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Chapter 4
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2024-09-02 06:00:20Vee had never really paid attention to other business industries as she was growing up, chasing her own dreams. She had spent so much time traveling for her modeling gigs and the only world she had ever paid attention to was the world of fashion. Now that she practically didn’t have a choice but to enter the business industry which her father and her older brother had expertly navigated through, it took her by surprise that she may be facing similar worlds - business is business regardless of the industry choice. Businessmen seemed to have a smaller world than she had imagined.
Now I know why everyone’s noses are following me.
On the day she had decided to take her first step to solving her father’s puzzle, she only had to tell her driver, Max, where she wanted to go and he already knew how long it would take for the trip.
“You may still nap a bit, señorita,” Max had told Vee.
She found herself asking if Max e
Bab terkait
Beyond Duties - The Billionaire's Game Chapter 5
"Venera Rustik Yates."Everyone at the lobby looked at the direction where the announcement of the name came from. Vee raised her right eyebrow as she turned and found the speaker at the elevators area. She noticed how Rebecca started fixing her already sleek ponytail, and how the guards slowly backed off to their stations, removing the irritated looks on their faces and planting smug expressions instead.Looking back at the man who spoke her name, Vee finally recalled that it was Conan Gallagher. She fought the urge to whistle as he descended the stairs from the elevator area since he looked like one of the models who worked for Guy. Wearing an all-black suit, Conan's fair skin stood out and his piercing eyes were like blinding spotlights that roamed the entire lobby. His gait was that of someone proud and powerful, but his smile was full of charm."You sure have tight security here," Vee smiled, trying not to sound too impressed. She didn’t move an inch from w
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2024-09-03Beyond Duties - The Billionaire's Game Chapter 6
"My father has protected your father and family since they were young..." Conan said. "It is the same thing he planned on doing, I trust. My Dad and yours - they think alike. I trust that's the same reason they have similar instructions in their Will." He suddenly stood up, slightly surprising Vee. She watched as he resumed pacing back and forth, his hand on his trim hips. She noticed how his biceps flexed with every movement he made."Now, before you turn twenty-three, we must find my younger brother. It is vital that we find him before your birthday to avoid complications." Conan went over to the other side of his office and started rummaging through his drawer, looking for something. He found what he was looking for after a few minutes and handed whatever he had found over to Vee."What's this?" Vee stared at the photograph in her hands before looking up and handing it back to Conan. She knew that it was a photograph of another young man, but she had no clue what to do with it, and
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2024-10-13Beyond Duties - The Billionaire's Game Chapter 7
VEE's POVOne more week has passed and now I feel like it has been a year since my Dad and my brother had been buried. Everytime I wake up, I still hope to hear their annoying voices either through my phone or laptop, or literally in my ear whenever they decide to invade the privacy of my bedroom. The past few weeks were still not enough for me to totally get over their sudden death, despite the idea of facing more tragic problems ahead.I've always been reminded by my business advisors that I would need to speed up my adaptability to the nature of my family's business, as the stockholders are starting to doubt that I am capable of doing the CEO's job. My being incompetent in their eyes would affect our stocks and might pose a risk to my position. I would gladly agree, though - I was never raised to be a hotelier. I am confident running my own fashion business, but nothing like talk
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2024-10-14Beyond Duties - The Billionaire's Game Chapter 8
I still caught a glimpse of the desert we just crossed to reach the other side of the county from the hangar, and it didn't look pleasant at all. Shrugging off some dirt which could have accumulated on my light coat, I stepped out of the truck and instantly caught sight of the huge gates of the Elite Military Camp.It was vast. I couldn’t see with my bare eyes where the territory ends, but the many structures seemed to be marked by some logos and flags and I could see some stations high up some towers every hundred meters where guards were. I’m sure the guards manning the gates we have just entered were doing thorough checks on our trail if it looked like we had company.When the barricade was lifted and our vehicle was finally allowed to enter, we alighted and walked towards the pedestrian entrance. As usual, Max led the way. I noticed yet again th
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2024-10-15Beyond Duties - The Billionaire's Game Chapter 9
"I'm Franklin," the guy said, finally finding his voice. He smiled brightly and extended a gloved hand, and I felt obliged for a handshake. "Is the B-Gen awaiting your visit, beautiful?"I tried not to roll my eyes as I grinned and shook his hand. I carefully explained my purpose and watched as his face changed expressions from amusement to shock - which I expected, then excitement - which surprised me. This Franklin sure knows how to hide feelings, I thought, as his face continued contorting into different expressions which further amused me. I heard him say that he had just gone out of the Office but he volunteered to usher me in, stating that he might be useful.When Franklin and I entered the room, I was surprised that it wasn't that big. It was roomy enough to have a rec
