The time of that meeting seemed to drag on a hundred times longer than usual. And, even though Millicent was feeling like she was swallowing lava and being burned from the inside out while everyone there paid no attention to a single word coming from her, she at least wasn't the only one feeling uncomfortable.“That’s also trash.” Laura threw another script back on the table, probably the thousandth since the meeting had started “Is that all you have to present?”“What do you think about us reviewing some details of the most promising scripts?” Austin's smile crooked even more as he tried at all costs to avoid saying that what she called trash was his best bet “I'm sure if we read it a second time and you can give us some advice, we can come up with a work worthy of your work...”“I’ll take that as a yes.” Mrs. Poulin rolled her eyes, rising from her chair “My expectations were low, but you managed to lower them even further today. If you really want to make a successful production tha
“If you want to appoint someone else more capable than me to occupy such an important position… I will understand.” Those words hung between the two of them for what seemed like an eternity and Millicent could only wait for the moment when he would agree. Who knows, he might even scold her and give her a piece of his mind about how sorry he was for entrusting her with a responsibility of that magnitude. However, all she received was silence, until he finally responded, with a tone that sounded more like a sigh than a criticism.“I thought you understood the terms of our contract. Once you have become my partner, I will not accept you going back on your word.”“What?! No, I'm not talking about our contract…” Millicent gasped, quickly turning to face him again “I'm talking about…”“Good, because I'm also not talking about your father's investment in my company.” Isaac crossed his arms, watching her in a way that made Millicent feel like she was about to take a test with a very demandin
“Here is your table, Mr. and Miss. Bianchi. I hope you like the location. We reserved this place just for you, the moment we found out you were coming to visit us.” the very attentive maître said, pulling out the chair so Millicent could sit at the table in front of the huge glass wall, overlooking the restaurant's garden.“This place was really charming.” Millicent praised, looking around at the latest venture the Bianchi Group had debuted in the city.“It’s flattering to receive these words from you, Miss. Bianchi. Thanks to Mr. Bianchi's investment, we were able to transform the small family kitchen that my grandfather started into a real restaurant. We have expectations to compete for our first Michelin star next year.” the old man said proudly “But please don't let me bore you with my chatter. Can I start by bringing you some appetizers?”“Yes. We’ll probably be ready to order by the time you get back.” Massimo said, although his attention was fully focused on Millicent even befor
Millicent’s breath seemed to be caught in her throat and a drop of cold sweat was running down her spine. She thought she would only feel nervous like that again when it was time to participate in another meeting with Austin and his team. Yet there she was, sitting in the waiting room of Isaac's office, feeling like her heart was about to burst out of her chest.Was she really about to do that? Wasn't it a bit too far, even if it was to punish Austin?“Mr. Carnby will see you now, Miss. Bianchi.” the smiling receptionist suddenly appeared, as if knowing she was about to panic and run away “Please, follow me.”“Thank you.” she panted, trying to at least calm her breathing as she followed the woman to the office she had only been to once. It was almost ironic that, once again, she was there, terribly nervous and with an indecent proposal for Isaac in hand. Well, this time, truly indecent.“Miss. Bianchi is here, Mr. Carnby.” the receptionist announced, opening the room door to let Milli
Millicent was less nervous for Austin's second team meeting than she thought she would be. Not that anyone was noticing that, of course.Like last time, no one even looked in her direction as she sat at the conference table, reviewing some things on the tablet in her hands, while everyone there chatted and debated their ideas heatedly, clearly thinking that this would be the day when that they would finally reach a consensus that would satisfy Mrs. Poulin. As for Millicent, she just remained completely silent when Austin cleared his throat, catching the attention of everyone there.“Good to have you all here again, guys. Today, our goal will be to polish some of our ideas to satisfy Ms. Poulin. I know she had some strong opinions at our last meeting, but don't let that make you doubt the potential of what we're building here. You know how stubborn a
“There you are.” a voice stopped Millicent just as she was getting ready to grab the cup of coffee she had just brewed from the coffee maker “I just heard you caused quite a commotion at the meeting today.” Cassidy commented, causing Millie to turn to her with a smile.“I wouldn’t say it was a commotion. It was another lesson.” she shrugged “I guess they won’t pretend I’m not there from now on. Not if they don’t want to miss the next budget news.”“I'm proud of you.” her best friend commented, with her eyebrows raised “But, I'm also surprised, I have to admit. If I know those bastards, especially Austin, they must have said all kinds of barbarities to convince you to back down, right?”“They certainly tried, but, I realized I have to learn to deal with the fact not everyone is going to like me… And I don't need to d
