Veil stumbled back, fazed by those words. It didn't matter that she had heard him say it a million times, or that she knew that he believed it as much as he believed that oxygen was what gave life. “Anders,” she whispered, uncertain of what to say next. Different words serenaded her mind but none of them seemed enough for this situation. She wished she could beg him, say something that could get him to change his mind.But with the expression etched on his features, Veil knew there was no way on earth that was going to happen.He watched her with something that looked close to pity, and it made Veil hate herself, hate the situation she had willingly walked into.“I don't want to do this to you,” Anders muttered, sighing. He ran his hand through his hair again, then placed his hands on his waist.“Then don't,” Veil breathed, her hands clutching his t-shirt. “Don't, Anders.”“I can't.” He shook his head. “I've thought about how this conversation would go a million times because I never
It was pure anguish for Veil for the couple of days that followed. While the weekend was over and she needed to be at work, Veil couldn't muster the courage to face Anders. Not so soon. So, she did the exact thing anyone in her shoes would do - send in an excuse to be away from work for a week due to personal reasons.Veil didn't wait to see if the leave had been granted before shutting off her computer and laying back in bed. She stared at her ceiling, decorated with tiny stars that glowed in the dark. Veil had been so busy at Kingston Groups that she had forgotten she even had that on her ceiling.She sighed and turned around, her eyes falling on the diamond neckpiece she had tossed to the ground last night. Veil closed her eyes, remembering how Anders had stood behind her, putting the diamonds around her neck himself. She remembered every moment they spent together from the very beginning, when he acted harshly towards her and she had to stop herself every day from quitting.It fel
Veil tried to move on with her life for the next couple of days, but everything felt too much. She laughed too hard at comic scenes, so much that it got her parents concerned, and when the emotional scenes came on, she asked to be excused because she suddenly had urgent work that needed to be sent to the office. Her mother regarded her with helplessness. She felt bad that she could do nothing to help her daughter and, even worse, that Veil was refusing to help. Although they hadn't brushed the subject since Veil arrived unexpectedly, Mrs Hart knew what had happened. She saw it coming the last time her daughter was around, huddled on the floor in her room, and refusing to admit her feelings to herself. Right then, Mrs Hart knew the hurt was inevitable, that her daughter wouldn't be able to escape it. She had only wished that it would end well, that she would finally realize why she couldn't let go and had to fight for the man she loved. "She'll come around," Mr. Hart sighed, pullin
Before Veil was allowed to leave her parent's house, she had to promise a million times that she would see a doctor as soon as she got back to the apartment she shared with June. Although she thought it was just some flu roaming in the air, her mother wouldn't let her ignore even the slightest headache. She took the bus back into town, and June was excited to have her back. But more importantly, she was thrilled that her best friend looked normal, or at least almost normal. She didn't mope around anymore, and that sad line on her face had eased into a more resolved look like she had accepted what life had thrown her path. But on Monday morning, as Veil got ready for work, June watched her from where she stood, leaning against the door frame. "Are you sure you are in the right space emotionally to return to work?""I took only a seven-day leave," Veil replied, going through her closet for a chiffon blouse. "If I don't show up today, I might just as well kiss the job goodbye.""Okay,"
Veil moved with Anders throughout his day, filling him in on his meetings and taking down notes where necessary. Although it was purely professional to the onlooker, a thick sexual permeated the air, hanging above their heads and strengthening with every move they made. It showed in the smallest things, like their reaching for the pen case at the same time, their hands brushing, and the zing of electricity making them pull back in the blink of an eye. It was in the way she tried so hard not to look into his eyes, settling for staring at the spot above his head each time he addressed her. And to the best of his ability, Anders tried not to talk to her directly. He sent her emails, and she responded through the same means, curt and brief. She hated that their relationship had been reduced to barked commands and typed words, but Veil had promised herself that this was all it was ever going to be.Anders had just wrapped up the meeting with his Board of Directors, spurred by Veil's remi
Anders took a deep breath before sauntering into the restaurant, stopping first at the counter where granny was. A toothy grin stretched her face wide as she waved him over. He leaned over the counter so she could place her frail hands on both sides of his face. “Haven’t you been eating?” It was her anthem each time he came around. “Young men need to understand that a home-cooked meal beats those junks a million times over. You’ve shrunk in size since the last time I saw you.”“It’s just the stress from the company,” Anders replied, smiling. “Hope you’ve been well?”“You haven’t come to see me in a while with that secretary of yours. How’s she doing these days?”“Ms. Hart is fine.” Anders was quick to answer, needing to get that out of the way. “I’m sorry I haven’t been coming around. A lot of things have been going on.”“With Veil, I suppose.”Anders rolled his eyes. Of course, she knew Veil’s name. “Kingston Groups…”“You need to move fast before another man comes around to snatch
