Millie's POV I stormed out of the bank, leaving speechless Lindsay behind me. There was only one person I wished to see right now: my wicked stepmother, Deborah. I reached my family's house in no time and barged in without waiting for an invitation. It took me only a second to locate this vicious woman. I was lucky, and my father was also there. " How could you do it to me?" I asked as soon as they noticed me. " What are you talking about?" Deborah asked innocently. " Do not play dumber than you actually are," I hissed, ready to rip off her hair. "Millie, watch your mouth. You are speaking to your mother." My dear father spoke for the first time. " Fresh news, she is not my mother," I snapped back at him. " What brings you here?" My father asked, his tone got colder. " Is it not my house anymore? Do I need a reason to visit?" I asked sarcastically. " Not when you come here in a state like this, throwing some accusations. What is it this time?" My father looke
Alexander's POV I was in the middle of a heated conversation with John regarding my next-day schedule when my phone rang. Since the amount of people that required my attention already made me annoyed, I answered the call with my coldest tone. " Hello?" I asked, skipping any pleasantries. " Hello, it is Millie..." I heard the voice on the other side. " Wrong number," I replied shortly, ready to hang up. I had no memory of the woman whose name was Millie. It was probably another journalist who bribed someone in the company to get my private number. I almost pressed the end-up call button when I heard the words that stopped me from doing that. " I am Twelve." She said, waiting for my response. " Give me a second," I told her in a much calmer tone, at the same time motioning to John that it was an important call. He left the office, shooting me surprised glances, but I ignored him. " Hello, Twelve. How are you?" I almost cursed myself for such a pathetic question.
Millie's POV I looked around Alexander's place and from one glance, I could say it was a man cave. But to be honest, it was surprisingly neat. I wondered if he cleaned it before the meeting or if it was just his habit. Most men I know are messy, and their homes look like dumpsters. This was a pleasant exchange. " I will show you your bedroom," Alexander said, pointing to one of the doors. I followed his directions and found myself in the cozy little bedroom with a built-in wardrobe, double bed, and a bedside drawer. It was a perfect guest room. " Thank you," I said so quietly it almost came out as a whisper. " Not mention it." Alexander waved his hand dismissively. " I will get us something to eat. It is not healthy to only survive on coffee. Make yourself comfortable. With those words, he left the room, and I sat on my new bed. It was time to let Gabrielle know I was going to be moving out, so I pulled out a mobile and searched for my friend's number. " Hey Ga
Alexander's POV After Millie left, I sat on my couch with a drink in my hand. It was a crazy day, yet somehow satisfying. Of course, somewhere at the back of my mind was a thought I could make the biggest mistake of my life, allowing a stranger to stay at my place. But on the other hand, Millie looked trustworthy. She just had a tough time right now. Someone would say, how can a businessman trust others without doubts? I will take care of that, as I always do. Now, I had to sort out another urgent matter. " Hi, baby. I was waiting for your call." Carmen's voice pierced my ears. Honestly, I was wondering how I could endure her for this long. She was annoying, and even her perfect body could not compensate for this. " Carmen, we need to stop seeing each other for now, " I went straight to the business. " What? Why?" She asked, and I could swear my ears bleed a little. " Because I said so," my response was emotionless. " We had a clear deal, no attachment. Now, I w
Millie's POV A few hours earlier. The last evening I spent with Gabrielle was bitter-sweet. No matter how much I tried to relax and enjoy our time, Michel's words kept replaying in the back of my head. I think it finally occurred to me how dangerous this man could be. And he was the one my best friend chose for her lifetime partner. This thought was devastating, but my hands were tied. I could only pray for Gabrielle to see his true colors one day. Hopefully, it won't be too late then. Now, I had to focus on another task that awaited me. I left my friend's apartment, and immediately, the handsome man approached me. " Millie? Are you Millie?" He asked in a warm, friendly tone. " Yes," was the only word I said before a wide smile spread across his face. " Hi, my name is John. Alex asked me to give you a hand with collecting your stuff. Please follow me. I had a car that may be useful. " With those words, he pointed to the small van parked nearby. " Thank you, and sorry fo
Alexander's POV I furrowed my brows, looking at my best friend. " What do you mean by saying it didn't go well?" John fidgeted his fingers and started talking. The more I have heard, the more pissed I got. " Finally, they said, all her stuff went to charity, but Millie thinks, no, she is sure, it all has been destroyed. So we came back empty-handed." John finished his story with a sad expression. I, on the other hand, could barely conceal my rage. How could people be this shameless? " Do you remember the address? Where is Millie's apartment?" I asked in a dry tone, and John nodded. " Sure, it is saved in my GPS, but why do you need it?" My friend gave me a suspicious look. He knew me too well. In the past, I did a few things I was not proud of, pushed by my anger. Maybe he feared I would burn the whole place to the ground, but I was never this drastic. " I want you to find out everything about the people that live there now. It looks like Millie's family is a littl
