forehead as he threatened in a steely tone, “Dare to spread rumors like this again,

and I'll break your legs.”

Millie’s lips twitched at the ominous threat. His imposing aura silenced her, rendering her too terrified to retaliate.

Unhappily, Millie dropped her gaze, hoping to shield herself from Marcus’ icy stare.

To her dismay, a splash of red arrested her eyes—a silk scarf negligently discarded not too far away!

An unsettling premonition began to curl in Millie’s gut.

With a sense of impending doom, she rose from her seat, each footfall echoing her rising unease. She stooped to collect the

item—a silk scarf of the type donned by women—that had previously escaped her notice.

Drawing it closer, she inhaled and was greeted with the unmistakable scent of feminine perfume. The world seemed to stop, her

mind echoing the emptiness of the moment.

Some other woman must have come here before her. Millie pieced it together in her head.

Her eyes flicked to Marcus, a question woven in their depths.

Marcus, noticing her focus, furrowed his brows at the sight of the silk scarf in Millie's grasp. Undoubtedly a remnant of Rhea’s

presence, he concluded.

Overwhelmed, Millie lost hold of her composure. The silk scarf was clenched in her hand, and her gaze was nailed to Marcus.

“You cretin!” she spat out.

Marcus, catching the venom in Millie’s gaze, immediately understood her mistaken assumption. He closed the distance between

them, placing a placating hand on her shoulder.

“You're misunderstanding,” he implored.

Upon realizing Millie wasn’t paying him any heed, a knot of anxiety formed in his chest.

He hastened to clarify, “I won’t deny that another woman was here before your arrival. This scarf is hers, but nothing transpired

between us. You must've noticed the effect of the drugs. It was Rhea’s doing, as is this scarf. | made her leave.”

Millie’s lower lip was caught between her teeth. “Rhea?” she mused aloud, recalling the hurried woman she'd crossed paths with

at the hotel entrance.

Unconvinced, she shot back, “And you expect me to believe that? You shared a room with her, yet you claim nothing occurred.

That’s a hard pill to swallow.”

Internally, she grappled with her feelings, wrapping her arms around herself in a defensive posture.

Marcus, observing her defiant countenance, had a sudden revelation. Evidently, she still harbored some affection for him. A

triumphant grin found its way to his lips.

“Feeling a little green-eyed, are you?” he teased. “Why would | have called you here if | had been with her? To let you survey the

scene? Why couldn’t | restrain myself the moment you arrived?”

Millie found logic in his words. His eager reception upon her arrival did not suggest any recent rendezvous with Rhea.