~Veronica Beckham.
“Thank you, Mr. Donald,” I said with a wide smile as I took the keys from him.
“You finally paid off after three months eh.” The old man said with a friendly chuckle that made me release one of my own.
“It took me everything I had,” I said as I raised the key to my eye level, inspecting it with love.
I had been borrowing Mr. Donald's car to work every day since we moved to Manhattan and I finally brought it from him. It's mine now.
“I'm glad you decided to sell it to me,” I told him as I patted his shoulder.
“Yeah right, I don't drive it that much anyway, and besides, that old hag keeps complaining that you're coming every morning.” He said the last part in a whisper and jerked his thumb toward the fence where his wife was lurking.
I smiled at Mrs. Donald when we locked eyes and she narrowed her eyes at me.
“She is healthier these days,” I commented as I looked ahead at the empty street.
“Of course, she's started taking her medications and ignoring my pies. She's jealous.” He said throwing me a wink which made me laugh.
I mean, Mr. Donald is cute, as a grandpa.
“Tell her she has no reason to be jealous anymore, I give up,” I said playfully, returning the wink, making both of us burst into laughter.
“Ah, it's nice to hang out with you kid. Come visit me sometime, okay?” He said pushing himself off my car.
“We meet every day, Mr. Donald. I live next door. It's not like I'm going to a different place because I bought the car.” I deadpanned playfully and he laughed again before walking away.
I smiled at his retreating figure and shook my head slightly. He is such a character.
~*~
I sat at our dining table and eagerly started scarfing down my breakfast which was already set by my mom. By the time my sister arrived at the dining table, half the food on my plate was gone.
“Slow down, Vee,” Mom scolded as she served the last pancakes on Dad's plate.
My mother is a perfect human being, I don’t care what others think, I just know that she is. I mean, you tell me if there’s a woman out there who has a perfect education and decides to be a stay-at-home mom just because she wants to take care of her husband. Now if you mentioned a name I know you’re lying because most women leave when they have a perfect road to success than to take care of a husband who is always lying in bed.
As for my father, he’s not lazy, or useless. In fact, he used to work at a publishing company before he got into an accident. My father is suffering from a traumatic injury which makes him unable to move. I find him very much a perfect human being too.
“She's always rushing the food.” My sister’s voice broke me out of my thoughts mumbling under her breath, as she picked on her pancakes.
“At least I'm not rushing my life.” I retorted after a few gulps of orange juice.
“Veronica,” Mom said in a warning tone, almost making me groan.
“She's the one who wants to graduate early and start working,” I said quietly as I dabbed the
corners of my mouth with a napkin. “Where's the fun in that?” I added.
“Only because I want to make money, which is something that we don't have.” She suddenly
said making the atmosphere in the room change immediately.
My fingertips ran cold as I looked at my sister that was sitting across from me, and then my mom who was getting ready to take Dad's food to his room. She looked as surprised as I was.
“Lilly–“ My mother started but was cut off by my emotionally distraught sister who already had tears pooling in her eyes.
“It's the truth, Mom, don't sugarcoat it. You don't have a job, Dad is paralyzed and Vee is an intern who could end up not securing her job. She has to pay for everything and we're late on my
school fees when it's just the beginning of the month. When is it gonna end?” My sister said with a small sob as she stabbed her pancakes one last time before standing up. “I hate all of this. I really, really hate this.”
“Lilly, did something happen at school?” I asked as she picked up her backpack from the floor.
“Lilly, answer me,” I said but she ignored me and started walking out of the kitchen. “Lillian, I'm talking to you!” She straight up ignored me and walked out the front door.
The look of surprise on my face didn't fade until I turned to my mother who was just standing there with a tray in her hands and a sad stare in her eyes as she looked at the front door.
I stood up immediately and grabbed my purse.
“Are you okay Mom?” I asked her and she nodded.
"I'm okay, go after your sister, she looks like she's going through a lot." She said.