Veil felt really sick after she threw up, but since she had already taken a seven-day leave, which, by the way, had gotten her into trouble with Anders, she didn't think he would be all sunshine and brilliance if she told him she wanted to have the rest of the day off. Of course, she had seen the concern in his eyes when he helped her in the bathroom and even felt a shiver run through her when she felt his hands at the back of her neck, lifting her hair up. But Veil didn't want to think too much about it. It hurt enough already, and she wasn't going to push it. Certain it was some stomach flu, Veil skipped lunch and stayed in her office, catching up on the workload she had left behind. She called the English investors, who maintained they had to leave the following day. The only middle line they offered was for Kingston Groups to take responsibility for their flight back to England.Veil immediately gave her consent because she was sure it wasn't a big deal for the company. And sinc
Anders waved the driver away, grabbing the keys from him. He walked Veil to the passenger's seat and strapped her in before getting behind the wheel. She told him he was making a big deal out of nothing and that it was just some stomach flu.But even if she was right, Anders needed to make sure of it. He already felt like shit for breaking her heart. He wouldn't be able to sleep knowing that she wasn't feeling well, and he had done nothing about it. The hospital gates came into view, and Veil tried to talk him out of it. Anders knew it wasn't exactly because she didn't want to go to the hospital, but it had everything to do with him and his nagging presence. He knew she was right that it was selfish of him to push her around this way when he was the one who wanted nothing to do with her at the end of the contract. It felt like the first time all over again, the annoying inability to let her be. Anders worried about her all week when she took a leave. He had been scared that she woul
MONTHS LATERElvis Presley's “can't help falling in love” reverberated across the full hall as Veil walked down the aisle slowly, in the arms of her father, with June behind her, unable to stop smiling so wide. Veil's best friend seemed to be the most excited about this wedding, as she had been in such a great mood since Veil returned with Anders to Mexico, the news of their engagement in tow.She and Amanda had been responsible for all the planning, leaving Veil nothing to do than being doted on by Anders and taking care of her gradually bulging stomach. Veil thought it was better to do the wedding before she wouldn't be able to walk easily, and Anders was cool with whatever she wanted.Anders was at the aisle, with Lucas by his side, the roles reversed so beautifully. His wife, Amanda, was at the front pew, dabbing at her eyes and at the same time, glancing at her watch. She was in charge around here and since Amanda was the queen of perfection, she wanted everything to be in place
Anders walked into the house with trepidation since Veil hadn't said anything about welcoming him with open arms. He had taken too long to realize he was in love with her, and the thought plagued him as he stood in the center of the small and cozy living area, struck at how homely she had made it look.“This is nice,” he noted, not expecting Veil to dignify him with a response. That explained how his eyes raised in surprise when she smiled at him, a sigh escaping her slightly parted lips. “I'd always wanted my own space,” Veil explained. “But living with June has made me realize that perhaps, solitary living isn't for me.” She laughed awkwardly and sat on one of the mismatched couches. “It's been a little bit hard living alone. I don't know how to cook just for myself, and there's no one to fix me a quick snack when I'm too tired to lift a finger.”Anders wanted to tell her that he would happily do all of that for her, but something kept him mute. He wasn't certain how open she would
Anders didn't bother to change into something else, getting onto the private jet from his landing. The tuxedo made him look like he was going to a ceremony, but there wasn't any time to go back home, especially since Anders made the decision in the spur of the moment.The usual readings of the weather, flight safety information, and weather forecast were announced before the jet took off from the ground, and Anders wished they could go faster. His legs bobbed in the aircraft and he shuffled between looking out through the window and scrolling through the magazines before him.He wasn't going to get to Veil in the next five hours and now that Anders was midair, he was beginning to think about the spontaneous choice he had just made. Perhaps, he should have celebrated the day with his best friend, then waited till the following morning before making the trip. He hadn't even considered if Veil would be open to receiving him. If that happened, was he just going to come right back?The ans
Anders was in the room with Lucas, helping him with his brooch before he went to the aisle to wait for his bride. Lucas hadn't stopped talking about how special he thought Amanda was and how lucky he was to have her as his bride. At first, Anders was receptive to the emotions flowing, even handing Lucas a napkin when tears threatened to fall from his eyes. But three hours into the day, Anders decided that it was getting on his nerves. And not in a bad way. The more his best friend spoke about love and the beautiful things it had done to him, the more he feared that his choice not to believe in love was more damning than it did him any good. It was becoming oddly real to him, that Lucas and Amanda were going to need their privacy after today, so he wouldn't be able to disturb them as often as he was used to.“Don't look so sad, Anders,” Lucas drawled, patting his friend's face affectionately. “We're still going to be your friends. Things are just going to be a bit different.”“How so?
