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CHAPTER 7
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2024-08-23 09:12:08Related chapters
Heartstrings and Agendas CHAPTER 8
MILLIE'S POVI sat perched on the edge of my bumpy bed and stared at the wall like all the answers were on it.Again late, but I really didn't care. My mind strayed to Jay, as my mind has for days now—to my baby boy, sweet little guy who did not have any idea his whole world was about to turn upside down.I wouldn't lose him—but, damn, it felt like everything was stacked against me.I gripped the thin blanket, causing my knuckles to turn white as I tried to calm my racing heart. I had to figure this out. I had to.They can't take my baby away from me.Fuck why is life so unfair…The lawyer's papers, on the bed beside me, reminded me of what all this had to do with.It was the kind of sick joke where everyone else laughed and you stood there unable to do anything.
Last Updated : 2024-08-24Heartstrings and Agendas CHAPTER 9
I visited one of my companies, a modeling agency. By then, I was already boiling with anger because all their models were too skinny and very ugly. I needed bitches with big fluffy asses, sexy-looking bitches not broomsticks. Something clients would see and want to smash. That's how the brand sells and how I attract my top-class clients.My eyes skimmed across the office space: bright walls, polished floors, and beautifully designed interiors.Yes, this was perfect, beauty was my second name.Indirectly inviting clients or impressing them-a totally different story compared to the contents of my head. Here, there was a grave issue, and there wasn't anything that was going to make me sugarcoat it.The faces of employees whom I passed in the hallways turned toward me with smiling eyes, they have no idea how pisses I am at their stupid faces.Their faces changed when I returned their smiles with a scowl.They all knew what was about to happen. They'd seen it before. And to be honest, I
Last Updated : 2024-08-26Heartstrings and Agendas CHAPTER 10
ADANMaybe she stood out so much amidst all that beautiful, polished, glittery world of the modeling agency.Maybe it was just the way she seemed so original—so beautiful in her awkwardness.I shook my head to get her off my mind and then headed for home. ****The ride home to my penthouse apartment was silent, save for the purring of the engine and maybe an occasional honking from the impatient.I still fumed at the chaos that had erupted back at the office. Frustration simmered, not too far from the surface.Lights of the city whizzed by as I gripped tighter on the steering wheel to try and push my anger away.Work was one thing,
Last Updated : 2024-08-27Heartstrings and Agendas CHAPTER 11
ADANI drummed my fingers across the cool surface of my mahogany desk as my mind circled time and again to the fiery redhead who had stormed into the ops room earlier.There was something about Millie that I just couldn't seem to shake.It wasn't just her looks—those certainly didn't lack, either. No, there was something in her that nailed me with pure, wild energy. She was unplugged, not wired to impress people. It alone set her apart from the people bathed in an aura of perfection.I needed new faces, models who could really catch the eye of my elite clients. I'd got too thin, generic girls, nothing that screamed luxury, nothing which would make any to sit up and take notice.But Millie? She was exactly what I needed.That 'it' factor, indefinable and unable to be trained or bought, sat there in her. I could already picture her doing some of those more out-of-there shoots in my head; these were precisely the types that would set my agency worlds ahead of the competition.First, t
Last Updated : 2024-08-28Heartstrings and Agendas CHAPTER 12
MILLIE'S POVIt was supposed to be a chill day today—a very seldom, much-needed day off where I had nothing planned.Not running errands, no shifts—none of that crap dealing with stupid people asking stupid questions. Just me, myself, and Netflix.I was halfway through some cheesy rom-com I'd seen a hundred times, legs crossed with my feet propped up on my coffee table, bowl of popcorn in my lap. Life was good.That is, until my phone buzzed on the couch beside me. I groaned, half tempted to ignore it, but the screen flickered to life with Dean's name, and my stomach did this weird little flip.What the hell does Dean want on my day off?Sighing, I snatched up my phone and swiped to answer."Yeah?"Millie, it's Dean. Listen, I know it's your day off, but Mr. Serrano is asking for you at the
Last Updated : 2024-08-29Heartstrings and Agendas CHAPTER 13
MILLIEThere will be days when you feel as though you're reaching rock bottom, and then there is a day like you find out this is just the beginning of that long descent into madness. Today was that day.I laid sprawled on my couch, eating a bowl of cereal like some crazed woman who hadn't seen food in weeks. The TV was going on about something stupid, some reality show garbage, and I was about two seconds from passing out when my phone rang. Dean. Of all people. On my day off.It crossed my mind very briefly to fling the phone out of the window; but then there was Cassie. If Cassie's assistant, Dean, was calling me then that could only spell trouble. I reached for the pause button on the TV and groaned as I picked up the phone."Mr. Adan wants to see you, now," he rasped over the line, his usual monotone laced with something I'd never heard from him before—panic."And who the bloody hell is Mr. Adan?" I asked, my head still reeling from shock for being dragged to work on my holy day
