Harem app

First Person POV

”Are the meetings over?” I asked, my voice heavy with tiredness, as I discreetly massaged the bridge of my nose.

”Did you write down everything I asked?” Vanessa replied without showing the slightest bit of empathy, her tone calm, almost cold.

Before I could retort, she approached me slowly, raising a hand to fix my tie. Earlier, she had asked me to wear formal clothes, since we would be spending the day meeting important people, and according to her, ’first impressions are everything.’

”Of course I did,” I said, showing her the papers I was holding. I forced a smile, even though my eyes felt heavy. ”You can count on me.”

”Thank you,” she let out in a soft sigh, finally stepping back. Her eyes evaluated me from head to toe, and for a moment, I thought I saw pride there. ”You look good.”

Her smile was weaker than usual and her gaze was somehow hesitant. Something seemed to be worrying her.

”Did something happen?” I asked, trying to decipher her expression.

”No...” Vanessa murmured, discreetly clenching her fists at her sides. The slight tremor in her hand didn’t go unnoticed. ”Anyway, let’s go to the last meeting of the day.”

”Who are we meeting?” I insisted.

She turned around quickly, her hair swaying with the movement, as if she wanted to avoid any eye contact. ”My family,” she answered briefly, almost dryly.

I stood still for a moment, watching her. But before I could fall behind, I took a deep breath and quickened my pace to catch up.

Vanessa walked faster than usual, her high heels echoing on the immaculate floor of the cruise ship.

Without exchanging many words, we walked through the luxurious corridors, illuminated by crystal chandeliers and decorated with discreetly displayed works of art on the walls.

A few minutes later, Vanessa stopped in front of an ornate double door. She took a small key from inside her purse and, with a slight click, opened the access to the room reserved by her family.

The environment revealed itself to be grand: Persian rugs, light leather sofas, heavy golden curtains. A bottle of champagne already rested in an ice bucket next to the central table.

But I wasn’t very surprised because I was used to that kind of room by this point. All the meetings we had were in luxurious rooms like that.

In fact, what really caught my attention were the three figures already seated at the table.

The first was a woman I presumed to be Vanessa’s mother. She observed the dishes in front of her with a slight air of disdain, as if none of them were worthy of her attention.

Her hands, protected by thin gloves, held the cutlery with a forced elegance, and the excess of botox hardened her features, removing any trace of natural expressiveness from her face.

Next to her was, probably, her husband. A bald man, with a severe expression, wearing an expensive suit, which was clearly getting tight given his growing weight.

His aggressive posture and the clumsy way he held the cutlery made him seem out of place in that environment, as if he were trying to play a role that didn’t belong to him.

Finally, my eyes focused on the man whose smile gave me chills.

He had a friendly expression, and a face whose beauty was enough for people to like him.

But something told me he wasn’t trustworthy. And no matter how much I couldn’t explain it, I trusted my instincts.

”Finally, you’ve arrived, daughter,” the bald man commented in a severe tone.

Out of the corner of my eye, I admired the girl beside me. Vanessa didn’t have her usual calm and confident posture.

Her shoulders were slightly hunched. Her gaze wandered anxiously from side to side.

”Forgive me...” she said in a higher-pitched tone than usual. It seemed like she was out of breath.

”Forgive us,” I took the initiative to step forward and greeted the man respectfully.

”I understand your time is valuable,” I began to explain in a polite tone. ”But our clients held us longer than expected today.”

Vanessa gave me a complicated look out of the corner of her eye. I wasn’t sure if she was grateful or annoyed by the way I interfered.

”Calm down, calm down, father,” the handsome man interjected.

His voice had a pleasant softness that made those around him calmer. And the way he gestured naturally drew attention to himself.

”We arrived a little earlier than necessary.” His eyes turned to Vanessa. ”I’m sure my little sister was busy with really important meetings.”

At first glance, one would imagine he was a friendly person, even seeming to be intervening on Vanessa’s behalf.

But I couldn’t ignore how her posture stiffened as soon as he started talking. She fiddled with her fingers, trying to relieve the tension, and seemed paralyzed.

I’d like to know what the story was between those two.

”I’m sure you were meeting very important people, weren’t you, sister?” He asked in a soft tone.

”Ye... yes,” Vanessa replied awkwardly.

”But, more importantly,” his eyes focused on me.

He took a step forward, approaching me with a friendly smile.

”I see we have a new person here.” He extended his hand towards me. ”My name is Leo, I’m Vanessa’s older brother.”

I accepted his handshake, trying to respond kindly.

”My name is Liam,”

Immediately after, the older woman looked up at me. Leo responded promptly and took the job of introducing us.

”This is my mother, Henriqueta, and this is my father, Alfred,” she introduced the two.

”Humph!” The bald man snorted. ”Daughter, shouldn’t you have introduced him from the beginning?”

”Sorry...” Vanessa murmured weakly.

”More importantly,” Leo clapped his hands, drawing attention to himself.

Then his eyes traveled between me and Vanessa and with a curious and innocent tone he asked.

”And what is the relationship between you two?”

”Well...” I hesitated to give an immediate answer.

What should I say at this moment? Probably the most correct thing would be to say that we were business partners. Or that I was her employee.

Anyway, I looked at Vanessa out of the corner of my eye, hoping she would take the initiative to say something.