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50|Desperate Times
Last Updated:
2024-12-31 04:12:37
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Reckless Hearts 51|Wilful Arrogance
Andrei quickly reached behind him for his gun and aimed it at Cooper. "Lock the door and shut the blinds," he said, motioning to him to get moving. Cooper was smart enough to do as he was told, reading the situation for exactly what it was, a nightmare that could end in a few minutes or last several hours based on his choices alone. "What is this? How did you get in?" Cooper asked, and Andrei had to admire his ability to remain calm even when his world was spiralling into chaos and the walls of his cookie-cutter townhouse were fast closing in on him. Had he not touched Holly, Andrei might have even liked him a little for trying to scare him off as he clumsily waved his phone around and threatened to call the cops if he didn't let go of his precious Chloe. "Relax," Andrei said dismissively. "I'm not a psychopath. I don't hurt defenceless animals. You know who else I don't hurt?" When Cooper remained mute, he continued as he set Chloe beside him, "Women!" "I don't know what you'
Last Updated : 2025-01-09Reckless Hearts 52|Follow The Trail
Andrei didn't have time to panic and stress over his countless mistakes with Cooper. He had a meeting with his attorney. So, when he got home, he jumped into the shower again and changed into a fresh set of clothing, removing all hints of his extracurricular activities. Adrian Blaine, heir to Blaine Inc, a law firm catering to Rock Castle's royalty, arrived soon after, and they settled down on the patio. Over a hearty breakfast, courtesy of Helga, they worked on the purchase agreement, oblivious to the cool morning breeze and the miserable view of the once-majestic Cape Dutch building across the road. Halfway through their meal, Andrei threw a spanner in the works when he asked Adrian to draw up a year-long marriage contract and a prenup agreement. "Excuse me?" the attorney choked on his coffee, panic flickering on his face as he coughed and gasped for air. "Did I hear you correctly?" he continued once his coughing fit had died down. "You want a marriage contract and prenup agr
Last Updated : 2025-01-09Reckless Hearts 53|Not Backing Down For Anyone
"Out with it," Nikolai said once the door clicked in place, and they had all the privacy in the world. "With what?" "Your plan. What are you thinking?" "Mikhail plans to start his own outfit," Andrei announced. "Are you sure?" Nikolai asked, holding his head in his hands. "Jesus, Andrei, you can't go around making such accusations. The last time we thought someone planned to branch out—" "You killed an entire family," Andrei finished off his statement for him. "You killed Kristof and his entire family, and all for what?" "Why don't you just come right out and say it? Get it off your chest. I know you still hate me for what I did to Mila—" "Papa!" Andrei gritted his teeth, the rage he'd long locked away threatening to break free. "I begged you not to do it. I pleaded with you to stand down, and what the hell did you do? You slaughtered all of them, and for what?" "I was acting on the information I had at the time!" Nikolai defended himself as he stood up and glared at him, his
Last Updated : 2025-01-09Reckless Hearts 54|Insanity At Its Finest
Holly awakened to a deluge of emails and DM's on her social networks. All were from Cooper. All were sent after she blocked his phone number. And all were in the same vein, gravitating between despair and deranged threats. "This is crazy," she whispered as she read one of his emails, her eyes growing huge with disbelief and disgust the further down she went. She wasn't expecting an apology, but Cooper was truly doing the most by trying to minimise his actions and going as far as placing all the blame on her. It was one thing to assault her and another to absolve himself of all blame. This was insanity at its finest, and his cowardly actions left a bitter taste in her mouth. She made up her mind there and then to make him account for his actions. Mad as hell and ready to take back the power Cooper had stolen from her, Holly grabbed her laptop and gobbled down two hazel-nut croissants and three cups of coffee while searching the internet for information on applying for a protection o
Last Updated : 2025-01-09Reckless Hearts 55|A Mess Of Things
