Beyond Duties

Chapter 4

Feeling not particularly elated by the fact that she has to go hunting for her own groom, Vee looked at Conan with squinted eyes. She waited if he would give her more information on his rogue brother's whereabouts, but it seemed that he, too, was clueless. 

"So," she sighed, "are you telling me that he is not based in any of our country's military camps?" She watched in growing frustration as Conan slowly shook his head. She heard him explain that he had already sent investigators to look for his younger brother, but they still don't have an update. It seemed that the youngest Gallagher has a knack for disguise which made him impossible to track, and the Rule of Confidentiality among the militaries is also slowing down the search. Every state and county would demand for an authorization from the courts before they reveal any information, which as they turn out, are mainly clues on the soldier's assignments. The most recent information which the investigators had told Conan was that his brother is at one of the camps in North America. 

It would not have been more frustrating for Vee if Conan had not announced that he was ordered by his father, Alister, through his last voicemail before the accident, that he has to stop being in the spotlight exactly a week after the interment. It means that Vee would have to conduct the search on her own, and with minimal help from Conan.

"I seriously look like I'm desperate for a husband," she snapped, suddenly standing up with hands akimbo and looking at Conan with dagger eyes. She heard the German Shepherd growl in the corner of the office. "Shut up, Jacket," she told it off, and much to her surprise, it stopped and simply stared at her like she was the boss. "And what are you supposed to do after we talk?" Her eyes went back to Conan, who was grinning ridiculously. 

Conan was half expecting the family dog, Jacket, to start attacking Vee when he heard it growl earlier. He knew that it hates people who threaten either him or his father, but it seemed to know that Vee was someone worth its protection as well. He realized that he was grinning with his thoughts when he saw Vee's raised eyebrows obviously annoyed with the idea of him being mirthful in the midst of a problem.

"I shall wait for further instructions from either my Dad, or yours," he told Vee. His words only aggravated the Yates princess all the more, and he heard her say some expletives before storming out his office. As the heavy doors closed, he sat back on his chair and started massaging his temples again. He knew that the game has indeed started, and he has to play his part. Flawlessly.

VEE's POV

One more week has passed and yet, I feel like it has been a year since my Dad and my brother were buried. Everytime I wake up, I hope to hear their annoying voices either through my phone or laptop, or literally in my ear when they decide to invade the privacy of my bedroom. The past few days were still not enough for me to totally get over their sudden death, despite the idea of facing more tragic problems ahead. 

I've always been reminded by my business advisers that I would need to speed up my adaptability to the nature of my family's business, as the stockholders are starting to doubt that I am capable of doing the CEO's job. My being incompetent in their eyes would affect our stocks and might pose a risk to my position. I would gladly agree, though - I was never raised to be a hotelier. I am confident running my own fashion business, but nothing like talking billions. I now understand why my Dad would want me to get married to someone who came from a decent family which not only cares for my own family, but also the business. And then I realized - no, my husband-to-be, wherever he is right now, does not seem to know what his existence means - or he would have already shown himself.

This day, though, I feel a stroke of luck coming my way. I woke up with a smile for a reason I don't remember, and it made me motivated to continue with my search again. Conan kept true to his words - and I mean that with sarcasm - he made it a point to always avoid me, and he even declared an indefinite leave from work. I could not reach him nor get more information from him about his brother, and he also could not be found by the reporters who always follow him around. Today, though, I have a nice feeling of accomplishing something.