Chapter Two

~Veronica Beckham. 

I downed the third cup of water Reese handed to me and crushed the paper cup in my hands. 

"This is bad. This is very, very bad." I said hitting the crushed cup on my desk making a few heads turn to look at us.

"Sorry about that!" Reese apologized on my behalf with an awkward chuckle. 

"This is fucked up in many ways, Reese. This can't happen." I said to Reese in a slightly panicked voice as I tried to control my emotions. I know very well that crying isn't going to help.

"I know Vee, the decisions haven't been made yet but that's what everyone's been saying. Even the press!" She exclaimed.

"But, he just died! How could they even think of the company? They should at least focus on his funeral or something." I complained, feeling my stomach churn from anxiety.

"The company has to carry on with or without him, Vee. This is just not working out the way it was supposed to." Reese said, grabbing a random chair to sit beside me. "What about your application? You haven't received an email yet or something?" 

"No I haven't," I said in a sad voice as I slowly released the cup from my grasp, suddenly feeling bad for crushing it.

Reese pouted at my face and wrapped her arms around my sulking body.

"It's going to be okay, baby girl." She said resting her head on mine

"I hope so," I muttered.

I was only worried about my family. One person in particular.

~*~

My fingers kept clamping around my steering wheel as I headed home. My palms were getting sweaty, the driver's seat was comfortable, and my legs felt like jelly even though I was making sure I was putting the right amount of pressure on the gas pedal.

I'm no idiot, I know it's my anxiety creeping up. How am I gonna explain this to my family? How is Lillian going to react?

I know this isn't something I did to myself but why do I feel like I am the cause of it? For some reason, I feel like I'm going to become a burden on my family if I lose my job.

I sighed deeply and ran a shaky hand through my disheveled hair.

I'm so screwed.

By the time I reached home, it was already night time. I had been driving disgustingly lazy and taking longer routes just to kill time. I wish that they would somehow be asleep when I get home and by the time they wake up tomorrow morning, I'm gone.

Is that too much to imagine?

After extra minutes of mustering up courage in my car, I finally got out and put on a big, fake smile.

Even though my heart was pounding hard against my chest, my footsteps were fast as I walked up to our door. 

I brought up my purse to take out my key but the door opened before I could and the face of my sister showed up.

I tensed up, feeling like I was caught at a crime scene.

"You're back." She said with a small smile on her face.

"Um, yeah?" I said unsure followed by an awkward laugh. "I had a lot of work today so I'm a little bit late." I lied through my teeth as she stared at me blankly.

"You're gonna have to microwave your food yourself." She said and turned around leaving the door open for me.

"Lillian made mashed potatoes for dinner, she's salty because you missed dinner." Mom's voice reached my ears as I got into the house and locked the door behind me.

"You did?" I asked my sister in surprise as she led me toward the dining table.

"Why do you sound surprised? I'm 17, not 7." She answered in a sassy tone, making me chuckle.

I dropped my car keys and purse on a coffee table in our living room before going into the kitchen.

My eyebrows shoot up in surprise when I saw my father at the dining table, Mom was taking away a napkin that was stuck around his neck. If you didn't get the memo, my father is paralyzed, partially. Half of his body lost movement.T

The doctors say he's suffering from partial paralysis due to a traumatic injury he had when he got into an accident six months back. It's been half a year and if I'm going to be completely honest, I avoid medical talk with my mom about my father because he's so stubborn. He rejects physical therapy or anything that is going to help him. He thinks it's going to cost a lot. Of course, it's going to cost a lot but it's for his own good.

He makes me frustrated, but even so, I have my savings ready for him whenever he decides to change his mind.

"Dad?" I called out, surprised and confused.

His eyes peeked up to look at me and from the way the corners of his mouth were crinkling, I knew he was trying to smile at me. 

"Why is he in the kitchen, Mom?" I asked as I walked up to my Dad with a smile and wrapped 

my arms around his fit figure.

I wonder if being paralyzed makes you fit.

"I told you, Lilly made mashed potatoes and gravy for dinner so we decided to eat together as a family but you weren't there." Mom said, throwing me a pointed look. 

"I'm sorry." I said before taking a seat beside Dad at the dining table.

My mother takes out a plate of mashed potatoes from the microwave and places it in front of me. Lilly came over with the gravy boat and dropped it beside my plate. She even poured me a glass of grape juice and sits across from me.

"What are you doing?" I asked, wanting to know why they were all being anonymous today.

"What are you doing?" Lilly returns my question instead with a smirk on her face.

"I'm trying to eat without your eyes all over my face." I retorted and she shrugged her shoulders.

I lick my lips nervously as I looked down at the finely mashed tubers on my plate. 

How am I supposed to tell them that I might get fired by the end of the month? 

My palms were getting sweaty all over again, and the temperature felt hot. I ran my palms over my jean-clad thighs to get rid of the sweat as I looked at Mom who was already looking at me.

I have to tell them, now.

"Mom I—"

"No, the gravy isn't salty, Veronica. Eat your food and go to bed." She said. 