Holly didn't realise she'd spoken out loud until the nurse replied with a genial smile, "I thought you knew? Isn't that why you're here?" "What's wrong with him?" Holly asked, shooting the nurse a pleading look. "Are you a family member?" Holly shook her head, and the nurse clammed up when she realised she may have shared more than she should have. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't be discussing this with you," the nurse quickly excused herself, but Holly stopped her before she could slip away. "I know you can't tell me anything about Mr Ivanov's condition, but can you, at least, answer this?" "What?" "Mr Ivanov's son—" "He has a son?" The nurse's shocked response told Holly everything she needed to know. She thanked her for her time and retraced her steps, her mind racing with a million thoughts as Eric drove her to Glen Eagles. Her parents, cosying up around the fire in the living room, were surprised but happy to see her. Her father immediately scooted over to make room for her on
Last Updated : 2025-01-09Reckless Hearts 56|Locked In
Holly dashed to the guest bathroom and closed the door before returning Andrei's call. It rang for a long time before his voicemail picked up. She didn't leave a message because she doubted people still checked their voice messages. So she texted him, asking him to return her call. She lingered in the bathroom, thinking he'd call back. But when five minutes had passed, and he still hadn't called, she left the bathroom, stunned to find her parents waiting just outside the door with worried frowns etched on their faces. "What is it?" Holly asked, her gut tightening as her mind began racing with frightening thoughts. "Did something happen? Is it Willow? Is it Liam?" "No, honey," Lois replied. "We thought...we thought..." "I was hurting myself," Holly finished off the words for her. "Were you?" Clarke asked. "Of course not!" Holly said, shaking her head. "I promised I wouldn't." And she hadn't cut herself since her chat with Katherine. But Lord knew it was hard, especially after h
Last Updated : 2025-01-09Reckless Hearts 57|Thief Of Hearts
"Are you okay?" Andrei asked, sitting down on the opposite end of the elevator, and resting his back against the wall. "I'm fine," Holly responded with a quick nod, assuring him. She was more than fine, actually. How could she not be when she was alive and well? For a terrifying moment there, it didn't look good. She'd been so damn sure that this was it for them, that they'd be plunged to their horrific deaths and end up as minced meat at the bottom of the elevator shaft. "This is probably not how you wanted to spend your evening," Andrei said, his jaw clenched, his eyes closed as he massaged his neck. "It's okay," she replied, focusing on the positives. After all, there were far worse fates than being stuck in an elevator with the man of her dreams. A man with whom she had just shared a passionate kiss moments before disaster struck. Holly's hand automatically flew to her mouth, lightly touching her lips with her fingertips at the memory of their kiss, the feel of Andrei's arms a
Last Updated : 2025-01-21Reckless Hearts 58|Like Drinking Poison
Holly gulped at the intensity of Andrei's gaze, flicking her tongue over her suddenly parched lips as she rubbed her clammy hands on her pants. "You have got to stop doing that," he groaned, holding his head in his hands. Wide-eyed, she asked, "What? What did I do?" "That thing you do with your tongue!" "What thing?" "Forget it!" Andrei replied. "Just don't do it!" "Fine then!" Holly laughed, returning to the dull, throbbing pain in her knee. She'd banged it up pretty badly when they were thrown around the elevator earlier, and now Dawid's hard work had gone to waste. "So?" Andrei prompted her, jerking his head at her knee. "It's a little sore," she admitted. "But I'll live." "You should sue Van Holt Industries," he ranted, the ghostly torchlight on his phone illuminating his chiselled face. If 'golden ratio' was a person, it was definitely Andrei. His sculpted features created a perfect sense of balance and harmony— "—So you're okay with this? With being stuck here for hou
Last Updated : 2025-01-21
Latest chapter
Reckless Hearts 83|A Debt Owed Is A Debt Repaid