I nodded and said goodbye to her before rushing toward the door after my sister.
Lillian was waiting for me by my car, her back against the passenger side door with her hand folded across her chest. She let tears run down her cheeks freely as she glared at a random plant that was growing in front of our house.
I sigh quietly and started walking towards the car. I opened the door when I came in range and rolled my eyes as she yanked the door open and got inside before me.
"The last thing I would want this morning is an 11th grader giving me attitude," I said as I got into the car and started patting my hair down.
Lillian sniffled and aggressively wiped a tear that was trickling down her cheeks.
I sighed and took out a box of tissues from the compartment box, and discarded it on her lap as I fixed my side mirror before starting the car.
I stole a glance at Lillian who was still refusing to use the tissues I gave her. Maybe mom was right, maybe Lillian is going through a lot. A lot has happened in the past three months since we moved here and I think she is affected by that. She was separated from her old friends and old-school life in a blink. She is not always like this, she's the type to keep her opinions to herself. Maybe she has a lot bottled up.
"You can talk to me, Lilly," I said as I took out the car keys and started the car. "I'll pay your school fees, you don't have to worry about it."
"I don't wanna talk about it." She mumbled quietly and took out a sheet of tissue and blew on it.
"That's okay," I said as I drove away in the direction of her school. "But whatever is wrong you shouldn't have an outburst like that, I know it can get frustrating sometimes but you can talk to me about it, Lilly. Mom has to take care of Dad and us, she doesn't deserve that."
I drove around the familiar streets that lead the way to her school, watching as she shifted on her seat as we got closer.
"I'm sorry." She whispered as soon as I parked in front of her school.
"It's okay kid, by the way, you should apologize to Mom, not me." I pointed out the obvious and she nodded in agreement.
"Thanks for the ride." She said with a small smile which instantly made her look more beautiful.
Lillian has more of our Mom's features while I mainly take over my Dad. She has dark brown hair while mine is black. Her eyes are hazel while mine is a plain, dull brown. The only thing we have in common is our facial shape, that's the only thing that could cut us as sisters, but other than that, there's nothing. So yeah, it's only natural that she's prettier than me.
"You better be." I scoffed playfully and she laughed airily. "There you go, that's so much better."
She rolled her eyes at me and opened the car.
"See you at home later." She said and hopped out of the car.
"Sure thing kid," I said and immediately took off to my workplace.
Well, actually, I'm more of an intern. I am an intern at one of the most successful tech companies in the world; Ca-son Corp. I started my internship there three months ago and I brought my family with me. I love Ca-son Corp not only because it's amazing to work there, but because they pay me well as an intern. I have submitted my resume for review and I'm hoping to become a permanent employee there.
The owner and CEO of this company, Carson Callaghan, is a very nice and funny man. I've seen him a couple of times when he takes a stroll around the work area, he seems so down-to-earth and unproblematic. You might think he is arrogant and condescending but that's way beyond the point. Someday I will remember to say Hello to him.
My phone vibrated in my purse a few times but I ignored it, I decided that I would check it when I reached the company. My fingers tapped on my steering wheel according to the rhythm of Taylor Swift's song that was playing softly on the radio. I reached the company in no time and parked my car where I usually do before getting out.I took out my I.D. card and hung it around my neck as I happily walked into the building, the blunt ends of my hair hitting my shoulders every step of the way. I was in the process of checking in when Reese, my friend from work, came running into me.
My eyes widened as she came over to me in a frenzy as if she had been waiting for me this whole time. Her blonde hair was usually slicked back in a neat low bun and now it looked like she had been tugging her hair.
"Whoa, slow down, is everything ok-"
"I have been calling for the past thirty minutes were the fuck did you keep your phone?" She sputtered, her hands flailing in the air.
"Calm down, I was driving," I said with a chuckle. "Why? Did you miss me that much?"
"Vee, this is not even a good time to joke around. I have very, very bad news. It is so fucking bad!” She told me as she gripped both sides of my shoulders, forcing me to look directly at her.
