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35|Never Got Over Him
Last Updated:
2024-12-10 05:16:06
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Reckless Hearts 36|Worth Chasing
Alone at last, the mask of false calm and cheerfulness Holly had worn throughout the intervention finally slipped off, the emptiness hitting her as hard as the sudden fatigue washing over her. She sat on the edge of the bed and pulled her phone from the charger, her heart squeezing in her chest when she saw the time. 11:15 AM. If it was any other day, she'd be at the Institute, warming up at the barre. But it wasn't any other day, and she was in her brother's guest room, contemplating her bleak future. If it weren't for her sheer stubbornness about getting a second opinion, she'd have nothing to do— The phone buzzing in her hand startled Holly out of her gloomy thoughts. She stared at Cooper's name flashing on the screen, debating whether to answer his call. Her heart said no. But her head said yes. She might need servicing soon. Since her social life sucked, and her list of potential bedmates was equally dismal, she'd best not burn that bridge. So she quickly hit 'answer' before
Last Updated : 2024-12-10Reckless Hearts 37|An Andrei Simp
Downstairs, they found James waiting with Aaron, Jace, and another man Holly didn't recognise. James introduced him as Eric, her new driver. Since Willow was playing chauffeur for the day, Holly didn't need Eric's services. She dismissed him, assuring him she'd reach out soon enough. She was about to jump into Willow's car when James stopped her. He scanned the boot of his car and pulled out her crutches. "Your parents forgot to give you these earlier," he said, holding them out to her. Holly wasn't a fan of the crutches, but understood they were necessary. So she took them, thanking James before hobbling off. "Ready to go?" Willow asked when Holly slipped in beside her in the front. "Yeah," she nodded, and within moments, they were on the road, with Eden's security detail following behind them. Holly turned around briefly, glancing at Eden and Riley in the back, "What's up with Aaron and Jace? I thought you dismissed them." "I did." "So why are they tailing us?" "Liam'
Last Updated : 2024-12-19Reckless Hearts 38|Bloody Snake
"Oh goodness. Did I really fall asleep?" Holly mumbled as she yawned in her hand. "You sure did," Willow nodded. "Come on, let's do this!" "You guys go ahead; it's time for a diaper change," Eden said, turning her attention to Riley as she blew raspberries on her belly to distract her so she could remove her pants. "Please, no leaving poop diapers in my car," Willow warned her as they exited the car and approached the Orthopedic wing, each step they took filling Holly with dread. She had liked the idea of a second opinion a lot more when she was contemplating her day in Liam's guest room. Now that she was here, with the cold, harsh smell of sterility only found in hospitals hitting her from every angle, she didn't think she could go through with her mission. She was suddenly terrified that the doctors here would tell her the same things Dr Evans had, that she could still dance, but not professionally, and that it would take nine months, maybe longer, to get her knee to fully functio
Last Updated : 2024-12-19Reckless Hearts 39|Thoroughly Beaten
"What a nosey-ass bitch," Willow seethed when they were alone. "Why did you put up with her nonsense?" Before Holly could reply, Willow's phone rang. It was Eden, and she wanted to know where they were since she couldn't find them in the waiting room. "Go to her," Holly sent her off. "I'll be fine." "Are you sure?" "Dead sure," she insisted with a bright smile. "Call if you need me," Willow said, squeezing her hand before dashing out of the room. Holly sat there for some time, staring at the clock on the wall, growing restless the longer the minutes ticked away. She was about to go and find a nurse and check where the hold-up was when the door burst open, and a tall silver fox she assumed was Dr Erasmus stepped into the room. Her assumptions were proven correct when he introduced himself. "I'm sorry for the long wait," said Dr Erasmus as he sat down. "Glen Eagles was struggling to send us your records—" Holly didn't like the look in his eyes as he perused her file. Like she
Last Updated : 2024-12-19Reckless Hearts 40|Three Days
