The man standing before her wasn’t wearing a three piece suit like the last time she met him. Instead he was dressed casually in khaki pants and a simple white shirt, leaning against his desk with a document in his hand.Basically he looked like something out of the pages of a magazine,“You…” Aira said too shocked to say anything else.“Ah! We meet again!” The handsome businessman said with a smile, as he uncrossed his long legs and made his way toward them with the ease of a pather and the charm of a fox.“My, do you know each other?” Carter asked with a smile not seeming in the least bit surprised.“Miss. Aira and I had an unexpected encounter last week,” Vincent said, “ Though we didn’t get to introduce ourselves since she left before I could ask her about her name,” He said with a smile that looked too much like a smirk to Aira making her guards stand up to attention.Good lord, it had been him all along! And to think that she had made a fool of herself…“Yeah, last time was a bi
“What do you mean?” Aira asked looking at her friend who was looking back at the office door with a puzzled expression.“What do you mean by ‘What do I mean’?!” Maeghan said sounding surprised,“You were in there! Didn’t you see?! He was smiling! Vicent Valory was smiling! The whole time!” She said lowering her voice to make sure no one heard them.“Well, yeah. I guess he was smiling. Does he usually not do that?” Aira asked,“Usually? The man never smiles Aira! The best thing one could see from him is a tight business smile and that was solely reserved for people he conducts business with.” Meghan responded,“That’s weird. Since I met him he had always been like this. He was always charming and kind of easy to talk to.”“Aira, I’m telling you. In the years I worked here I’ve never heard anyone describe the man as charming. Handsome, maybe. Sexy, definitely, but never charming. They call him the Shark in the broad room and he does deserve that nickname if how he ruthlessly tears peopl
Aira stared at her hands on top of the table wondering how nice it would be if she had something to hold in her hands right now. It would probably help with how awkward she felt.“First of all, I wanted to apologize for what I did. Cheating on you like that was wrong. And I…”“You were doing it for a while, right?” Aira said finally gathering enough courage to look up at him in the eyes.He flinched for a moment, then he said,“How did you know?”“The real question here, Jace. The one that needs to be answered the most, is why,” Aira said calmly looking at the man who used to be her fiance.“I don’t know… It just happened…”“No, not that, Jace. Why did you want to marry me? Why did you go out with me, Jace?” Jace looked up at that question his eyes not hiding the surprise they held in them. Then as if trying to desperately hide it he looked down at the table.“I wanted to go out with you because I liked you,” He answered,“Maybe you did, I did too. At first. But things changed along
“Are you ready?” Ian asked Aira as he parked the car at their parent’s driveway.“As ready as I can be,” Aira responded with a deep sigh.“I can see how much you’re looking forward to this,” Ian said with a small chuckle,“Well, at least someone is going to take the attention of Dad off of you. He will have to grill you about the business trip later,”“And I’m very grateful for that, dear sister,” Ian said with a smirk.Shaking her head, Aira made her way out of the car. As soon as they got to the door it was swung open with an ever well dressed butler standing there to greet them.“Welcome home. Miss Aira, Young Master Ian,” He said with a slight bow and a smile,”“Gunther! It’s good to see you. How have you been?” Aira asked as he took her coat for her,“As good as I ever been, Miss. I would never have anything to complain about with your parents,”“Won’t or can’t?” Ian asked teasingly, “There’s a difference.”Gunther chuckles but never answered making Aira laugh and her brother fol
“I’m gonna do it,” Aira said with a sigh as she put her phone down.“Wait are you serious?!” Meghan said after choking on her coffee. She was still wiping her mouth with the paper towel the waiter brought by, clearly concerned about her wellbeing.A little too much if Aira had anything to say about it.“Yeah, it’s the only thing that’s gonna make her shut up about it! I mean, she’s been calling me every day asking me to reconsider it.” Aira complained“That’s very unusual,” Meghan said, “Your mom is never pushy with anything,”“That’s why I feel even more guilty about this! I mean she never asks me to do things like this. I think maybe the breakup and the accident were too much for her to handle at once. She’s worried,” “It’s fine, It’s just a date after all. No need to worry too much about it. Besides your mom said that he knows about the break up so it shouldn’t be too awkward right?” Meghan said making a cringing expression at the end.“Yeah, try saying it like you believe it next
Aira stood in front of the restaurant door staring at it for a while before sighing. There was no running away from this. She was going to have to suck it up after all…“Good evening, miss. Do you have a reservation?” Asked the hostess as Aira stepped inside,“Yes, it should be under the name of Willam Brooks,” Aira answered internally hoping that the hostess would tell her that there was no reservation under that name.Unfortunately, that didn’t happen.“Righ this way, Miss. Mr. Brooks is waiting for you,” The hostess declared dashing her hopes.Aira made her way through the tables wondering what her date would look like. Hopefully nothing like Jace. She’s had her fill of ambitious young businessmen looking for an heiress.As soon as she reached the table, Aira knew that her concerns were so far off the mark that it was almost funny.“You must be Miss. Aira,” Said a muscular young man wearing a turtle neck that made it even more obvious that he frequented the gym regularly, “William
