***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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As Franklin stepped out of the office, Vee and Brigadier General Sherman started talking about the real reason why the Yates heiress is out hunting for the youngest Gallagher. It surprised Vee when the Brigadier General admitted he was somehow expecting her to arrive at the camp, and disclosed that even though he wanted to, he never cooperated with Conan for the sole reason that Reynold and Alister had strict orders of not disclosing the truth to anyone other than her. It addressed Vee's confusion earlier when the Brigadier General looked like he was excited and more than ready to help her when Sergeant Franklin ushered her into the office.

Brigadier General Sherman admitted that it has been a challenge to hide the truth from the Gallagher soldier that it was not entirely true that his father, Alister, had never known that he was in the military. The old Gallagher had connections in the military having served the country himself at some point, and it was just highly likely that one of his sons would volunteer to enter the camp. What was unlikely though, was the fact that the youngest Gallagher did not want to be discovered by anyone.

"Jordan Gallagher has become one of my assets," said the Brigadier General. He pouted thoughtfully as he ushered Vee back to the hallway. "He is also a member of the Black Ribbon Elites, working as a field agent. I wonder if he is prepared to show himself to the world."

Vee felt a little disturbed by the idea of having to deal with more complications. It was already complicated enough that she had to be involved in an arranged marriage with a man who had been living his own life and hearing the old Brigadier General's words, it seemed that the youngest Gallagher had built tough walls to make himself invisible to the world - and here she was about to penetrate it.

Man, I wonder what he would do to me... She mentally cringed, remembering how the younger Gallagher looked in his photograph, as though without a care in the damn world if it were not a soldier's job. She wondered whether he would go berserk with the news of marriage.

As they walked down the hallway, Brigadier General Sherman mentioned that incidentally, a group of media people are about to meet him for an interview in a few minutes, and it would become big news if the Yates heiress would be found lounging in his office. Vee has not made it out of the spotlight yet with the buzz of her seemingly compromised CEO position still a hot topic in the business world. He apologetically tapped her shoulder.

Not wanting her purpose revealed untimely, Vee agreed to move to the visitor's area where there would be more people and she could blend in, away from the media area. "Feel free to move around," was the Brigadier General's parting words, and she got a bit excited having the freedom to check out a military camp for the first time.

She found herself more awed at the extent of the fields as she walked around, and the excited noise of the recruits from the other end of the barracks made her want to peek. Having to wait for Franklin to arrive with Jordan Gallagher restrained her from moving around that much, though. She would not want the puppy-like soldier to resort to paging for her if she couldn't be easily found. She decided to settle by the rows of tables where soldiers talked with their visitors.

As she saw a family of three sharing meals with their soldier father at one of the tables, she realized that the view made her miss her father and her brother. A recent memory of them having breakfast at her father's favorite restaurant near their home eased itself from her subconscious. She felt the need to shield her eyes with her sunglasses again.

She was quietly staring at nothing when she suddenly felt warmer. Fanning herself with her hand, she took off her light coat and tied it around her hips while looking for a vacant table where she could wait. As the Brigadier General had told her earlier, Sergeant Franklin was made aware to take Jordan Gallagher to the visitor's area where she would be staying, and she would like to be somewhere easily spotted. It's been a few minutes since she parted with the old man and almost an hour since Franklin left to look for his comrade and her anxiety was growing as the time went by.

Vee's attention got diverted when she spotted Sergeant Franklin near the entrance, closely followed by another soldier who was looking grumpy. She wondered if it was the person she was looking for, and whether he would strangle her for disturbing his peace. From afar, she couldn't make out if the other man looked like the one in Conan's photograph, but she thought who else could Franklin be taking with him to meet her? She assessed how to approach the two. Inwardly thanking the heavens for making her wear her sunglasses again, she discreetly studied the other soldier's appearance.

The man had an arrogant stance and his strong, bearded jaw made him look less approachable. His initial appearance was a striking contrast of his eyes that seemed to say otherwise. She didn't want to stare too much, so she averted her already hidden eyes to check the name stitched on his fatigues. Gallagher. The confirmation made her stomach churn in a funny way and she swallowed hard. She subconsciously adjusted her posture as she walked towards the two, feeling like she was walking for a show with all of her critiques gathered to watch her every move. She intentionally greeted Sergeant Franklin first before turning to the youngest Gallagher.

