“And that is my proposal, gentlemen.”
Still motionless, Millicent watched her fiancé sit down, not even looking in her direction as the executives began to chat among themselves, clearly satisfied. Austin just remained smiling, almost as if he hadn't realized he had just introduced her project as his own, repeating every single word she had rehearsed exhaustively over the past few days.
“An excellent presentation as always, Mr. Carnby.” one of the executives praised “Now, to complete our list, we have… Oh. Miss. Bianchi.” the old man snorted, causing all the eyes at the table to turn to her, but not in a friendly way.
For a moment, Millicent managed to part her lips, but no words dared to come out. What could she say to convince these men that the project they were praising had been entirely hers? Should she just embarrass herself like that, even though she knew they would just laugh and mock her?
“Millicent decided to take a break from her own project to help me with mine.” Austin replied, before she could regain her composure “I hope you all can understand. Having her by my side is what fills me with strength to continue dedicating myself to this company and bringing you projects like this.”
“What a shame. So many promising projects missed the opportunity to be here today, in Ms. Bianchi’s place… But, I'm sure Mr. Bianchi will overlook this mistake. As always." Mr. Barnes, the advertising director of the Bianchi Group, grumbled, making Millicent flinch as if she had been punched in the stomach “Well, gentlemen, can we agree to approve Mr. Carnby’s project and end this meeting…?”
“I don’t think so.” Mr. Davis, her father's faithful financial officer’s chief, interrupted his colleague “There is one opinion that we must take into consideration above all, before making this decision.” Before he had even finished speaking, everyone's attention in the room had already turned to Isaac and his indecipherable expression.
“I can see why you decided to present this project, Mr. Carnby. Your idea follows all possible market trends. It's an obvious path. Easy." Even though Isaac’s voice hadn’t changed tone for even an instant, everyone in the room seemed intimidated “But do you know the main problem with the easy way, Mr. Carnby? Everyone wants to follow it. This means throwing a newly founded company into a jungle of fierce competitiveness. Did your optimistic profit projections even take this detail into account?”
“Public acceptance is different when it comes to audiovisual.” that argument escaped Millicent's mouth before she could stop herself “Research shows that new things are well accepted…” she forced herself to continue, even though there were only dissatisfied looks staring at her at that moment “Furthermore, since no profit can be accurately predicted, these projections…”
“Do you intend to steal your colleague’s position, Miss. Bianchi?” Isaac interrupted her, harshly “That's the only explanation I can find for why you're offering to explain the details of a project you had no involvement with.” His words made Millicent’s blood turn to ice “Oh, don’t let me shut you up. It's always nice to hear someone who doesn't sound like they're just reciting a memorized speech. Your fiancé should use you as his spokesperson more often.” Those words made Austin growl, but probably only Millicent heard “Well, if my colleagues are willing to invest in the most comfortable path, then I will follow them… But not before making sure these ideas are in the right hands.”
“What?” Austin grunted.
“Your team will have three months to start developing the project, Mr. Carnby. If, at the end of this period, your results are not satisfactory, then the project will be transferred to the hands of a truly competent team.”
“That seems… An appropriate proposal.” Mr. Barnes cleared his throat, appearing to be purposely avoiding Austin's look of outrage “I don't think anyone objects to that, correct...? Well then I guess that wraps up our meeting. Oh, wait, Mr. Carnby. Wouldn’t you like to have a drink with us before you go…?”
“This fucking…!” Austin cursed under his breath as he watched Isaac walk out the door, with all the executives and their assistants following him like moths to a light bulb “Can you believe this?!” he asked Jasmine, when she approached them “This bastard! I knew he would try to do something to harm me! And, you, Millicent!” he turned to her, irritated “What were you thinking when you intruded like that? This only gave him more weapons to criticize my project…!”
“Your project?! That was my project, Austin!” Millicent was finally able to regain her voice, but unfortunately, there was no one else there to hear her “How could you steal it like that?!”
“Hey, lower your voice. Or the investors will think you’re having a tantrum because of what Isaac did.” Austin scolded, staring at her like she was crazy “And, what do you mean by stealing? I thought you would be happy, so I surprised you. Don't you see? I've had other ideas approved before, but you're still just a spoiled brat in their eyes. No matter how good your project was, they would never trust you like they trust me..”
