Isaac had already done many difficult things in his life… But going to a girl's house to meet her family was not one of them. “Are you uncomfortable?” Millicent murmured beside him in the backseat of the Bianchis’ car, sounding genuinely concerned, even though there was no reason to be “I’m sorry. I wouldn’t have invited you to such an intimate dinner if I’d known you’d be so nervous…” “I’m not nervous.” He cleared his throat, irritated with himself for knowing that was a lie “Why should I be nervous?” “My parents don’t think I’m driving you home like my boyfriend or anything.” Her voice dropped even lower, as if she didn’t want the driver, an old man who seemed to have known her since she was a child, to hear her “I made that very clear to them. But if my father and brothers still insist on treating you this way, I promise I’ll protect you.” At first, he thought it was a joke, but when she smiled that sweet smile, Isaac knew it was true. Millicent was serious. “Are they really t
“What the fu…!” Isaac growled, grabbing the damn furry thing and trying to pull the claws away from his face before the cat could do more than scratch him “Son of a…” Finally, with one last tug that dragged one of the cat's claws across his temple and nearly drew a little blood, Isaac managed to pull the cat away, only to find himself face to face with the same four-legged bastard they had encountered on the road so long ago. Millicent was certainly giving the thing a royal life, because it no longer looked tiny, dirty, and unkempt, as if it had been chewed up and spat out. It was longer in every way, from its paws to its tail to its bared teeth, snarling loudly as it slashed its claws into the air to try to get at his face once more. “Isaac!” Millicent gasped beside him “What are you doing?” “I didn’t grab it too hard…” he tr
“My mother’s earring?” The words escaped Isaac’s mouth, even though it was a rhetorical question.He would recognize that little pearl anywhere. Especially because it awakened memories in him that Isaac didn't want to remain dormant. "Do you remember?" Millicent let the cat go and the little bastard made a point of standing in front of them, with his face turned away, as if to make it clear that he was ignoring them in protest “That's what you sent me when I asked for something that could help me remember you. You wrote to me that it was something ugly and useless, but it was all you could send me. I never understood why you said something like that. It’s beautiful.” She leaned further against him, almost resting her head on his shoulder.“It’s beautiful now.” He turned the little pearl in his palm, barely able to believe it was shiny and polished again, despite the scratches that appeared under the lights “I can't believe you found someone to clean and renovate that old thing. It was
“What were you guys all alone for until now?” Alessandro’s growl was the first thing Millicent heard when she entered the Dining Room with Isaac, finding her entire family preparing to sit at the perfectly set table. “What did I say about being rude to your sister's guest, Sandro?” Alice scolded him, with an almost exhausted sigh, as she finished placing the silverware on the table “Frankly, I need to talk to your father about encouraging you to imitate his bad habits.” “Well, dad’s not here now, is he?” Millie’s brother grumbled, though his voice was much softer now that he was speaking to their mother’s “I’m the man of the house in his absence and, as such, I can’t allow a stranger to take advantage of my sister under our roof…” “I think you’ve been watching too many medieval series lately, Sandro.” Millie laughed, taking Isaa
“So… the Morellis had children out of wedlock?” Millicent asked, though she couldn’t even bring herself to feel surprised “Well, it’s not like it’s a rare thing. But knowing all the stories about Emma Bianchi and her strict adherence to tradition, I can understand why she wouldn’t let that information get out.” “My grandfather wasn’t exactly a good husband and father.” Dante sighed “When he married my grandmother, it wasn’t a time when most marriages were happy or even consensual. Like many cases back then, their union was planned by their family and neither of them really had positive feelings for each other. It was to be expected that one of them, or even both, would find a lover at some point. But my grandfather was ahead of the curve. When he got married, there was already a maid in the house who had been his lover for some time and,
Millicent was beginning to regret making the mistake of inviting Isaac to her family's reunion. Not because she didn't want him around or because it didn't feel right to have him around while she was celebrating an achievement as extraordinary as that promotion.It was the endless interrogation from her father and grandfather that was making her rethink whether, in fact, it wouldn't have been better to leave her celebration with Isaac away from the eyes of her family.“And when exactly did you two meet?” her grandfather asked, his tone sweet, although clearly he was trying to probe her answers and find some evidence that Isaac had been trying to seduce her from the beginning.“I already told you, Grandpa. We were in the same class for years when we were in school and, after what happened with Austin, it was kind of inevitable that we would get closer.” She shrugged her shoulders “And don't make that face. He's not just a good business partner. He is a good friend.”“Good friends would