Millie's POV John brought me back to Alex's apartment, and I could not find myself a place, so for the first hour, I was pacing around the room, thinking about the previous disaster. All my belongings were gone. I could imagine the smug smiles on Sandra's and Deborah's faces when they were destroying them. I was left with nothing. How am I supposed to look for work if I have no single suitable piece of clothes to attend any potential interview? I could not buy any as my wallet was empty. My family really put a lot of effort into taking me down, and it looked like they succeeded. I would have to ask Gabrielle for help and borrow some clothes from her. My friend will surely give me some unless her charming boyfriend won't stop her. My stomach grumbled loudly. Thanks to my family, I lost my appetite, but now my body begged for some nutrition. I rushed to the kitchen, thinking about what to prepare to eat. I scanned all the cupboards and fridge, and they were loaded. I found f
Alexander's POV When Millie disappeared behind closed doors, my head was buzzing. What the hell was I thinking? She called me her husband, and I played along. I even kissed that girl. What was she feeling right now? I had to fix it as soon as possible. I turned my attention back to the person responsible for this whole mess. Carmen. " I told you once that we were done. How dare you to show up at my place wearing this," I hissed, pointing out to her ridiculous outfit. " I thought we could work on our relationship," Carmen replied, fixing her coat, but I only rolled my eyes. " There was no relationship. We had an agreement. It was fun and nothing else," I offered her a dry response. " It is because of her?" Carmen raised her voice. " It has nothing to do with her. You crossed the boundary," I answered immediately. I should go and check on Millie, but instead, I was wasting my time here. " Then she is not important to you, is she? We can go back to how it was. Just fun
Millie's POV It was painful to see Gabi like that. She looked like a complete mess. I did the only thing I could do at the moment like that. I sat next to her and hugged her tightly. " Are you sure about that? It is quite a serious suspicion," I said, stroking Gabi's hair while she was sobbing. I was never a huge fan of Michael. This man was, in my opinion, controlling and incredibly possessive. We never clicked, not that I tried too much. He seemed the complete opposite of what I would imagine Gabrielle would like dating. But as long as my friend was happy, I had no other choice but to suck it up. I moved my hand and lifted Gabi's face. " Talk to me. I can not help you if you won't tell me what is going on," I told her softly. Gabrielle took a calming breath, and I handed her a tissue. This woman was always a perfect picture of independence. I could not stand seeing her so broken because of a man. " I don't know, but he is different. Cold, distant." Gabrielle
Millie's POV The following two weeks passed in the blink of an eye. Since Brian's team started work, the whole construction site has changed. After the first week, they managed to build a complete base of the warehouse. They were professional and organised; I could say they were better than the workers from my father's company. Brian was friendly and easygoing. Working with him was a pleasure. He often joked around, but at the same time, he treated his job very seriously. I could finally relax, knowing my project was in good hands. With Brian's help, I could finish this task way before the deadline. After the first troubles, everything was going smoothly. And all of that was possible because of Alex. This man was like my guardian angel, sent by the heavens at the worst time of my life. I only doubted that any angel would be so good in bed. Every day, he asked me about my progress, and I had to remind myself not to overload him with stories, as he probably was asking out
Third POV Sandra sat on the sofa and crossed her legs. Mark sat next to her, placing his hand on her tummy. " How is the baby? How was a check-up?" Sandra lowered her gaze to hide a smirk forming on her lips. She left their apartment early under the pretext of having an appointment with a midwife. Instead of going to the hospital, she spent time with her friend, who gave her old ultrasound photos of her daughter. Maxine knew Sandra's plan and agreed to participate, as she had never liked Millicent. If there was anything that could harm Sandra's step-sister, Maxine was full on board. Now, Sandra handed the photos to Mark, watching his face lit up. " Our baby is magnificent. And so is you. The pregnancy has no impact on you. Your body is still perfect. " Sandra chuckled. " I am not one of those pregnant women who eats everything than can, pretending it is for a baby. " She said with an innocent tone. It was obvious that her body remained the same since she was not pre
