Two
“Do you have some time? I’d like to speak for you a moment.” Willem de Konigh issued his command in a perfectly polite tone, knowing that his younger sister would understand he wasn’t really asking.
“Of course.” His sister rose gracefully to her feet, a picture of casual chic in her striped pantsuit and loafers. She looked breathtakingly attractive, more so than usual, but the smile on her lips ruined it for him.
Her smile never reached her eyes these days.
Willem took his time closing the door to Anneke’s office, hating what he had come to talk about. When he turned around, he saw that his sister had already left her place behind the desk and was taking a seat on the couch. It was business etiquette at its best – when speaking to a superior, one must never position one’s self above the former – and testament to the strict and thorough training he had imposed on all his younger siblings.
If only,Willem thought grimly,he had the foresight to train them as rigorously when it came to the matters of the heart.
She gave him a curious smile when he took up space next to her on the couch, and he worked hard to keep his face unreadable, knowing that the only thing stopping Anneke from breaking down was her foolish belief that her mask was working.
She had started wearing one ever since she came back home from her disastrous trip to Vegas, but she hadn’t fooled anyone with it. Not one goddamn bit.
“Is this about work?” Anneke asked hesitantly.
“I’m afraid not.”
And there it was, he thought less than a moment later.
The first crack on her mask, with the way her blue eyes became shuttered and her body becoming perfectly still.
“It’s been almost a year,” he said quietly.
“I know.” Her voice was steady.Too damn steady, Willem thought grimly, and that was the problem. How did he teach her that she had to break completely before she could put the pieces back together? How, when the thought of his baby sister hurting pained him, too?
“You can’t keep stonewalling me about your marriage, Anneke.”
“Actually, I can.” Anneke’s lips twitched. “It’s my life, Willem,” she said gently but firmly, “and I’m not a kid anymore that you can terrify into blurting out the truth.”
“You’re right,” he acknowledged. “Neither of us are children anymore, which is why it should have occurred to you that I don’t actually need your permission to dig out the truth about you and Marcus Ravelli.”
When she paled, Willem knew he had made his point, but the fact gave him no pleasure at all.
“Have you—-”
“No.” His sister’s eyes shone with relief, and he shook his head faintly. “Don’t celebrate yet. I may not have gotten someone to investigate the matter, but it doesn’t mean I don’t know anything.”
“What do you mean?” Anneke’s voice was a mixture of wariness and confusion.
“I can put one and one together to make two, and you should know I’m particularly good at it – better than most people, in fact.” Looking at her in the eye, he said quietly, “The actions of your husband—-”
“Please don’t call him that.”
Her voice was low, her tone jerky, and it made Willem want to grab his sister’s shoulders and give her a good shake. How did she not fucking see that she was only destroying herself with self-denial?