“I… I know very well what they think about me!” she gasped in disbelief “That's why I worked so hard on this proposal! To show them that I…”
“Oh, dear, calm down…” her friend Jasmine patted her shoulders “Austin would never hurt you. Try to look on the positive side. Austin got the position he wanted so much and he's going to make your project shine.”
“And you will be on my team.” Austin added “It will be the perfect place for you to stand out.”
“What are you talking about?! You don’t understand…!”
“Why are you acting like this? All you have to do is ask your father and he will get you another opportunity to present a project in the future. You should be happy for me!” Austin complained, hurt “But, it seems like you're not willing to stay by my side if things don't go exactly the way you want.”
“What…? Austin…!” Millicent tried to stop him, but he had already disappeared through the door, as if she was the only one who had hurt him “You can't…!”
“Leave him be, Millie.” Jasmine advised, stopping her from trying to follow him “He won't listen to you now, even if you apologize.” her friend sighed “Listen, I'll try to talk to him, okay? I'm sure tomorrow things will be clearer and we'll be able to celebrate the achievements of you both! In the meantime, why don’t you go to your room and rest?” Jasmine hugged her, murmuring the next words against her ear “I'll take care of Austin for you.”
“I…” Millicent tried to argue again, but that terrible feeling of being in a delirium stopped her “I think I really need to rest… And think…”
“Sleep well, darling. I’ll see you tomorrow.” Jasmine kissed her cheek before walking away towards the door “Oh, and thanks again for offering to help me with that report. You’re the best, Millie!”
Normally, Millicent would have responded that help was a minimal effort compared to what Jasmine spent caring for her sick mother, but no. She just stood there in the middle of the empty meeting room, wondering if she was going crazy for feeling almost like a piece of her had been stolen… While everyone seemed to think she should be happy about that.
Without strength, Millicent just collapsed into the chair. As she stood there, her head in her hands and her eyes clouded with tears, the moon appeared in the sky through the big glass wall before her. Her mind, however, could not calm down even when a new voice called her.
“Millicent?” Sage, her personal bodyguard, entered the room “Why did you…? Millie? What’s wrong?”
“I…” Millie tried to control the tremor in her voice, but couldn’t “I don’t even know anymore…”
However, in some messy and tearful way, she was still able to tell Sage everything. With each word, her doubts about whether she was really exaggerating or not only intensified, but Sage didn't seem to feel the same.
“There’s no reason for you to feel guilty, Millie.” Sage stated, categorically “Come. Let's go to Jasmine's room. It will be much easier to convince Austin to reverse what he did if we convince his assistant first.”
“I…” Millicent swallowed hard as the two left the room “I don’t know if I said anything that made him think I would be happy to have my project approved regardless of the circumstances, but…”
“You don’t need to justify why you don’t want someone else to take credit for your ideas, Millie.” Sage comforted her, just as the elevator reached the hallway where Jasmine's room was “If Austin really loves you, then he will understand.”
“Thanks, Sage.” After everything that had happened that day, Millicent was finally able to open a smile, albeit a shy one “The last thing I want is to hurt him, but I can't leave things like that. I just hope Jasmine can see my side of the situation this time…”
“Austin!”
That mix of scream and moan left the two of them petrified in the hallway for a second. However, as the unmistakable sounds of sex became louder and louder, Sage was the first to ask the question that had been reverberating on Millicent's mind.
“Is this… Jasmine?”