Alexander's POV. It took me over an hour to discuss the final arrangements with Michael. He tried to talk me out of my idea, suggesting that my employees would try to use the new privileges. Again, I had to remind him that he worked as MY lawyer and my decision was final. We have parted both in sour moods. Nevertheless, I could not care less about his opinion. I was exhausted, but I had a few more meetings that required my presence. Luckily, the rest of the day was relatively uneventful, and I waited for the end of the day with anticipation. I was curious about Millie's day. Did the supplier keep his word and deliver the new material? If not, I was going to keep my end of the bargain. When I arrived home, Millie was already setting up the table. She did not talk much unless asked, and when we sat down to eat, I could see she was more pushing the food around her plate than actually eating. " Not the best day?" I asked, placing my plate in the dishwasher. " It was bittersweet, I
Millie's POV I woke up to the gentle sound of my phone vibrating. I looked at the screen, wishing I could ignore it, when I saw Dave's name pop out. I had enough disasters for now, and I did not need another. Whatever he had to say, it couldn't be good if he called me at this ungodly hour. " What is it?" I finally picked up since he was calling over and over again. " Sorry, boss, but I really need you here," Dave said, and I felt like deja vu. What the hell was happening right now? Did the construction site be caught on fire? Well, I would not be surprised. " Boss, the new material arrived," Dave added, and I abruptly sat straight on the bed. I cursed myself as Alex groaned in his sleep. " I will be there soon," I said and moved out of bed. After a quick shower, I was ready, but then it hit me that I should at least make some breakfast for my husband. I made an omelette and poured him juice. One last glance at the table, and I was out. I could not sit calmly in the ta
Alexander's POV When we were done with our small exercises, I carried Millie back to our bed, still gently kissing her neck. She was exhausted, and so was I, but in the most satisfying way. I lay her on the bed and tucked in the sheets, taking space behind her back. Millie mumbled something under her breath, but a moment later, she was asleep. I watched her sleeping, and when I made sure she would not wake up, I left the bedroom. What Mark Green did was still making my blood boil, and no amount of s*x could make me calm. The options of how to make his life miserable were spinning in my head, one more vicious than previous, but I knew I could not let my emotions take over me. This matter had to be solved slowly and methodically. Like every crime, you need proof to make someone pay for their fault. I had the feeling that Millie's family would provide me with enough to make them squeal. I doubted that this moron Green worked alone. He was not the brightest bulb in the box. Someone ha
Millie's POV *** Warning*** Sex scene I was in our bed alone, and only darkness was surrounding me. Alex was still in the living room. Why was he still there? Why did he not come to bed? I am almost sure I heard him talking to someone on the phone. His voice was too quiet to understand what he said, but his tone was sharp. Alex was angry, and my chest tightened at the thought. Was he angry with me? Maybe he complained to the person on the phone about my incompetence. Does he think I am a failure? Well, at least I could not be angry about that. It was exactly what I thought right now. Alex tried to cheer me up during the dinner, and I was grateful. But how could I explain to him the whole situation? And it looked tragic. If I fail on this project, my family will sue me. I had no doubts about that. Without the materials, we could not start work. I had no funds to buy more, and I would not ask my father for a loan. He would help me, but then I would not see any penny of pro
Alexander's POV. When Millie entered the bathroom, I waited momentarily until I heard the water running under the shower. Then I grabbed the phone, knowing I would not have much time. For my luck, John picked up almost immediately. " I need you to check something for me," I said after exchanging greetings. There was no time for a small talk. " What is it?" John asked, sensing the seriousness of the situation. " The material delivered to the construction site is damaged and rusty." " It looks like a supplier fuc*ked up the order. It happens." John replied slowly. " After what I heard from Millie, this could not be messed up this much. Besides, I saw the list of her orders. It was top-quality stock. No one in their right mind could make such a mistake." I told him dryly. Of course, the order could be messed up, but not to this extent. " What are you going to do about that?" John asked, and I could sense he was smiling. " It depends on who is responsible for this
Millie's POV I was scared that the next day after our wedding would be awkward, but Alex was nothing but sweet and charming as always. I was the one acting odd, but with time, I relaxed around him. For the next few days, we spent time talking, watching movies, and fooling around. To my surprise, Alex asked me about sharing his bedroom with him. He said that that was the only right thing to do since we were married. His proposition took me aback, as I understood we were not a regular marriage, but I agreed, and we spent a day rearranging our stuff. My bedroom became a place where we could work when necessary. The first days of this new arrangement made me uneasy, but soon, I could not wait to sleep next to Alex. His presence made me calm. We also had two other "wedding nights" since we shared the bedroom. I could not lie; Alex was a great lover, making my toes curl whenever we made love. Somewhere in my mind, I compared this new life with my previous relationship with Mark. It