Millie's POV
And there I was. I sit on the bench with a cup of coffee beside my feet. In just a matter of minutes, I became homeless and lost my job. The only thing that was not bothering me was Mark. Sandra could keep him for herself. His betrayal stung a little, but I had serious problems to think about. First, I will have to find a new job. My phone rang again. It was Gabrielle. She had been calling me for the last twenty minutes, but I was not ready to talk to her right now. I sipped my coffee, thinking about my current situation. What was the most hurtful was my father's betrayal. I always knew he wanted to be Sandra's favorite stepdad, but I would never imagine he would turn his back on me. But there he was, sitting quietly while Debora and her good-for-nothing mother were humiliating me in every possible way. He allowed them to take everything from me like I was nothing to him. If my mother would be still with us, nothing like this would happen. But she was long gone. Tears filled my eyes, and I wiped them quickly. My phone rang again, and I picked it up, knowing that Gabrielle would go to my house if I did not answer her call. That could be funny, as she was like a demon when it came to protect me. " Hi, Gabrielle, " I said, trying to sound cheerful. " Where the hell are you? It has been hours since you left." My best friend sounded angry, and I looked at my watch. She was right, and I just lost track of time. " I will be back soon," I replied, thinking about my conversation with Gabrielle. She will squeeze me like a lemon to find out what happened. "Okay. The dinner will be ready in about two hours. Do not be late." I let out a breath. Two hours until the interrogation I was not ready for. I leaned back on the bench, exposing my face to the last sun of summer. Soon, the weather will change, and there will be much more rain. When I was enjoying my time, I heard the sound of something being crushed and a warm liquid splashed on my feet. I looked up immediately, and a man was standing in front of me with an apologetic look all over his face. Without a word, I looked down at the cup that was completely ruined and my shoes and feet that were covered in coffee. I do not know why, but this sight made me so sad that I broke into tears. " I am so sorry. Are you hurt?" The man kneeled beside me, wiping off the coffee with a tissue. " No," was the only thing I managed to say. " Let me take a look. I am really sorry. I should have been looking where I was going." He said again, but I could barely hear it, too occupied with crying. It looked like this incident freed all the feelings I tried to conceal in me so badly. " I will get you another coffee right away." The man said, finishing cleaning my shoes. Then, without warning, he stood up and disappeared from the coffee shop. I tried to calm down when he came back. " I had no idea what you like, so I decided on a latte with extra caramel and cream." He said and handed me a cup. " Please try, and you will feel better." I looked up at him, and he watched me with the same concern. He even seemed a little scared. Then, it occurred to me how I had to look in his eyes. A crazy lady who started to cry over the spilled coffee. Great. I mustered a small smile on my lips, and he visibly relaxed. " Thank you. It has been a hard day, and it looked like this was the last drop. I usually do not act like this." I mumbled. This man deserved a little explanation to stop thinking that I was mentally unstable. " No worries, we all have bad days sometimes." He said, and to my complete surprise, sat beside me on the bench. I took a closer look at my companion. He was wearing sweatpants and a hoodie. His face was partially hidden under the baseball cap, but I noticed a strong jawline covered with a short, black beard. He was handsome, but after today, I promised myself to stop with men for a lifetime. I was just betrayed by someone I lived with for three years. I am not going to fall into another trap. " On a scale from one to ten, how bad was your day?" He asked out of the blue, stopping me from staring at him. I looked down at my cup instead. " Twelve," I said with a chuckle. " That bad, huh?" He asked and whistled. " Yeah," I replied dryly. " Not every day you become chated, homeless, and jobless." " That is twelve, then." He replied without humor. My phone rang, and I noticed that my time was almost over. I picked it up, turning away from my companion. " I am on my way back, Gabrielle," I said quickly, standing up. " Thank you for the coffee," I mumbled, and he gave me a small nod. I turned around to leave when he spoke again. " Twelve, wait." I saw him writing something on a small piece of paper. " Do you have anywhere to go?" He asked, and this time, I nodded. " I will stay at my friend's place for a while," I responded, shrugging my arms. The man came closer and gave me a piece of paper, now folded in half. " If you will need any help, just give me a call." I took the paper, looking him straight in the eyes. His gesture touched something inside me. This complete stranger offered me help while my family turned their back on me. I felt tears building back in my eyes. " Thank you," were the last words before I walked away.Alexander's POV I looked at my father, trying my best to hide my annoyance. How many times can we return to the subject I was not too fond of? Why they can't let me live the way I want? " Seriously, Dad? This again?" I asked, shaking my head. " Yes, son, this again." He replied coldly. Maxwell Foster was a tough man who built his empire and ruled it with an iron fist. He never gave up, no matter what. Now, as his son, I became the CEO of Forster Inc. I have worked at this company for many years, starting at the bottom and climbing. I could be the only son of my father, but he made sure I would learn to respect everyone's work here before handing me the highest responsibility. I proved myself, and now he could retire with peace of mind. Our company was one of the largest in the country and needed to be supervised without a break, but I loved it. Someone would say I was a workaholic, but my office was my favorite place, right after my apartment, which was a man's cave.
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 th
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