For a moment, the hallway was so silent that, in the midst of her shock and horror, Millicent even wondered if she was hallucinating, after such a terrible day.But Jasmine didn't let that doubt last more than a second. “Yes, Austin, baby! Harder!”“What the fuck…!” Sage growled under his breath “Those bastards! I can't believe it…! Millie? Millie, wait…!”Ignoring that low request, Millicent just let her feet guide her numb body to Jasmine's bedroom door, where not only did the suggestive growls become clearer, but she could also hear a second voice. The voice of someone who was obviously there with Jasmine, but who was still like a knife in Millicent's chest.“I already told you to shut up!” Austin grunted, but there was a clear smile in his voice.“Why?” Jasmine proved, her voice distorted with a malice that Millie would never have imagined her sweet and joyful friend was capable of “Are you afraid that some guard will hear us again…? Or, maybe, that your precious baby girl may be
As soon as she knocked on the door of Isaac's room for the first time, Millicent had to muster all her concentration not to tremble. About ten minutes had passed since she had heard Austin and Jasmine say things she would never forget, but the realization only seemed to be hitting her at that moment, as the tension grew in her chest. The mix of anger and a broken heart had made it seem like her only choice, but…Was she really about to do something like that?However, before she could even reflect on that question, the door opened and, suddenly, Isaac was there, making her swallow hard. He was wearing just sweatpants and a towel around his shoulder. His dark blond hair was still damp and, to her surprise, his chest was not just covered in muscles and tattoos, but also scars, some so deep that not even the ink could hide. It was probably the result of the accident he got into after driving drunk when they were teenagers, but still…“Let me guess…” he interrupted his thoughts, with thos
“Oh, baby… You promised me you would let me drink something before we enjoyed our last moments at the hotel…”Jasmine's giggle was pretty audible, but Millicent just ignored it and continued staring at the long, impeccably arranged table in front of her, patiently waiting for her guests to arrive at that particular bar in the hotel.“Millicent!” Austin gasped and, only then, did she allow herself to turn around, wearing the best smile she had rehearsed “What are you doing here?” She watched Austin pull away from Jasmine suddenly, arranging his robe like he was the epitome of chastity and Jasmine had her hair messed up like that just because of a good night's sleep.It was sickening to realize they had never made such a point of hiding those clues, but Millicent just turned a blind eye to it, acting like the blind idiot she knew they were hoping to find."Good morning. I hope you guys are hungry.” was all she said, as warmly as she could manage “I woke up early and asked the chef to pr
“Are you sure you’re okay, Millie?” Sage’s murmur in her ear made Millicent’s head throb, but even so she quickly disguised her expression, giving her bodyguard the calmest smile she was able to force."I am fine. It's just a little fever. The pills may be taking a while to work, but I'm sure I'll be better soon.” she tried to convince even herself, dragging her haggard body in the direction of where the hotel employees were carrying her bags “I think the last few days have taken more of a toll on me than I expected.” Millie grumbled, needing to hold her heavy head for a moment “You look irritated. Did something happen?”"No. Things are going as you predicted.” Sage growled lowly, clearly furious “But that bastard had the audacity to take his bitch on your father's jet and leave you here, all alone...” “Don’t worry. I know.” Millie muttered, taking out her cell phone to look one last time at the messages Austin had sent her.“Hey, baby. I hope your shopping in the city was good, beca
Millicent's body felt as heavy as lead when she managed to open her eyes, but at least her head wasn't hurting anymore. The last thing she remembered was being carried by Isaac to a seat on his plane, where an old doctor with a kind smile had given her some more pills. However, those had been strong enough to knock her out in a way that she didn't even know how much time had passed. Although they were certainly no longer on the ground, as there were clouds passing by the small window nearby...And Isaac was sitting in the armchair right in front of hers. His broad body dominated everything and made even that huge padded chair seem small. He still looked cold and intimidating, even though he looked casual like that, as he checked something on the tablet in his hands. But the way he was no longer wearing a jacket and the top few buttons on his shirt were half open made Millicent blush. Damn, she was too sick
“Are you going to say what’s wrong? Or are you going to make us take it from you?”At the sound of that question, Millicent instinctively lowered her laptop screen a little, but didn't close it completely when she realized who was standing at the door to her room. “Oh, sorry. Did I make you wait too long? I think I'm a little late…” with a smile, she got up from the desk and went to her mother and her best friend, but Cassidy obviously didn't buy it, crossing her arms over her chest and looking at her suspiciously.“It’s been an hour since you said you’d come to your room and take a call.” Cassie countered “I think this goes a little further than being late.”“Are you sure you’re feeling okay, honey? You barely touched your food and went upstairs to lock yourself in your room in the middle of a family lunch…” her mother murmured, her look full of concern “You usually love it when we get together, but now, there seems to be something upsetting you…”“I'm sorry for making you worry. I a
