by Marian Tee
There was a pause, and then---
“If you’re sure?”
“Yes, of course.”
“Because I truly do not mind skipping the event if my presence would be an issue---”
“It’s not.”
“Then if you insist, I would of course be delighted to be present at the launch. Thank you for taking the time to call me personally about this. It is much appreciated.”
“Umm. No problem.”
“I will see you then. Grazie.”
“Benvenuto.”
And that was it.
Anneke stared at her phone as the call came to an end. Was it just her, or did that two-minute conversation felt more like something between two business acquaintances rather than a married couple?
She placed her iPhone on the desk and leaned back against her seat.
Well, this was what she wanted. Wasn’t it?
Whereas time used to pass ever so slowly, the following days seemed to disappear in a flash. Before she could draw another breath, the weekend had arrived, and it was time for DKE and Ravelli Holdings to co-launch their first joint acquisition, Galleria dei Sogni.
As Anneke took her place behind her eldest brother, she became conscious of a sudden murmuring from the crowd and knew right away it was him. Her hands started to perspire, and it took everything not to get her first glimpse of Marcus Ravelli over her shoulder.
For almost the entire week, she had agonized over whether to bring a date or not, but in the end, she had decided not to. It would be too telling, not to mention desperate. Everyone knew how much she hated mixing business with pleasure, and tongues were sure to wag if she suddenly had a male companion escorting her to a DKE launch.
From the corner of her eye, she finally caught sight of the Italian billionaire, gorgeous and impeccably dressed. He was the rare kind of man who could be both intensely macho and exquisitely sophisticated---
Crap, oh, crap.
She should be completely indifferent to how he looked, shouldn’t she?
Just as Anneke was struggling to keep her distress off her face, a shadow fell over her---
Oh, double crap.
Marcus stepped into view, and her heart stopped beating.
Dark eyes met hers. “Hello, Anneke.”
She summoned her brightest smile. “Hello, Marcus.” The steadiness of her voice was a relief, and the fact that her knees hadn’t started quaking at the sound of her name on his lips even more so.
She braced herself for the rest of their conversation, but Marcus only gave her a brief nod.
And then he was turning away and taking his place next to Willem de Konigh for the ribbon-cutting ceremony.
As Serenity slid into position next to Anneke, she asked in quiet concern, “Are you alright, Anneke?”
“I…” Should be…but I was not.
Throughout the launch, Marcus was aware of Anneke’s fleeting gaze passing him every so often, and it was testament to his ironclad control that he managed not to succumb to the urge to walk up to her.
If only he could assure her that she had nothing to worry about, that he was far from indifferent to her.
If only he could simply tell her, I’m yours.
If only.
But he wasn’t the type to make the same mistake twice, and so he forced himself to maintain the much-needed pretense of giving her a wide berth. He had pushed her too hard, too fast, too early, and look where that had gotten him.
This time, he knew better. This time, he had to wait. This time, he had to give her a reason to approach him first.
Near the end of the launch, he quietly slipped away, leaving the main hall of the art gallery to escape into the balcony. Anyone who would have seen the Italian billionaire at that moment would never have guessed that underneath the expressionless façade was a man on his last lifeline.
Tonight, he had done one of the biggest gambles in his life, pretending that he no longer had any feelings for his wife.
And now, he’d find out if the gamble would pay off or if it would only succeed in pushing her further away.
Chapter Four
“I think I’m going to call it a night,” she told Willem and Serenity. It was half past eleven in the evening, but over eighty percent of the paintings had already been sold, while not a single guest had left yet. It spoke volumes about the success of their launch, but Anneke just wasn’t in the mood to celebrate.
“Of course.” Willem pressed a kiss on his sister’s cheek. “Go and have a good night’s sleep. You deserve it.”
After giving her brother’s fiancée a quick hug, she asked very casually, “Is Marcus still around?”
“I believe he went to the balcony.” Serenity’s tone was just as casual.
“Oh.”
“You should let him know you’re leaving if it’s not too much,” Willem slotted in. “It’s the polite thing to do.”
“Yes, you’re absolutely right.” Anneke tried not to let her relief show at the suggestion. “It would let other people know there’s no bad blood between us.”
Turning around, she headed towards the balcony, all the while hating the way her body was trembling so hard at the mere thought of seeing him again.
Alone, possibly?
The insidious thought had her cheeks flushing hot, and she mentally cringed. She really shouldn’t be doing this. But she just couldn’t help it.
Slipping past the curtains behind the balcony doors, she saw Marcus bent over the balustrade, hands clasped before him, and moonlight making his profile seem exotic and dangerous.
Her heart skipped a beat, and when he turned her way, her heart skipped another beat.
Crap.
She should be shunning the sight of him, not excited by it.
Seeing the look of surprise on his handsome face, she stammered, “I didn’t realize you were here.” The words were out of her mouth before she could stop herself. Crap. What was she lying for?
Marcus straightened. “Apologies.” His tone was polite. “You can have the balcony to yourself.”
Her eyes widened. Oh no. Did he think she wanted him to leave?