“You can do that, Millicent. Just breathe. In... and Out…” Millicent muttered to herself repeatedly, focusing only on controlling her breathing to stop herself from overthinking. Around her, the glass interior of the elevator allowed her to practically see the entire city from above. The building where Isaac's apartment was located was certainly a far cry from the usual luxury condominiums where most of the people she knew lived, but it was quite a charming place. Although everything there is extremely new and modern, probably recently built, something about the quite remote location and quiet neighborhood reminded Millicent of her family's farm, on the edge of the city. It was a good place to have… Privacy.Damn, here was her mind taking her too far again. Finally, the elevator doors opened and, with one last deep breath, she took her first step toward Isaac. At least it wouldn't be a complete surprise for him to see her there. The building's security team asked him if they could le
Millicent had never really gotten used to having men's eyes on her. She had the best parents in the world, but they weren't exactly liberal about clothing when she was a teenager, especially her father. And, after the age of eighteen, she was already committed to Austin and only worried about her college. She had never gone through the phase of dressing to attract male attention or just to feel sexy. It was a new sensation and one that was causing strange sensations in her stomach, especially because Isaac's eyes were slowly roaming her body, his serious expression not allowing her to have any idea what he might be thinking. But even so, she stood her ground, trying to act as if nothing about the situation was making her nervous.She had no reason to feel so exposed, anyway. That dress wasn't even that revealing. It was just one of the few slightly daring clothes she bought under the influence of a saleswoman and then forgot in her closet. She had certainly gained some weight since s
"Why did you come back?" Millicent questioned, frustrated "You clearly left not only your name and your life, but also your entire past behind. Anyone can see that you got the happy life you wanted, alongside your husband. So... Why now? If you didn't come back for so many years, even knowing the kind of person you had left Isaac alone with... What changed?"“I always wanted to go back for Isaac.” she stated, shrinking "But... Circumstances were never favorable enough... Until he became an adult and it seemed to be too late. But, I never left him helpless. Neither he nor my brother." Imogen chewed on her lower lip "I shouldn't have been surprised that Vincent suspected I was alive. He was always good at seeing more than other people were capable of. That was one of the reasons I left Isaac. I knew his uncle would protect him, especially after he turned 18. I just didn't expect Vince to involve him in his damn revenge plans!" Imogen growled "He should have left Isaac alone! Help him go
“You can start talking.” Millicent snapped, after several minutes had passed, lengthening that terribly uncomfortable silence between them “That's what you came here for, isn't it?”"Yes, I..." Imogen's voice shook, almost breaking "It's just... I think I spent too much time trying to forget the past. Talking about it isn't as simple as opening your mouth and letting the words come out." She massaged her own throat for a moment, as if it were actually a physical pain “How much… How much do you know about what my life was like, when I was still Imogen Carnby?”“I know what your son and your brother told me.” Millie sighed "I know your relationship with your father wasn't good and your marriage with Evan was terrible. But, I still don't think that justifies it..." “Terrible is quite a kind word for my situation at that time.” Imogen interrupted, with a dark smile "It's not like I blame Vincent for not knowing how to tell my side of the story properly. He was preoccupied with his own pro
"That's why I'm going to take action, Millicent… Millicent? Millicent!" Laura’s voice gradually rose on the other end of the call, until it pierced Millicent’s thoughts “Can you hear me?”"I'm sorry, Laura, I..." Millie sighed, supporting her head with her free hand "I'm just a little distracted. Today was... A long day.""You've been saying that all week. Frankly, Isaac Carnby isn't worth that much that you're losing sleep over him." Laura grumbled and Millicent had to bite her tongue to keep from admitting that, besides him, her mother was also haunting her all the time lately. “Did you even hear what I said?”"Yes. Uncle Dante had already mentioned at our last dinner that he received an invitation to Emma's ball. Not that it's a surprise. It's been like this since I can remember: they fight, he moves away from her and then Emma tries to get closer. I think she lives in eternal denial that her son has completely moved away from her." Millie sighed “But… I admit I didn’t hear the part
