Millicent's body felt as heavy as lead when she managed to open her eyes, but at least her head wasn't hurting anymore. The last thing she remembered was being carried by Isaac to a seat on his plane, where an old doctor with a kind smile had given her some more pills. However, those had been strong enough to knock her out in a way that she didn't even know how much time had passed. Although they were certainly no longer on the ground, as there were clouds passing by the small window nearby...
And Isaac was sitting in the armchair right in front of hers. His broad body dominated everything and made even that huge padded chair seem small. He still looked cold and intimidating, even though he looked casual like that, as he checked something on the tablet in his hands. But the way he was no longer wearing a jacket and the top few buttons on his shirt were half open made Millicent blush. Damn, she was too sick
“Are you going to say what’s wrong? Or are you going to make us take it from you?”At the sound of that question, Millicent instinctively lowered her laptop screen a little, but didn't close it completely when she realized who was standing at the door to her room. “Oh, sorry. Did I make you wait too long? I think I'm a little late…” with a smile, she got up from the desk and went to her mother and her best friend, but Cassidy obviously didn't buy it, crossing her arms over her chest and looking at her suspiciously.“It’s been an hour since you said you’d come to your room and take a call.” Cassie countered “I think this goes a little further than being late.”“Are you sure you’re feeling okay, honey? You barely touched your food and went upstairs to lock yourself in your room in the middle of a family lunch…” her mother murmured, her look full of concern “You usually love it when we get together, but now, there seems to be something upsetting you…”“I'm sorry for making you worry. I a
During the entire year Millicent had been working at the Bianchi Group's head office after finishing college, she felt as uncomfortable as a bird trapped in a tiny cage. However, that day was being particularly difficult to bear, but not for the reasons she was used to.The other employees didn't even seem to have noticed her presence that day, unlike what always happened. They were all too busy talking to each other about how great Austin's project was and how lucky they were to have been chosen to be part of his team. There didn't seem to be a single person who wasn't completely sure his venture would be a complete success. After all, everything he had proposed before, even as a mere intern, had fantastic results before.Everything he had proposed and she had carried out for him without even realizing it. Like an idiot.“Millie!” That shrill voice made her want to quicken her steps, but still Millicent fought herself and turned to watch Jasmine advance
“Calm down, Millicent. You decided to take it this far. You have no right to be a coward now.” Millicent growled softly at her own reflection in the mirror, as she tried to keep her breathing steady.The bathroom where she was, in one of the attached rooms at the back of the Bianchi Mansion, wasn't that close to the gardens, but even so Millicent could still hear every sound coming from the engagement party outside. Determination was still guiding her when she had woken up that morning and got dressed for the event, but… Now that all those guests were there, a crowd made up not only of her family, but also of practically all of the Bianchi Group's executives, who would certainly spread the new gossip as soon as Millicent made the first move…She couldn't feel so confident anymore. In fact, thinking about all the looks she would have to endure and all the whispers she would have to hear was making her feel suffocated, even though nothing had happened yet.Maybe Isaac was right not to tr
“Millicent?”Millie didn't know how long it had been since she stood there among the trees, silently watching the engagement party taking place up ahead. However, not even the gentle touch of her mother's hand on her shoulder was able to completely take her out of that almost trance-like state.“I… Am I really making the right decision?” That line certainly made her sound like an insecure child, but, at that moment, Millicent couldn't even bring herself to care about that.“You seemed right about that earlier. I would like to ask what is making you doubt yourself, but I think I already know the answer.” Alice sighed “I promised myself I would never allow the pressures of High Society to hurt you, but I have clearly failed in my duty as a mother.”