“I only stepped out for a breath of fresh air.”
She watched him head for the doors dumbly, and it was only when he was reaching for the curtains to lift them out of the way did she get over her shock and blurt out, “You don’t have to go.”
Marcus stilled. Thank fuck. He had been close to giving up on hope when she had spoken. Turning around to face her again, he asked quietly, “Are you certain?”
She gave him a small nod.
That was more than good enough for him. He leaned against the balustrade, making sure to keep enough space between them so she wouldn’t feel crowded or cornered. From the corner of his eye, he saw Anneke rub her bare arms. “Cold?”
“Just a bit---oh.” Marcus had his jacket off in an instant and was now holding it out to her. “I…umm…”
“I would have done the same thing for anyone else,” Marcus murmured.
“Right.” She took the jacket gingerly from his hand and worked hard not to reveal her unhappiness as she slid her arms into the sleeves. She knew she should be happy about him treating her just like anyone else, but she wasn’t.
There was a moment of silence before Marcus spoke again.
“You look good.”
In the past, he would’ve said she was beautiful. “You, too.” Anneke pulled the jacket around her more tightly, and his scent surrounded her, the only kind of comfort from him that she could afford to take.
He was so clearly over her. Maybe he always had been, but guilt had only made him try asking her back?
“Penny for your thoughts?”
She shook her head.
“A Euro then?”
Despite everything, she found herself smiling a little.
“Or perhaps I could make a guess?” Before she could answer, Marcus continued in a soft murmur, “Perhaps you’re thinking about the divorce.”
Ah. He had brought it up first, when in the past he wouldn’t even have wanted her to talk about the subject. Without meeting his gaze, she asked stiltedly, “Why is it taking so long?”
“My lawyers are the paranoid type, I’m afraid. When they heard from your legal team that you didn’t want anything, it only made them even more suspicious.”
Her jaw dropped, and she couldn’t help turning to him then, protesting, “But I honestly don’t want anything.”
“Si, certo.” Yes, of course. “I know that, and I have told them so, but they do not believe me.” A grimace touched his lips. “And unfortunately, I owe it to my stockholders not to interfere in their job. It would be bad business if they were led to think I’m willfully endangering my company and opening myself up to future court battles. I hope you understand.”
“I do.” She bit her lip. “But if that’s the case, then what will happen to our case?”
“Your legal team and mine will reach a compromise sooner or later. It’s only a matter of time.”
“I see.” Anneke lowered her head to hide her gaze. It meant she’d still be his wife for an indefinite run, and she just didn’t know how to feel about it.
“Anneke?”
“Yes?” She kept her gaze glued to the floor.
“I’m happy we can talk normally like this,” Marcus said quietly.
Oh.
And she heard herself say, “Me, too.”
“I hope one day we can be friends again.”
“Same.” Her heart squeezed. Friends. Marcus wanted to be just friends. She could be happy with that. She should be happy with that. Right?
Willem called Anneke to his office first thing in the morning the next day, and Anneke was stunned speechless to find Marcus Ravelli with her brother. Apparently, the successful opening of Galleria dei Sogni had new merger opportunities coming up for the two companies. With Marcus on a one-month stay in Amsterdam, Willem wanted Anneke to work with him on DKE’s behalf.
“I’m hoping this won’t be a problem,” Willem then murmured, “since Ravelli informs me that you’ve become…friends?”
Put like that, Anneke was hard pressed to refuse Willem’s request. Or at least that was what she tried telling herself, all the while struggling to ignore the way her heart leapt at the prospect of being able to talk to Marcus again.
And yes, a chance to speak to him, to hear his voice from time to time, was all she wanted. She had come to accept this sick addiction of hers, and as the next few weeks unfolded, she fed it without hesitation.
He’d call her every morning, just to say hi – as a friend – and she would say hi back, also as a friend. From there, their talks would progress to anything under the sun – her work, her current read, everything really. And she didn’t mind because it meant getting her daily fix.
He’d invite her to have coffee after doing an ocular on a property they were considering making a joint purchase of, and she’d say yes, since they were friends. He’d invite her to dinner or a drink after work, and she’d say yes, too.
She could say yes to everything because they were friends, and soon enough Marcus’ presence began to extend to other parts of her life. He began to show up in family functions, and none of her family would even blink an eye. When the Queen of Contini came to Amsterdam for a visit, the first thing the monarch demanded was to know where the Italian billionaire she had been hearing so much about was.
And so Marcus had been summoned to the de Konighs’ residence, and Anneke felt like she had fallen into a crazy rabbit hole, watching her grandmother and soon-to-be ex-husband converse easily about the region’s economy, Brexit, and the next Marvel film of all things.
Anneke breathed a sigh of relief when the butler came in to announce that dinner was ready to be served. Oh, thank God. That was just in time, too, since she didn’t trust the calculating gleam in the Queen’s eye one bit. If not for dinner being served, Anneke had a feeling Queen Wilhemina would have asked something infinitely embarrassing.
As everyone started to file out of the living room, Marcus came to her side, asking swiftly, “Are you alright?” She looked paler than usual, and he didn’t like it.