“ So, how come you’re on a date with someone you don’t seem interested in?” Vincent asked as the waiter left their table to place their orders,“It’s a blind date. Something my mother had been pushing on me since I broke up with my ex,” Aira explained wondering if the situation could get any more confusing,She was having dinner with a man who wasn’t her blind date, but her client from work whom she had met in a car accident and who might know about the embarrassing scene where she found her cheating fiance.“Oh, sorry about your break up, by the way.”“Yeah, it happens,” Aira added not wanting to talk about that more than she already did.“Were you here on a business meeting?” Aira asked“More like a talk with a family member,” He said with a smirk, “ If we can call each other that anymore…” He muttered under his breath and Aira wondered what he was talking about.“I heard that Valory Developments is a family company. Must be interesting to run such a huge business with family member
“W- What?” Aira stuttered wondering what her, so far, perfect date partner was saying.It sounded weirdly close to the M word…“I have to get married within the next two months for various reasons. I’ve been thinking about it for a while and you’re the best candidate that I could think about,” He repeated simply as if he was talking about arranging a second date.Not that this was their first date for god’s sake!But no! The man was going straight from their first non-date to marriage! Wasn't talking about marriage on a first date taboo or something? Her brain raced, was he some kind of believer in matrimony? Marriage before dating…Or was it just her luck to be meaninglessly proposed to every time she starts dating someone?Hell, she just broke her engagement with her cheating ex. And the way THAT prick had proposed looks exactly like what this guy was doing here.Although perhaps less flashy and minus the ring and the audience…Wait a minute, didn’t he say that he needed to get mar
Vincent pressed Aira against the door kissing her face and neck frantically and she chuckled upon the contact her melodious laugh making him relax and smile back at her as if she was the most precious thing in the world. "Are you really here with me?" He asked cupping her cheeks and she smiled up at him and nodded. "I really am here with you. Vince. I'm not going anywhere," She said looking him in the eyes and he nodded his eyes looking vulnerable, "This feels like it's another dream," He said and she circled her arms around his waist leaning into him. "Did you have a lot of those? The dreams I mean," She said and he simply nodded. "Since the very first day that I met you. I had been dreaming about you since that day," He said looking at her with a serious look in his eyes making her wonder if that was really the truth. It can't be... He must be pulling her leg. Before she could think about anything, she felt Vincent pull her up against him and kiss the daylight out of her as he
Aira stood at the side and watched as the crowds all dressed in lavish black, circled around the huge gallery. She was standing to the side wearing a tight-laced black dress and black string high heels which made her feel both exposed and a little bit uncomfortable.There was something about dressing like this while attending an event alone. It made her feel as if she was being followed around by the gazes of any man hoping to get an easy lay tonight.Her only consolation is that this was a family event. A memorial for her grandmother.She wanted to laugh at that. This was more like a full-blown exhibition. The exhibition of the century.Her mother had went and outdid herself again with this event.Both her grandmother and Paul had been working nonstop on this. They even employed interior designers and event planners to coordinate everything to make sure the event was what their grandmother had hoped for.The woman sure had a fancy taste.Aira had been mostly working on the painting m
"It was believed that the legal battle between The CEO of Valory groups and his uncle was going to go on for years before the score is decided. But a sudden turn of events makes us wonder if that assumption is going to be proven wrong.Today, Warren Valory had been arrested for no disclosed reasons closing the chapter of a long battle that had been going on for years since the young CEO took over the company in his early twenties being one of the youngest entrepreneurs to reach such a position at such a young age.In answer to our questions this morning, Vincent Valory revealed that his uncle was only getting what he had always deserved. He said that the days when he would cover up for his uncle because he was family were gone and that the limit was set at hurting other people and committing real crimes.Other sources revealed that the real crime Mr. Valory was talking about was the attempt his uncle had made to harm his beloved wife in a hit and run causing her car to almost roll up