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2024-10-16Beyond Duties - The Billionaire's Game Chapter 10
As Franklin stepped out of the office, Vee and Brigadier General Sherman started talking about the real reason why the Yates heiress is out hunting for the youngest Gallagher. It surprised Vee when the Brigadier General admitted he was somehow expecting her to arrive at the camp, and disclosed that even though he wanted to, he never cooperated with Conan for the sole reason that Reynold and Alister had strict orders of not disclosing the truth to anyone other than her. It addressed Vee's confusion earlier when the Brigadier General looked like he was excited and more than ready to help her when Sergeant Franklin ushered her into the office.Brigadier General Sherman admitted that it has been a challenge to hide the truth from the Gallagher soldier that it was not entirely true that his father, Alister, had never known that he was in the military. The old Gallagher had connections in the military having ser
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2024-10-17Beyond Duties - The Billionaire's Game Chapter 11
When Guy and Lenka finally found out about Jordan Gallagher's existence, Vee had to endure describing to them what her future husband looks like. For the hundredth time, to kill their excitement, she told them in detail how arrogant, ungentlemanly, and unsophisticated the soldier was - an exact opposite of Conan. Every time she had to relate to them how her first meeting with Jordan went, she could not help but wrinkle her nose in disgust.She still has not gotten over the fact that the Gallagher heir did not care to shake her offered hand in greeting. She felt insulted, and even more when he suddenly stormed out the private room in the visitor's area where they stayed after she stated her purpose of marrying him. She had to entrust Sergeant Franklin with the documents which Conan provided her since she could not go back to the Brigadier General's office due to the ongoing press conference. She had to leav
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2024-10-18Beyond Duties - The Billionaire's Game Chapter 12
Choosing not to get overpowered by all the negative news, Vee decided to focus on creating a presentation of her plans for the hotels. Her executive meeting with the stockholders would happen in three days, and she had to come up with something. She tried to reach all of her trusted business partners to gather ideas, and met with the loyal board members of her company. Max's uncle happened to be one of the members, and he was enthusiastic enough to share all his knowledge in business planning. Presentation after presentation, Vee skipped sleep just to gather enough points which she could use. She thanked Viktor for forcing her to attend short business courses with him when they went out on dates, and hoped that she could extract fruitful ideas for her plans."Señorita," Max's distinct accent forced its way into Vee's subconscious mind, "wake up, señorita, your meeting happens in an hour..."
Terakhir Diperbarui : 2024-10-19
Bab terbaru
Beyond Duties - The Billionaire's Game Chapter 39
Jordan studied Lucas' disgruntled face before snatching the envelope away. He peeked into it and saw a small flash drive."There are no other copies left," Lucas said, "and the cops don't know about it. You could research all you want, but that's all there is. I risked my reputation just to get away with that. I don't know what the old man Yates wanted with it, and why he seemed to know that his own accident was going to be captured in it. I did what he wanted - deliver that to his daughter."A sudden movement from the backdoor exit alarmed Lucas and he instinctively hid behind Jordan. The latter aimed his gun in the direction of a man who was lurking behind the shadows."Hold it," came Frank's voice. He slowly approached, his hands raised as he grinned at Jordan and Vee. "'Sup, Jordy, you seem too excited to blow p
Beyond Duties - The Billionaire's Game Chapter 38
"W-who are you?"Vee felt a bit confused as she questioned the man who picked her up from the dance floor and guided her to the backdoor exit of the bar. She wondered how it happened that no one suspected she was being kidnapped or dragged away - she hazily recalled how she appeared to still be dancing as people around her moved with her. She also did not fight back, much to her disappointment with herself, but she realized that she was not being forced. She couldn't clearly see the stranger's face which was covered with a scarf up to his nose, but she could see his wary eyes darting around as though trying to ensure that no one noticed or followed them. He cautiously let her lean against the wall after letting go of her arms."Please don't make a scene, Yates," the man said in a hushed voice. "I won't hurt you.” He sounded worried and sincere. He moved V
Beyond Duties - The Billionaire's Game Chapter 37
Due to Jordan's strict instructions of not making any information sit for more than twenty-four hours, Frank felt the need to immediately inform Vee about his discovery. He wasn't sure if he would need to filter any details - he knew Jordan wouldn’t want anything worrisome to cause Vee any stress, but since Jordan couldn't be reached, he would take the risk of discussing them with the Yates princess. He also knew that he had to work covertly, so he decided to fly to the city himself like how Jordan would do it, instead of talking over the phone or asking Vee to go back to the camp to meet him.The next evening as previously agreed, Vee was all set to meet Frank at a bar which was close to Lenka's workplace. She was also scheduled to attend a fellow model's birthday party, and she took it as an opportunity to act as normal as she could to avoid unwanted attention. Frank had specifically asked he
