***A/N: If you are re-reading this starting May 2024, please note that there are enhanced scenes and details for you to enjoy :)

I have also added some music recommendations in the Comments to help you be in the mood as our characters.

Thank you for staying all these years!***

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Everything happened like a whirlwind after the sad news had come to Vee. On the very same day, she had to cancel all pending commitments and had her staff make important phone calls to file for her immediate resignation from her agency. Her managers and assistants had to coordinate with different agencies to send advanced notifications of the major changes on her plans for the year which would affect existing contracts. While flying in her private plane, she discussed pending contracts with her attorney and announced willingness to pay for damages or penalties for breach of contract, if any. After hours of calls making arrangements, Vee's appointment for Guy's fashion line photoshoot for a magazine was the only one left in her line up for the rest of the summer, and her friend readily mentioned that he would be declining the invitation if the editors would demand for Vee, and offer other top models to grace the shoot and be given the opportunity to carry his brand as an alternative.

After everything was settled the next day, Vee's press relations manager, Davie, finally released an official statement of her bereavement leave and indefinite break from the modeling world. This was to answer the media's growing questions on what her plans were, now that she was orphaned and without an immediate relative who could look after her. Vee knew that while some were genuinely concerned, not everyone who reached out to her had real thoughts of her well-being. Obviously, she wasn't a minor who needed thorough looking after, nor was she even stripped of riches for her to worry about what her future would look like - surely those who were keeping the buzz about her ill fate were just in for a juicy story to share to the world. Afterall, who wouldn't be intrigued by the sudden and tragic deaths of two of the biggest names in the highest social class, leaving all the inheritance to a seemingly spoiled princess?

The Rustik-Yates chain of hotels, which was managed by Vee's older brother, Viktor, now has a vacant president and CEO position and the stakeholders are starting to fret on the fact that a young woman inevitably seems to be the only qualified heiress. Business columns, social media platforms, and traditional media stations had ongoing debates on whether the business world was questioning Vee's skills and knowledge in running a corporation, or just too prejudiced on the fact that she was too young at twenty-two, a sheltered princess who had never set foot in business meetings with her father and brother in the past, all the while so busy and focused in her own world with her modeling career. Other discussions were focused on Vee being a "fashion model" which didn't have much "significance" in the business world as it was deemed as a mere "hobby," much to the indignation of fashion icons. The stories had almost everyone in the social circles too interested and invested in the development of the controversy that even the unaffected individuals were dragged in. This included the only known closest relative of the Yates who was Vee's Uncle, Reagan, who was based in Ireland. However, through an official statement which came out almost immediately after the rumors of him taking over started circulating the media, he announced that it had never crossed his mind to take over a business which was not his own, knowing that there is another qualified individual to take on the role. He also had to point out that he was already fairly occupied with his own shipping line and his plans of further expanding it with the help of his three sons. He couldn't help but make a sarcastic remark directed at the biased media people who were pretending to care about the Rustik-Yates business' welfare. You won't get drama out of our family.

"Reynold Yates," Vee's official statement read, "has his Last Will and Testament which will be presented and read to me in a few days by Attorney Wilhelmina Pimenova, our family lawyer. I shall wait for further instructions from him, which I'm sure - with him being prepared for everything - he had already listed. I have to admit that it would take time for me to learn what I need to, but I trust that everyone from the world of business and fashion would respect my need to privately make plans for the benefit of all the employees of Rustik-Yates Hotels."

The sudden death of a great billionaire in the country really shook the business world. It created a lot of nasty and tangled stories of betrayal, inheritance feud, and conspiracies which the media men feasted on, but as respect for the departed, the other magnates refused to make comments. However, the facts remained unaltered in the prevailing news.

On the day that Reynold Yates met with a car accident, it was said that he was trying out his new car which his best friend and bodyguard, Alister Gallagher had designed. The two were together in the car on the way to a business meeting, closely followed by Viktor Yates in his own sports car. Traffic was normal and the newly renovated highways were not as crowded as during the weekdays, which made it more surprising when the investigations showed that the car tires were the cause of the accident.

The new car which Alister was driving was seen to have suddenly swerved as caught on street CCTV and had hit the center island causing the entire car to tumble upside down and crash against Viktor's sports car, which then led to an explosion. As a result of the explosion, all three bodies got severely burned which made identification very difficult. Only the family heirloom - rings which had the family's symbols - of each victim has helped the authorities be sure of their deductions. It didn't help when Vee refused to have her father's and her brother's bodies undergo autopsy and DNA testing for further investigation. She refused to divulge to the media what her reason was when she made her decision and simply announced that she didn't want the already burnt bodies of her loved ones further mutilated.