Last Updated : 2024-09-03Heartstrings and Agendas CHAPTER 14
MILLIEHis eyes haunted me, it was as if he looked right through me and into the darkest recesses of my soul, looking at every doubt that raced through my mind.Finally, upon getting home and walking in those foolish heels, my feet hurt so bad and my head felt like a big jumbled mess. I fell by the side of the couch, my purse slung onto it, and looked up at the ceiling, trying to wrap my brain around all that had just transpired.What the hell was I supposed to do? On the one hand this was a crazy opportunity. The amount of money Mr. Serrano was talking about would change everything for me and Jay.I could finally get out from under this mountain of debt, get a decent lawyer, and maybe-just maybe-win custody of my son. On the other hand.speakeasy? Underground? And that Mr. Serrano had said something along the lines of "demanding work".call it more than a little uneasy. What exactly was he expe
Last Updated : 2024-09-03Heartstrings and Agendas CHAPTER 15
Millie’s POVI was deep in dreamland, snuggled under my blanket my mind half on Jay and half in Dreamland when the shrill ring of my phone yanked me out of my slumber. My first thought was that something terrible had happened. Maybe the world was ending, or worse, someone had figured out I was hiding my dirty laundry under my bed. I groaned, fumbling around in the dark until my hand found the phone. The screen was too bright, and I squinted as I tried to see who was calling me at this ungodly hour. “Sam,” I muttered, a sleepy smile tugging at the corners of my mouth. Of course, it had to be Sam. He was the only person who would dare wake me up at this hour for something that was most likely not an emergency.I answered the call, already bracing myself for whatever craziness he had in store.“Millie! Babe!” Sam’s voice burst through the speaker, loud and enthusiastic, as if it wasn’t the middle of the night. “You won’t believe what I just heard!”“Sam,” I groaned, flopping back ont
Last Updated : 2024-09-04
Latest chapter
Heartstrings and Agendas CHAPTER 46
"Yeah, my neighbor just called. She said he's been asking people if they know where I am."For a second, there was something in Adán's eyes. Then, about that length of time later, it was gone, his face once more returning to the cold mask he wore so often."Did she give a description?" he asked low.I nodded."Yeah,” she said he's tall, has dark hair, and is wearing a suit, sunglasses. sounds like some secret agent type, according to her."Adán was quiet for a moment, his eyes drifting past me as if weighing something. Then he said,"I'll look into it.""You'll look into it?" I echoed frowning. "What does that even mean? You think it's one of your people from the speakeasy?"He didn't say anything, which, of course, did nothing to soothe my nerves. What he did say, though, was
Heartstrings and Agendas CHAPTER 45
He stared at me, his face incredulous, like he couldn't fathom the shit spewing out of my mouth. "Do I look like some kind of man who needs a cooking class?""No, but I do." I snorted and then relaxed back onto the couch. "And just think about the headline. 'Adán Serrano teaches his wife how to cook.' It's gold.".He let out a deep breath and ran his hand through his hair. "Millie, none of this is necessary."I frowned at him. Suddenly, I deflated. "What do you mean? Isn't that the whole point of this? This marriage-to make people think we're the real deal?"Adán's eyes softened just a fraction, and then he regarded me for one silent moment before speaking."We don't have to do any of that because they already believe it."I blinked. "They do?"He nodded. "You're more convincing than you think."I wasn't certain wheth
Heartstrings and Agendas CHAPTER 44
MILLIEI woke up the next morning, tangled in soft bed sheets, for a few seconds and forgot where I was. It all came back: Adán's kiss, the talk, him asking me to share the bed. I rolled over, expecting him to be lying beside me. Of course, there was nobody there; the space beside me had barely been disturbed.Classic Adán.I dragged myself out of bed and rubbed the sleep from my eyes, hearing faint sounds from the other room. I tiptoed out and peered around the corner. There he was, sitting at the small dining table, looking every inch at the business mogul in his crisp white shirt, tapping away on his laptop. There was no softness left on his face from last night."Morning," I said, not meaning actually to sound quite that awkward.He glanced up briefly, and nodded in greeting, but his eyes went right back to his screen. Cold, like the kiss last night, never happe
Heartstrings and Agendas CHAPTER 43