It was now that I looked at my family. They all had warm smiles on their face but their eyes looked sad. They were waiting for me all day like they wanted to support me. To be my comfort. I felt a warm hand wrap around mine from underneath the table. I looked up at my dad's face. Even though he couldn't fully turn his head to look at me, he still relayed his message.

It was then I realized, they already knew.

Tears instantly pooled in my eyes as I looked at Lillian, I felt bad for her. I felt useless.

"I'm sorry." I croaked out, allowing fat drops of tears to stream down my face. "I'm really sorry, Lillian." 

"It's okay." She said, the strain in her voice showing that she was holding back her tears.

"It was all over the news today Vee," Mom said coming over to me and holding my head to her stomach. "It's not your fault."

"I'm sorry." I sobbed into my mother's dress, the soft material soaking my tears as she patted my head.

All this time I was worried about them knowing without realizing that I might be the one 

who needed consolation. Lillian has her college savings and my family has my savings to live on. 

I'm the one who is going to lose my job. I am the one who needs consolation.

"It's going to be okay, Veronica." My mom repeated, consoling me.

I cried for a while and after I was done, Lilly made me chug down my plate of food before going to bed.

I think they all knew that I wasn't going to be able to doze off but they sent me to bed anyway. I did sleep around 4:00 am and still woke up around 6:00 am to take a bath and get ready for work.

"Stupid dark circles." I said as I dabbed a slight amount of concealer under my eyes in frustration.

I quickly finished my cover-up and got dressed. I settled on wearing a pair of navy blue high waisted pants with a plain white button-up tucked in them. 

I picked up a cropped blazer that matches my pants and grabbed my purse from my bed, and walked out.

I found Lilly in the living room with a bowl of popcorn in her hand as she flipped through the channels on our TV. 

"Aren't you going to school?" I said to her as I slipped on my shoes.

"I told mom I'm not feeling great. She said I could stay at home." She told me without looking at me.

"And where is Mom?" I asked, curious. 

"She took dad to the hospital," she answered absentmindedly.

"Talking about progress." I snorted and opened the door. "Don't invite boys over while I'm gone, Lilly." I teased.

"Don't act like you wouldn't be happy if I knew any boys." She retorted sarcastically making me laugh before I slipped out of the house.

My mood brightened instantly. I felt no pressure as I drove to work, hopefully, I would hear better news today.

~*~

"What did you just say?" I said to the receptionist at the front desk, wanting her to repeat the horrid news she had just told me.

"Reese is out today. She called in to tell me that had an emergency." The receptionist repeated in a bored tone making it evident that I was disturbing her. 

"Oh, my God." I breathed out unbelievably. 

An emergency?

I checked myself in and headed straight toward the elevator to get to my desk which was on the 

third floor of the building. I greeted a few familiar faces along the way as I got to the elevator. 

I was almost a foot away when I noticed that the elevator was closing. I let out a squeal and quickly placed a foot in between the doors to stop them from closing. 

I let out a sigh of relief as I stepped into the elevator.

"That was close," I said to myself as I pressed the third button.

"You should have waited." A deep voice spoke beside me, making me let out a surprised shriek. 

I put my fists up in the air, naturally as I turned to face the owner of this voice. I tilted my head to the side as I looked at a man I am not familiar with in this building. I had to crane my head up a bit to look at his face as he was tall. His hair fell in soft-looking curls and stopped right below his jaw. He wore a suit that didn't help in hiding the fact that he was bearing a defined body underneath it. His jaw ticked as I stared at his figure, he had a very sharp jawline too. My eyes traveled up and met his sharp grey eyes that were looking back at me.

"Uh! No?" I sputtered instead, trying to hide the fact that I was flustered because he had caught me ogling him. "Why would I wait when it's right here in front of me," I added in a mumbled breath.

"Because it's common sense." He said without missing a beat making my eyebrows shoot up.

"Why is he so grumpy?" I mumbled to myself again but he had to answer back.

"You're just sensitive." 

"I was talking to myself," I blurted out as I looked up at him. "And no, I am not sensitive. You're just nosy." I told him and before he could open his mouth, the doors opened and I gave him a side eye before walking out.

"So grumpy," I mumbled to myself as I watched the doors close again, making sure to glare at it before making my way to my workstation.

I had planned on calling Reese but I had a lot of work piled up on my desk so I made a mental note to myself to call her when I was less busy.

~*~

"Done," I said quietly as I slipped the last of my work for today into my drawer.

I made all sorts of noises as I stretched my body. I grabbed my blazer and purse before standing up. The floor was empty because it was past work hours, we usually finish by 5:00 pm but it was currently 7:00 pm. I felt chills run up my arms as the cold air hit my shirt. As I made my way to the elevator I received a text message from the Head of my team. 

Jules: Pick up a backup file at the front desk of the last floor first thing tomorrow please, I forgot it there before I checked out. It has your work for tomorrow. I'm sorry!

I let out a loud groan as I read the text message from my screen. Too bad I saw it while I was still in the building.