Austin was clearly not comfortable. Millicent had seen that crooked smile and those nervous eyes enough times to know that. But, there, among the guests and with some curious looks already turning to him, Austin didn't even make a move to question her, as Millicent had already expected.“Oh, baby… You’re so sweet.” Austin caressed her face, but Millicent stepped away before he could hug her “I'm the one who should have prepared something special to celebrate the fact the greatest woman in the world is about to become my Mrs. Carnby.” he sighed, as if he were nothing more than a lovesick fool.“Gosh. Now I see why you've been so busy the last few days, darling.” Jasmine laughed and, where before Millicent would have seen nothing but sweetness, now she was able to see the mockery “Did you manage to get this amazing party going and still find time to surprise your fiancé? You're so amazing, sweetie... See, Austin? That's why I always said that you shouldn't spend so much time locked in t
“What’s going on…?” Jasmine seemed to feel that several eyes turned to her, as she approached Austin in the next instant, practically struggling to look at the photos in his hands “What is this…?! Oh… Oh, my God…”“I would love to be able to celebrate love today. But, as you can see, this is impossible.” Millicent turned her eyes to her ex-fiance's still stunned and horrified expression “The wedding is off… As is any relationship between me and Austin Carnby. Thank you all for your attention. That's all I had to say today.”Dropping the microphone into the hands of some waiter, she turned, walking fast towards where the flower beds were highest in the garden. However, seeing her walk away seemed to snap Austin out of his shock, as he tried to reach out to grab her arm, his voice sounding with a mixture of desperation and outrage.“Wait, Millie! This… You… This is not what you think…!” he almost reached her, but a new scream made him freeze once more.“You son of a bitch!” Her father's
“I can't believe that kid have the nerve to do something like that! After we welcomed him into the family and even into your father’s company…! I should known nothing good would come from his parents. I knew they were bad news from the first time I saw them in person! You know I have a good eye for these things…”“Yes, Thea. I know." Millicent still managed to laugh a little, even though her entire body felt completely drained of strength, as she brushed her hair at the dressing table.It seemed like that pandemonium would last forever, but eventually the engagement party was over and the guests had left with enough fodder for a year's worth of gossip. It was almost surreal that, after all that, after doing something she never thought she would have the courage to do, Millicent was back in her room. All the mess had made it seem like she would never know what peace was again, but there she was. Surrounded by peace and quiet, with every possible number by which Austin could reach her pr
“I think we should let your father and your sister talk alone.” Alice murmured after a moment, stroking Matteo’s hair “Come on. We all need a good night’s sleep after a day like that.”"But…!" Alessandro started to complain, but it only took a single look from his mother for him to shut up “Fine. But don't think I'm going to let this go so easily. If that son of a bitch appears in front of me again, I will not hesitate to try to break his nose again!”“Come on now…” Alice placed her hand on her son’s shoulder, giving one last gentle smile in Millicent’s direction, before leading Matteo and Alessandro out of the room with her.“That money doesn’t mean much, Millie…” Massimo sighed, dismayed “I don&rsqu
“I already told you! I have more to offer than that bitch! She can give you the Bianchis? So what? I can give you the Grecos!” Jasmine was the one who shouted, Millicent had no doubt, even though she couldn't see much through the hole in the attic floor. The only things visible were the polished porcelain floor of the room below and the tops of the heads of two people who Millicent thought were Austin and Evan, but there was no way to be sure. At least not until they started talking.“Shut your damn mouth!” Florence scolded her, full of hatred “I’m warning you, Austin! There's no point in simply removing her from our party and our guests! She will keep trying to ruin your life until you finally do something about it…!”“Oh, really? And what attitude would be perfect for you?” Jasmine teased “To watch your dear son continue to slog through the mud trying to win over Millicent, while she continues to sleep with Isaac and humiliate your entire family? I thought you had created your preci
At first, Millicent's eyes needed some time to adjust to the darkness, which caused her steps to be slower than she intended. However, Isaac didn't seem to mind. He followed before her, descending the stairs with his arm outstretched as if to stop something on the sloping ceiling from reaching her. Fortunately, the stairs weren't as long as the darkness made them seem and, with just a few steps, Millicent felt the ground continue beneath her feet again.“Where are we exactly?” She looked around, only managing to make out the silhouette of some things and other objects scattered around, dimly lit by the moonlight coming from above.“It’s a… Waiting room, so to speak.” he said, an audible smile in his voice as he took just a few steps away from her, walking somewhere in that room.Until a diffuse light came on and Millicent realized that they were in the Carnby basement, a place full of junk and poorly closed boxes covered in dust.“I’m sorry for the bad first impression.” Isaac snorted
Evan and Florence’s parties always tended to be exaggerated and bordered on megalomania. But there was something more to this one in particular. They had invited every person who was part of or close to High Society, including those who had no relevance to their business with the Bianchi, so their ballroom was as absurdly crowded as ever. However, everything, from the decor to the nearby string quartet playing, seemed too expensive and refined, even by their standards. Not that Millicent thought it was a mere coincidence, however. It was a message.“Continue supporting my son in his goals and we offer all this fortune to you.” That was what Evan and Florence wanted to make clear to everyone there, even without words. The facade that relations between the Bianchi and Carnbys had continued even after the engagement party scandal fooled no one. Everyone knew Austin's stay at her father's company and that contract with Evan were just a time bomb waiting to explode. Regardless of how good