During the entire year Millicent had been working at the Bianchi Group's head office after finishing college, she felt as uncomfortable as a bird trapped in a tiny cage. However, that day was being particularly difficult to bear, but not for the reasons she was used to.The other employees didn't even seem to have noticed her presence that day, unlike what always happened. They were all too busy talking to each other about how great Austin's project was and how lucky they were to have been chosen to be part of his team. There didn't seem to be a single person who wasn't completely sure his venture would be a complete success. After all, everything he had proposed before, even as a mere intern, had fantastic results before.Everything he had proposed and she had carried out for him without even realizing it. Like an idiot.“Millie!” That shrill voice made her want to quicken her steps, but still Millicent fought herself and turned to watch Jasmine advance
“Calm down, Millicent. You decided to take it this far. You have no right to be a coward now.” Millicent growled softly at her own reflection in the mirror, as she tried to keep her breathing steady.The bathroom where she was, in one of the attached rooms at the back of the Bianchi Mansion, wasn't that close to the gardens, but even so Millicent could still hear every sound coming from the engagement party outside. Determination was still guiding her when she had woken up that morning and got dressed for the event, but… Now that all those guests were there, a crowd made up not only of her family, but also of practically all of the Bianchi Group's executives, who would certainly spread the new gossip as soon as Millicent made the first move…She couldn't feel so confident anymore. In fact, thinking about all the looks she would have to endure and all the whispers she would have to hear was making her feel suffocated, even though nothing had happened yet.Maybe Isaac was right not to tr
"I'm telling you! I'm part of his family! I have to see him!"Millicent's heard the commotion before arriving 10 feet away from the room where the nurse was leading her. It was Imogen's voice, there was no doubt about it, and it made her blood run cold. She had hoped that Isaac's mother and stepfather were just there to find out about his condition and then leave. God knew they would probably rather run out of there than be recognized by someone they knew passing by the hospital. Or, at least, that's what Millicent thought, before hearing Imogen continue to whimper, as if her heart was being ripped out of her chest."Please, he's my son! I need to see him! I need to make sure he's okay...!"“Talk to Jayden Adams.” Vasily's deep voice interrupted his wife, in an almost threatening tone "Tell him that Nikolaev asked for one more favor. He will let you know that we can enter wherever we want in this hospital."“Uh… I’m sorry, Mr. Nikolaev…” a woman’s voice trembled “I understand that you
“So when exactly are you going to finish babysitting your boyfriend?” Laura snorted, her voice sounding almost like a hiss on the other end of the line “I have important things to discuss with you and your father.”“I’m sure you do.” Millie laughed, pausing to take a sip of her coffee “So, it looks like Emma really is willing to pitch in now, doesn’t it?”“Oh, of course she is.” even though they were miles apart, Millicent knew her aunt was rolling her eyes just by her tone of voice "She wouldn't let go of the opportunity to end everything her half-sister had built through the mafia. And she would also never allow her long-awaited victory to be tarnished by the news of the appearance of her illegitimate daughter." “Dad commented that she still seems to be acting emotional around you…”“Don’t be fooled by that old fox’s acting.” Laura scolded, clearly uncomfortable "She doesn't care about anything or anyone but herself. She's just trying to act sorry to make sure I didn't open my mout
Hello everyone! First of all, I want to apologize for the last two days without any chapters. I had another emergency due to my father's health, but luckily things are calmer now. Hopefully, I'll be able to post the new chapter in a few hours
Isaac hated hospitals. That smell of antiseptic and metal seemed capable of permeating his skin and Isaac could recognize it anywhere. Even in moments like that, when his eyes were so heavy they seemed to never want to open again, he was able to recognize where he was just by that terrible smell. He had stopped in hospital rooms several times throughout his life and, usually, it was an indication that he hadn't been careful enough. What had it been that time? His head was hurting too much for him to remember, but Isaac still struggled. There was pain, his face wet from something hot that was probably blood, and the loud sound of metal… Just like when he had almost died when his car's brakes were cut when he was 18.So, Evan had managed to get him into a hospital bed again. How predictable. He had been more creative before.A soft sob from his side made something inside his chest flutter. Which was ridiculous, because it wasn't like Vincent or Dominic would cry if they came to visit.
