Hello, everyone ^^ Unfortunately, this countdown to Christmas is making me busier than I thought, so we'll probably only have one chapter a day until the 26th. But I'll try my best to deliver more than that to you all, okay?
Millicent had never really gotten used to having men's eyes on her. She had the best parents in the world, but they weren't exactly liberal about clothing when she was a teenager, especially her father. And, after the age of eighteen, she was already committed to Austin and only worried about her college. She had never gone through the phase of dressing to attract male attention or just to feel sexy. It was a new sensation and one that was causing strange sensations in her stomach, especially because Isaac's eyes were slowly roaming her body, his serious expression not allowing her to have any idea what he might be thinking. But even so, she stood her ground, trying to act as if nothing about the situation was making her nervous.She had no reason to feel so exposed, anyway. That dress wasn't even that revealing. It was just one of the few slightly daring clothes she bought under the influence of a saleswoman and then forgot in her closet. She had certainly gained some weight since s
“This was the last topic on the agenda of our meeting today. If no one else has anything to add, we can call it a day. Thanks for the hard work, everybody.” Millicent said it loud enough for everyone at the conference table to hear, but, as always, all she got back were a few mumbles and grunts that were impossible to understand. There was no doubt that she had managed to convince everyone there to respect her word, but on the other hand, there seemed to be more aversion to her than ever. But now, finally, she felt like she could understand the root of the problem. It was more than just a mere prejudice about her being a Nepo baby. Apparently, Jasmine had been spreading lies about her personality and, now that Millicent was finally using her influence as supervisor of that project, everyone thought they had received proof those rumors about her being a spoiled and heartless tyrant were true.Knowing the origin of all that disdain didn't make it any less uncomfortable, however. After
Millicent had learned an interesting thing about herself that day: she functioned much more efficiently when her sole focus was getting back at Austin and making him angry. Who knows, it wouldn't have been better if she had found a way to bring him with her and Isaac to that restaurant.Maybe then she would be able to stand confidently, instead of feeling so… Nervous.“Try to relax, Miss. Bianchi…” Isaac murmured in her ear, as the two followed the waiter to their table “Remember people will think we are on a business date and we have to make it look like a romantic date. And generally, a woman in love doesn’t seem as restless as you.”“I'm trying my best.” she squeaked silently, trying to soften her expression “It’s just… I didn’t expect you to choose a restaurant where almost all the patrons know my family.” Millicent made the mistake of looking around for a quick moment, finding all the other customers' eyes on her.“Of course. If we want the word to spread, then we have to get the
“Why do you look like you haven’t slept in days?” Cassidy asked, but the only answer Millicent was able to give her was a long yawn. “How many hours did you guys spend on that date today? Two or three? What could have happened to give you dark circles that big?” “Nothing happened. I just… I couldn’t sleep properly.” Millicent couldn't control another yawn.“If nothing happened, then what exactly kept you awake?” her best friend insisted, even though Cassidy was having to divide her attention between herself and all the reports on the computer screen that Mr. Davis had demanded be reviewed later that day.“I think… It was just because nothing happened.” she admitted with a deep sigh “It was all very… Tense, I guess. I don’t know if I know the right word to describe how I feel around him since that… Kiss.” Millicent mumbled as quietly as she could, “I know I should be happy about this, because it will make our fake affair a lot easier and now I can be sure there's nothing wrong with me
"Ms. Poulin?" Millicent stood up, surprised “It's good to see you, but... I think there may be some mistake in the schedule that may have been passed on to you. The new meeting to discuss the details of the project will only take place in 3 days…”"I know." the old woman snorted, not paying her any attention, while other team members crowded near the door with their expressions full of dread. “But I decided to get ahead of myself and save my time. It's all rubbish. Do it again and, this time, correctly, if you want me to continue with this project.”That disdainful look was powerful enough to make Millicent's blood run cold and, under other circumstances, she would certainly have her head down and totally intimidated by Laura, as well as her colleagues on the outside. It would be much easier to just give in and go through the enormous trouble of doing it all again. It would be Austin's responsibility anyway, since everyone thought he was the sole leader and creator of that project. How
“Oh, Millie, honey. You look so beautiful!” Thea sighed, even needing to pull out another tissue nearby “It always makes me so happy to see you looking stunning like this. Especially knowing you’re about to have the displeasure of enduring the Carnbys for an entire night…”“Thanks, Thea.” Millicent smiled, running her eyes one last time at the sight of herself in that dark green dress in the reflection of the mirror “You and Mom always manage to make me look so much better than I actually do.”“What have I said about commenting on things like that?” her mother sighed, moving nimbly around to straighten every detail of Millicent’s dress, almost as if she herself wasn’t already cramped into a formal gown “I know you don’t care about looking pretty just because Austin is going to be there. I also think it's bullshit to want to show he lost the most beautiful woman in the world. This is already obvious to everyone, after all. But, I'm glad you finally want to highlight your beauty instead
The Carnbys' spring formal seemed more crowded than usual. Evan was the type of businessman who never refused to reach out to anyone as long as the other person offered enough money to do so, so obviously he had more “friends”, partners and clients than his family's huge mansion could support. Even so, they seemed to have squeezed in a hundred more people that year, almost to the point of making it difficult for waiters to move among the guests with trays of drinks and appetizers in their hands.And, even with that crowd divided into several different groups and distracted by several different conversations, almost everyone still turned to see Millicent and Isaac entering the room.“I wish they would at least try to hide it…” Millicent muttered to herself, but Isaac didn't even seem to have to make an effort to listen.“We are their evening's entertainment. They're probably relieved to have something to talk about now, instead of having to keep pretending to like each other.” Isaac c
“What a lovely surprise.” Florence was the first to break the silence between them, plastering her face with a sycophantic smile that Millicent knew very well “When could I have dreamed I would have two of the loveliest young women in High Society grace my ball? Oh, Alessia, darling, it's been so long since we've seen each other. You look stunning, as always.” Austin’s mother approached, running her hand through Alessia’s long and strawberry blond, almost red hair.“Thanks, Florence. It's always great to come here. You throw the best parties.” Alessia laughed “Although, I hear the real action has been happening outside of the galas thanks to your son, right?” “That… It was nothing more than a misunderstanding. It's a shame you heard about that horrible episode from the wrong people, but as soon as I have some free time tonight, I promise I'll tell you what really happened.” Florence forced a smile, clearly eager to end the conversation “Anyway, it's great to have you here, my dear. A
"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