It had only been a little over a week since Isaac had laid his hands on Millicent, but even so, he felt like a man trapped in a desert, thirsty for any drop of water he could get. Despite all the desire and need he had contained within himself while she was mad at him, not even Isaac himself had any idea he was about to lose control like that. His arms seemed to have a mind of their own as he carried Millicent to the bedroom. Their tongues were intertwined as they kissed and his hands were filled with her ass, feeling her move her hips toward his erection, aching and still hidden in his pants. But even so, that didn't seem to be enough. The walk to the bed suddenly felt too long, too long to wait, especially when Millicent was moaning against his mouth, looking as needy as he did.“Isaac…” Millicent panted in his ear when, instead of wasting any more time walking over to that useless bed, Isaac sat her down on the dining table, letting her breathe a little while he kissed her neck, e
“I thought Austin had no interest in being my pen pal.” Millicent snorted, her tone annoyed as if she was irritated even by Austin's past self "He decided to interfere just to keep you from having a single friend?"“Austin might be lazy, but he was never stupid.” Isaac sighed “He always knew he would have to obey Evan's orders and fulfill his role as your long-distance friend, even though it took you three years to return to America. When the rumor started going around High Society that Massimo and his family were going back to their mansion in New York, Austin finally decided to do his homework and read some of the letters you sent me. I tried to trick him, but… I wasn't very successful.” “Trick him?” Millicent asked and, only then, did Isaac realize he had blurted out more than he should have “What do you mean?”“I… I didn't want him to find out about how close we were. I didn’t want him to know you had become my best friend.” Isaac grumbled, but left out the main part.Even though
Isaac had been in sticky situations before. Situations where coming out with just a broken arm or a few cuts was an advantage.But at that moment, as Millicent stared at him with outrage and hurt in her big green eyes, he felt a strange kind of nervousness that he had never experienced before. He had even driven her to his apartment, hoping that maybe some quiet time would relax her a little, but… From the look on her face, they were going to have a long night ahead. And not in a good way.“Are you finally going to start talking?” she asked, her voice low and as threatening as Millicent could be “Or am I going to have to get this out of you?”“How exactly do you plan to do this? Maybe I'll end up liking it...'' He gave her his best seductive smile, but even though her cheeks gained a little color, she remained stern.“I'm going to get really mad if you keep treating this like a joke, Carnby.” she grunted, her shoulders slowly lowering, as if his attempt to ease the tension had only s
For a second, the two remained frozen there, facing each other. Isaac looking shocked, while Millicent felt her head almost hurt from the amount of thoughts that occurred to her in the space of a second. Was this what it felt like to have an epiphany? Feeling like a multitude of loose pieces in your brain had finally connected and formed a complete picture? Something she had never thought about before, but suddenly seemed obvious?All that time lamenting the fact Austin had become a different person than he showed in those letters, and now…“Isaac.” she called out to him again, her tone becoming urgent “Answer me.”“I don't know what you're talking about.” Isaac spoke, but it sounded so artificial and untrue that Millicent didn't even mind the coldness in his voice “Whatever happened to you, Austin and those letters, is in the past. Forget it.”“I... I always wondered what could have happened to make Austin so different in person than he was in those letters, but... I didn't allow mys
“And then, just when I was really starting to believe we had lost all of the film's footage, my assistant managed to find a single backup saved on one of the editors' computers.” the young man in front of Millicent concluded his story with a relieved sigh, almost as if he was reliving that moment “That saved my ass. I could never redo the filming with that first budget Mrs. Poulin gave me.”Millicent was relieved to be able to smile at that moment, as it helped her suppress a yawn. It wasn't like poor Mr. Lloyd was extremely boring or anything. He was a dedicated apprentice to Laura and a film director who was shooting his third independent film. His humor was pleasant and he had even insisted that she just call him Albert. Under other circumstances, she would have been more interested in hearing him talk about all this. But, God, she was so, so tired... After days of preparing for the workshop, she had still spent more time there, talking to Laura's partners as they left one after th
If Millicent had known those three days of workshopping for Austin's team would be so tiring, she would have tried harder to keep Austin around and forced him to act as a leader, rather than running away and leaving all the responsibilities on her shoulders.“Gosh…” she sighed as she finally sank into an armchair in the anteroom of the company auditorium. On the other side of the wall where she was leaning, the last lecture of the day had ended and now the entire team was free to talk and enjoy the buffet she had hired for that occasion. Well, at least they all looked happy and excited, ready to go back to work full steam ahead the next day. It made Millicent feel like all that effort had been worth it.“If you ever ask me to help you with something like that again…” Cassie, who was already leaning back in an armchair on her side, mumbled “Our friendship is over. And I don't care if it counts in my time bank. I would a million times rather spend all night working for Mr. Davis than ru