Sometimes, Isaac missed how his life was half a year ago.It was equally terrible, of course, but at least he wasn't so aware of it. He could fill his days thinking only about revenge and living as if the only truly functional organ in his body was his brain. But now, here he was, haggard and miserable, only because the rusty thing inside his chest had decided to work. At least, before returning to America, he didn't miss anyone or suffer from the same loneliness that had accompanied him since his birth.Now, even in moments like this, when he should have been focused only on his plans, all he could think about was Millicent.With a heavy sigh, Isaac took a step towards the underground parking lot of his building when the elevator doors opened. That day was being especially difficult because he still hadn't managed to shake off the tension from the previous afternoon, when Dominic had almost ruined everything by allowing Millicent to overhear part of their argument. At least, she didn
Millicent had spent almost the entire day on the phone without actually speaking. She had dialed the same number over and over again, with adequate intervals between calls, of course. She wanted information, not to be a nuisance. However, as her time at the office drew to a close, she was ready to give up for another hour and get ready to leave, until, to her shock, that last call finally went through."Hello, Mrs. Bianchi. I was hoping you'd call again. I'm sorry we didn't answer sooner.""Don't be sorry, Tyler. You shouldn't worry about anything other than your mother right now." Millicent responded to the youngest Davis son, a boy she knew was the same age and attended the same school as Alessandro “I just wanted to know how your mother's condition is."“She’s… Stable now.” Her heart sank at the way he avoided using the word 'fine' "She woke up for a while this afternoon and managed to eat, but... She's still very much in shock. She even asked if everything that happened on Sunday
Silence took over the room for a moment, so deep that Millicent could swear she could hear everyone's heartbeat there. Just like her face was at that moment, everyone had expressions of shock, worry and expectation, as they waited for Emma’s reaction…With the exception of Massimo, who has a huge Machiavellian smile on his face.Emma's response, however, was probably nothing like either of them expected. First, her face filled with shock and terror, which was certainly quite predictable. But instead of starting to scream and deny, as Millicent thought she would, Emma remained silent, as gradually the horror on her face gave way to anger, then shame, sadness and, finally, resignation.“So…” Emma’s voice trembled, just a ghost compared to how she was acting a moment ago. “It’s really you, isn’t it?”“What did you give me?” Laura sneered, indifferently.“You… You still look like him.” Emma said that with her eyes focused solely on her own hands, nervously twisting the skirt of her dress
"Massimo, if we're going to do this, then I think you should at least try to hide your mocking smile. I don't think anyone will have any doubt that our intentions are not good if they see you entering my mother's house." Dante sighed, straightening up in the seat of the limo they were all in, clearly nervous."What are you talking about? That's my normal face." Massimo shrugged, that smile only widening “Can’t a man be in a good mood anymore?”“You don’t even know what Laura’s plans are for tonight, Massimo.” Alice lightly elbowed him, "She's not necessarily going to make a fuss or embarrass Emma. If you're expecting a show, you might end up disappointed."“Well, I could certainly use some entertainment, but I don’t care.” "I would love to see Emma's expression when she finds out that we all know she has her own illegitimate child, but just being able to walk through her house tonight and look into her face knowing that is enough."“I just hope that whatever Laura is planning really co
"Why did you come back?" Millicent questioned, frustrated "You clearly left not only your name and your life, but also your entire past behind. Anyone can see that you got the happy life you wanted, alongside your husband. So... Why now? If you didn't come back for so many years, even knowing the kind of person you had left Isaac alone with... What changed?"“I always wanted to go back for Isaac.” she stated, shrinking "But... Circumstances were never favorable enough... Until he became an adult and it seemed to be too late. But, I never left him helpless. Neither he nor my brother." Imogen chewed on her lower lip "I shouldn't have been surprised that Vincent suspected I was alive. He was always good at seeing more than other people were capable of. That was one of the reasons I left Isaac. I knew his uncle would protect him, especially after he turned 18. I just didn't expect Vince to involve him in his damn revenge plans!" Imogen growled "He should have left Isaac alone! Help him go