I'm sorry about the lack of chapter yesterday, guys :( To prevent this from happening again, I'm going to keep it to one chapter per day in February, but with the hope of gradually increasing it. But don't worry, whenever I manage to publish more than one chapter per day, I'll let you know. Also, I'm going to make the chapters a little longer, since it'll only be one per day for now.
“What?” Millicent asked, before she could stop herself, which caused several eyes to turn to her, likely interpreting her question as just bitterness from Austin's vengeful ex-fiancée.“As Austin’s secretary, I was the person the team trusted most to bring their praise and criticism to you all.” she gloated, wearing her best mask of a sweet, hard-working girl “I hope you don't have any problems with that, Miss Bianchi. It was not an easy choice and I was flattered to have been chosen.”“What happened to Emily Wolf?” Millie asked, keeping her tone as neutral as possible “I heard from a member of the staff that she was in charge…”“Oh, about that…” she smiled and, even though she should have been used to it by now, Millicent was amazed at how that woman could seem innocent and well-intentioned when she wanted to “Actually, I was their second choice, it's true. But, unfortunately, poor Mrs. Wolf is very old. She is hoping to receive her retirement next year. That's why the team chose her
Millicent was so shocked by those words that she was unable to respond for a few moments. And, unfortunately, Austin recovered his voice much faster than she did. “What bullshit do you think you’re talking about?!” he growled, this time not only slamming his hands against the table, but also standing up abruptly to the point of knocking over the chair he was sitting in “This project is mine! Neither you nor anyone else can take it away from me…!” “Austin!” Evan practically yelled, making his son cringe instantly “What do you think you’re doing, acting like this?! Is this the way you want everyone to think I raised you?” “No, father…” Austin clearly had to force himself to contain himself, picking up the discarded chair on the floor so he could sit down “I'm sorry.” “It’s not just me and our family’s name that you should be apologizing to, but also to everyone present in this room, being forced to watch your childish spectacle!” Evan roared harshly, but his hateful gaze was directe
Millicent's heart pounded so hard for a moment that it felt like it was trying to fly away. Laura's words still sounded so shocking that she felt like she was in a dream. However, faced with all those looks, some filled with revolt and contempt while others were clearly proud of her, Millie forced herself to disguise her reaction, straightening up and acting as everyone would expect of a project manager at the Bianchi Group. “I’m grateful for all of your trust.” She managed to smile calmly, even though she knew she would probably shed a few tears of joy when she was alone “This project… It means a lot to me and I will continue to dedicate myself completely to it.” “That's… That's ridiculous!” Austin stood up again, looking more desperate than ever “This is my project! No one here would be able to develop it better than me! It's not fair
Isaac had already done many difficult things in his life… But going to a girl's house to meet her family was not one of them. “Are you uncomfortable?” Millicent murmured beside him in the backseat of the Bianchis’ car, sounding genuinely concerned, even though there was no reason to be “I’m sorry. I wouldn’t have invited you to such an intimate dinner if I’d known you’d be so nervous…” “I’m not nervous.” He cleared his throat, irritated with himself for knowing that was a lie “Why should I be nervous?” “My parents don’t think I’m driving you home like my boyfriend or anything.” Her voice dropped even lower, as if she didn’t want the driver, an old man who seemed to have known her since she was a child, to hear her “I made that very clear to them. But if my father and brothers still insist on treating you this way, I promise I’ll protect you.” At first, he thought it was a joke, but when she smiled that sweet smile, Isaac knew it was true. Millicent was serious. “Are they really t
“What the fu…!” Isaac growled, grabbing the damn furry thing and trying to pull the claws away from his face before the cat could do more than scratch him “Son of a…” Finally, with one last tug that dragged one of the cat's claws across his temple and nearly drew a little blood, Isaac managed to pull the cat away, only to find himself face to face with the same four-legged bastard they had encountered on the road so long ago. Millicent was certainly giving the thing a royal life, because it no longer looked tiny, dirty, and unkempt, as if it had been chewed up and spat out. It was longer in every way, from its paws to its tail to its bared teeth, snarling loudly as it slashed its claws into the air to try to get at his face once more. “Isaac!” Millicent gasped beside him “What are you doing?” “I didn’t grab it too hard…” he tr
“My mother’s earring?” The words escaped Isaac’s mouth, even though it was a rhetorical question.He would recognize that little pearl anywhere. Especially because it awakened memories in him that Isaac didn't want to remain dormant. "Do you remember?" Millicent let the cat go and the little bastard made a point of standing in front of them, with his face turned away, as if to make it clear that he was ignoring them in protest “That's what you sent me when I asked for something that could help me remember you. You wrote to me that it was something ugly and useless, but it was all you could send me. I never understood why you said something like that. It’s beautiful.” She leaned further against him, almost resting her head on his shoulder.“It’s beautiful now.” He turned the little pearl in his palm, barely able to believe it was shiny and polished again, despite the scratches that appeared under the lights “I can't believe you found someone to clean and renovate that old thing. It was
“What were you guys all alone for until now?” Alessandro’s growl was the first thing Millicent heard when she entered the Dining Room with Isaac, finding her entire family preparing to sit at the perfectly set table. “What did I say about being rude to your sister's guest, Sandro?” Alice scolded him, with an almost exhausted sigh, as she finished placing the silverware on the table “Frankly, I need to talk to your father about encouraging you to imitate his bad habits.” “Well, dad’s not here now, is he?” Millie’s brother grumbled, though his voice was much softer now that he was speaking to their mother’s “I’m the man of the house in his absence and, as such, I can’t allow a stranger to take advantage of my sister under our roof…” “I think you’ve been watching too many medieval series lately, Sandro.” Millie laughed, taking Isaa
“So… the Morellis had children out of wedlock?” Millicent asked, though she couldn’t even bring herself to feel surprised “Well, it’s not like it’s a rare thing. But knowing all the stories about Emma Bianchi and her strict adherence to tradition, I can understand why she wouldn’t let that information get out.” “My grandfather wasn’t exactly a good husband and father.” Dante sighed “When he married my grandmother, it wasn’t a time when most marriages were happy or even consensual. Like many cases back then, their union was planned by their family and neither of them really had positive feelings for each other. It was to be expected that one of them, or even both, would find a lover at some point. But my grandfather was ahead of the curve. When he got married, there was already a maid in the house who had been his lover for some time and,
"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