by Marian Tee
However, it was all for naught.
Marcus only inclined his head, saying, “Like I said, it is your choice, bambina.”
The very mature response made her say sulkily, “You should stop saying that, too.”
Marcus’ lips twitched. “You should know you only look more adorable when you’re being childish.”
She burst out hotly, “I am not---” And then she stopped because she was being childish. Anneke took a deep breath. “Marcus---”
Something unashamedly sexual glittered in his eyes.
Crap. She hadn’t meant to use his name, especially knowing how he got some kind of strange kick out of it. Taking a deep breath, she started over again, saying very firmly, “This is the last time we can meet with each other. Okay? I’m in the middle of divorcing you---”
“You mean you’re in the middle of your attempt to get a divorce,” he corrected smoothly, “which the court hasn’t yet granted.”
She glared at him. “You know what I mean, and I know what you’re doing here. You want the court to think it’s premature to grant my petition since we’re seeing each other---”
“I’m glad to hear that from your own lips, cara.” Marcus had no trouble deliberately misunderstanding her words.
Aghast at having her words taken out of context, she protested, “I didn’t mean it that way.”
“I don’t see how you could mean it any other way, mio amore. And in that note, I would love to see you again the next time I return to Amsterdam.”
“No.”
But he was able to conveniently ignore this as the waiter had returned to their table with their first course. He kept a steady flow of conversation then, his experience in the boardroom allowing him to prevent Anneke from bringing up anything that was against his agenda.
Every time he sensed her attempting to talk about the divorce or not seeing each other, he countered it pre-emptively with compliments and distractions.
I watched the YouTube clip of your presentation in the trade show last week. You looked gorgeous.
I heard you were at the helm of DKE’s latest deal with China’s #1 media company. How did you make that happen?
Marcus knew he was being ruthless, but he didn’t care. All was fair in love and war, was it not?
When dinner was over, Marcus offered to walk Anneke to her car. He expected her to argue but was disturbed when she only nodded and remained silent by his side. As soon as they stepped out of the restaurant, he turned to her, asking abruptly, “What’s wrong?”
She looked up at him, her blue eyes glassy, and Dio, it hurt.
“Let’s talk inside your car.”
She only nodded and let him guide her inside the driver seat, icy despair making her immobile. She watched him go around to get inside the passenger seat, and when he got in and pulled the door shut, the jarring sound made her jerk in her seat. Anneke realized all of a sudden how close he was to her---
So, so close.
And the coldness inside of her grew even more.
Marcus turned to Anneke, asking hoarsely, “Did you not have fun at all?” The rare unevenness in his voice didn’t stun him at all, but he could see that it shocked her, and he would’ve laughed if the look in her eyes weren’t hurting him like hell. How to make her understand she was his world?
“I’m sorry,” Anneke whispered. She wasn’t sure what she was apologizing for, only knew she had managed to hurt him. “And I did have fun. A lot. It was---” A smile wobbled over her lips. “It was easily the most fun I’ve had---” And her eyes became glassier. “Ever since you left me.”
Ah. Dio. “Anneke---”
She shook her head vehemently. “No. It’s my turn. And you have to let me say this.”
The words made him realize that she had known all along what he had been doing, taking command of the conversation the entire night, and his lips twisted in a humorless smile. How many times must he remember that Anneke was the exact opposite of all the other brainless bimbos he had dated before her?
He said tautly, “Say it then.”
She swallowed hard. “I wasn’t lying when I said I had fun.”
He still didn’t allow himself to breathe, knowing she had yet to make him bleed---
“But Marcus---” Her voice caught. “It just won’t work.”
And she did.
“Please stop this. Please.” When her voice wavered, he swore, and she flinched.
“Anneke---” His hand clenched and unclenched. He wanted to hold her so damn bad, but he had yet to earn the right to do so.
“I need you to back off.” She settled her hands on the steering wheel as she spoke, feeling an absurd need to hold on to something.
“And if I can’t?”
“If you don’t---” Anneke’s wheels tightened around the steering wheel. “Then I swear to God, I’ll turn myself into a slut---”
Marcus whitened.
“I’ll sleep with the first man I see, and I won’t care who he is, what he is---”
“Accidenti!” Marcus’ fist slammed against the dashboard so hard it was a surprise the material didn’t crack under his strength.
“I’ll let everyone do me,” she went on doggedly, “all at the same time---”
“Stai zitta!” Shut up! The images her words invoked had Marcus’ entire body shaking with rage. “Do you hear what you are saying?”
“Yes.” Her voice was toneless. “And I mean every word---”
“Basta---”
“You leave me no choice.”
“Dio, Anneke. Why are you doing this?”
“Because I know that, despite all your faults, you’d never allow yourself to be the reason of my downfall---”
Marcus asked sickly, “Why would you do this?”
Because I don’t have the strength to push you away.
“Do you hate me so much?”
She answered brokenly, “Yes.” And her heart wept, because of course it was the opposite that was true. She should hate him. After what he had done to her, oh she should hate him, with all her heart.
