Millie's POV
I arrived at Gabrielle's place fifteen minutes later. She was busy preparing the dinner and setting plates on the table. I quickly noticed that there were three plates. " Is someone else coming?" I asked, even if I knew the answer already. After all, I was greeted with the smell of curry at the entrance—Gabrielle's boyfriend's favorite dish. My best friend blushed, and I knew I was correct. Michael was coming. Awesome, that was precisely what I needed today. Me and Michael never got along. Gabrielle met her boyfriend at one of those fancy lawyers' events and got smitten almost instantly. They were a couple for more than four years, and he still did not propose to her, even if she was the best thing that happened to him. I doubted he could see that. Of course, as any good lawyer, he could play any role perfectly. In front of Gabrielle, he was a loving and caring boyfriend, but I had more than one chance to see him glancing at other women for much longer than would be appropriate. I tried to reason with Gabrielle, but she was blind*d by love and always ready to find excuses for his behavior. I had no other choice but to give up. Maybe one day, my friend will see her boyfriend's true colors. I was only afraid that it would break her heart. " How did it go?" Gabrielle asked, stirring in the pot. I sat on one of the chairs and let out a heavy breath. " Great," I said sarcastically. " Apparently, everyone knew Mark was cheating on me with Sandra. They called it love. On top of that, Sandra is pregnant with his child." " Shut up!" My friend reacted in her usual way. I shrugged my arms, as what else could I say? " So they will live together?" She asked, sitting in front of me. " Yes, in the apartment that was once mine," I added dryly. " My generous father took it from me and gave it to them, together with a company. So now, I have no place to stay and no work. My life is great." " I can't believe that your father agreed to all of that." Gabrielle shook her head. " Me neither, but it is what it is. Luckily, I have some extra savings that should be enough to buy myself a small apartment. But for now, can I stay in here?" I looked at my friend pleadingly. " You do not have to ask." Gabrielle waved her hand dismissively. "Thank you. I will try to get something as soon as possible. I do not want to be a burden," I said quietly. " Do not think about it. My house is always open for you. Besides, I owe you. " My friend replied with a small smile. That was true, but I would never pull this card on her. When Gabrielle finished her education, she struggled to find a job as no one was fond of hiring a lawyer with no experience, even if she graduated with honors. Her money was tight, but she was too proud to ask her parents for help. They could not forgive her for choosing law school instead of the med school they chose for her. At those times, she lived with me rent-free, and I also used my father's connections to help her start her first job. Now, the roles reversed, and I was the one needing help. I remembered about the man I met today. " Funny thing...," I started talking, but then the doorbell was heard, and Gabrielle rushed to the door. A minute later, she returned, together with Michael, whose face scrunched as soon as he saw me. " Milicent, I did not expect to see you here." He said, purposely using my full name, knowing well how I hated it. Whenever someone called me that, I instantly felt like an old lady who lived alone together with her cats. " It is good to see you, too, Michael," I smirked. " Millie will stay with me for a while." Gabrielle interrupted our pleasantries. " Is that so?" Michael looked at her, raising his brow. I could already see the plan forming in his mind about how to get rid of me. He tried to distance Gabrielle from me, knowing I was not his big fan, but he failed. " Millie is going through some hard times, and I offered her my help." My friend explained while I was trying to get her attention and let her know to stay quiet, but of course, it did not work. " Troubles in paradise?" Michael looked at me with a sly smile. " Temporary, but I am glad it makes you happy," I replied and watched his smile drop. " Why do you think it makes me happy? " He asked in a panicked voice since Gabrielle glanced at him questioningly. " I just felt like it does," I replied innocently." But maybe I was wrong." Michael shot me a glare, and I barely contained my smile. It was nice to put him back in line. Gabrielle could love him, but he knew that an open attack on me would mean problems to him. We promised each other that no man would come between us, and I knew Gabrielle would honor this promise. "Let's eat." My friend said, placing a pot with curry on the table. I focused on my food while they engaged in some irrelevant conversation. I knew that Michael would drop the matter for now, but I also knew that it wouldn't last long. That meant I would have to solve my living arrangement problem soon. I would do it anyway since I loved to be independent. I promised to visit the bank first thing tomorrow morning and find out what I could buy with my savings. It would be nothing close to the apartment I had, but it would be mine, and no one would have rights to it. Michael left after two hours while Gabrielle and I decided to have a movie marathon, supported by a bottle of wine. We laughed and joked, and for a brief moment, I forgot about my current situation. I fell asleep on the couch during the last movie. Stress from this whole day and wine took a toll on me. The next day, I woke up, showered, and rushed to the bank while Gabrielle still slept. " Good morning. I would like to withdraw my money. My name is Milicent Brown," I said as soon as it was my turn. The bank worker offered me a small smile and tapped my details on the computer. Lindsay was the name on her tag. " I am sorry, but it is impossible. " She looked at me with concern. " What do you mean?" I asked, surprised by her words. " According to the system, your money had been transferred to another account." Lindsay looked at me suspiciously. " Which account?" My voice was dangerously calm. " The account belongs to Deborah Brown." WHAT THE HELL?Alexader's POV I could not stop thinking about the woman I accidently met not long ago. After the first impression when I thought she was the drama queen, I changed my mind. Apparently, she was going through some hard times, and I only saw a woman who cried over the spilled coffee. " I usually do not act like this." She told me back then, and those words replayed in my mind. I knew nothing about her, but when I heard the words homeless, jobless, and cheated, I could not stop myself from offering her my number. Now, I was questioning myself why on earth I did that, but at the moment, it seemed to be the only right thing to do. What the hell was wrong with me? I blamed my parents for my actions. Why? Because they taught me to show compassion to those less fortunate. My parents set them as examples by being active members of several charity organizations. When I was younger, I could not understand how privileged I was by growing up in a wealthy family. All I could see wa
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