Finally, he spoke, low and controlled. "Is there something amusing you two would care to share with the rest of us?"
I opened my mouth, but no words came out. Isabella wasn't much help either; she stared at him with wide, guilty eyes. Great. We were coming off like a pair of schoolgirls who'd been caught gossiping about the principal.
"Well?" he prodded, taking far too much pleasure in our discomfort. His lips actually arced into the tiniest hint of a smirk. "I'm all ears."
I started to cough, desperate to think of an excuse that wouldn't make me sound like a complete moron. "Um…we were just talking about…um, some funny movie I just saw?"
"A funny movie," he repeated. His smirk grew, and he didn't believe me for a second. Quite rightly, really-we were crap liars.
"Yeah!" Isabella jumped in, her voice a little over-eager. "It was a comedy. You know, one of those comedies that's really slapstick
I came into the room, my head still scrambled from that impossible, improbable meeting with Mr. Serrano at the pool.All my life I could never have imagined such a friendly conversation, let alone such words of appreciation for my work.And, of course, the way he danced on FaceTime with the little girl-that was a whole other reality. Mr.Serrano, fearsome, dreaded Mr. Serrano-had a human side.It was all too much, really, for this instant to process in my head, which needed some clearing. Because the sun had baked me alive by the pool, my clothes were stuck in uncomfortably.A change of clothes was most definitely in order-something casual and relaxed that would help me unwind.The moment I stepped inside the room, I instinctively locked it behind my back, forgetting for a while that I wasn't going to be the only occupant in it.
My heart stopped.Slowly, I turned around, wide-eyed in horror as Mr. Serrano entered the room; he wasn't looking at me first, seemed engrossed with whatever was on his phone, but the second he looked up, his entire body froze. There I was: half-naked in nothing but my underwear, standing right in the middle of the room.I just blanked out in my head. I was immobile, couldn't even utter one word. It seemed like the time really stopped, and all that I was doing was fix my gaze on him with wide eyes while, in my brain, the comprehension of what really just happened registered.Mr. Serrano's eyes blinked once, and then again, like he clearly hadn't expected to see me there like that. His gaze darted from my face, to my…less-than-fully-clothed state…back to my face again. For the first time since I'd met him, he looked utterly and completely shocked.Neither of us said a word.
Sam burst into such loud laughter it took him ages to sober up enough to say, "Millie, I swear, you're living in some kind of rom-com. Seriously, this is what movies are made from."."This is not a rom-com, Sam! It's a nightmare!" I sat up on the bed again, my cheeks hot once more, just with the recollection. "I cannot believe this happened. He probably thinks I am some kind of idiot or something.""Or he thinks you're bold and confident," Sam teased. "Hey, who knows, maybe he'll appreciate the view.""Sam!" I reprimanded, though I couldn't help but giggle a little. It wasn't funny."It's a little funny.""Okay, maybe it's a little," I said, passing a frustrated hand through my hair. "But seriously, what am I supposed to do? I can't avoid him forever. We're on a trip together.I could still hear Sam chuckling on the other end of the line. "You just have to own it, Millie. Act like it's
ADAN GREY SERRANOThe moment I stepped into the room, I lifted up my eyes from my phone and my eyes locked on Millie, and for a split second, everything else disappeared.There she stood, in nothing but her underwear, pacing around the room as if she owned the place, laughing into her phone without a care in the world.Her green eyes went wide with shock as finally, it clicked in her head that I was standing there, and I had to use everything in me not to let my gaze linger on her curves, the way they filled out her lacey bra and underwear.Her red hair was wild-looking-like she had just rolled from bed-but only added to the appeal.It framed her face in messy curls, those intense green eyes still fixed on me like she was unable to believe what was happening. Nor could I.The whole thing felt unreal, like I'd walked into some kind
I shook my head, trying to banish the thought. This wasn't about feelings. It couldn't be.I needed to keep my eyes on the prize: crowning the business, saving the legacy.Something I wasn't exactly sure I wanted to confront.I let my breath out and stepped away from the window.I needed something to keep my mind off all of this. I needed to be able to think clearly with the constant reminder of Millie's presence looming over me.But with every word, I knew it was just another lie. I couldn't seem to keep her off my mind no matter how hard I was trying to push her away, and the more I tried to push her, the stronger the pull became.I had to figure this out, and soon. Time was running out, and I couldn't afford to wait much longer.But for now, I decided to hold off on asking Millie. The timing wasn't right, and I wasn't ready. Not
As soon as we got back to the room, I chucked my jacket on the chair, feeling the weight of the day settle into my bones. I didn't look at Millie, but I could feel her presence beside me as we entered, and I needed a shower. Something to clear my head and focus my thoughts because right now, they were all over the place."I'm gonna hit the bathroom," I said, though it was more for myself than for her."Sure," Millie replied absently, already drifting toward her side of the room.I disappeared into the bathroom, letting the steam rise as I stepped under the hot water. My mind kept circling back to the mess I was in—the two-week deadline, the weight of my grandfather's legacy on my shoulders, the shareholders. Then there was Millie. The picture of her in her underwear from earlier still loomed, vivid and frustrating. She didn't have any idea how much she messed with my head, and it was getting harder and harder to ke
MILLIE POV I walk down the busy streets of Los Angeles trying to get to work before Cassie has my head sitting pretty on her desk, watering my tendrils every morning. Wasn't just ready to receive taunts and remarks about my choice of clothes, brand of shoes and how I look like a trash lunch lady on a gloomy summer morning, type of lip gloss I wore and whatever nonsense that she spews out from those brains of hers. It is a mystery how she got this job, well apart from her dad’s connections. Her brain is literally the size of a pea in a pod. By 1am, she sent an email about this impromptu meeting which is to be held by 11 am this morning. I went bananas when I woke up to the notification by 10:35. Like who does that!! I thought beauty queens value their night sleep more than chocolates. How the hell does she expect me to be awake by 1am after the workload she dumped on me. Heck! I slept by the foot of the kitchen door because I was too tired to drag my ass to the bed.I rounded the
MILLE POV“Those are our targets. The affluent. The rich. Don't want some middle-class lady or peasant using my product as a body cream. Or use it to fry some eggs because they can't have the patient to wait for it to work. The rich will invest in it because in the long run they will still look young like me”. Cassie smiled, giving a twirl for everyone to see. Her short mini skirt bounced with her.I wonder if she still feels that this is high school or sophomore.“And there you have it…. our loss”. Eva, a bursty, dark-hair girl with deep brown eyes. Button nose and pale pink lips spoke up. Oh! My best friend too.“Excuse me”“Your product is failing Cassie. It's our loss. You don't value any other person's opinion if it doesn't align with how you feel. You don't listen to anyone's idea or pitch. Alec just made a good suggestion. Millie gave a good pitch on the first day but you didn't even let her finish. Stacy gave a good face cover and ideas on how to promote the product. But no,