But she didn’t.
She couldn’t.
And that was the problem.
Chapter Two
Time passed.
The first few months, Anneke would wake up and the first thing she’d wonder was if it would finally happen. Would he finally come back and wreak havoc again? She’d be on pins and needles the whole day, and she’d find herself watching the door, checking her phone, and looking around her when she was out. She’d find her heart beating hard all of a sudden, thinking it was going to happen any moment.
But it never did.
He never came.
More months passed. Nic’s wife Ayah suffered a miscarriage. Willem and Serenity hooked up, had a huge row, and got engaged. Jaak’s wife Ilse – then his girlfriend – had gotten into an accident that left her blind. Fleur passed admissions for a prestigious art school.
Life seemed to have turned into a rollercoaster of ups and downs for the de Konighs, and it was as if anywhere she looked, something was happening to everyone but her. Her life seemed to have struck a Pause button, and she just didn’t know what to do to make her life start playing again.
Each day began to feel tedious, and Anneke started wearing a mask again. But this time, it wasn’t because she was trying to get over the pain. This time, it was the opposite – and it was this that she couldn’t bear thinking about.
How could she want it to happen?
How could she want to see him again?
To push someone away only to want that same person back – it was like something straight out of a romance novel. She’d have laughed if she could, would’ve laughed if only she didn’t find the realization so deeply shameful. Oh, how she would’ve laughed if only she didn’t know it made her the weakest woman in the world, to care for such a thing in spite of his betrayal.
And so the mask stayed, her heart gradually stopped beating so fast, and the pain faded a little bit m
ore each day. Life returned to normal, and she began to convince herself that she could forget him – the way Marcus Ravelli had so easily and obviously forgotten about her.
It was supposed to be just another day at work when Anneke was called in to her eldest brother’s office. Or at least it was so until Willem had asked her to sit down before dropping the bombshell on her.
“I beg your pardon?” Anneke just couldn’t believe she had heard her brother right. But when Willem only raised a brow at her, she knew she hadn’t misheard him, and she shook her head incredulously. “I don’t understand. Marcus Ravelli has been our partner on this project from the start, and you never saw fit to tell me?” Her words having gradually gained volume, Anneke was appalled to hear her voice turn unintentionally shrill by the end, and she quickly snapped her mouth shut. Her body was trembling hard – too hard – and she hastily tried to control this telltale reaction, too, taking deep breaths and willing herself to calm down.
It finally happened – no, wait – why was she still thinking like this?
Shouldn’t she have stopped caring about it?
Shouldn’t she have forgotten what it even meant?
“I apologize for keeping this from you.” Willem’s quiet voice drew her attention back to him. “But this was also the reason why we thought it better---”
“We?” Anneke’s voice was stiff. “So he knows you’ve kept this a secret from me?”
“Yes.”
Oh. She could feel her composure evaporate with that single-worded admission, and she fell back against her seat, feeling weak all of a sudden. He knew that Willem had to keep their business partnership a secret from her. Did it make him think she still wasn’t over him?
“Why would you do this behind my back?” Anneke, head still bowed, spoke the words in a threadbare whisper.
“Because I never thought it that way.” A complete and utter lie, but it was also a risk that Willem had decided to take completely on his own. He simply couldn’t bear seeing his sister waste away any longer and had known something drastic was required. “Since you seemed to have gotten on with your life pretty well, I didn’t think you’d mind DKE doing business with Ravelli’s company---”
Willem paused when Anneke kept shaking her head. He waited for her to speak, but his sister only kept her head bowed, not meeting his gaze.
“Was I wrong?” Willem finally asked. “Have you not gotten over him?”
The question stung Anneke’s pride, enough to make her lift her head and say stiffly, “Of course I have.” She bit her lip hard. “But---”
“It’s just occurred to me I’ve failed to mention he’s only a silent partner on this one, which means you wouldn’t even have to worry about meeting him under any circumstances. In fact, Ravelli and I have talked about this, and he was the first one to offer skipping the launch---”
“I don’t mind if he attends,” Anneke heard herself interrupt and wanted to cringe the moment the words left her mouth. Crap, oh crap. What the heck was she saying?
Willem’s fingers tapped rhythmically on his desk
Anneke frowned, sensing her brother’s reservations. “I mean it.”
“You’re certain?”
“Yes.”
“Alright then. I’ll take your word for it and let him know---” Willem paused once again as his sister started shaking her head, and he asked patiently, “What is it?”
“I can do that for you.” Anneke was proud to hear her voice unshaking. “It’s not like we’re still kids and you have to worry that I’d freak out every time I see him. You’ve got more than enough on your plate with work, so let me handle this.” She forced a smile. “If that’s all then?”
Minutes after Anneke left, Willem remained on his seat, his fingers still drumming on the desk. Had he done the right thing, meddling between his sister and her estranged husband?
Coming to his feet, he walked to Serenity’s desk, where his PA-slash-fiancée was hard at work. She automatically looked up, asking politely, “Is there anything I may do for you, Mr. de Konigh?”