Beyond Duties - The Billionaire's Game Chapter 36
No one has received a call from Jordan, and no one dared to check on him due to strict orders of not being disturbed while he was out. Since no one had an idea who the woman was, Vee started wondering if it could have been Jordan's secret girlfriend. The image of him giddily talking on the phone when they were together came back to her, and she recalled seeing a woman's photo of the caller ID flashing on his phone then.Suddenly feeling weird, Vee asked if Katie could let her stay in the office and wait for Jordan for a few minutes. She was granted full access, as Katie was fully aware of the Gallaghers' orders to treat anyone of the immediate Yates family as their own employer, a rule which had been existing since Alister's time as CEO. Vee was allowed to enter the main office while the receiving room was closed.When she was finally left alone, Vee found hers
Beyond Duties - The Billionaire's Game Chapter 35
While enduring Lenka and Guy's teasing which lasted a couple of days more, Vee intentionally engrossed herself with paperwork and important business meetings to avoid looking like a ripe tomato every time she was with her friends. Not long did she realize, though, that she would be unable to evade the two longer than she had hoped when her wedding planner reappeared one day and reminded her of the important steps she had yet to do with Jordan."I-I was hoping to have the fitting postponed..." she said, biting her lip in discomfort. She just couldn’t imagine how to invade Jordan’s already full schedule and further test his sanity to talk about yet another obligation. Almost instantly, Guy jumped from his seat and recited his objection."Your birthday will be in less than seven weeks, lady," he announced dramatically. "Remember that you are
Beyond Duties - The Billionaire's Game Chapter 34
Vee could still hear Guy and Lenka enthusiastically imagining and speculating things about her relationship with Jordan but her mind was still tainted by a familiar sinking feeling which she had been ignoring. I was a nagging sense of unease - she couldn’t shake the idea of him being reluctantly caught up in all the Yates-Gallagher ruckus which seems to be her father’s brainchild.Her suppressed thoughts of an image of Jordan looking silly while talking to the woman who called his mobile phone while they were out for lunch still lingered in her head, and she wasn’t sure how to address that.She had almost forgotten, but the magazine article she had seen at the gasoline station which featured Jordan’s younger years was also something to consider.The magazine feature was a lookback at when he had won his mixed martia
Beyond Duties - The Billionaire's Game Chapter 33
Since it was obvious that Vee would be unable to dodge Lenka's interrogation, she finally gave in and decided to narrate every single detail about her vacation-turned-clue-hunting with Jordan. She purposefully left out the bathtub incident for fear of being teased, but her storytelling skills have yet to be honed since it was too easy to find loopholes which made Lenka discover that she was hiding something. Cornered, she finally shared what happened and how she was left with only a towel after all the ruckus.As Vee had expected, Lenka started giggling so hard that Guy finally gave up trying to catch some much needed sleep. He looked around his room and realized that the ladies had invaded his privacy and now had deprived him of some rest. Guy’s eyes widened as Lenka relayed to him Vee's experience with Jordan while they were in a motel, and with much excitement described how the Gallagher heir trie
Beyond Duties - The Billionaire's Game Chapter 32
After their short vacation which turned out to be an investigation, Jordan and Vee had to go back to work to face their pending jobs in both of their families' businesses. Vee resumed the business refresher courses she had started taking to keep herself sharp and in the loop with industry standards. Afterall, she can’t always just rely on her advisors. On the other hand, while she engrossed herself in her projects for the Rustik-Yates Hotels, Jordan resumed his research on Conan's pending transactions for their company.The mall conversion of the Gallagher Industries branch in Asia was a big project and Jordan always found himself trapped in cadences and overseas meetings. He had to fly out of the country every other day and it deprived him of proper sleep. He remembered the days when he got deployed for special missions in far flung lands where he had to endure sleepless nights while on watch for th
Beyond Duties - The Billionaire's Game Chapter 31
As opposed to what they hoped, Jordan and Vee were unable to immediately decipher what the painting was all about. Other than its title's literal meaning "First Son," they could not think of other clues out of it. The painting itself didn’t lead to other clues which may lead them to what their next steps should be."Maybe we are overthinking," Vee mused. For some reason, her brain refuses to function today. She could only think of wanting to continue her vacation which got interrupted by unforeseen events. "I wish we could have more days off..." She slumped her body in her chair and stretched her long legs across the table as she watched Jordan still intently staring at the painting.She was just planning to wrap her day up earlier than usual when she got a call from him and he said he wanted to drop by her office and study the painting yet again. She had