If, three months ago, someone had told Millicent she would be that restless just a few hours after retrieving her project, she would have said it was impossible. Yet there she was, staring at her own reflection in her dressing table mirror, while her feet tapped nervously against the floor. She tried to remind herself this was a night of joy and she should be going to sleep peacefully knowing that everything she had worked so hard on was now back in her hands, but…For some reason, the words she had heard from Isaac during dinner seemed to have stuck in her mind like parasites, preventing her from feeling truly happy. Or, at least, in peace. The way he had seemed so determined and resigned to the idea of walking away from her... As if that were a certainty and not a distant possibility... That would probably haunt her for the rest of the morning until the next day, when she could finally question him about it...God, had she really planned on sleeping that night? The idea seemed rid
Millicent’s determination seemed unshakable the entire way to Isaac’s apartment. But the moment she found herself standing in front of the lobby of his building, her courage slipped a little out of reach, leaving her more restless than she should have been. It wasn't like she was going to talk about feelings with Isaac that night. Or any other night, actually. Millie had realized she become too attached to him, but that was enough. She wouldn't overthink it and perhaps discover those feelings had deeper roots than she was prepared to deal with. Before everything between them started, she had made Isaac a promise that she would be the business partner he was looking for: cold and objective. Not a stupid, emotional girl who was blurring the fine line between their friendship and their physical relationship. Isaac would always be important to her, but Millicent needed to stop herself before it went too far.That was why she was there, at that moment. It was her responsibility to curb h
The last few days had been… Quite chaotic for Millicent, to say the least. And, of all the ways she thought this week could end, the last one was at a Greco party, hidden in the middle of their garden, while talking to Cassidy on the phone.“Are you sure you don’t want to talk?” she asked her best friend, for probably the hundredth time in the last three days “I know you're still mad at me for leaving you alone with Dominic after he asked you to, but… I really think you guys needed to talk. There were many years where you were hiding things from each other.” “I’m not mad at you.” Cassie snorted, her voice too surly for anyone who wasn't irritated “And stop talking to me like I'm a child incapable of accepting reality.” She hesitated for a long moment, leaving the line silent. “Now I realize that, perhaps, we both really needed to hear what the other had to say. Like… Two adults. Not two hurt children who were pretending to be adults.”“So… Did the conversation go well?” Millicent tri
“You son of a bitch!” Cassie hissed, but remained on the floor, fidgeting between cardboard boxes as if straightening her clothes, before finally standing up. “You did that on purpose!”“I told you, love. Neither of them are blind… At least not in the way you’re thinking.” Dominic snorted and, in the next instant, he too crawled out of the destroyed boxes, although he seemed far less concerned than Cassidy with looking decent, still shirtless and with the top button on his pants undone. he glared at his cousin mockingly. “So, how's your game going, Mr. Heartless? For someone who always takes whatever he wants, you seem to be acting like a shy 15 year old, don't you think? ‘It’s not a waste when it comes to you.’ Really? Have you ever thought about writing a book of poems, Shakespeare?”“Well, I'd rather be sensible and act like a shy teenager, as you say, than be treated like someone's shameful secret.” Isaac shot back, “Or do you think your sweet girlfriend brought you here because sh
“Now we just need to strap this to your wrist and… It’s done.” Millicent smiled in relief when she saw Isaac's hands now completely clean and covered in bandages “You have to change these bandages every 6 hours, okay? The skin on your wrist is kinda torn apart. It will take a few days to heal completely. Are you sure you are not feeling pain in any bones? You may have displaced something…”“I’m fine, really. I know how to identify when something in my body is out of place and, believe me, I feel great.” There was a smile on his face, but Isaac purposely seemed to be avoiding her gaze, staying focused only on his bandage “How many times have you been forced to bandage me since we met? You could be as good a nurse as your mother, you know?” “You say that because you've never seen Matteo in action. He is the true future nurse among us. Mother usually only finds out that he hurt himself by falling from somewhere when his injuries are almost healed.” She tried to keep the mood as mild as
