~ Audrey ~
Audrey was a bundle of nerves as she walked to the Vanderbilt brother’s apartment that night. She paused for a second before knocking on the door, mentally preparing herself for what to say. Killian’s message didn’t explain much, but she could tell that he wasn’t too happy by the tone of the text.
Technically, I didn’t do anything wrong. So even if Killian saw me at the restaurant, there’s no reason why he should be mad. As far as he knows, I was only having a friendly lunch.
With that thought in mind, Audrey braced herself and knocked on the door. It didn’t even take a second before the door flew open and Killian was standing at the door. It was like he had been waiting for her.
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~ Audrey ~When Audrey opened her eyes next, it was already daylight. She was wearing a shirt, either Caspian’s or Killian’s, and she didn’t even remember putting that on last night. Next to her was Caspian sleeping very soundly, but Killian was nowhere around.Audrey stirred in the bed and felt her muscles tightening and sore. Flashes from last night came to her mind and she knew why her body was feeling this way. Caspian and Killian were trying to prove a point and she heard the message loud and clear.Caspian felt her body moving and he reached for her. He wrapped an arm around her stomach and pulled her close. Audrey rested her head on his chest and let out a long sigh. Caspian sure had drained her out last night, but when he held her close like this, she felt her energy returning back to life.“Hey,” Audrey then heard a soft whisper. She tu
~ Audrey ~* KNOCK! * KNOCK! *Audrey tapped the door gently and pushed it back. She found her dad sitting in his home office, his head was buried on the documents he was signing. It was a Saturday afternoon and yet her dad was still busily working.“Hey, dad,” Audrey greeted him.“Finally, someone decided to return my call,” he replied without even taking his eyes off of the desk.“I know, I’m sorry—““You could’ve just called. You don’t have to come all the way here,” he cut her off sharply.Audrey let out a sigh. Her dad was being salty because she ignored his calls and texts all day yesterday. But she had a good reason for it. She was busy planning and plotting for her future with the Vanderbilt brothers.
~ Audrey ~“Holy freaking shit! You got engaged to Caspian Vanderbilt?!” Mikey exclaimed as he slammed the door open to Audrey’s living room.“Ha, that almost rhymed,” Audrey laughed drily. She was seated casually on the couch sipping her tea. There was also food on the table as she was hosting their routine Sunday brunch at home today. Ever since the news of her engagement broke out to the media, the paparazzi went crazy and Audrey couldn’t eat outside in peace.“Audrey Nicole Huntington!” Liv chimed in behind Mikey. She was holding onto a newspaper with Audrey and Caspian’s faces on the front page. “Is this true? Explain yourself!”“Yes, guys. It’s true,” Audrey let out a sigh. “Please, come in. I’ve got bagels if anyone cares,”“How
~ Killian ~“Dude, what the hell are you still doing here?” Killian said as he found Caspian still at his desk. “Our dinner with Audrey is at 7,”Killian was feeling excited about tonight. It was going to be their first public appearance in a long time. Even though people thought that it was Caspian and Audrey who were getting engaged, Killian felt like this was as much his engagement too.“Ah, shit. I forgot about that,” Caspian muttered. “You two go ahead without me,”“What?” Killian gaped. “Since when are you bailing on a date?”“I still got a lot of work to do,” he groaned, motioning to the stack of papers on his desk. “This shit’s a bottomless pit. Now I know how you can’t ever stop,”“What work are you d
~ Caspian ~The news of the engagement seemed to be working out well for Audrey and Killian, but that was not the case for Caspian. Within a matter of weeks, expectations and pressures from everyone began to weigh him down. Not only that he was a Vanderbilt, but he was also a co-CEO of his father’s empire. And now he was also going to take on roles in the Huntington Empire.Caspian went on a golf trip with his dad and Audrey’s dad last week and it was the most excruciating time of his life. The two men were grilling him about his business strategy and future plans. Suddenly, he was expected to know the answer to all the world’s problems. And while all this was happening, Killian was staying at home with Audrey, watching Netflix and chilling.Caspian was starting to wonder if he got the short end of the straw. He would much rather let Killian handle all this nonsense while he st
~ Audrey ~“So, Audrey, I heard you graduated from NYU this year?” Anna Vanderbilt spoke in that calm but sharp tone of hers. She was seated across from Audrey at the long dining table. Caspian was seated next to her and John was at the head of the seat.“Yes, I just graduated this May,” Audrey replied.For most of the night, it was just Audrey and Anna having a conversation. Caspian and his dad were mostly silent. A part of her believed that this dinner was actually an interrogation into Audrey’s life. She didn’t mind it, though. Caspian had it worse when they were meeting her dad. This was nothing compared to that.“And yet you’re already working for your father’s company,” Anna noted. “You must be a very hardworking girl,”“Oh, I’m still learning,” Audrey s
- - - - - Two Weeks Later - - - - - ~ Audrey ~ “Happy birthday, Audrey!” the entire room cheered and clapped as Audrey stepped into Culture’s VIP area. For her twenty-second birthday, Mikey and Olivia talked to the Vanderbilt brothers about renting out the entire VIP section for Audrey. The brothers, of course, agreed. Mikey and Olivia then invited Audrey’s colleagues at work as well as old friends from high school. They went all out because this would be a special year for Audrey. Her last single birthday ever. “Aw, guys, thank you!” Audrey gasped and she got teary-eyed. Everyone was there from her assistant Marie to Sebastian, to her old classmates at Catholic school. Mikey and Liv even went the extra mile to get her favorite band, All Time Low, to play the happy birthday song. “Your last birthda
~ Killian ~Killian and Audrey managed to sneak out from the back door without the other guests noticing them. The next thing he knew, Killian was sitting in the back of the limo with Audrey next to him. Her body was shaking a little, and he wrapped his jacket around her in case she was cold.“I’m sorry for what he said,” Killian said after a while of silence. “He didn’t mean it,”Audrey threw her gaze out the window and watched as the car rode through the city. “Do you think this is a charade too? Is what we’re doing even real?” she sighed.Killian cupped her cheek and tilted her face back to him. “I promise you, it’s absolutely real,” he said. “No one can make me feel what I feel when I’m with you. You have my heart, my soul, and my everything, Audrey Huntington,”