***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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Vee had never really paid attention to other business industries as she was growing up, chasing her own dreams. She had spent so much time traveling for her modeling gigs and the only world she had ever paid attention to was the world of fashion. Now that she practically didn't have a choice but to enter the business industry which her father and her older brother had expertly navigated through, it took her by surprise that she may be facing similar worlds - business is business regardless of the industry choice. Businessmen seemed to have a smaller world than she had imagined.

Now I know why everyone's noses are following me.

On the day she had decided to take her first step to solving her father's puzzle, she only had to tell her driver, Max, where she wanted to go and he already knew how long it would take for the trip.

"You may still nap a bit, señorita," Max had told Vee.

She found herself asking if Max ever happened to know the Gallaghers.

"Funny you should ask, señorita," Max chuckled. "I was personally trained by Señor Alister Gallagher. Driving, martial arts... He was the reason why your father trusted me enough to look after you."

Feeling a little guilty that she never cared to ask about Max in the past, Vee tried to hide her blushing cheeks by looking out the window. Now that she thought about it, she realized that she got so used to having everything done for her by either her father or her brother that she never really paid attention to who worked for her and where they had come from if it didn't concern her fashion business. She truly only considered background research when she had to deal with people from the fashion industry.

Realizing that she will likely get lost in the world of business outside of fashion, Vee mentally reminded herself to start waking her curious self and researching the inevitable. She suddenly had an idea that her father might have considered that hurdle in advance and to keep her on track, he had chosen to have her marry someone he found as trustworthy - like Conan Gallagher.

Max announced their arrival in front of the tall building which says Gallagher Industries and Vee stepped out of her sedan and looked around. The skyscrapers standing alongside each other made her feel that she was really in the middle of a bustling business district. She had never really paid attention in the past how the surroundings of her fashion show locations looked - another proof of her being too absorbed in her own world.

Although her family's hotels were located in the same vicinity and she had visited multiple times in the past, she still wondered how she could miss all the beauty of high-rise buildings around the area. She made a mental note of how the nearby buildings looked so she would not get lost if her mobile compass and map ever stopped working if she were traveling to work.

Vee looked back at Max who pointed at the building belonging to the Gallaghers. It was neat and sleek, a serious ambiance compared to the lively and feel-at-home atmosphere of the Rustik - Yates Hotels. She estimated it to probably have fifty-five floors. What caught her attention was the logo at the topmost railing of the building where the letters of the name were molded to look like a pistol, with "G" as the trigger.

"The Gallaghers' business is centered on making specialized cars and they have a security agency," Max whispered as he ushered Vee to the lobby where a beautiful receptionist was waiting.

Vee observed that Max seemed to be very familiar with the building premises. She recalled how he pushed a well-hidden button on the wall earlier before they entered the building and halted the rotating doors to enable the automatic sliding doors at the right corner instead.

"Please usher Miss Venera Yates to the Office of the President." Vee heard Max tell the receptionist and the guards in a proud manner.

Vee didn't like the way she was regarded by the receptionist who made it obvious that she was displeased with the request that was just announced. Her sunglasses were covering her puffy eyes, and she fought the urge to snap as she watched the lady's eyes travel from her head down to her chest. It made her feel like questioning her fashion choice for the day which she knew may have been a bit loud - she was wearing a suit in magenta, with nothing underneath her coat.

I didn't feel like wearing black today, so? She mentally presented her argument with the receptionist.

As Vee discreetly looked around, she noticed that even the guards were obviously unhappy that someone like her came unannounced and demanded to see their president - and they were very careful to show every disdainful expression on their faces. She tried to comfort herself, thinking that Max's thick accent might have garbled the sound of her last name and it might not have registered in everyone's ears. She kind of felt irritated about what made her father think that her last name would have significance at the Gallagher territory. It also didn't help that it was just the first time she ever set foot in the building. She suddenly thought of how her father would have reacted if he were in the same situation.

Instinctively adjusting her posture like she always would whenever she was displeased, Vee approached the receptionist and leaned over the counter.

"Rebecca," she said after glancing at the lady's name tag, "I have to inform you that you will start seeing my face every day from now on." She smiled threateningly. "So if you please, call Conan Gallagher and tell him that I am seeing him in his office in 5 minutes." She looked at her watch dramatically. "Now, which floor is his office?"

Vee had to admit, she was impressed that Rebecca didn't look swayed at all by her menacing approach. On the contrary, the receptionist looked calm and collected as she smiled back.

