Chapter 4.1

Feeling not particularly elated by the fact that she had to go hunting for her own groom, Vee looked at Conan with squinted eyes. She waited for him to give her more information on his rogue brother's whereabouts, but it seemed that he, too, was clueless. It finally explained the frustration he had been showing since they had entered his office.

She now felt just as frustrated. She didn't like the fact that the perfect-looking Conan was not going to be her future husband and instead it was the playboy-looking Gallagher. Not only did she not like the younger brother's aura, but the fact that he was acting like a homeless fool, not even keeping in touch with his family, made her feel like digging her father's grave and confronting him about all the mess she would have to go through because of the marriage setup he had thought of.

"So," she sighed as she mentally rolled her eyes in annoyance, "are you telling me that he is not based in any of our country's military camps?" She watched in growing exasperation as Conan slowly shook his head. She heard him explain that he had already sent investigators to look for his younger brother, but they still didn't get back with valuable updates. It seemed that the youngest Gallagher had a knack for disguise which made him impossible to track, and the Rule of Confidentiality among the military forces is also slowing down the search. Every state and county would demand for an authorization from the courts before they reveal any information, which as they turned out, are mainly clues on the soldier's previous assignments. The most recent information which the investigators had told Conan was that his brother is at one of the camps in North America.

It would not have been more disheartening for Vee if Conan had not announced that just like her, the latter had received instructions from his father, Alister, through his last voicemail before the accident. Apparently, he had been told to stop being in the spotlight exactly a week after the reading of the Last Will. It means that Vee would have to conduct the search on her own, and with minimal help from Conan.

"I seriously look like I'm desperate for a husband," she snapped, suddenly standing up with hands akimbo and looking at Conan with dagger eyes as though it were his fault that she had to get married. Well, it was his fault for not being the "Gallagher heir" for whatever absurd reason, and now I'd need to marry some random man!

She heard the German Shepherd growl in the corner of the office as she angrily stomped her left foot. "Shut up, Jacket," she told it off, and much to her surprise, it stopped and simply stared at her like she was the boss. "And what are you supposed to do after we talk?" Her eyes went back to Conan, who was grinning ridiculously.

Conan was half expecting the family dog, Jacket, to start attacking Vee when he heard it growl earlier. He knew that it hated people who threatened either him or his father, but it seemed to know that Vee was someone worth its protection as well. He realized that he was grinning with his thoughts when he saw Vee's raised eyebrows, obviously annoyed with the idea of him being mirthful in the midst of a problem.

"I shall wait for further instructions from either my Dad, or yours," he told Vee matter-of-factly. His words only aggravated the Yates princess all the more, and he couldn't help but laugh as he heard her say some expletives before storming out of his office. As the heavy doors closed, he sat back on his chair and started massaging his temples again. He knew that the game had indeed started, and he had to play his part. Flawlessly.