A Trade Of Hearts |✔

CHAPTER 19: Burning The Midnight Oil

A/N: Guys, we just reached 1K. I love you all so much.😍😍😍
Also we got #37 in CHICKLIT!!!

VANESSA

I had a terribly hectic day. Decorations, music and a hopeless attempt to write my speech. Dad did ask me to join him at Nate's house but I was pretty sure I was not going to stay under the same roof with my least favourite people whom I can't trust not to kill me, metaphorically.

So I just convinced dad with the same old 'I am very tired and I have got a lot of work to do'. My relationship with my siblings was too damaged to be mended and dad was well aware of that.

I can't believe that there was a time that I was so sure that if I ever got married, Jennifer would be my maid of honour but now I couldn't even remember how she looked...or maybe I just hoped to forget.

I came back home by eight o'clock and had this sudden need to eat a double cheese pizza. So I ordered one and picked out a good netflix series to binge watch.

■■■

I had just finished watching the movie and was on the last slice of my pizza when I heard voices downstairs. The Greys weren't supposed to be back anytime before 11 and dad was staying over at Nate's so I decided to check but I wish I hadn't done that...

WHAT THE ACTUAL HELL!!!

WHY?!UGH!!!

I hated myself now. I seriously walked up on two nearly naked people making out in the living room and the worst part, I was still staring at them!!!

Look away Nessa! Just look away!! I scolded myself but I was too transfixed with horror.

Rebecca screamed as she saw me and that was my cue, I turned around, looking away from them.

What should I do now? Apologise or run for the hills? Both were going to be equally humiliating.

"I didn't see anything, I swear and Umm...forget this happened.", I said, holding my hands up in surrender and scurried back to my room.

Wow! Real brave Nessa! I don't think that I would ever be able to talk to Adrian, with a straight face after this.

7th December

I had a long day planned ahead for me. Other than organising this party, I also had to attend two client meetings and close the orders as soon as possible so I dressed up in a formal attire and headed for breakfast.

I sat down opposite dad and next to Cassandra. As usual, there was a grand breakfast laid out at the table: Mixed fruit juice, milk, coffee, toasted and untoasted breads, chicken sausages, baked beans, omelettes and cornflakes. I could get used to this.

As I poured myself a glass of mixed fruit juice, Adrian walked down with, the one and only, Rebecca. Ugh...I hated her but I guess I was not the only one! Adrian's dad was fuming, anger visible in his eyes. A curious round of looks followed, as she sat down at the table beside Adrian. My dad looked at me, with his eyes widened in surprise.

I just smiled smugly. This was crazy! As I took a sip from my glass of juice, my mobile began to ring. "Mrs.Smith" flashed on the screen. This better be really important because that is one hell of a breakfast. I excused myself and went to the living room to talk to her. As I picked up the call, she said, "Miss Hudson, there is a slight problem that has come up."

Uggh...there goes my tasty breakfast! Somehow some stupid, idiot, brain-dead moron had mixed up my decoration supply order with someone else's! Except for what had been put up yesterday, I had to select the decorations again. Seriously?

I was going to find him and kill him! I put my murderous thoughts away and picked up my files, handbag and the keys to...Adrian's red Porsche. And he thought that I was going to stop.

I went back to the dining table, finished my glass of juice and somehow, in the middle of dad's thousand questions, made it out of the house.

■■■

Now I was tired. I just wrapped up with the last client meeting. All the new decorations had been chosen and we would be done with this by tomorrow. Good! The party is the day after.

It was about 9 o' clock and sadly, however awkward it might be, I had to go to Adrian's office. I needed to find a few of Matthew's files for another project I was working on.

I drove there and walked up to his cabin. As expected, most people had left the office. On his floor, only the lights of Adrian's cabin were on.

I knocked. Couldn't repeat last night's mistake.

"Come in"

I slowly walked up to his desk and said a quick hello as I set down my files and bag. He didn't look up from his laptop. Rude!

Okay then I won't ask for the files either. I will just take them.

I went to a cabinet filed with files and began rummaging through them.

"What are you doing?"

"He speaks."

"What are you doing?", He repeated, taking no notice of a single word that I said.

"Looking for a file titled 'Nukera'."

"Nukera?"

"It is a company with which your dad signed a deal 9 years ago when Greys & Co. was venturing into an IT bussiness. It is a $100 million project..."

"I know that. I was just saying that earlier today Nate took it!"

"Of course he did!", I slapped the cabinet.

"Timing is everything!", Adrian said.

Was he talking in context of me walking up on him last night too? I guess I will never know.

I just sighed and walked up to his table, dejected. I stood there for a few minutes, pondering about what I should do next. This was a very important deal. It could be the project which decided who got the position of the CEO.

I was still trying to come up with something when I suddenly started to feel light headed. It couldn't be because of the stress, I had a habit of handling it. I didn't know what was going on? My vision began to cloud and I tried to alert Adrian but I could just say his name before everything went black and my body hit the cold, hard floor.

A/N: Wow! What the hell happened to her? Stay tuned to know...
Sorry for the late update by the way and thanks a lot for the votes, views and comments.

Do go check out 'Out Of The Shadows' by TillyB789. It is one hell of an amazing story!

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