"You must be Jordan Gallagher? I'm Vee," she said, finally extending her hand in a manner that said don't dare ignore my hand or I'll cut your balls. "Venera Rustik Yates"

When Guy and Lenka finally found out about Jordan Gallagher's existence, Vee had to endure describing to them what her future husband looks like. For the hundredth time, to kill their excitement, she told them in detail how arrogant, ungentlemanly, and unsophisticated the soldier was - an exact opposite of Conan. Every time she had to relate to them how her first meeting with Jordan went, she could not help but wrinkle her nose in disgust.

She still has not gotten over the fact that the Gallagher heir did not care to shake her offered hand in greeting. She felt insulted, and even more when he suddenly stormed out the private room in the visitor's area where they stayed after she stated her purpose of marrying him. She had to entrust Sergeant Franklin with the documents which Conan provided her since she could not go back to the Brigadier General's office due to the ongoing press conference. She had to leave the camp with no clue at all as to what her next steps should be. Conan's sudden disappearance also left a toll on Vee since she didn't have anyone else to confide in concerning her betrothal. She had no idea how to move on after meeting the youngest Gallagher.

Jordan did not get in touch with Vee after their meeting. She contacted both Brigadier General Sherman and Sergeant Franklin to ensure that the documents were forwarded accordingly, and the two confirmed that Jordan received and read through them on the same day. She was told, though, that a day after her visit, Jordan decided to file for an indefinite leave, stating that he would "straighten things out." Nothing was heard from him afterwards.

Guy suggested that it is likely that Jordan would soon come and see Vee. It is possible that he was just mourning the sudden loss of his father, and his instinct was to conduct his own investigation. Afterall, he is a soldier and also a spy. This made Vee think twice and more positively, but she could still imagine Jordan's refusal to get involved with her. Her life is in the spotlight while his was not, and once he steps out of the shadows as the rightful Gallagher heir, it is expected that he would make big news. For someone who works covertly, it wouldn't be a nice idea. Such reasons made Vee realize that it might not be possible for a Gallagher-Yates union to happen - that is, if Conan still would not agree to be her husband instead. She could imagine his adamant refusal, though, stating that the idea would not support their fathers' wishes. She suddenly wondered what Conan was planning with his disappearance.

"Honey," Vee was shaken out of her reverie with Guy's voice. "I know this will add to your stress levels, but you gotta see what's in the news." He turned the television's volume up.

3N Broadcasting is now talking about business news, and the Yates chain of hotels is a hot item. Two of the major stockholders and members of the executive board had declared to pull out their support if the CEO would be unable to present her long-term plans for the company, which has been a pending request since the Yates patriarch and his "original heir" passed away. The declaration created a buzz, as the competitors of the hotel chains would gladly woo the stockholders to switch to their side.

Vee listened as Guy and Lenka started cursing at the television as though the reported stockholders were in front of them. They offered to work with her on her action plans, but she had to be honest that she did not have any just yet. She had relied on Conan with all the steps she would do, and it now frustrated her that she could not move on without his input. The last thing they have talked about was to wait for further instructions from their deceased family members, specifically their respective fathers. At some point, she found it ridiculous why Conan would believe that there are more instructions coming when they both knew that there aren't any other details stated in both of their fathers' Will. A negative thought crossed her mind but she did not want to entertain it, as it would surely bring war between the two families, which should not be the case.

Lenka openly disagreed with Vee when the latter voiced her thoughts on Conan. Other than the fact that Lenka finds the elder Gallagher extremely handsome, she also pointed out that the Gallagher business is suffering the same fate. Rumors are spreading about some stockholders who have also threatened to drop their support if Conan "would not act like he used to" prior to his father's demise. His sudden disappearance has created nasty rumors and one of them was that he was starting to feel guilty of being the cause of his father's death. Stories have been written in tabloids that Conan was one of the designers of the car which Alister Gallagher gifted his best friend, Reynold Yates, and that his sole purpose was to eliminate the Gallaghers.

Since Vee chose to be quiet about the rumors, Lenka and Guy figured that her thoughts have been on the bad rumors. She admitted that the idea crossed her mind, especially when Conan suddenly disappeared after revealing that Jordan would take care of the family business, and not him. "Why would the old Gallagher choose his youngest son to take over?" She asked.

"That's a valid point," Guy commented, for which he earned a furious stare from Lenka. "However, you must also consider that he helped you find Jordan. Why would he do that if he wanted to get sole rights to the business? If I were a criminal, I would rather have some assassins look for Jordan and finish him. He is not known in the business. See, his name has not even reached the news yet. I'm sure his name would have been dragged into the picture by now if the media remembers him."