"What does a girl have to do to get your attention?" Veronika asked, placing her arms over the railing as she paused beside him. Andrei turned slightly to look at her, his eyebrows shooting up, surprised she'd chosen to lead with that, given their relationship."So?" she pressed, beaming at him as if it was the most natural thing in the world.Andrei looked her up and down, taking her in—from her Marilyn Monroe-inspired hairstyle to the classic Hollywood red dress hugging her slim frame to the snow-white fur coat hanging loosely around her shoulders. She was an attractive woman, no doubt. But knowing what he knew about her, her dazzling looks and megawatt smile only made his skin crawl, and he wanted nothing more than to pull out his gun and shoot her dead. Not for Iris this time. But for being a nuisance. He didn't know how else to drill it into her pretty little head that they would never be a thing. The million little fires in his heart burned for one woman, and Veronika wasn't th
Reckless Hearts 82|All The Money In The World
"Speaking of decorum," said Elena, crinkling her nose in disgust at Andrei and Holly. "This little thing you have will have to end when you and Veronika tie the knot. We do not approve of mistresses—""I'll say it one last time— I am not marrying Veronika!" Andrei announced calmly. Holding Holly's hand up possessively, just in case he wasn't clear enough, he continued, "This is the woman I intend to build a life with. Nothing you or my father say will make me change my mind.""Let's all enjoy the meal; we can discuss logistics later," Nikolai suggested, trying to take control of a rapidly deteriorating situation."I don't think so," Vladimir pushed back, insisting there was no better time than the present to conclude their marriage negotiations. "There's nothing to negotiate," Andrei growled, staring him down. Seconds stretched into a minute, and then some, with neither Andrei nor Vladimir backing off, the tension in the room growing so thick it was almost suffocating. "Vlad!" Vero
Reckless Hearts 81|Ramp It Up
When Andrei and Holly stepped back into the Polo Bar, Nikolai and the Petrovs were about to dig into their entrées. Unbothered by Roman and Elena's enraged glances following them to their seats, Andrei played the part of a man in love to a tee as he helped Holly settle in. Whispering sweet nothings to her, he removed her coat and held out the chair for her, making sure she was comfortable beside him, before calling a waitress to bring them menus. "Maybe you should tone it down a little," Holly suggested for his ears only as she browsed the selection of entrées. "Everyone looks uncomfortable." "I think we should ramp it up," Andrei disagreed. And ramp it up, he did, as he leaned into her and they browsed the menu together, his arm hanging loosely over her backrest. Hard as he tried to keep his hands to himself, he couldn't resist the urge to run his fingers on her sheer sleeves. The hint of her skin was doing all kinds of things to him— "What are you in the mood for?" Holly aske
Reckless Hearts 80|All The Broken, Messed-Up Pieces
"You've truly lost your mind," Holly whispered as she spun away from him. "How the hell would that even work? I can't be anything to anyone, and you, more than anyone else in my life, know exactly how fucked up I am in the head, Drei. I cut myself when I can't cope. The only constant in my life is the intrusive thoughts living rent-free in my head. What good would I be to anyone when I'm so damn broken?" "Oh, Baby," Andrei said, reaching for her and kissing her forehead. "Don't you see? None of that matters to me. I want all the broken, messed up pieces of you. I want them all, even the ugly, scary ones—" "No, you have to find someone else," Holly said as she pulled away and began pacing again. "I am not marriage material. I don't want a husband and kids and the mansion!" Baffled by her response, Andrei asked, "Why not?" "Because it's all so mundane, boring, and ordinary. I'm not meant for any of that." "Is that what you think?" he asked, slowly approaching her. "That marriage—n
Reckless Hearts 79|Reign Supreme
For several seconds following his bombshell announcement, Andrei could swear he could hear a pin drop as a wave of stunned, heavy silence rolled through the room, sweeping them all up in its tense embrace. Then, as if a sorcerer had waved his magic wand and awakened them all from a deep slumber, it was pandemonium. Roman led the charge, bellowing his outrage at Andrei's blatant disrespect. All the English he knew flew out of the window, along with his composure, as he switched to Russian, promising swift retaliation if Nikolai dared to go back on his word. Not one to be outshone, Elena joined the fray and took a page from her husband's book, screaming at Andrei to get his shit together. "Your marriage with Veronika is going ahead as planned, with or without your say-so!" she fumed in her native tongue, pointing her blood-red talon-like fingers at Andrei. Firmly on their parents' side, Vladimir and Zhakariy threatened the Ivanovs with unprecedented violence if they didn't