"Can I have your name, miss?" Was all Rebecca said, as she picked up her phone, seemingly preparing to dial for the president's office.

"Venera Rustik Yates."

Everyone at the lobby looked at the direction where the announcement of the name came from. Vee raised her right eyebrow as she turned and found the at the elevators area. She noticed how Rebecca started fixing her already sleek ponytail, and how the guards slowly backed off to their stations, removing the irritated looks on their faces and planting smug expressions instead.

Looking back at the man who spoke her name, Vee finally recalled that it was Conan Gallagher. She fought the urge to whistle as he descended the stairs from the elevator area since he looked like one of the models who worked for Guy. Wearing an all-black suit, Conan's fair skin stood out and his piercing eyes were like blinding spotlights that roamed the entire lobby. His gait was that of someone proud and powerful, but his smile was full of charm.

"You sure have tight security here," Vee smiled, trying not to sound too impressed. She didn't move an inch from where she stood and waited until Conan was close enough when she spoke.

"I'd like to believe you're impressed," Conan replied with a smile, reaching for Vee's hand and twirling it around his arm like a gentleman ready to escort his princess. He nodded at Max in greeting and Max nodded back before leaving to fetch Vee's car in front of the building's drop-off area.

Vee felt weirded out by Conan's gentlemanliness but she liked the idea of holding his muscular arm as they walked to the elevators. She took in his freshly shaven scent and tried to glance at his face in her peripheral vision. Conan was tall, about six-foot-two, and Vee was glad to have worn heels or else she would feel like a damsel in distress clinging to her knight in shining armor in fear of getting mobbed. She rolled her eyes at the thought and again looked at how Conan's appearance was like.

Men wearing business suits in a sexy way always turned Vee on, and she started considering that Conan could be an eye candy if he were to become her husband. She liked neat-looking men, those who looked and actually smelled good, and Conan met the first few qualifications, so far. It was also quite obvious that underneath his crisp coat and trousers was a body of athletic build, and she inwardly nodded that he could be her type. She couldn't wait to tell Guy and Lenka how she could now remember how Conan looks and how she might eventually end up agreeing that he could be a husband material. The next question was if he really was a true gentleman. Well, he acts like one, she told herself.

The long elevator ride slowly became a little awkward as Conan turned awfully quiet. He was holding Vee's hand on his arm a little too firmly which made the latter feel like he was scared of her disappearing on him suddenly. There was a far-away look on his face and the frequent sighs which he released made Vee feel like he was thinking of something seriously overwhelming. The low buzzing of the elevator reins was the only sound that accompanied Conan's sighs as Vee tried not to create any other sounds for fear of breaking the silence and being reprimanded.

The ringing sound of the elevator finally came after which seemed to be fifty floors, and the doors opened to reveal a hallway. Conan led Vee as they exited the cart and headed towards another lady who was behind the desk which was ninety degrees from the elevators. She seemed to be Conan's executive assistant. She quickly stood up and opened the door to the office at the far end of the hallway and waited until Vee and Conan got inside before she locked it and went out.

Finally letting go of Vee's hand, Conan offered her a seat next to his desk. He walked a bit to the other side as he loosened his tie quite frustratedly, but decided to take it off entirely and hurled it over to his desk. It fell on top of a document pile. Before Vee could even say something, he let out another deep sigh and started massaging his temples as he walked around.

"I know exactly why you came," he said after a while. "My attorney left just an hour ago and we had run through my Dad's Last Will. I don't know what has come to his head to do this..." He resumed walking around again, grabbing a bottle of whiskey from the table behind his main desk and started drinking straight from it.

The frustration on Conan's face suddenly hit Vee with the harsh reality. It had never crossed her mind that whatever was indicated in her father's Will could have the potential to put that much toll on the other person involved. Yes, she was shocked that her billionaire father would arrange a marriage for her, but the weight of it didn't dawn on her until she had seen Conan's frustration face-to-face. She realized that like her, Conan must have had his own life before the accident happened, and that he would have wanted to marry someone he loved rather than just someone's heiress - or possibly not marry anyone at all, whatever he had wanted to do with his life. Marriage would have been a personal decision instead of an "instruction" from billionaire fathers. She realized that if she would have previously thought of it in a more mature manner, she would have felt the same level of frustration running through Conan's veins, unable to confront their fathers for making such a decision.

