Veil's enjoyment of the party was marred by Anders' silent presence, his unspoken command keeping her in her seat. The arrival of a distinguished older man, his false gray hair a stark contrast to his vibrant personality, only added to the tension. This was Mr. Charles, the person Anders had promised would be in attendance tonight. They started talking about a new business idea with the aim of expanding the products put out of auction, and from habit, Veil whipped out her ipad and started taking notes. “How about touring museums and other homes that houses art for now? Some of these things are due to be put out to the public for ownership, and we wouldn’t know until we approach them.” Anders suggested, waving one of the servers over. He asked for a refill of his glass, as well as Veil’s, still not talking to her. “That’s a brilliant idea,” Charles opined, nodding enthusiastically. It was obvious that he held Anders in high esteem, and would do anything to prove that he was worth ha
Veil's eyes met the clock hanging above the wall, realizing that she had only been working for an hour. Her feet still hurt like hell even though she had taken off her shoes and replaced them with the pair of slides she found beside the desk.They obviously belonged to Anders, with how huge they looked on her feet. Veil wasn't even sure it was a good idea to have them on, seeing as Anders looked for every way to make her life a living hell.Her ankles were swollen and she desperately needed to lay on the couch beside the desk.“It will be just for a few minutes,” she told herself, getting out of the office chair and stretching her small frame on the couch. It was uncomfortable sleeping in the dress Anders got, but she had no other choice. The couch felt really soft underneath her body, and she couldn't help snuggling into the arms of sleep. Even when Anders walked in an hour later, in his black pajamas, her soft breaths still serenaded the room.Anders stopped by the foot of the stai
“Veil,” Anders called softly, touching her legs. She seemed to recoil from him, still staring at her ringing phone. This wasn't how Anders had planned for the night to play out. He didn't know what to do with a panicking woman and her ringing phone.As if on cue, the phone stopped ringing and silence returned to the room. Veil was still panicking but at least, she could now see him. She tried to wipe the tears off her face, but her hands were visibly shaking.“Do you want to talk about it?” Anders asked slowly, not sure how to go about this conversation. “I'm not so sure,” Veil responded, shaking her head.“Do you want to call back?”Veil wanted to, but she needed Anders out of hearing. She already hated that he had seen her cry, and didn't want him to see anything uglier.“I want to get back to work.” Veil got off the bed and returned to the office, plopping on the seat. Once she was sure that Anders hadn't followed her back down, she called the hospital back, dreading the news.“Y
The first time Veil woke up, it was with a start. The bright light from the windows was blinding, but that wasn't what made her jump up in a frenzy. It was the thought that she was late for work, and the fear of what Anders would do to her. A ding on her phone caused her to search for it on the nightstand, and she let out a string of Spanish curses when she remembered that Anders had given her the day off. It was 10 am already but she still felt so sleepy so she went to bed a second time. When she got up again, the sun was up, and the rays were shining in through her windows. She rolled to the other side of her bed, stretching her muscles until she decided it was time to get her ass up. Since it had been a while she had the whole day to herself, her house was in a mess. She spent the first hour cleaning up and taking the trash out. Jane was returning to Mexico in a few days and it was imperative she met the house in a sane condition. Exhaustion coursed through Veil's bones as s
Anders could barely concentrate at work. He was worn out from a sleepless night spent worrying about Veil, wondering if she was doing okay. He knew she didn't want to tell him what was going on in her life, and that made him so frustrated.He felt the strong urge to take total control of everything happening in her life, but from the little he knew about Veil, she was a tough nut to crack.Julia, his temporary secretary for the day, came in with her iPad. “Mr. Roderiguez, I have with me a copy of your …”“Did I ask you to come in?” Anders asked, his voice too calm to convey his actual feelings.“What?”“It's a simple question, Ms. Julia.” His tone was getting harsher.“You didn't, Sir.” She answered curtly.“And why didn't I?”Julia was confused. The HR head had told her to fill in for Ms. Hart today and she had done everything to be ready for Anders questions, even looking up what he liked to eat. She was here before he came in that morning, and had even brought in his coffee, black
Anders brought his car to a slow halt opposite Veil's house and reclined his chair to wait. It was getting pretty dark, but she wasn't home yet, as the lights on her porch were off.“I still don't know what I'm doing here,” Anders muttered to himself as he closed his eyes, counting one to a hundred in his head. His phone rang, but he ignored it. Kingston group contracts could wait for a few hours. He must have fallen asleep at some point, because the next time he opened his eyes, there was another car parked directly on Veil's driveway, like it had every right to be there. His eyes ran over the plates, not recognizing it from anywhere.It was the latest model of the Bugatti Mistral. Anders could tell because he had one of those parked in his garage. It was worth 9.3 million dollars and only the wealthiest could afford it.This piqued Anders’ curiosity. Moving his gaze from the car, he checked the lawn for the rider. He wasn't sure if he had gotten out of the car, but the engine had
Veil was running late, and it had nothing to do with the fact that her alarm hadn't gotten her up in time. Halfway to the company, she had realized that she had forgotten her iPad on her bed, and had to rush back home to retrieve it.The round trip took an extra forty-five minutes, and by the time she finally got to the first floor of the Kingston Group building, she knew she was in deep trouble.Veil met Simon in the elevator as she rushed inside, her brain in a frenzy. She barely realized he was there as she turned on her iPad, trying to go over Anders’ itinerary for the day, while at the same time, trying to adjust her hair with her other hand holding her bag.“You look like you've had quite the morning,” Simon said, leaning off the elevator wall. “Let me help you with that.”Simon took Veil's bag, so she could have better access to her hair. She smiled in appreciation as she put it up in a messy bun with the band she always had on her, after deciding that it was the best she could
Veil stared dumbstruck at Anders’ retreating figure, tears pricking at the corner of her eyes. She knew she should have just left the damn iPad back at home even if that meant appearing so incompetent. But at least, she would have gotten to the office early enough and in turn, would have avoided Anders’ wrath.But then again, she had a strong inkling that it was more than her coming late. It wasn't the first time Anders’ had gotten upset over his reaching the office before her, but it was never this intense. Something else was wrong, and she wasn't sure she was interested in finding out what it was.“What is the saying again?” she said in her head as she made the short journey back to her office. “Oblivion is sometimes bliss.”This oblivion couldn't be blissful in any way, and that would have only been if it had agreed to remain undiscovered. ***Anders walked in through the glass doors, barely noticing the people who bowed low in greeting as he walked briskly past them. This meetin
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