The elevator climbed slowly, with each floor feeling like an eternity. A bell resonated throughout the enclosed room, adding to Veronica's growing anxiety. She held her handbag, knuckles white, trying to keep her lower back from collapsing due to nausea. She had spent months planning for this. No additional delays, no more excuses. Today, she might face Damien Castlerock.
Because the doors slid open, Veronica went inside Castlerock Industries' enormous foyer. Her gaze lingered on the familiar picture on the wall, her mural, and the only one Damien had commissioned in my opinion. Every brushstroke had strong colors and subtle shadows, serving as a symbol of pride. But now, her pride was eclipsed by the weight of the reality she held within her.
"Ms. Williams," said the voice, little surprised. Veronica appeared to discover Amelia, Damien's bright and professional secretary, studying her with furrowed eyebrows. Mr. Castlerock isn't waiting for you. "Do you have an appointment?"
Veronica took a big breath. "No, but I do want to talk to him. "It is private."
Amelia's sight drew closer to her swelling tummy, and her professionalism faltered for a moment. She picked up the intercom. "Mr. Castlerock, Veronica Williams is here to see you. "She says it's pressing."
A disquieting silence was punctuated, most effectively by faint static from the intercom. Then Damien's voice crackled through, tight and unwelcoming. "ship her in."
Veronica straightened herself and pushed open the thick mahogany doors into Damien's spacious office. However, she halted in the doorway. His low, angry voice slid toward her from the other room.
"...I can't keep up this facade any longer," he said. His tone changed to one she'd never heard before: gruff and nearly sour.
Another voice responded, harsh and clearly furious. "Oh, Damien. Don't be so theatrical. You've paraded that artist around like a lovesick idiot. "Do you think I am blind?"
Veronica iced over, her heart racing as the girl's words rang through the room. The hatred and accusation. All of it clicked into place. Sienna.
"You've recognized what this marriage has evolved into from the beginning," Damien replied, his voice a razor's edge. "It became little more than a business association. You sought the vitality of my circle of relatives' call. I've completed my part of that agreement."
"And what approximately the child you're expecting?" Sienna spat, her voice full of disdain. "How convenient to be able to father a toddler with any other girl while you are legally committed to me. Did you notice that I wouldn't find out?
Veronica's palm automatically reached for her belly, protectively caressing the lifestyles inside her. A rush of nausea and betrayal washed over her, and she or he tripped again, most likely to imprison herself.
"Sienna, sufficient," Damien's voice pierced through the air, killing calm. "You and I both understand that this marriage is no longer real. We both went into it with our eyes open.
Sienna gave a nasty giggle. "Oh, Damien, shop the noble speech. You do not get to play the wounded hero. This is not a fairytale, and I am no longer the villain. But that female," she sneered, "that lady is no more than a fleeting fiction. You'll soon recognize her for what she is, which is absolutely fleeting. "A comfort."
The door swung open, and Sienna stormed out, her bloodless eyes catching Veronica's in an instant that felt like an age. Her stare shifted to Veronica's stomach, lingering with hatred before she said, "True good fortune." "You'll need it."
Sienna swept by her, and Veronica staggered lower back, as if she had been physically hit. She met eyes with Damien, who stood at the doorway, just as surprised as she was. His face lost its hue.
"Veronica," he said quietly, achieving a breakthrough. But she held up a hand to stop him.
"No. "Not another word," she murmured, her voice cracking. "How long had you planned on keeping this from me? Your wife just stepped out of the workplace. I thought I knew my toddler's father. "You are married?"
Damien's face distorted in an expression of guilt and regret. "Veronica, it is no longer what you observed. Sienna and I... it's complicated."
"complicated?" Veronica's voice raised, each sentence harder than the last. "No, Damien, it's easy. You lied. Every moment we spent together, every promise, every word, became a lie.
He made another step toward her, his eyes begging. "Please concentrate on me. Our marriage became become a contract, nothing more. Sienna demanded energy, while I sought leverage for my father's organization. I did not presume." He paused, displeasure in his voice. "I didn't count on to fall in love with you."
Veronica's snigger became hollow. "Love? Is that what you call this? Love, were you willfully deceiving me? Damien, I'm carrying your baby. and secondly you were prepared to let me live a lie."
Damien's features softened, and his eyes shifted to her stomach. "Veronica, this changes everything. "You and the toddler...you are my future."
"Forestall," she interjected, her voice hoarse with rage and betrayal. "You don't get to rewrite this story now. This isn't a fairytale in which you get to keep both worlds. You dragged me into this mess, made me agree to a life that was never real."
He swallowed, the manipulate mask falling from his face. "I never intended to hurt you. I think I should shield you and protect us."
She shook her head and stepped back. "You keep talking about safety. But all you have done is lie. I will not let my child grow up in a world built on deception."
Damien's expression became pleading. Please, Veronica. Do not try this. We can figure out how to go through it together."
"together?" She repeated, her voice barely audible. "There's no togetherness, Damien. Now, not anymore. "No longer after this."
She turned and left without saying anything else, her heart shattering with each step. The doors closed behind her, and he or she strolled through the bloodless, emotionless corridors of Castlerock Industries, feeling as if her whole soul had fractured.
Outside, the cool fall air hurt her cheeks, and she took a long breath, trying to clear her mind. She placed a hand on her stomach and felt a small flutter within. Small, frail lifestyles. The only precise element to emerge from this nightmare.
But as she went away, something gnawed at her. Damien had lied, deceived, and harmed her in ways she should never forgive. Despite that... She couldn't dispute that he had become the father of her toddler. Will he come after them? Might he allow them to pass so easily?
Each week passed, and she or he found herself haunted by memories. Damien had checked her out, and his contact had made her feel safe, loved, and cherished. She really wanted to believe in him and live the life they had envisaged together.
However, the reality of his dishonesty cut through her like a dagger. She couldn't raise her child in a world full of lies. She had to protect them both.
One day, as she was packing up her condo, her phone rang. She stared at the display screen, Damien's call flashing across it, an unwelcome reminder of everything she'd lost. She pressed 'forget about,' her heart racing, but the cellphone rang again.
She finally picked up, her voice bloodless. "What do you need?"
Veronica, please. "Don't hold up," Damien said, his voice squeezing and straining. "I understand that I do not deserve every other risk. But you and your child... I need to be there for you. For them. "We can figure this out together."
She closed her eyes and forced herself to be strong. "No, Damien." To be honest, you faced some danger. You've made your choice. I'm making my. I will not allow my kid to be drawn into this twisted web of lies and betrayal.
After a long moment, he muttered, "Please do not close me out. I'm able to trade. "I will show it to you."
Her heart ached from the honesty in his voice, but she steeled herself. "good-bye, Damien." She stopped the call and dropped the smartphone, the finality of it echoing through her.
As she stood there, a single idea developed in her mind, crisp and hard. She would protect her baby regardless matter what. She could carve up a future for them, free of Damien's international influence.
However, deep down, a voice whispered that this wasn't finished. Damien Castlerock was not the type of guy to let go easily. And, as she prepared for her new life, she realized that this was only the beginning.