Three days. Three fucking days of absolute radio silence from Holly. To say the wait was driving Andrei up the wall was an understatement. And for the life of him, he couldn't understand why she'd blatantly ignore him. Tired of staring at his phone and willing it to ping, Andrei picked up the proposal from the internal comms team for a group-wide family fun day and tried to redirect his energy to the important stuff. But, no matter how hard he tried to focus, the numbers made absolutely no sense to him. "Damn you, Holly Anderson," he cursed as he pushed the file away and reached for his phone again, hoping to see a message notification from her. But all he got was a bunch of texts from the family screaming for his attention. One was from his father, reminding him to bring his 'mystery girlfriend' to the meeting with the Petrovs the following Monday. Andrei knew his old man was trying to rile him up, and his level of pettiness did not deserve a text back. But he still fell for it
Last Updated : 2024-12-19Reckless Hearts 41|Breaking Kneecaps
For a Friday afternoon, After Dark was already hopping with a sleazy crowd of office workers, getting ready to usher in a weekend of drinking and some lap dancing. Andrei and Igor skipped the bar and headed straight to the back office in the basement, where they found Daniel in the middle of stuffing his safe with thick wads of cash. "Looks like we came at the right time," Andrei couldn't help but smile when he saw the horror on the man's face. "I was about to call you—" "You don't say!" Andrei said as he crossed the room and sat in the crusty office chair behind an equally distressed metal table. With the copious amounts of money that After Dark raked in daily, one would think Daniel would do something about his drab office space. But it seemed the man's tightfistedness also extended to his personal comforts. Igor pressed his back against the door and casually twirled his Glock in his hand, his message loud and clear. They didn't want any mess, but if Daniel wanted to play hard
Last Updated : 2024-12-19Reckless Hearts 42|Weaving Some Kind Of Magic
Their business with Paula, a tired-looking Polish woman in her early fifties, was far more amiable than their encounter with Daniel, and they were out of there in no time. Andrei went straight to the penthouse in Forrest Creek after he left Igor, and had a quick shower and a change of clothing before heading to The Castle. Almost an hour later, he was at the Italian restaurant directly opposite the hotel's lobby, nursing a glass of bourbon and a cigarette while waiting for Anton Du Toit, the CEO of Nexus, a startup company disrupting the biotech space with its innovative approach to DNA testing. Andrei checked the time on his phone and frowned when he saw they were fast approaching 7:00 PM, and there was still no sign of the man. "He'll be here," he told himself as he glanced at the door, his heart stuttering a little when his gaze landed on the last person he expected to see at The Castle. "Well, well," he murmured as he dumped the still-full glass of bourbon on the table and
Last Updated : 2024-12-19Reckless Hearts 43|Scared Shitless
Holly fumed her way to the presidential suite, unable to believe Andrei's audacity. She found Cooper just as mad, and for the longest time, she had to sit there and listen to him rant and rave about his deep dislike for Andrei."Who the hell does he think he is?" he raged as he paced the living area. "And how dare you dismiss me in front of him! I'm your boyfriend. If anything, you should have sent him away. But instead, you choose him over me.""I didn't choose him over you! He has a business proposal, and I had to hear him out," she explained for what had to be the hundredth time. Cooper, though, wasn't having any of it. "If it was as innocent as you claim, you wouldn't have sent me away," he insisted as he watched her unpack her clothes. "What's going on with you?" he continued when he didn't get a response from her. "You drop off the face of the earth for three days, and then decide to move out of your place. Would you have told me you were moving out if I didn't stop by?"Holl
Last Updated : 2024-12-28
Latest chapter
Reckless Hearts 120|Love Was Meant For Other People
If anyone had asked Andrei how he felt at that moment, with Holly in his arms and his mom's ring on her finger, he would have told them he was delirious with joy. But honestly, that, too, didn't even come close to describing the happiness swelling in his heart. In fact, he was so ecstatic he wondered how it wasn't a crime for anyone to be as happy as he was."You've made me so happy, Milaya," Andrei whispered, kissing Holly's forehead. All his life, he had always believed love was meant for other people—good, deserving people like Liam and Levi. And until a few weeks ago, marriage was the furthest thing from his mind. But now, with just a simple 'yes' to his proposal, Holly had opened the door to a world of possibility."You have no idea how happy I am right now," he murmured in her hair. "I could die this moment, and I'll be okay with it—"Holly playfully slapped him on his arm, chastising him, "Hey, don't joke about dying, especially after today.""It was just a figure of speech,"