"Take a sip of water and pull yourself together, Ms. Bianchi. I don't think either of us are going to get out of here anytime soon if you keep sitting there shaking, instead of talking."Millicent tried to swallow the lump in her throat as she looked up to see Isaac's uncle placing a glass of water on the table in front of her, before sitting down on the sofa, his hands folded on top of his cane dismissively. He could have let her in, but his manner wasn't exactly friendly. She had hoped that he might simply shatter her theories the moment she mentioned her sister's name, whether by sending her away or yelling at her for mentioning Imogen Carnby's name out of nowhere.Yet there he was, completely silent and staring at her as if he were waiting for a confession. And honestly, Millicent was indeed feeling like she was being interrogated, even though they were both silent.After all, how exactly was she supposed to say she had seen his dead sister, without sounding crazy?“I… I’m sorry f
Millicent had promised herself that she would no longer approach Isaac. And, theoretically, she was fulfilling her promise. She was back in the building where they had met so many times to make love, spend the day together or just talk. Not even she was in denial enough to say it didn't affect her, especially after the cold and indifferent way Isaac had treated her days ago... But, what really mattered was that she wasn't in danger of finding him there at any moment. She had made sure of that…Even if it meant joining forces with someone else she hadn't yet forgiven.“Everything is clean.” Sage said on her side, typing message after message to her team "His car is already miles away. And, if by any chance he decides to come back, I'll make sure you have enough time to get out of here safely and discreetly."“Thank you.” was all Millicent replied, without much enthusiasm.Being around Sage again reminded her of the friendship the two shared. Or rather, she thought they shared. Knowing
Millicent’s heart beat so fast that, for an instant, she thought it would escape her chest. A terrible shiver seemed to run through her body and into her veins, and for a second she felt almost as if she were about to faint. But, fortunately, no one there seemed to notice her condition.No one but the woman named Dasha Nikolaev, whose eyes kept darting back and forth in Millicent's direction nervously, almost as if she were afraid of something.“Oh, what a lovely piece.” Mrs. Davis praised, taking the small pearl between her fingers “So simple and yet so charming…”“Thank you.” Dasha cleared her throat, turning her face to the side as if to avoid Millicent's gaze at all costs "I got them from my husband a long time ago. It was terrible that I lost the pair, ages ago..." she hesitated, as if she had lost herself in thought for a moment "But, Mr. Sokolov sure did a fantastic job. It's as if I have the original pearl with me again. Vasily will certainly be impressed too. He has been insis
Millicent had been regretting many of her decisions lately, there was no denying it. And, the moment she had removed Sage from her position as head of security, a part of Millie had always known that she would bitterly regret it at some point.But she didn't imagine it would be that much.“You shouldn’t be here, Ms. Bianchi.” James Moore, the new head of security that her father had personally appointed for her, repeated for the hundredth time as they walked through the small garden of the Greco estate “It’s not safe.”“But you’re with me, aren’t you?” Millie said, trying to sound friendly, although he was starting to get on her nerves with all that inflexibility "Your team is all spread out and I'm not delusional enough to think you didn't send our location to your backup. So please relax, Mr. Moore. I just want to visit a friend..."“Whoever your friend is and why she is here, it is still a situation that needs to be reported to your father.” he said, not as a question, but as a stat
“If you’re too nervous to attend this meeting, then I can make up some excuse for you to go home.” Laura muttered under her breath, sitting in the chair next to Millicent.“This is absolutely unnecessary.” Millicent snorted and, for what seemed like the hundredth time in just the last hour, squeezed her knees under the table, trying to calm the nervous movement of her leg "I'm the manager of two of this company's main projects. Why shouldn't I be present during the monthly accounting with our investor?" Her teeth ground together before she could even hide it.“Your father spent the whole dinner yesterday talking everybody ears off about you being confined in a room with Isaac Carnby today.” she sighed, with a mix of annoyance and a bit of what seemed to be... Worry, perhaps? "Frankly, I still think it's a little ridiculous that he would have that kind of concern about a woman his age, but... I have to admit that I've never had children. I don't know what it feels like to worry 24/7 abo
“Vincent…!” Isaac tried to react, but the other son of a bitch had already jumped on him too, holding his arms behind his back hard enough for him to feel the bones in his wrists creak, as if they were about to break."Oh, don't be so worried. I used to discipline my new partners in much worse ways in the past. You can ask his uncle later." Ugo laughed, his almost disappearing under the strong wind around them and Vincent's grunts of pain, while Ugo's bodyguard continued to punch and kick him without mercy, not giving him even the slightest opportunity to try to get up from the ground "He's going to be fine. You probably don't know, but your uncle has been through much worse...."“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” Isaac twitched, causing the grip on the man's hands holding him to falter, only for the next instant an