In reality though, she was holding onto her brother's recorded video call sent to her a few seconds before the accident had happened. Whatever happens, never allow anyone to touch our bodies. While it felt too weird to receive such an instruction, Vee could not discount the fact that Viktor's face was extremely serious like she had never seen before. And never show them this call.

Vee could not understand why her brother would send her such instructions as though knowing there was something bad that was about to happen. More questions started flooding her mind as she recalled that there was also her father's voicemail message which was recorded and sent to her at the same exact time that Viktor recorded his - and her father's words were supporting Viktor's instructions. Wait for my last will and testament. Follow Viktor.

A part of her was hopeful that everything was just a bad joke, a sick prank where someone would suddenly say "Cut!" and take back every detail of what had happened, letting her go back to her normal world with her father and her brother constantly calling her when she was out-of-town. The moment never came, though, and she found herself attending one meeting after another to arrange for the interment of her loved ones. A lot of people, familiar and stranger alike, came to her, each expressing their condolences and offering assistance. It didn't even occur to her that she had even met the Gallagher heir, Conan, a few days back, while he also had to arrange for his father's interment.

After long, sleepless days and nights, when the time finally came for her to go home, Vee forced Guy and Lenka to leave her alone and assured them that she was alright. She wanted them to also get some rest as they had spent days and nights alternating with assisting her. She promised that if she needed anything, her house helpers would do a great job.

In truth, she wanted to have some time to mull things over and process her own emotions. Just as how her father had raised her and Viktor, she would never show weakness in front of anyone she didn't fully trust, thus she would always put on a strong face every time the cameras snapped at her during interviews. The first and last time she ever cried since hearing the news was in front of Guy and Lenka on that fateful day of her last fashion show. Her friends had expressed worry for her lack of emotional display, but she may have been trying too hard to follow her father's teaching that even when she had tried to release some emotions, she found herself devoid of them.

However, now that she was finally alone, as she sat on her father's bed, all the fatigue she endured within a week of roller coaster experience seemed to finally seep into her nerves and slowly softened her heart.

And she started crying.

The tears which she thought would never flow again started pouring from her eyes as she wailed, thumping her chest to try and ease her breathing. She sobbed as she replayed every single recorded video call she ever had with her brother. She wept as she listened to every voicemail message that her father had left her. Tears flowed freely down her cheeks as she listened to the men's quirky voices trying to annoy her with nonsensical topics. She bit her lower lip and chuckled when she browsed through pictures of Viktor showing a different girl in his arms on every shot. Damn womanizer. Her eyebrows raised in awe at her father's all serious snapshots during meetings which were secretly taken by Viktor. I didn't realize you were so elegant. Mixed emotions flooded her heart and she allowed herself to stay slumped on the bed, unstable and trying to pour all other emotions out.

Yes, let's grieve... Just for today, let's grieve...

She didn't realize that she had already fallen asleep after crying her eyes out. When she woke up, the sun was already up, its rays fighting to enter through the thick, glass windows and through the heavy curtains which were slightly parted. She stood up and took a good stretch, and tried to assess if she still felt overwhelmed with emotions as earlier. She could sense her heart starting to burst with sadness again, but she had to force herself to calm down and again remember what her old man would always say. Show must go on, darling. The show must go on.

Big show, this is, Daddy. She thought. What were you up to?

The day finally came when Attorney Wilhelmina Pimenova would read the Last Will and Testament of Reynold Yates.

Vee went to the Rustik-Yates Hotel and chose to stay in her father's office and meet the lawyer there. Guy and Lenka were with her as witnesses, and both were feeling more anxious than how she actually was.

"You two could stay put and stop walking around," Vee said as she rolled her eyes. The two ignored her and continued whispering to each other about the possibilities of Vee becoming a full-time business magnate, and being the prettiest and the youngest, at that. "Yeah, talk about me like I can't hear you."

"I should still style her and do her makeup, yeah?" Lenka whispered to Guy, her eyes sparkling with excitement and determination. Vee could imagine the fashionista gear rolling in Lenka's head.

"I definitely can't let her wear lingerie in shoots and shows..." Guy mused, "but I sure can create some designs which would fit her new world!" He clapped his hands decisively.

Vee simply raised her hands as her friends had seemingly gotten over their own grief upon seeing her looking better and more composed than ever. She let them chat away, discussing plans of how to make her the most stylish and prettiest billionaire.

"Not that you aren't yet," the two even said in unison.

When Attorney Pimenova arrived, all three of them settled and followed instructions on taking oath. Afterwards, the lawyer read from the Will.