“Unhand me, you bitch!” Jasmine screamed, but could do nothing but walk crookedly as Sage held her arms firmly behind her back.“She’s not scratching you, is she?” Millicent sighed, feeling the small scratches Jasmine had made on her wrists burn. “I can hold her for a bit, if you want.”“And let that crazy bitch try to get her claws into you again? No thanks." Sage huffed, pretending not to notice everyone's attention on them as the three of them walked down the halls towards Mr. Davis's office. “Are you sure we shouldn't throw her out a window? There's a trash can right under the waiting room on the sixth floor. It’s the quickest way to get her where she belongs…”“You think you’re going to get away with this, you whore?!” Jasmine screamed, still flailing like a fish in Sage’s arms, even though it clearly wasn’t having any effect. “I’m going to get you fired for this! I will sue you for assault and take every penny you have…!”“Good luck firing my bodyguard when she doesn’t even work
“Does Massimo’s security team know you’re here?” Isaac snorted, only turning to go back to his desk as that bastard stormed into his office. “Or were they stupid enough to let you stop by their office and grab some personal belongings, before being banned from this building forever? I should make a complaint about this, frankly. They seem to be letting any idiot walk around these days, just because Evan’s tantrum is worth the hair of 10 men…”“Do you have any idea what you did?!” Austin growled, his hands slamming against the table, as if he truly believed that his lack of control would be able to intimidate Isaac. “You ruined everything, you piece of shit! And you still think this will give you any advantage?! All our shareholders will want your head on a platter when they find out it was you who made them lose a billion-dollar contract! You shot yourself in the foot, you idiot…!”“I think you’re wrong about something, little brother.” Isaac snorted “I’m not you. I don't need help fro
The Bianchi Group's offices were in chaos that day. Not that Isaac had the right to complain about that, when he was the one who had caused such chaos.Even now, sitting at his desk in that building as he signed the last documents that would completely end the connection between the Bianchis and the Carnbys, he couldn't bring himself to feel regret. From the moment he had made his decision, a part of Isaac had hoped that regret would hit him at some point. But now that Evan and Austin were out there, making a fuss with Massimo's security team to avoid being kicked out of the building, everything seemed... right.And Isaac wasn't blind enough not to admit to himself that everything felt right because of the smile of relief he'd seen on Millicent's face after it was all over.The fucking CEO position could go to hell. That was Vincent's only goal that he had forced into Isaac's mind since his childhood, anyway. After everything he had done to get here, Isaac couldn't care less if Evan's
“Answer the fucking question, Evan!” Massimo growled again, his anger reverberating throughout the silent meeting room. “Why are your dealership's cars in a junkyard?!”Millicent's shock was so great that she was unable to do more than just look around. Most of the executives were clearly confused, certainly having no idea what that document Isaac sent meant for the contract between the Bianchis and the Carnbys. However, a few, like Miles and Mr. Davis, they seemed not only aware of what was about to happen, but also ready to do damage containment.However, when Millicent looked for Isaac, still not understanding why he had done something like that, she found him with his attention focused only on Evan and the expression of pure panic on his face.“This…” Evan’s voice shook, as he nervously slid his finger across the screen of his cell phone, as if his desperation was increasing with each new glimpse of the detailed dossier Isaac had made. “I don’t know what this kid is trying to do,
Hello, everyone! ^^Luckily, I'm feeling a little better and we'll be back to having daily chapters starting today. Hopefully, nothing else will happen to mess up my plans to finish this story this month or, at the latest, by mid-April. But, I promise I'll keep you guys posted on everything
So many things had happened lately that Millicent had almost forgotten that there was a new project waiting for approval… In a meeting with Miles Hughes waiting to drain every last drop of her energy.“Would you like me to explain any details of the project further, Mr. Hughes?” Millicent asked in the friendliest way possible, even though the expression on Isaac's accountant's face wasn't friendly at all. "No." was all he replied, with his eyes focused only on the notes he had taken during the entire hour in which Millicent had presented her new project. “There is nothing else that needs to be analyzed about your project in matters of content. The question that needs to be discussed is whether all these ideas are financially viable.”“Indeed…” Evan, who seemed to have purposely sat close to Miles as if he wanted to watch from the sidelines as Millie’s idea was denied, grunted, “I believe that if the issue was just Miss Bianchi or any other project manager talking about their hopes fo