"Did your father," she quietly asked, "say in his Will...that you have to marry the Yates heiress?" She suddenly felt embarrassed of the idea, but she had to ask to be sure that they were in the same boat. A few seconds had already passed but Conan didn't respond, and instead continued drinking his whiskey. He lifted a finger to signal Vee to wait as he downed the entire bottle.

Feeling more flustered than earlier, Vee looked away from Conan and roamed her eyes around the office. She realized that they were not alone when her eyes fell on a black and gold German Shepherd sitting in the corner, looking at her like an unamused police officer. She stiffened a little bit, wondering if the dog was real or a perfect taxidermy, but it wagged its tongue a bit and blinked at her as though letting her know it was alive. It straightened its body and made its collar visible. It had a medallion pendant with the word "Jacket" engraved on it. Vee realized it was the dog's name.

"Yes," Conan's baritone voice brought Vee's attention back to him. "I was expecting that to happen." His words made Vee stare at him, wondering if she was the only person in the world that thought otherwise of the marriage order from their fathers. She watched as Conan took the seat in front of her and gently took her hands in his. "You might not have realized it, but our families are closely knit." He said while seriously staring into Vee's eyes, "you must find it in your heart to trust us. That is the only way we could move forward. You have questions in your head - I do, too. And I'm sure there are a lot more of these surprises which will come... But please, find it in your heart to trust our family."

Vee was unsure if Conan's words were what made her trust him in an instant, or if it were his hazel brown eyes which pored into her soul. She got tongue-tied - which rarely happens - and she could only nod in agreement.

"My father has protected your father and family since they were young..." Vee could hear Conan saying. "It is the same thing he planned on doing, I trust. My Dad and yours - they think alike. I trust that's the same reason they have similar instructions in their Will." He suddenly stood up, slightly surprising Vee. She watched as he resumed pacing back and forth, his hand on his trim hips. She noticed how his biceps flexed with every movement he made.

"Now, before you turn twenty-three, we must find my younger brother. It is vital that we find him before your birthday to avoid complications." Conan went over to the other side of his office and started rummaging through his drawer, looking for something. He found what he was looking for after a few minutes and handed whatever he had found over to Vee.

"What's this?" Vee stared at the photograph in her hands before looking up and handing it back to Conan. She knew that it was a photograph of another young man, but she had no clue what to do with it, and she was honestly lost in thought as she recalled how Conan looked so manly as he bent over the cabinet where he rummaged through stuff earlier. She cleared her throat and averted her gaze, inwardly calling herself out for thinking inappropriate things while in the middle of a serious conversation.

Conan grinned as though he had an idea of what was going through Vee's head while he was busy looking for what he needed. His face fell a bit, though, as he started explaining that the young man in the photograph was his younger brother who rarely comes home.

"He left home when he turned twenty to pursue his own career which no one in the family disclosed to the media," he told Vee. "We had hopes of the media leaving him alone." He noticed that Vee still didn't spare the photograph another glance, and he chuckled, curious about how everything might turn out. For them to move forward, though, he had to keep giving Vee more details as much as he could to keep her interested with what he would say next.

Conan pointed out that his father, Alister, apparently had always known that the youngest Gallagher had secretly joined the military, but out of respect for his son's valued independence, had never revealed it until his Last Will was read.

"Help me find him," Conan said, sinking back on the seat before Vee. "We need to find him and let him know what happened... He has to come home before your birthday." He rested his head against the edge of the sofa as he closed his eyes in frustration. His arms were stretched atop the armrest, his fingers lightly tapping the seat leather.

Vee was starting to get confused as she analyzed Conan's words. What's my birthday got to do with this runaway ass?

She finally roamed her eyes back to the photograph that Conan had put on the table. It wasn't even a clear photograph - it was taken from afar, cropped from a seemingly large group photo from God-knows-when. Her eyes narrowed at the rugged, naughty face she saw, noting the smirk he had on his lips as he bit the bar pendant of his silver necklace. She could imagine how he could have been acting when he posed for the camera, and she didn't feel particularly interested in seeing him, much less meeting him in person. Seems like a stupid playboy.

When Vee snapped out of her judgmental musing, she noticed that Conan was already looking at her with laughing eyes. She hoped she had not thoughtlessly voiced her ill opinion of Conan's brother. She tried to hide her annoyance as it wasn't directed at him, but at his younger brother, and why there was a need to know about his existence.

"What's he got to do with our current situation?" She had to ask to cure her irritation.

Conan gave Vee another mysterious smile before he said, "my younger brother, as the rightful heir to the Gallagher Industries, is your future husband."

A/N

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