Page 25 of Shattered Queens: Veronica
“Sweetheart, I’m always ready for you.”
I love it when hecalls me that nickname. He told me I’m the only one he’s ever given one to, and that gives me butterflies. Stepping into the bedroom, I see him on the bed, just in his boxers. I watch his eyes roam my body, and I feel a rush.
“Sweetheart.” I see him thinking. “Isn’t that a bit too small for you?”
I feel like I’ve been punched in the stomach. I want the floor to open up and swallow me whole. My eyes immediately fill with tears. He moves to the edge of the bed. “Oh, sweetheart, come here.” He reaches out for me, and I walk over to him. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to upset you. But you don’t want me to lie to you, do you?”
I shake my head. The tears start to roll down my cheeks. “I wanted to do something special for you.”
“You’re so good to me. Maybe you can try to wear this again when you lose some weight?”
“Wh-what?” I cry. “You think I’m fat?” I shout. No one has ever said that out loud to me.
“No, not fat. You’re just full-figured.” He pauses. “I’m so sorry, Veronica. I’m such a piece of shit.” He pushes me away and goes to grab his clothes. “I don’t deserve you.”
I grab his arm. “Tony, no, you aren’t a piece of shit. I shouldn’t have overreacted. I know you didn’t mean it.” I wrap my arms around him. “Don’t go. It was all my fault for overreacting.”
That was the last time I wore red. It’s since become my least favorite color.
It’s the beginning of a new week. I walk straight to Andrew’s office the moment I arrive at Nina’s Hope; I need to show him the properties thatI added to our list. I hear him talking to someone as I approach his door. I didn’t know he had a meeting this early. Shit, am I late? As I approach the door, I hear my name.
“Veronica, there you are.”
I see Andrew standing behind his desk, and sitting right across from him is Cam. What is he doing here? I haven’t spoken to him in days. I’ve gone out of my way to avoid running into him at our building.
“Veronica, please come in. We’ve been waiting to give you the great news,” Andrew tells me.
“We?” I enter the office. I notice a pile of papers on Andrew’s desk. Are those blueprints? I turn to look at Cam, whose eyes are fixed on the desk. He’s not even looking at me. I can see the excitement in Andrew’s eyes as he hands me the stack of papers.
“What is this?” I ask both men.
Cam looks in my direction. He’s not the one to speak. Andrew answers for him. “It’s the deed to the property.”
At a loss for words, I look at Cam. “You decided to sell it to us?”
“No, I’m donating the property, but with certain stipulations.” He sounds irritated.
Stunned. “You’re giving it to us?”
“With stipulations,” he enunciates.
Am I the only one picking up on his shitty attitude?
“Yes. There are two,” Andrew interrupts.
My eyes are fixed on the dichotomy of the man sitting in front of me. “What are they?” I’m still processing the information.
Andrew is too excited to hold back, and again, he speaks for Cam. But from the looks of Cam, he doesn’t care. “One is that we follow the blueprint he gave us, and two is that you oversee the project. And I couldn’t agree more.”
“Me? Why me?” I whisper, hoping Cam hears me and responds.
“I’m going to inform Serena and Nina.” Andrew grabs his phone and exits the room.
I look at Cam. “Thank you, Mr. Villanueva.”
“Don’t thank me yet. Thank me when the project is complete.” He stands and extends his hand to me, and I take it. An agreement. Our hands touch for a second too long; he notices as well because he pulls it away, as if touching me causes him pain. Then he heads out the door. I don’t know why, but I walk after him.
“Cam.” I shout his name. “Cam.”