That he would notice her unease disturbed her even more. Wasn’t that too much for a mere friend? Lowering her voice to a whisper, she asked, “Don’t you think this is crazy?” When Marcus arched a brow in question, she continued unevenly, “I don’t know if this is natural. I mean, I know we’ve become f-friends again, but…” Her voice trailed off. Oh, how to put what she felt in words when she didn’t even understand her own feelings?
Taking a deep breath, she tried again. “I just want to know if – well – don’t you feel this is weird at all?” she ended up bursting out.
Ah. Keeping his voice level, he asked, “Are you talking about my relationship with your family?”
She nodded.
“Do you not want me to be friends with them?”
“Of course not!” Anneke was horrified. “I’m glad you’re friends with them, but---”
“You are worried about what other people would think.” Marcus shook his head with a sigh. “You must not concern yourself with such wasteful things. You will end up leading the kind of life that makes other people happy but not yourself.” He looked into her eyes, saying softly, “What should only matter is that we are finally okay with what we have. Si?”
It took her several moments before she said finally, shakily, “It’s terrifying how good you are with words. ”
Marcus’ lips twitched. “Shall I take that as a yes, and you promise to stop worrying your pretty little head---”
Anneke made a face, knowing he was only using the condescending term to rile her up and keep her mind off her worries.
“---about whatever trash the gossip world can come up about us?”
“I guess.” A glum sigh escaped her. “It’s not like I have a choice.”
His lips curved. “Good girl.”
She rolled her eyes, saying dryly, “I’m over thirty now, remember? I’m far from being a girl.”
Marcus only smiled, knowing that Anneke was wrong. She would always be his girl – the first girl he had fallen for, and the only girl who would own his heart.
Drinks at the patio followed after dinner, and when the Queen announced she’d be retiring to her room because of an early morning engagement the following day, Marcus also stood up to leave.
As Anneke walked him to the front door, he invited her to a nightcap in his hotel room, and she agreed even though she was feeling more than a little tired and sleepy. Addictions were called addictions for a reason, after all.
“What do you want me to get for you?”
“Something hot maybe?” His lips twitched, and she grimaced. “I know. It makes me seem older than my grandmother---”
This time Marcus laughed outright, knowing exactly what she meant. To say that the Queen could hold her liquor well would be an understatement. “It’s fine. I’ll be back with you in a second.”
As Marcus turned his back to call for room service, Anneke covered her mouth as she yawned. It had been an especially tiring day, and yet she was only halfway done fine-tuning the latest proposal that had landed on her lap. She ran the numbers through her head while fighting to keep her eyelids from drooping. On her way home later, it would be better if she made a call to Jaak. Perhaps her other brother could lend her a hand…
When Marcus turned to face Anneke again, he was surprised to find Anneke half-lying on the couch, her head against the armrest. She was fast asleep, and Marcus frowned when he noticed the dark bags under her eyes. Had she been overworking herself?
He hesitated for a moment on what to do next, but then he saw her stir and burrow deeper into the couch, and his mind was made up for him. It was clear she needed rest.
After requesting for a new set of linens from housekeeping, he used the blanket and carefully pulled it over Anneke’s body.
The softest sigh escaped her, and his
heart clenched.
He loved this woman so damn much, it was getting harder and harder each day to tear himself from her side and ensure she still had the space she needed.
Bending down on one knee, he brushed his lips against with her forehead---
And realized it was a stupid mistake.
Because now that small kiss was no longer enough.
Before he could think of what he was doing, he had already moved down, covering her mouth with his---
Accidenti.
Marcus wrenched himself away with a silent curse.
Over half an hour had passed since the sound of Marcus leaving the suite before Anneke cautiously opened her eyes bit by bit, trying to ascertain that she was truly alone. When it was so, she sat up quickly, her breathing shallow, her heartbeat frantic.
She unconsciously reached up to touch her lips, which still tingled from the aftereffects of the kiss.
His kiss.
Marcus’ kiss.
Anneke sucked in her breath hard. What could it mean? But more importantly, what did she want it to mean?
Chapter Five
The beachside restaurant was only sparsely occupied by the time Anneke arrived, and she spotted her friends right away. Alyx Marshall, a voluptuous brunette, was sipping a Shirley Temple, while beside her Fredericka Spears, a petite redhead who had made headlines for being the country’s youngest state attorney, was pouring hibiscus tea into a dainty teacup. Albeit opposite in looks and temperament, the two were actually cousins and Anneke had been friends with both for some years now.
“Sorry I’m late,” Anneke apologized as she reached their table. The flight from Amsterdam to Miami had been far longer and more tedious than usual, with Willem’s flight crew suddenly having a bit of a problem with its landing clearance.
“Don’t sweat it,” Fredericka assured her readily. “We just got here ourselves.”
“You look absolutely stunning, Anneke.” But Alyx’s tone was more sly than complimentary, and the voluptuous head-turner waited only for Anneke to take a seat before asking with a naughty grin, “Is it because of your Italian stud?”