“Veil!” June yelled from the living room, where she was huddled with her laptop, peering up at the screen. She had been at it for a couple of hours now, muttering that she had a deadline to meet up with, more urgent than having a shower or eating. Peeking out from the kitchen where she had been trying to whip up a snack for her best friend, Veil rolled her eyes and muttered something about her yelling being worth it before leaning on the door frame. She was only about six weeks gone, and the pregnancy hadn’t started showing yet. “I hope it isn’t something as mundane as getting you a glass of water,” Veil murmured, eyeing June, who still had her eyes glued to the screen of her laptop. “You got the job!” June said at the top of her voice, and for once, Veil didn’t complain about her best friend yelling when she was right beside her. Veil covered the distance in one second, planting herself by June’s side as she peered down at the mail open on the screen. Veil had logged on to her ema
Anders was in Lucas’ studio, watching his best friend and Amanda gush over the idea they had for their wedding. They wanted it to happen there since it was not only cost-effective but they could, at the same time, have an influence over the decorations.Lucas wanted the paintings he had made of Amanda gracing the walls that day, with the pictures they'd taken together showing the journey of their dating life. They giggled when they saw an old picture of the four of them - Amanda, Lucas, Anders, and Camila, and tears pooled at the corner of Amanda's eyes. She whipped them off hastily before Anders or Lucas could notice. She only wanted to have happy memories of her best friend.“What do you think about beige?” Amanda threw at Anders who looked like he wanted to be anywhere else but there. Unfortunately, he had nowhere else to go. The bar sounded like a very tempting idea right now, but Anders knew it was too much of a show since the whole of Mexico knew who he was and there wasn't goin
CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND FORTY-SIXJune couldn't get rid of the surprise etched on her features, no matter how hard she tried. And oh boy, she did try. She walked behind Veil like a shadow, following her every moment and popping the question a million times, so much so that Veil started locking her room door to keep June out in the middle of the night.She had to inform her parents too about the development, and they were supportive of her decision. Veil had resigned from Kingston Groups and sent her CV to the English Investors’ company. She was awaiting feedback from them. On the day she sent in her resignation letter, Veil ensured she was in and out of the company like a breeze, too fast before Anders could realize she was there in the first place. She came just after lunch, meeting Simon at the desk who was about to make a sharp U-turn to stay out of her way.It made Veil laugh about the comedy that had become her life. Just a couple of months ago, Anders was threatening every sing
June was waiting by the door when Veil got home, and she allowed herself get whisked into the living room, with June watching her like she would drop to the floor at any minute. June was not far from the truth because the only thing holding Veil up was the fear of doing anything to harm the baby.It was still pretty early and she had read somewhere that the first few months of a pregnancy were usually the most delicate, and extra care needed to be taken in order to get through it.June said nothing until later in the night, when Veil came out for a snack. She was working in the kitchen, a huge pair of frames on her eyes when Veil sauntered in, covered in her cute small pyjamas.“Hey,” June called, taking off her glasses. Veil hadn't told her anything since she returned because she didn't want to overburden her best friend with the drama that had been going on in her life. They felt unending, from one level to the other. Veil couldn't remember the last time June had complained about so
Those words would have rocked the whole of Veil’s world if she wasn’t so certain of what she had seen in Anders. He was one of Mexico’s greatest businessmen, but the one thing he couldn’t do as expertly as running a business was lying to her. He tried to be mean, to act like he didn’t give two fucks about Veil. But she could see through the walls he had put up, and he had no one to blame for that but himself. The days he had spent with her had opened him up more than he had thought possible, and now, he was left staring at the face of the woman who didn’t believe him one bit when he said he wasn’t in love with her. “I can’t lie about my feelings for you,” Anders said, his tone almost pleading for her to reason with him. “And I have tried my best to make it clear from the beginning that I want nothing more from this than what you want, or at least, what I thought you wanted.” Veil shook her head. “Maybe at first, you believed those words as much as you try to convince yourself now