As always, he countered this, saying patiently, “Willem.”
A little frown marred her smooth forehead. Even though they’d been engaged for almost a year now, Serenity still didn’t like having the lines between them blurred during office hours.
“Mr. de Konigh,” she spoke firmly.
“Sere.” His tone, on the other hand, was lazy. And then he was bending down and covering her mouth with his. She gasped, and he kissed her harder, uncaring of the kind of attention they were drawing from the rest of his staff. This woman was his, now and forever, and anyone who couldn’t adjust to this particular reality was free to leave Willem’s employ.
“Your punishment,” he murmured huskily against her lips, “for being so stubborn.” When he pulled away, the consternation in blue eyes identical to his greeted him, and Willem chuckled.
“Y-you shouldn’t have done that,” Serenity muttered under her breath.
“No. I shouldn’t have.” But he had needed to, and the way the pressure was already easing off his chest as he gazed at her flustered expression was proof of it.
Something flickered in her eyes, and he blinked in surprise when she suddenly stood up and asked out loud, “Perhaps we could talk about this in your office, sir?”
This…being what?
Straightening, he inclined his head, murmuring, “Of course.” He waited until she reached his side, and only then did he start walking, his pace automatically adjusting to hers so she wouldn’t feel the need to limp.
He let her in first, and as he turned to close the door after her, Willem asked in a puzzled tone, “What is this---”
Slender arms suddenly locked around his waist, and he stilled.
Ah.
It should no longer surprise him how well Serenity knew him, but it still did. Even at fourteen, she had been the only one to get past his walls and see the real him. And after all these years, it was only her he’d bare his soul to.
“How did it go?” Serenity whispered. Willem had told her from the start about Marcus’ involvement in DKE’s latest acquisition, and that it had been at the Italian billionaire’s instigation.
William breathed hard. “I’m worried.”
The harshly voiced admission had Serenity tightening her arms around Willem.
“I’m taking a huge risk, and I don’t think I can forgive myself if---”
She pulled back. “Willem.” He automatically turned around, and her heart lurched as their eyes met. She loved this man so much, looked up to him so much that even now, she still felt more than a little awed he could trust her with his innermost secrets, his weaknesses – things he didn’t even dare show to his entire family.
Laying her hand on one bronze cheek, she said softly, “You did this because you love her. You did this because you believe they love each other.” And love always found a way to make things right.
Chapter Three
Marcus was in the middle of a stockholders’ meeting when a knock sounded on the door. He frowned, not liking the interruption, which his PA should have known better not to cause. He gestured for the younger man to come in, and Alberto stuttered, “I apologize for the disturbance, signor, but there is an important call for you.”
“Chi è?” Who is it?
“Your, err, wife, signor.” An inscrutable expression fell over his employer’s strikingly handsome features, and Alberto became even more nervous. Like everyone in the company, he knew that things were not so good between Marcus Ravelli and his Dutch heiress wife. Had he done the right thing to interrupt the meeting for---
The assistant’s thoughts came to an abrupt halt as their CEO came to his feet, causing him to tower over everyone at a great height.
“Apologies, but I have to take this.” Marcus nodded at his VP, who immediately stood up to take over.
And then he was leaving the boardroom, walking swiftly back to his office as his heart picked up its pace.
&
nbsp; Finalmente.
The last year had been hell, even worse than the year before it, which was saying a lot. Realizing he had so horribly misjudged things between them had literally given him nightmares, and the days he would wake up in a cold sweat, sick to his stomach, had returned with a vengeance.
He could not forget the look on her face when he asked her if she hated him.
Because beyond the anger, there had been pain.
So much pain---
Pain that he should have given her time to get over, but he had not, because he had been too damn selfish and impatient.
He breathed hard. Never again. It was a vow to himself and to the only woman he would love in this lifetime.
Picking up the phone, he said levelly, “Hello.”
Anneke’s body slightly trembled at the dark, velvety note of Marcus Ravelli’s voice. For so long, this sound had haunted her, and she had always thought it was because his voice brought back painful memories.
But now, she realized shamefully it wasn’t just that.
This sound – this voice – was a sick addiction.
And the other reason it had been haunting her dreams was because she had missed hearing his voice.
The horrible truth had her eyelids sweeping closed for a moment.
Oh God.
Would she always be an idiot where this man was concerned?
From the other end of the line, she heard Marcus speak again, this time a little bit more sharply. “Anneke? Are you still there?”
Crap. Realizing she had taken too long to answer, she cleared her throat before answering him. “Yes. Sorry. I was---” Her mind went blank as she tried to come up with an excuse for zonking out on him. Crap. It was confirmed then. She would always be an idiot around the Italian billionaire.
Clearing her throat again, she decided to simply change the subject, saying in a rush, “I just heard from Willem about your partnership with DKE.”
“I see.” Marcus’ tone was polite.
“And I also wanted you to know that there’s no need to skip this weekend’s launch. I mean---” She forced a laugh. “It’s been ages, so everything’s under the bridge now.”