"I, Reynold Yates, sixty-seven, hereby cancel all other Will and Testament I have created or written in the past, of every nature. This handwritten Will shall be honored as my last, irrevocable Will. I appoint my only daughter, Venera Rustik Yates, to look after my Estate and I hereinafter refer to her as my 'Executor.'"

Guy and Lenka gasped at the first paragraph which was just read out. They both wondered how and when the old Yates had decided on updating his Last Will with his youngest daughter as the person to ensure that his instructions were followed. It was weird not to have his older son do it, but what was a lot more mind-boggling was the idea of Reynold seemingly knowing that Viktor would be unable to function, leaving his daughter all alone.

"...to take my office as hers, and solely decide on the employment of executives at the time she assumes office..."

Vee could not focus on the rest of what Attorney Pimenova was reading out. She could feel her heart starting to beat so fast as she anticipated the weight of the responsibility which her father had left her.

As the Executor, all decisions are to be made by her alone.

She wasn't new to owning a business, but her father's was not to be taken lightly - it was talking billions at a much larger scale than what she was used to.

"...all these should take effect by the time Venera turns twenty-three, and is married to the sole heir of my trusted friend, Alister Gallagher."

Attorney Pimenova paused after reading the last paragraph off the Will. She turned her poker face towards her audience, anticipating their violent reactions.

"W-wait-I'm sorry, WHAT???!" Vee, Guy, and Lenka all jumped from their seats and stared at the lawyer as though the latter just started speaking in an alien language. Their jaws were dangerously agape, and the attorney wondered if they would soon fall to the ground. She could remember her own reaction when the old Yates had called her office to notarize his Will with that ridiculous passage about marrying his daughter off.

"What do you mean with 'married?'" Vee seemed to have found her voice again. "I am going to marry some...some random man?!" She looked horrified, her mouth opening and closing like fish out of water.

The beautiful but stern-looking lawyer nodded casually at the gaping faces of the three, earning incredulous glares.

"As it states, you must marry the Gallagher heir when you turn twenty-three, in order to assume office and be the 'Executor'" she explained, carefully rephrasing Reynold's words. The three were too dumbfounded to conjure another reaction, and they all sunk back into their seats, unable to even say another word.

The rest of the Will was read out and in the end, Vee had found herself lifting a pen, her hand ready to sign the document for her acknowledgement despite all the oddities. She was still in shock even after the lawyer had gone, unable to process what just happened. It was Lenka who had to shake her back to her senses.

"You remember meeting Conan Gallagher, right?" Lenka asked, her disbelief from earlier seemingly had disappeared in a poof, as now she was looking a little dreamy and very excited. Vee slowly shook her head, clearly not remembering what Conan looked like, despite remembering she had briefly met him just a week back. Guy gave Lenka an I-told-you-so look.

"Conan was the hot guy you met in the administrative office of the cemetery! He happens to be the son of your father's bodyguard! I can't believe you don't remember! And I don't think your Dad will give you away to some random man who isn't good-looking." Lenka narrated, her voice had a tinge of annoyance, clearly frustrated by the fact that her friend had failed to imprint on such a heavenly being.

Vee rolled her eyes. Not that she wouldn't want a "hot guy" for a husband, but she would rather go for someone mild-mannered. She could not remember what Conan looked like, and even though she was aware that the Gallaghers were her family's trusted friends, she still could not understand why her father would marry her off.

"Maybe because you didn't really seriously date any decent man in the past?" Lenka retorted sarcastically. Vee realized she was apparently thinking out loud.

"The only person of the male species in your circle is Guy, other than your father and brother." Lenka stated in a matter-of-fact tone, as she folded her arms over her chest.

Guy looked at Vee with a mixture of curiosity and worry. He knew that marriage was a big thing for the young woman, and being suddenly thrust into a situation like what she faces now could be equally shocking as losing her father and her brother at the same time.

"Do you have a plan?" He carefully asked. He feared what kind of response they would get from Vee.

"I need to talk to Conan Gallagher," Vee declared.

She straightened her coat and fixed her hair. She ignored the anticipating look and scared expressions on her friends' faces.

She tried to compose herself as she looked around the office as she tried to convince herself that the decision forming at the back of her mind was plausible. As she laboriously avoided Guy's and Lenka's searching gazes, her eyes fell on the painting behind her father's desk. She could imagine him sitting on his swivel chair, his serious face hidden behind his clasped hands, elbows on the desk and staring straight ahead at an invisible target board. Surely the abstract painting would have created a mystical backdrop if he were photographed from the front.

Really - what were you thinking, Daddy? She needs to know why her father wanted her to marry the Gallagher heir.

A/N

Hiyah!!! I promise to update every week... I already have drafts til chapter 10, and currently editing :-)
Let me know your thoughts ^_^