I asked, very aware of how dumb that sounded but enjoying the look of slight shock crossing his face.He laughed-not in offense but more from surprise at my question-and though the sound did come out so, it was a real one, a rare break from his serious reserve."Oh, I don't think a second ceremony is necessary. The courthouse was quite sufficient."I rolled my eyes at that. "Yeah, because nothing says romance like signing papers in front of a judge."That was when his tone changed, and I wasn't expecting it. His eyes caught mine, his voice dropping into something deeper, more serious."You want romance, Millie?"I did blink, taken aback by the force of his tone. I leaned back in my chair, no longer sure where this conversation was going to go."I'll give you romance," he said, continuing, laying his elbows on the table, while bending in closer. "I'll sweep you off your feet, take
Heartstrings and Agendas CHAPTER 42
I rolled my eyes, though a part of me enjoyed that he'd be there to save me. "Yeah, well, try not to look so heroic next time. It's giving people the wrong idea.".I looked at him, and for one brief instant, there was something in his eyes-something gentle, not that cold, businesslike stare to which I was so accustomed to him. Thrown off, I shifted forward in my seat, trying to focus on anything else.I wasn't stupid. I knew why we were here, what we had to do, but for some reason, I felt more involved in this than I should be. We'd agreed this whole marriage thing was just a business deal, a way to get what we both needed. But now, sitting here with him, it wasn't that easy.We sat there for a moment, silence hanging in the air between us. It was awkward, but not in a bad way. It was like we were both thinking the same thing but neither of us wanted to say it.Then out of nowhere, he asked, "Hey, uh
Heartstrings and Agendas CHAPTER 41
Millie's POVI stood by the window as Mr. Serrano entered the room. My fingers were clutched around my phone so tightly that I was afraid I'd crack the screen.Sam had gone nuts, texting like a maniac since I told him the truth about well, about us.My heart was galloping, and I couldn't make out whether I wanted to scream or laugh at it all-the absurdity of it all.I caught Adán's gaze for one flighty second-my heart rate increasing more-before I turned my back to him in an effort to compose myself.Not exactly easy to do when my best friend was on the edge of a mental breakdown, and my sham husband had just strolled into the room.I could feel his gaze on me, that heavy gaze of his that never missed a damn thing. He was going to ask. I knew it."What's going on?" he asked evenly, with no hurry, the complete opposite of what was churning inside me.I bit my lip and kept staring out of the window, pretending somehow that I was still in control. "Just give me a second. I'm trying to ex
Heartstrings and Agendas CHAPTER 40
ADANLater that evening, we decided to grab dinner at the hotel’s restaurant.It was an upscale place, full of wealthy tourists and locals alike, all dressed in designer clothes and dripping in gold.Millie was dressed in one of those gorgeous dresses we bought at the mall, she looked breathtaking.We sat down at a secluded table near the back, and as soon as we did, I noticed Millie fidgeting with her dress, her fingers twisting the fabric absentmindedly.She glanced around the room, taking in the opulent surroundings with a mixture of awe and discomfort.I could tell this wasn’t her usual scene—she preferred something more laid-back, less pretentious.I felt a bit of guilt for dragging her into this world, but it was necessary.We needed to maint
Heartstrings and Agendas CHAPTER 39
ADANI leaned back against the lounge chair, my eyes following the soft ripples in the pool. I could hear distant laughter and the faint sounds of chatter from other hotel guests, but my mind was far away.On Millie.Millie had been quiet since the pool incident, and I couldn’t shake the image of her—so fragile, caught off guard, and vulnerable as she flailed in the water. It wasn’t just the fact that she had fallen; it was the look of panic that struck me. The moment I saw her struggling, instinct took over. I’d jumped in without a second thought.But why?I shook my head, trying to clear it. Isabella, who was lounging beside me with a cocktail in hand, interrupted my thoughts.“Adán, you're lost in your head again,” she teased, giving me a sidelong glance over the top of her sunglasses. “You've been quiet ever since you pulled Millie out of the water. Something on your mind?”I glanced at her briefly, offering a small smile. “No, just thinking about everything. It’s been a long d
Heartstrings and Agendas CHAPTER 38
MILLIEI stood in front of the mirror in the bathroom, running my fingers through my still-damp hair, trying to make sense of everything that had just happened.My face was flushed from embarrassment, my mind replaying the mortifying moment when I slipped and fell into the pool.How does that even happen? Of course, it would happen to me.Typical Millie.After changing out of my wet clothes into a sundress that stopped mid-thigh and slipping into some comfortable sandals, I took a deep breath.The sundress was cute, light blue with tiny floral prints, and it helped me feel less like the clumsy idiot I’d been five minutes ago.At least I was dry now.And Mr. Serrano—Adán—had saved me. Of course, he had to be the one to dive into the pool, looking l
