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91|On Paper
Last Updated:
2025-03-13 04:26:19
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Reckless Hearts 92|Too Far Gone
"I was afraid of this," Levi muttered as he ran his hand through his hair, all the while glaring at Andrei. "When I saw the videos, I knew you're too far gone. It's clear that some kind of fatal attraction shit is going on between you two, and it's only a matter of time before shit hits the fan. Liam will end you—""I'm aware of that. But I'm not backing down," Andrei replied, the conviction in his words matching the determination in his eyes. "Holly is…Holly is important to me. I'm not willing to give her up. I admit, at first, I didn't care about her. She was a means to an end and a way to get what I wanted. But these past few weeks, I've seen so many sides to her I didn't even know existed.""What do you mean?"Andrei took a sip from his glass and replied, "Honestly, I don't know how to explain it. But there's something about Holly, man. She gets me. With her, I can just be myself. I don't have to be Aero's CEO or the Ivanov's crime family boss. When I'm with her, I'm just Andrei,
Last Updated : 2025-03-13Reckless Hearts 93|You Are What You Dream
Andrei had seen death more times than he cared to count in the past. He'd had close brushes with it, too. In fact, with all the violence in his world, he'd become so desensitised to it that even the smell of it didn't bother him anymore.But this was Holly. The woman he was supposed to marry. The woman he intended to build a life with. She couldn't be dead. Not like this. Not on his watch."No, Holly, Baby, wake up!" He whispered as he tightly shut his eyes and mentally shook the terrifying image from his mind, praying that the next time he opened them again, his life would be exactly as it was before they came to bed just an hour ago. But when he dared open his eyes again, blinking several times just to make sure his mind was not playing tricks on him, and the same brutal scene greeted him, another primal scream reverberated through the room. How?How did any of this happen?Holly was alive and well just an hour ago. But now…now she was as cold as death."It's impossible!"
Last Updated : 2025-03-13Reckless Hearts 94| Destined To Harm Those Close To Him
Still reeling from all the shit he'd been through tonight alone, a dumbfounded Andrei could only stare at the container in his hand as he cycled through every emotion under the sun, from shock to disbelief to guilt. Weeks earlier, when Holly showed up here, high as a fucking kite, he suspected she was using. He'd even tried warning Liam. But to hold the actual proof in his hand and to know that it wasn't some random drug dealer's product she was likely addicted to, but his own, made Andrei sick to his stomach. Hot bile rose in his gut and surged through his throat, and hard as he tried to force it back down to that deep, dark place where it belonged, he couldn't. He puked a little in his mouth, disgusted with himself and the damage he'd caused Holly. Terrified he'd never be able to hold on to his dinner for a moment longer, he scrambled to the guest bathroom and clung to the toilet bowl for dear life as he violently threw up everything he'd consumed that night, including the fine s
Last Updated : 2025-04-01Reckless Hearts 95|Compromised
"Drug lord?" Andrei stammered, Holly's words knocking the wind right out of him. Yes, he was the head honcho of a criminal organisation and knew precisely the damage his drugs were doing, not just in Rock Castle, but the world over. But ever since he took over from Leks, he'd learned to dissociate and compartmentalise. There were two Andreis inside him, fighting daily for control. One understood his duty to the family and what it took to keep the money coming in. Then there was the other Andrei, who deplored everything about the family business, especially the legacy his father had built on so much bloodshed and tears. And it was this Andrei Colleen had reached out to when she found herself neck-deep in the underworld scene. Watching Colleen fight off her addiction and almost die from withdrawal symptoms in one of her father's abandoned warehouses, Andrei had sworn he'd never go through that again with someone he cared for.But here he was, about to repeat the cycle with Holly.Was
Last Updated : 2025-04-01Reckless Hearts 96|Eat Away At Him
Hours later, when the sun rose on the horizon, a mix of red and orange colours bleeding into the bleak sky, Andrei was still in the same position in front of the window, stewing over his conflicted feelings and thoughts. He finally snapped out of his daze when the front door beeped open, and Helga strolled in, looking all bright-eyed and ready to keep his house in order."Did you even sleep at all, sir?" She asked, her eyes narrowing at his dishevelled appearance. When Andrei shook his head in response, Helga clucked her tongue, grumbling as she dragged him to the kitchen and sat him down on one of the bar stools, "This won't do. You have to take care of yourself. Sleep is important—""I don't deserve to sleep, Helga," Andrei mumbled.The housekeeper spun away from the Keurig, her eyebrows raised, her hands on her hips, "what do you mean?""Nothing," Andrei replied, choosing not to get into it with her. Besides, what would he say even if he were to open up to her? Where would he even
Last Updated : 2025-04-01Reckless Hearts 97|Bad For Business
"You know the rules," Igor stepped in. If there was ever a time when Andrei wanted to throttle him, it was then. He not only knew the rules, but also enforced them diligently by subjecting the family's top management to random drug testing and running background checks on potential girlfriends. So, Igor playing the rules card felt like a fucking slap in the face."Holly is compromised," insisted Ivan, siding with Igor. "She's bad for business!""Watch yourself!" Andrei growled. "That's my future wife you're talking about!""Oh, for fuck's sake! After everything we've just said, you can't still be thinking about going through with this marriage. Your father will not allow it!""After the shit he pulled with Veronika, I'm done with my father. Holly and I will still get married as planned!""So what exactly did Papa Ivanov do?" asked Ivan, picking up his cutlery again."What didn't he do?" said Andrei, linking his hands behind his head. Without further prompting from his lieutenants, he
Last Updated : 2025-04-01Reckless Hearts 98|Parallels
After Andrei insisted on driving her to The Castle, Holly had planned to jump straight into bed and pass out. But, agitated and heartbroken, hours later, when the sun finally came up, she was still tossing and turning, going over their fight. Never in her wildest dreams would Holly have imagined that her first-ever argument with Andrei would be over some stupid snuff bullet that wasn't even hers. At the heart of it, though, she wasn't all cut up because Andrei had insinuated she was a junkie. Everything he said was true. She was a cokehead and owned her addiction. What really messed her up was that he didn't believe a word she said about the capsule not being hers. After everything they'd been through, hearing her out was the least he could have done. But the distrust in his eyes, like she wasn't worthy of being given the benefit of the doubt simply because she was a drug user, had damn near killed her. In that moment, with his unfounded accusations smashing down on her like a to
Last Updated : 2025-04-01Reckless Hearts 99|Larger Than Life
A mournful sigh slipped through Holly's lips as she pushed the laptop away and picked up her now-cold coffee. As much as she wanted to look away, her eyes seemed to have a mind of their own. They remained glued to a Polaroid photo of Isabella taken in one of the studios at the Institute while she was in croisé devant, a pose in which the dancer stands facing a corner at an angle to the audience.Knowing what Holly knew now about the circumstances leading up to Isabella's tragic end, it wasn't hard to figure out who had taken the photo. Her own socials were littered with such images, and she always joked that if dancing didn't work out for Cooper, he could always go into photography. Of course, he didn't have the technical know-how. But there was something special about how he captured his subjects...He had a way of making them appear larger than life, like they were the centre of the universe and everything around them existed purely for them. Looking at the photos, at the fragments
Last Updated : 2025-04-01
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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