Reckless Hearts 119|Endure
Eventually, Holly got over her stunned shock and spluttered out her confusion, her eyes roaming wildly over Andrei's face in search of answers. "But Naomi said it's from Mexico!" "Naomi's right. That vial is from Mexico. There are only ninety-nine others in the country. Or at least there were.""What do you mean?""Like I said, Jonah or whoever he's working for stole the drugs from me, and it would be remiss of me to let them get away with it," Andrei replied and swiftly changed the subject, asking her how long the doctors planned to keep her at the hospital, even though she'd already told him it was only for tonight."I should be discharged tomorrow.""I'll pick you up," he offered, but Holly shot him down, reminding him there were four men outside her door, watching her every move under the guise of keeping her safe. If it hadn't been for her phone call to Eric, he wouldn't have been allowed to see her."So what are you saying?" Andrei asked as he touched the ring in his pocket for
Reckless Hearts 118|Glimpses Of Herself
With seven minutes to go, Andrei charmed the nurses into letting him see Holly early, sweet-talking his way to her private ward. His luck ran out when he found four of Liam's guys, including Eric, Holly's driver, standing guard outside her door."You shouldn't be here," said Eric as he got up in Andrei's face. "Miss Anderson almost died because of you."Ignoring him, Andrei pulled out his phone and called Holly. "Milaya," he said when she picked up. "Where are you? You sound so close.""I'm outside your room, but your guard dogs won't let me in.""Let me talk to them," she said and hung up. A moment later, Eric's phone rang. He picked up Holly's call and let Andrei through without saying a word.Holly's face lit up like a Christmas tree when Andrei stepped inside. She shoved her bed covers aside and sprung to her feet. But the pain in her knee sent her crashing back on the bed, and she howled in agony.Andrei was at her side in a heartbeat, asking as he cradled her in his arms, "Wha
Reckless Hearts 117|The Real Deal
Andrei was in Forrest Creek just as the sun dipped in the horizon, catching Helga as she was about to knock off. "Your dinner's in the microwave," she told him as she gathered her stuff. "And don't forget I'm not in for the rest of the week. My daughter—" "Thanks, Helga." Andrei smiled at her and saw her off, telling her to enjoy her time off with her new grandkid. With just under an hour before visiting hours, Andrei dashed upstairs to freshen up, scoffing down his dinner while getting dressed. When he was done, he called Monique to confirm the chopper was ready to pick up his twin from Poolsmoor prison bright and early tomorrow. "I thought prisons had strict rules about this sort of thing," said Monique, sounding as exhausted as Andrei felt. "And I thought I paid you enough to know when something is not your business, Monique!" Andrei retorted and promptly hung up on her. She was right, though. Prisons had strict protocols in place when it came to prisoner transfers. But Andrei
Reckless Hearts 116|Fought A Thousand Battles
"What is this about now, Papa?" Andrei asked. "Sit!" Nikolai pointed at the armchair while he made himself comfortable behind his desk. "I'll get Pavel to bring in some refreshments, and since you're here, maybe you can stay for supper?" "No thanks," Andrei declined the seat, drink and meal, explaining he had to take Ivan to the airport. "Where's he flying to?" asked Nikolai, resting his hands on the surface of his desk. "Botswana," Andrei replied, but didn't offer any more information, and he was glad when his father didn't press for details. "Your brother's transfer is happening tomorrow?" Nikolai's statement sounded more like an accusation than a question, and Andrei wasn't sure how to respond. Nikolai took the decision out of his hands when he went for the offensive, accusing Andrei of keeping him in the dark. "Why did I have to hear from your assistant that your twin is coming home?" "Maybe if you had answered Leks' calls, you wouldn't have had to hear it from Monique.