"Why? What is wrong? Did something happen?" I asked, my voice drooping low with concern.
She looked me dead in the eyes, her expression giving out full panic.
"The old man is dead, Vee. He's dead!"
"Wait. Who?" I asked, confused.
"Carson-freaking-Callaghan! The CEO is dead."
My eyes bulged out as I looked at her.
"The CEO is dead?" the receptionist behind me and I asked in unison.
"When? How? I asked. "This is really bad news, does everyone know about this yet?”
"That's not even the bad news on your side." She said.
"Huh?" I blurted in confusion.
Reese took a deep breath and gripped my shoulders tighter. The look on her face changed from panic to sympathy.
"The company is going under the care of his brother in the meantime and his brother is planning on firing all the interns in this building. You're an intern too, Veronica."
For a split second, I thought something had sparked in my brain and I had run mad. only for a split second. But when major reality hit and I registered the whole message, my heart sank to the pits of my guts. I couldn't feel my fingertips anymore because they had run cold.
Well, fuck me.
~Veronica Beckham. I downed the third cup of water Reese handed to me and crushed the paper cup in my hands. "This is bad. This is very, very bad." I said hitting the crushed cup on my desk making a few heads turn to look at us."Sorry about that!" Reese apologized on my behalf with an awkward chuckle. "This is fucked up in many ways, Reese. This can't happen." I said to Reese in a slightly panicked voice as I tried to control my emotions. I know very well that crying isn't going to help."I know Vee, the decisions haven't been made yet but that's what everyone's been saying. Even the press!" She exclaimed."But, he just died! How could they even think of the company? They should at least focus on his funeral or something." I complained, feeling my stomach churn from anxiety."The company has to carry on with or without him, Vee. This is just not working out the way it was supposed to." Reese said, grabbing a random chair to sit beside me. "What about your application? You haven't
~Arthur CallaghanThere were a lot of things one had to go through in life. One had to face the struggle of growing up, one had to face the struggle of the process of growing up, one had to struggle to do every damn thing and it was frustrating.Life was supposed to be easy for the rich, like wasn't that why they made the money? But for fuck’s sake, why the hell did rich people have to have a money-hungry self-obsessed villain of a relative that just causes problems?That was crap! I refused to live my life like a book written by a fantasy-living teenager. I was twenty-eight, not eighteen. “Mom I am not letting that money-hungry dwarf take what’s mine from me, for a fucking absurd reason” I raised my voice for the third time while I try to fix the fucking tie that keeps tangling. I groaned in frustration.“Language Arthur, your father just died and I need you to calm down. At least for me. This is also hard for me as it is hard for y-“ She began to sob lightly and I sighed. “Listen
- Veronica Beckham I thought my ears were hearing things or did he just say he's Mr. Carson's Son? He was the fucking Authur Callaghan, the CEO's only son? Shit! I was rude to him. What a nice way to finally lose my job. Hold up! Did he just say he wanted to marry me? This was a big joke, Today was really just not my day. “Look okay, I’m sorry for being rude to you but I have to go now”, I turned to walk away but he yanked me back. “Ouch! What’s up with you and my hands?” I glared at him. I really should stop being rude to him, he’s my boss now. “Yes you shouldn’t”, he said, letting my hands go. “Did I say that out loud again?”, My face flushed with embarrassment. “Yes, but look, I don’t have time to waste, I need you to marry me. See this as a win-win for both of us, I overheard your phone call with–”, I didn’t let him finish. “So you were eavesdropping on me?” Who’s the rude one now? “It wasn’t intentional. As I was saying, you desperately need money and I desperately