Choosing not to get overpowered by all the negative news, Vee decided to focus on creating a presentation of her plans for the hotels. Her executive meeting with the stockholders would happen in three days, and she had to come up with something. She tried to reach all of her trusted business partners to gather ideas, and met with the loyal board members of her company. Max's uncle happened to be one of the members, and he was enthusiastic enough to share all his knowledge in business planning. Presentation after presentation, Vee skipped sleep just to gather enough points which she could use. She thanked Viktor for forcing her to attend short business courses with him when they went out on dates, and hoped that she could extract fruitful ideas for her plans.

"Señorita," Max's distinct accent forced its way into Vee's subconscious mind, "wake up, señorita, your meeting happens in an hour..."

The words made Vee jump out her bed in panic, and like a whirlwind prepared herself for the much dreaded meeting. She donned a navy blue ensemble and arranged her hair into a French twist, and decided to put her makeup on while in the car.

Very rarely could Max be seen worried, and the way his forehead was creased while driving gave him away. Vee smiled in gratitude, realizing that she still has a lot of support behind her. She had seen her mobile phone earlier which said thirty-five missed calls from Guy and Lenka, and around twenty messages from her business partners, all reminding her to be herself and wishing her good luck. She told herself to get back to them after the dreaded meeting.

Ten minutes before the start of the executive meeting, Vee arrived at the boardroom and ordered for her materials to be prepared. It made her wonder, though, why everyone seemed preoccupied and even the press people who have already set up their equipment in the media room did not feast on her arrival. Some of them took pictures of her, but went back to their own monitors to watch something. Out of curiosity, she decided to join everyone who was all-eyes on the live broadcast of business news.

"...of the Gallagher Industries has just now declared that their youngest sibling, Jordan Gallagher, thirty, would take over the business and be solely responsible for all the family assets, as stated in the late CEO's Last Will and Testament..."

Vee, just like all the media people in the room, was shocked. Everyone seemed surprised that another Gallagher exists and that he will assume his role as President and CEO immediately. She did not catch the entire story, but based on all the live feed she was hearing when the reporters erupted with live broadcast to their respective networks, it seemed that Conan and his older sister, Alannah Gallagher Ruffini, whom he mentioned only once, had just declared Jordan as the new head of their family's business. She slowly backed away from the media room, hoping that she would be unnoticed, but it was too late. Cameras started turning to her direction, microphones pointed towards her, with reporters asking for her opinion.

"What can you say about the new arrangements of the Gallaghers?"

"Did Conan Gallagher make you aware of this change?"

"We heard your family name mentioned as one of the main reasons why the older Gallagher siblings have decided to let their youngest member take over their company. What contribution did you have?"

Not knowing what to say, Vee tried looking around for Max, who was usually just a few meters away from her, but he was nowhere to be found. The worried expression on her face made all her assistants jump into action and they tried to subdue the media by assuring them that all questions would be answered after Vee's executive meeting. The hungry reporters did not buy the idea, though. They all clamored around Vee, blocking all possible exits toward the boardroom. Some of them even positioned their cameras right at the boardroom entrance, making it impossible for Vee to evade shots. As she strained her eyes, she could make out the faces of the Rustik-Yates stockholders who were already inside the boardroom, being interviewed by other reporters.

Feeling extremely vulnerable at that moment, Vee found herself in panic, on the verge of crying. She was not prepared for anything other than her meeting, and she knew that she could not just say anything out of whim, knowing that it could be taken against her in the future. As cameras and lights glared at her like predators, she only wished that someone would magically take her away to safety.

"Now, dear friends, let's not do it this way," a familiar voice said among all the noise coming from the swarm of excited reporters. Vee could not see who it was due to the blinding lights, but at that moment, she felt a toned arm wrap around her waist, her left hand taken inside a bigger and firmer grip. Something cold slid onto one of her fingers, and then she felt her body being turned to face a strong wall. It took a few seconds before Vee realized that she wasn't facing the wall but instead it was some man's chest.

Vee could only see that the person was wearing a midnight blue suit, matching her own dress, and that he was smiling down at her. She was lost for words as she looked up and gaped at the man, and she had no idea how her hand landed on his chest, but she figured that they were sort of embracing. Her eyes could not hide her awe as she stared at the young man in front of her.

The familiar face she saw was the exact opposite of how she remembered him. She could not see a trace of grumpiness with his current aura nor a hint of mischief in his eyes. The person in front of her was dazzling like a fairytale prince, his three-week old beard gone, and replaced with a five o'clock shadow which defined his strong jaw. His eyes were smiling, seemingly excited to finally see her again. Vee found herself gawking, and she swallowed hard to soothe her suddenly dry throat. She blinked uncontrollably as cameras flashed, and before she realized it, Jordan Gallagher was already bending down to give her a long, sweet kiss.

A/N

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