Reckless Hearts 115|Shone as brightly
"Give me five minutes," Andrei said when they pulled into the horseshoe driveway and parked close to the front door a little while later. "You'd better hurry up. I have a flight to catch," Ivan retorted, reminding him about his trip to Botswana. The team of four guys he'd assembled to bring Sienna in were already on their way to the airport. "Yes, sir!" Andrei called over his shoulder, giving his lieutenant a mock salute as he ran up the front steps. The housekeeping staff were taken aback when he stepped into the lavish foyer and found them polishing the bannisters of the grand double staircase. "Mr Ivanov, we weren't expecting you." "I know!" Andrei replied. He never made unplanned stops. And if it weren't for his father's insistence to have a home-cooked meal with him at least once a week, he wouldn't even bother coming by. The place had stopped feeling like a home long before his mom died. "What can we do for you, sir?" The two ladies asked, ready to be of service, as they
Reckless Hearts 114|Like A Pendulum
"First time?" asked Thabo, Lev's mortuary technician friend. His brilliantly white teeth, as he smiled at Andrei, were a stark contrast to his smooth mahogany skin. "Hardly," Andrei replied and quickly shut his mouth, afraid if he didn't, the unbearably warm stench would creep into him and taint every inch of his soul. They passed several closed doors as Thabo led them down an endless corridor. He candidly explained that the air-conditioning system was out of order, hence the humidity and smell. "We logged it two days ago, but they have yet to send the technicians to fix it. I guess no one cares about the material comforts of the dead," he said, taking them deeper into the bowels of the morgue. Just when Andrei began to think the man had no idea where they were going, Thabo abruptly stopped in front of a cavernous room whose metal doors were wide open, like a gaping mouth. "There they are," he said, pointing at several bodies lying on cadaver carriers. "Why are they out in the o
Reckless Hearts 113|Seen And Smelled Death
"I was surprised you went with orchids," said Diane, the beaded strands tinkling softly as she pushed the curtain back in place and returned to her workstation."Aesthetically wise, I would have gone with roses," she added, setting the potted plant on the table. "Anything but roses!" Andrei murmured, running his fingers on the tips of pink tulips peeking out from an elaborate arrangement on the counter beside the cash register."But I like the symbolism behind orchids," she continued, as if Andrei hadn't spoken. Her hands moved deftly as she got down to work and performed magic with the Spanish moss, curly willow vines and some clippers. "Did you know that orchids were associated with virility in ancient Greece? In fact, Greek women believed that if the father of their unborn child consumed large, new orchid tubers, the baby would be a boy. If the mother ate small orchid tubers, she would give birth to a girl."Andrei didn't know this, of course. He'd chosen orchids for their enduran
Reckless Hearts 112|Vaguely of Sympathy, Jaded Dreams and Romance
A fleshy bud of dark, wilting petals peeked at Andrei amidst the jagged pieces of broken glass. He picked it up, twirling the thin, broken stem between his thumb and forefinger as he scanned the street for a nearby florist shop. When he found none, the coldness in his veins steadily turned to ice. Troubled, he carefully wrapped the withered bulb with his silk handkerchief and stuffed it in the inner breast pocket of his tailored cashmere coat before returning to the car, unable to shake off the unsettling feeling of dread in the pit of his stomach. "Lev called," Ivan announced as he watched Andrei buckle up. "He wants us to meet him at the morgue." Andrei glanced at his Cartier and nodded. The next slot for visiting hours at Glen Eagles Mediclinic, where Holly was being kept overnight for observation, was at 7:00 PM. There was still plenty of time before then. "Let's do it," he said, texting Austin, urging him to meet him at Crush around 10:00 PM. After a flurry of back-a