Arthur grabbed my hands again as we walked out of the building. All eyes were on us and I could hear whispering voices. The parking Valet handed his car keys to him, and he opened the door for me, “I’m not entering your car except you tell me where we’re going. “Stop being difficult and get in the car, I’m not trying to kidnap you. Even if I wanted to, you wouldn't be able to pay the ransom fees”, He said to me coldly as he slightly nudged me forward. I got in and he closed the door harshly. God, please give me the strength to be able to hold my tongue. If he disrespected me one more time, I would give it to him. I relaxed into the chair a little bit, my tense body starting to hurt, my shoulder especially, but I couldn't afford a massage. Opening my bag I checked my phone and truly, there was a message from an unknown number, I clicked it and read, Unknown: “Meet me in my office at lunch break. Unknown: Where are you? I’m coming to your office now! How rude! Such a commanding
~Veronica Beckham A few tears escaped from my eyes, not because of the sweet words that came out of his mouth but because of the fairytale dreams I had about love that just went down for money. A lot of people approached us to say their congratulations. I felt so used. "Can we go?", I mumbled, putting my things into my bag. "Yeah", he signaled the waitress to bring the bill. Mrs. Greta came instead, "It's on the house dear, it's not every time we get a proposal here", she chuckled. "Why aren't you happy?" She looked at me. "I am, I'm just overwhelmed", I giggled. Arthur offered me his hand and I took it, plastering a fake smile at him. "We'll see you next time, we have to continue our celebration at home." We said our goodbyes and left the shop. I couldn't stand him, so I walked ahead. Immediately we got inside the car Arthur spoke, " Why do you always ask questions? You almost ruined my proposal?" He yelled. "You caught me off guard, a little heads up would have been nice inste
I could see Lilian peeping through the window of our house. I went inside and she didn’t even let me breathe before drowning me in questions.“I can’t believe you’ve been dating Arthur Fucking Callaghan all this time!“Language Lilly”, I scolded, throwing my bag on the sofa, I crouched down to take off my shoes, placing them on the shoe rack.She totally ignored me and carried on ranting.“And we’ve been suffering. You’re engaged to the country's most handsome rich bachelor Vee! How the hell did you not tell me? I’m your favorite sister!”, she whined.“You’re my only sister and sibling, chill”“That’s all you heard with all I just said?”, she frowned.My mom walked into the living room, at least she’ll come save me from Lilly, “Don’t you have homework to do?”, she eyed my sis.“I have done it and also all my chores so nope I won’t be left out of this conversation”, she held her head up high, standing her ground.“Fine! We wanted it to be private alright, he’s like a celebrity, he want
~Arthur CallaghanI woke up to good news today, Veronica signed the contract, she could not say no. After I asked her to marry me on impulse, I did a background check on her to know if she was in great need of money enough to accept my offer.It would have been stupid of her not to, her family would be in jeopardy if she didn’t sign the contract. All that was left for me was to plan. We both arrived at the office at the same time, I watched her step out of her deadbeat car and handed her keys to the valet. I wondered how she drove that thing in the condition it was in.She greeted me without looking at me and instead of entering the same elevator with me, she went to the next one. I think she was intentionally avoiding me. She couldn't do that all day.We were supposed to have lunch together today at a cafe where I planned to propose to her. Time wasn’t on my side, I had to get my father’s company from that man.I went to a Tiffany and Co. jewelry store to get the ring yesterday. I d
Veronica gawked at me and I could see the wheels turning in her head. I wondered what was on her mind, probably trying to process what I just said.“Why are you staring?”“Nothing, just waiting for your response. What do you mean by today? I don’t even have a ring on my finger”, she said bluntly, wriggling her fingers in my face.“That can be sorted now”I brought out the small blue box from my pocket and opened it. Her eyes widened, and she clamped her hands over her mouth in shock. She starts to shake her head in denial, “I can’t take this”, she uttered, pushing it back to me.The few customers gasped in surprise, waiting for the speech and her response.“What do you mean you can’t? It’s part of the contract”, I whispered closely to her ear, so the onlookers wouldn’t overhear. She looked at me in confusion, I looked left and she followed my signal to see people with their phones out and Greta smiling with tears shining in her eyes. I never thought I could kneel to profess my love to