Aira sat down beside her mother and looked at the members of the family around her.Her uncle sat back on his chair looking as if he still believed his mother would walk into the room and announce that this was a joke. His wife sat quietly beside him as he clenched her hand in his offering him all the comfort he needed.Grace sat on the other side of the sofa leaning against paul her eyes red-rimmed and Paul held her close gently patting her shoulder while Ian stood be her side looking down at her from time to time looking worried.It paid to be the youngest member of their family.Her father on the other hand stood behind her mother his hands on her shoulders comforting her the best way he could.Aira on the other hand sat there alone as everyone wondered where her so sweet and loyal husband went at such an important moment.They were about to know why.The lawyer who sat before them cleared his throat as he pulled a piece of paper out of the envelope that he had been holding linking
There was one thing about goodbyes that Aira knew very well. And that it was a form of closure that people seek in order to make peace with the person they were never going to see again. And also with the part of them, that was attached to that person.Aira now was saying goodbye to both. And she knew that it was going to be hard, but she didn't expect it to be this hard.Standing before the coffin and away from it enough for her not to see the insides of it she remained rooted in place for a while fear gripping her heart like a vice.Her mind was like a rollercoaster of emotions and thoughts and she even started trembling again.But then she remembered."I am proud of you." That's what her grandmother had said back then.As if her mind calmed down all of a sudden from the turbulence of a storm to the calm of a sunny morning by the beach, Aira slowly stepped toward the coffin where her grandmother was laying peacefully looking like she was simply asleep. And maybe she was, but her sle
A few days later, Aira sat down in the second row as she watched her mother present her eulogy. She felt drained and cried out. In the three days since her grandmother died, Aira had been doing very little.Other than painting or staring at the painting, she spent half the time crying and the other half trying to suppress her tears. Her family was grieving and each time she found her mother sitting in a corner crying by herself, she felt her heart break a little more as she went to try to comfort her.She was tired. So tired that she felt like she was going to sit anywhere and fall asleep as soon as the funeral was over.She felt a hand sneak around her waist and pull her sideways against a muscular chest. Grateful for the support, she didn’t tell Vincent anything. She didn’t need to.He had been hovering over her since that day but she couldn’t say that his presence bothered her. Sometimes she barely noticed his presence but most of the time, he would always be in the right place at
Aira opened her eyes after a few hours from her nap feeling rested and peaceful for the first time since she discovered what Vincent had done.Jumping out of bed, she could barely fight the urge to take the brush into her hands. So without stopping to think about anything and like a lunatic with an illusionary fire chasing after her, she changed into her jeans not bothering with a new shirt, and made her way toward the workshop.Opening the door. She headed toward the untouched painting left as she had left it before the butler had come to get her.A bang in her chest sobered her but she still made her way toward it and stared at it for a few moments before she picked up a new brush and started mixing the colors and preparing for everything.After a while, she was already painting the rest of the painting unaware of what was going on around her.Vincent came barging into the room at some point and she looked at him absently wondering why he looked so worried. Then he sighed in relief
Vincent stood by the door and watched as Aira’s family fussed over her. Her mother and sister were hugging her tightly as they cried and her uncle stood away awkwardly as her father spoke to him clearly giving him a piece of his mind about what he said to her.“Thank you for finding her,” Ian said as he came up to stand beside him, “Amongst all of us, she is the one who has the hardest time.” He said.“I know. They were pretty close together,” He said with a smile his eyes never leaving her.“They were. Which is probably why she sold the mansion to you. She wanted Aira to have it one way or another.” Ian said and Vincent remained silent for a while not bothering to answer that comment.“She told me that you had a fight. She seemed upset over it, I was wondering if she would agree to come with you.” Ian added and this time Vincent looked at him.“I was wondering the same too. To be honest, I screwed up pretty badly this time and I wouldn’t have been surprised if she had refused. I had
Aira stood there in front of her mother and uncle staring at the table.“Honey, I know how hard this-““No. You can’t do this to me,” she muttered.“You have no choice, Aira, you’re an artist, you need to finish that painting. It was her last wish,” Her uncle said in a hard tone.“No!” She screamed and they were both taken aback, she took a step back startled at her own outburst.“No… I- I mean…” she stuttered taking a few steps back feeling stares on her piercing through her skin.Suddenly she felt overwhelmed, dizzy, and out of air. She wanted to throw up.“Aira, honey, are you okay?” Her mother asked looking at her with concern Aira took another step back when her mother reached out for her.“Don’t touch me…” she said dazed and her uncle stood looking at her with confusion.“Are you like this because we asked you to finish the painting?” He asked and she felt the mocking tone in his voice.“Don’t talk to me,” she gritted out glaring at them, then she turned around to find everyone l