The CEOs Possession

Anders brought his car to a halt in front of Sophia’s house, and for the umpteenth time, he wondered why he had agreed to do this. Spending the night going through the update report on the construction site sure was a better way to spend the night, rather than being cooped up in here with the idea of a marriage hanging over his head.

One that he surely didn’t want.

He was late, and intentionally so. Anders had spent over an hour walking through his entire house, looking for an excuse to bail out on the dinner. He knew exactly how tonight was going to go and dreaded it. How was he supposed to act love-struck when all of him needed to check if Veil was okay?

As Anders stepped out of the car, the doors to the entrance were pulled open and Sophia walked out of them with her head high. She looked great tonight, with a blood-red dress that hung right above her knees, and her hair down in ringlets. She had on a pair of black heels that looked pretty uncomfortable, but trust Sophia to strut in them like they were nothing.

Anders tried to picture Veil doing the same and the image brought laughter to his lips. Stifling it, he opted for a wide smile instead and tried to wipe it off the moment Sophia saw it.

“Is there something funny about the way I look?” She questioned, stopping in front of him.

“No,” he answered politely. “I was just thinking of something else.”

Nodding, Sophia regarded the red tie on his neck. It wasn’t an exact match of the shade of her dress, but at least, the man had put in the effort and that alone was worth applauding.

Anders went around the car to get the bottle of wine and flowers he had picked up on the way. He handed the flowers to Sophia and her eyes shone as she sniffed them.

“Thank you, Anders,” she said sweetly, linking her arms in his. “I’m sure you’re trying to get me to forgive you for what you did earlier today.”

That wasn’t what Anders was trying to do. In fact, it was far from it. He really didn’t care about her perception today, but he wanted Sophia to get off Veil’s back. He couldn’t have them having any form of conversation, because while Sophia was a sly cat who was used to being conniving and mean, Veil was the opposite.

Although she tried to act tough, Anders saw right through her. He knew she was going through a tough time, and the innocence that serenaded her was alluring, pulling him in so fast that he didn’t even want to fight it.

Anders and Sophia walked into the grand living room hand in hand, where both their parents were already seated. Their laughter boomed in the air, and once again, Anders wished he didn’t have to do this.

“There you are,” Grayson, Anders’ father, said as the duo stepped further into the room. “We thought you’d change your mind.”

Anders gave them a polite smile and wore his charms on. “My apologies, your Excellencies,” he said, addressing Sophia’s parents. “My meeting ran late and I had to go home first to ensure I got the exact shade of red Sophia wanted, even though it still ended up being a tad brighter than hers.”

Sophia chuckled, tossing her hair over her shoulders. “I’m lucky, aren’t I?”

“You both look great tonight,” Anders continued quickly before Sophia could make tonight all about her. “You too, Dad and Mom.”

“You’re such a sweet talker,” the President’s wife beamed, then rose off the couch. “Why don’t you get the housekeeper to take care of the flowers for you?” She said to Sophia.

“I’ll see to the wine,” Anders suggested, then turned to the kitchen without waiting for a response. He didn’t like coming around and each time he did, he counted the hours till he left.

But tonight was worse. His whole body couldn’t stop thinking and wanting Veil, and it only made him so frustrated. Anders doubted he could have any meaningful conversations in that state.

The kitchen was filled with chefs going through the last stage of dessert, and he waved at them. Someone took the wine from him and politely asked him how the company was faring. They were the eyes and ears of the household, so it was hard for anything to happen away from their conscience.Content (C) Nôv/elDra/ma.Org.

When Anders returned outside, he met them all in the dining room, and he swiftly joined them, pleased that Sophia was already seated so he could skip the ritual of getting her chair out for her, while she teased him with the strands of her hair.

“I hear Kingston Groups has expanded to Pharmaceuticals,” the President beamed as the first course was served. “That is an excellent step.”

“Thank you, your Excellency.” Anders usually basked in his praises, but he could sure do without this one. “JK Corporations were open to the idea as well, so we decided to partner up. The announcements will be out once we’ve solidified our plans.”

“He works so hard,” Sophia drawled as she asked for the bowl of salsa.

“We cannot be any more proud of you, son,” Grayson said with pride. “You’re making so many waves in Mexico and we love to see it.”

Sophia smiled up at him and planted an immaculate peck on his face. But Anders felt absolutely nothing.

“You look so good together,” Anders’ mother mentioned, but with an indecipherable look in her eyes. She had always been able to read her son perfectly and tonight, she knew he didn’t want to be here.

“Thank you,” Sophia gushed. “My friend said the same thing today. Daddy, you remember Carmen, don’t you?”

The President nodded and Sophia continued.

“She had the grand opening of her restaurant today, and Anders and I went to have lunch there. He brought up the idea of showing solidarity to my friend. It was lovely of him.” Under the table, Sophia’s hands touched Anders and he swiftly recoiled away from it.

What was she thinking lying like that?