Reckless Hearts 78|Paled In Comparison
Clutching several gift bags in one hand, and holding a Kelly bag and a walking cane in the other, Holly was the epitome of beauty and grace in a classic black dress, matching satin pumps and a burgundy coat draped around her shoulders. Her long hair, pulled away from her face in a French twist, and the minimal jewellery she'd chosen, tied her look together beautifully, giving her an air of timelessness.She nervously glanced around the room, scanning the sea of unfamiliar faces. Relief and something Andrei wanted to believe was joy flashed in her eyes when her gaze finally settled on him, her big, unrestrained smile warming up the room. As he sat there, unable to believe she was truly there, and not a figment of his imagination, Andrei couldn't help but think how all the peonies he'd sent her over the years—and he reckoned he'd sent her over a thousand since he saw her first show two years ago—paled in comparison with her. Hard as Andrei tried to resist the pull, he couldn't. So, he
Reckless Hearts 77|Throw In The Towel
Traffic to The Empress was a breeze, and Andrei was at the hotel before everyone. He threw his car keys at the valet and headed to the Polo Bar on the second floor. He shrugged off his coat and sat in one of the Wingback chairs facing the masonry fireplace, appreciating the tasteful decor as he thawed out in front of the fire. On a typical day, the space doubled as a conference room for corporates or a wedding reception venue for smaller crowds. Today, it was specially transformed into an intimate setting for the supper with the Petrovs. "Can I get you something to drink, Mr Ivanov?" asked one of the waitstaff assigned to their party, handing Andrei a leather-bound menu. Before he could order his usual bourbon, his father strolled in with Pavel at his side. "Where is the mystery girlfriend?" he asked after they hugged and Pavel helped him out of his coat. Good question, Andrei thought as he pulled out his phone to check if Holly had texted him. "So, where is she?" Nikolai pre
Reckless Hearts 76|But The Flowers
After briefly chatting with Holly and confirming they were still on for supper at The Empress, Andrei hunkered down for another hour and worked through Aero's financial statements before calling it a day, not bothering to check up on a sulky Monique on his way out. Ever since he put her in her place, ending all her involvement in his personal life—from being his plus-one at company events to performing personal-related tasks for him—she had become a little harder to deal with. Today, she was especially combative, sniping at him for the most minor tasks he asked of her, as if he were an inconvenience and not the man who paid her salary. Monique was one slip-up away from being shipped to one of their overseas offices. "Boss!" she ran out of her office now when she saw him stroll past, her Marc Jacobs stilettos clicking furiously on the gleaming floors. "What is it, Monique?" Andrei asked, shaking off her hand. The only hands he wanted on him were Holly's. The only smile he wan
Reckless Hearts 75|So Damn Depraved
Weak as a newborn calf, Holly crumpled to the floor, holding her head in her hands as she pressed her clammy back on the cool, tiled wall. Angry didn't even begin to describe her feelings. She was mad as hell, not only at Russel and Naomi, but also at herself, because in her desperation to protect Andrei, she'd unknowingly allowed Cooper to get away with his crimes again. How many other women would he hurt because she was too much of a coward to stand up to him? How many more women would he break because she'd chosen love over her gut instinct? Still reeling from shock, Holly stumbled to her feet and returned to the VIP booth, her head pounding louder than the EDM music shaking the walls. She found Russel and Naomi snorting lines of coke on the coffee table, not in the least shocked or surprised. She wasn't the only cokehead in their circle; drug use was common. "Here, have some," Naomi offered, throwing a stainless steel snuff bullet at her. "It'll take the edge off." With
