It was hard getting a quiet place to talk without the whispers of people trailing after them like bees on a quest. Orleans seemed to think it was all her fault. He didn't need to say it. Veil saw it in his eyes; the accusatory glance he cast her way at intervals, the soft parting of his mouth and how it snapped shut almost immediately. He followed her around as she kept looking for a suitable place, coming up empty. There were either shagging couples or people who wanted to ask her a million questions about her relationship with Anders. One of them had even called her a desperate bitch that wanted to take what belonged to Sophia. No amount of mental and emotional preparation would have gotten Veil ready for this. She heard Orleans sigh exasperatedly behind her. He suddenly grabbed her hand, pulling her along with him as they went through a narrow stairway that seemed to go on and on for ages until they came up to the rooftop. There was a guard at the entrance, but the moment he re
Her hand flew to his chest, pushing him away with all her might. But the strength her wrist possessed was nothing compared to Orleans’ determination to get what he wanted and his obvious obsession with her. He planted a firm hand on the small of her back, pulling her impossibly closer to him as he forced his way. He tugged at her bottom lip, coaxing her to open up to him.Frustration soon found its way to him, and at the same time, anger; anger that she wouldn’t look at him the same way she regarded Anders, anger that he had been nice to her from the very beginning, while Anders made her day intolerable, yet she still chose Anders over him. Veil gasped against his lips, trying to plead with him wordlessly. His hand groped her waist roughly, and her dress raised off the grounds a few inches. Veil’s mind screamed for help. She panicked, using her claws on his skin, drawing as much blood as she could.Yet, Orleans wasn’t stopping. She wished she hadn’t gone to talk to him alone. Hell,
Veil stared at her reflection in the mirror, frightened eyes staring back at her. She tried to blink it away, to push the events of the rooftop away from her mind, but the impossibility pounced back at her. She needed a drink. She saw the door handle turn, and Veil braced herself for what she had had to endure for the past five minutes. The few ladies who had walked in through that door seemed to think she was the villain of this story. She wondered if that would change if she told them about how she had just been harassed by another media sensation a few minutes ago. But unlike Orleans, Veil would never do anything intentionally to ruin a person she cared about. Or used to care about. She saw a pair of boots push in through the door first before the rest of her figure followed. She was talking to someone on the other side of the door, nodding briskly before sauntering into the bathroom and closing the door behind her. Autumn’s hair was put up in a messy bun, and her face was ba
Veil gasped as the liquid hit her chest, dripping down to the dress she had sworn to protect. That was the only thing she could think about – the ruin of the most beautiful dress she had ever owned. Her mouth hung open in shock as Anders moved swiftly, getting her to stand behind him. “Fuck! Sophia!” Anders had never hit a girl in his entire life, yet, for the first time, Sophia had made him think about doing just that. He folded his hands into fists by his side and looked away sharply. That one-second break was very vital in keeping him away from doing something that was bound to backfire. Anders didn’t know about regrets. He doubted if he would regret this. “What the fuck are you trying to do?” he yelled at the top of his voice. A small crowd had gathered regardless, so he might as well let it play out here. If Sophia didn’t care about her status here as he had believed, there wasn’t any need to hold back anymore. “I’m treating the wench how she ought to be treated,” Sophia y
Anders got Veil home in one piece, even though his mind was screaming different ways he could have made the night end better for Veil. He was doing the same thing he did with Camila. He blamed himself for how the night had gone. If he had been faster, he would have gotten Veil out of the way before that drink landed on her. Or maybe he shouldn’t even have taken her along with him in the first place. “I’m fine, Anders,” Veil muttered, as the driver took the turn that led to Ander’s house. “You don’t have to look so worried.” Anders wished it was that easy. He didn’t even want to be in that situation. He didn’t know what to call it. Obsession, maybe? They had known from the get-go that tonight wasn’t going to be all flowers and champagnes. He knew that and ensured to communicate it to Veil before they signed that contract. Yet, he couldn’t stop the terrible feeling in his stomach that blamed him for putting her in harm’s way today, from Orleans putting his disgusting hands on her,
Veil’s head whipped up sharply, thrown into a sea of surprise. The first time Anders asked if she had a boyfriend, Veil hadn’t drawn the connection. All she assumed was that her boss was some playboy who flirted with anyone around him. She didn’t know how to feel about the thought that it all started that day at the club – the same day she got her invite for the interview at Kingston Groups. “You look flustered,” Anders muttered, eyeing her. “You didn’t think about it that way, did you?” “I didn’t…” She swallowed. “I thought you hated me. You acted like you did. You were unbearable, gave me impossible tasks, and threatened to pull me off the job like I even wanted to be your secretary in the first place.” “Veil,” Anders scoffed. “I was attracted to you. Every part of you called out to me like a drug, and I just wanted to see the stuff you were made of, taste the stuff you were made of.” “And now?” Veil feared that it was all over. He already had access to her body since that wa
The stairway was dimly lit, enveloping Veil in a dark glow as she walked down. Her initial plans were to go into the kitchen to take some warm milk before trying to fall asleep again. Her mother had used that when she found it difficult to fall asleep donkey years ago, and Veil was hoping that it would work again. But when she reached the floor directly under hers, her feet refused to take the next flight of steps. Instead, they ushered her down the hallway, with her breath hitched in her throat and her pulse racing. She stopped in front of the door at the end of the hallway and took a deep breath. With her hand poised above the door, Veil readied herself to knock when suddenly, the door gave way and pulled open before her. Her mouth hung slightly open as she stared at a shirtless Anders standing in front of her while her hands were still hanging in the air. “Hi,” she breathed nervously, letting her hands drop to her sides. She took in deep bouts of air, but it did nothing to ca
Anders touched her like it was the very first time, faces drawn close together like they were each other’s oxygen, silent whispers being drawn, eyes rolling in pleasure, silent sighs enveloping the dimly lit room.A hand wrapped around Veil’s waist, he drew her impossibly closer to him, tasting the skin on her nape. Veil sighed in his arms, trying to blur the difference between her dreams and this reality. She should have thought harder about it and paid more attention to the fact that Anders would never want her the way she wanted him to. But her feelings for him were too strong, and they clouded her mind, roped her in, and finally acted like the strong walls had been torn down.But the minute they would get up the next morning, it would be there, maybe stronger than ever, daring Veil to scale without risking grazing her knee.Veil stroked his throat as he leaned down to kiss her, her fingers bearing all the intensity and passion entrapped inside her. He trembled underneath her touch
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