"Jules!" I whined as I pressed the button on the elevator and got inside. 'Why is this happening to me?' I asked the rhetorical question as I pressed on the button for the last floor.

Before I could let out strings of curse words for Jules, my phone rang. My face lit up when I saw Reese's name come up on the screen.

"Hello, Reese," I said as I put the phone on speaker since there was nobody there. 

"Hello. Vee. My favorite human in the whole world." She said in her usual cheery voice.

"Well, you're surely not mine," I said and she laughed.

"I'm hurt." She said jokingly.

"What was your emergency? I had to go through all sorts of hell today." I said.

"I had to get a tan, Vee. It's summer and I'm too busy with work to get a natural tan at the beach like normal people."

"You took a whole day off to tan?" I asked, truly flabbergasted.

"Well, of course, it doesn't just happen sweetie." She said with a nasal voice, making me laugh.

"You're the most unserious person I've ever met," I admitted.

"That's what's special about me, Vee." 

"Can you believe I'm still in the building?" I sighed as I watched the lights dinging on the buttons to show which floor I am at. "I finished work late and Jules wants me to get my work for tomorrow on the last floor. It's frustrating." I complained to her and she hummed in agreement. 

"You're a saint, Vee. God knows I would've ignored it till the next morning." She said.

"That is something you would do," I confirmed with a bob of my head.

"Hey, I've got news for you." She suddenly said. 

"What is it?" 

"Did you know that Carson's only son came to the company today himself?" She gushed like a little child.

"He has a son?" I asked, confused.

"Um, hello. Are you trying to tell me you didn't know about this? You've been in that damn building throughout today!" She said in an exasperated voice.

"I'm sorry I don't have a hunch for gossip, Reese," I said sarcastically.

"Ugh, anyway, he actually came to the company today, and apparently, he's taking the 

company." She said, making my ears perk up.

"What? Wait, isn't that great news?" I asked, a smile lighting up my face at the same time, the elevator dinged and the doors opened. "His son wouldn't have to fire the interns right? It would

be a safe space for me until I get accepted." I said excitedly as I walked towards the desk of the 

receptionist.

"Yeah but the problem is, he can't have the company either," Reese said making me stop in my 

tracks.

"What do you mean he can't have the company either? It's his father's company, isn't he the 

direct heir?" 

"He is, but they're playing games with him. I heard they're saying that they can't give him the 

company because he doesn't have an heir himself, not even a wife!" 

I just stared blankly at my phone at the absurd words I just heard from Reese.

"What are you saying, Reese?" I asked rhetorically and started moving again.

"If he doesn't have a wife or a direct heir himself the company can't be entrusted to him. They say they're not risking it but it's evident that they are playing games with him. Can you believe it?" Reese said, disgust evident in her tone.

"That's just bullshit," I said. 

"I know." Reese agreed with me.

I reached the desk and luckily, the file was easy to spot. It had my name on it. I picked it up and held it in my hand.

"I have to figure out a way to get a new job, I can't stay jobless, Reese. If I go down, my family goes down with me. I don't know how fast I can find a job but I should."

"I agree with you." Reese said.

I turned toward the direction of the elevator to make my way out of the building.

"Oh, my pizza is here." Reese whooped before I could even say anything. "I'll call you back in a minute." She said before hanging up. 

I shook my head at my phone before sliding it into the pocket of my blazer. I tucked the file under my arm and took a step forward only for me to bump into someone. The first thing I wanted to do was scream, but my whole body was frozen. I could feel my heart thumping, feeling as if it was going to burst out of my ribcage. 

Is this how I'm going to die? Is this it?

"Are you scared or playing dumb?" A deep voice said obnoxiously.

My brows furrowed as the voice sounded vaguely familiar. 

"Who-" I started to ask but my voice got caught in my throat as my head craned up and recognized the face from hours ago. 

My facial expression slowly morphed from fear to annoyance.

"What kind of thing are you? Why are you creeping around at night?" I asked irritatedly as I slipped past him and headed towards the elevator. 

"Did you just call me a thing?" He asked rhetorically. 

I could hear his firm footsteps as he followed me. I tried to ignore him but a pair of hands grabbed my arm making me halt immediately.

"What the hell? Let go of me!" I said in annoyance as I tried to yank my hand away but his grip was firm.

"I'm here to help you." He said as he took out his phone and checked something. 

I scoffed at him. Who the hell is he? 

"Um, no thank you. I was joking about wanting to die." I said sarcastically making him look up from his phone and raise an eyebrow at me. 

He lets go of my hand and stuffs his hands into the pocket of his pants. He stared at me as if he was analyzing my face. He then took a step toward me but my feet were glued on the spot from his sudden movement. 

"You obviously don't know who I am so let me enlighten you." He said, his deep voice ringing 

through my ears as I stared back into his grey orbs. "I am Arthur Callaghan, and I want us to help each other out."

I saw the satisfied look on his face as realization dawned on me. Before I could even say another word, he beat me to it.

"I want you to marry me."