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Annalise woke up to Veronica still in her dress, asleep next to her. They had about an hour before they got up, but Annalise knew that she couldn’t sleep for much longer. It gave her a chance to look at the beautiful woman next to her.
When Veronica was asleep, she didn't seem worried about anything. She seemed almost happy and relaxed. It was a beautiful sight.
When she woke up, she looked at Annalise for a second with a confused expression.
“Did I fall asleep like this?” Veronica asked.
"Yeah. It's fine. You needed it. We should get ready. We have more of the conference today," Annalise replied.
"Yeah. The good thing about today though, is that we don't have to be there the entire day due to the banquet they have tonight," Veronica replied.
Annalise could see her worry still. She reached over, touching Veronica and smiling.
“It’ll be okay. Trust me,” she said.
“I know. Thank you, Annalise.”
The two got ready and headed to the first panel of the day. It was an interesting one, and Annalise understood what was going on. She saw the vulnerability from the night before leaving once again, replaced with the professional woman that Annalise was familiar with.
It didn't bother her. In a sense, knowing that Veronica did have feelings for her, but she was scared to show them made sense. She acknowledged it was scary. Even Annalise got worried about showcasing her emotions. She was just happy they spoke about that last night.
After the last panel of the day, Annalise walked to the elevator, looking at Veronica.
“Want to get ready?”
“Yeah. Let’s get some food first. I’m starving,” Veronica said.
The two of them sat at a café nearby, which served small lunches. After getting their food, Annalise dug in, and Veronica smiled.
“What’s the banquet tonight for?” Annalise asked.
"To make connections. You'll be with me the entire time, though. I want you to be," Veronica replied.
“I’ll do my best then,” Annalise said.
Annalise helped Veronica into her dress and did her makeup, and Veronica helped Annalise with her hair. They worked together to make the other person beautiful, and that was something Annalise found joy in.
“You look amazing,” Annalise said.
“You do as well,” Veronica replied.
Annalise chose a green dress, one that was like a ball gown and brought out her eyes. Veronica kept up her track record of wearing black, but this time it was a gown as well, and one that did hug her curves, but also made her look appealing and more mature.
When they got to the banquet, there were already people there, men and women alike, all of them talking.
“Are you ready to do this?” Veronica said.
“I was born ready.”
The ladies walked in, taking some champagne from one of the servers. Veronica was already marching over like a hawk to the first person, an older man.
"Well, hello there, Veronica! Nice to see you again," he said.
“Same here, Mr. Dickson. Is this your wife?”
“Oh yes. This is Shirley,” he said, pointing to a woman of about the same age.
“Nice to meet you. This is my partner, Annalise,” Veronica said, keeping up the confident demeanor.
“Congratulations. I didn’t even know. I mean, I’m surprised you’re both here. You know, considering how people are,” he said.
“What they don’t like is their business. Annalise is a vital member to my company as well, and she’s very important to me as a person,” Veronica said.
Annalise was in shock at the way Veronica was handling it. She was scared, Annalise could tell, but with each person, she handled it all like it was nothing.
Most people were happy to hear that Veronica settled in, and a couple already discussed business proposals. However, there were a few lukewarm responses, but Annalise did step in, stopping them.
There was one person though who made Veronica uncomfortable. A young, blond man that looked like he inherited the company from mommy and daddy instead of working hard to achieve success. He looked over at Veronica and then at Annalise.
“Who’s she?” he asked.
“This is my partner and my assistant, Annalise,” Veronica said.
“Wait, so you’re gay?” he asked.
“Why does that matter?” Veronica said.
“I was going to ask if you maybe wanted to talk about something other than business deals, but I guess that’s out of the picture,” the man said. He acted offended as well, scoffing at the end of his words.
“You don’t have to be rude, you know,” Annalise pointed out.
“Oh, so you’re her little guard dog?” he asked, looking at Annalise.
“No, but you don’t have to be mad just because she’s not into you. I’m sorry, but she is here for business reasons,” she said.
“Whatever. Not my interest,” he said.
The guy walked away, and Annalise stared at Veronica, who seemed uncomfortable.
“You okay?” Annalise asked.
“Yeah. That guy is just an ass. I avoid working with him at all costs. He used to hit on me a lot before I took the position, and it’s obvious he’s still not over it,” Veronica said.
“Whatever. He can be upset. Lots of people here are supportive of you,” Annalise said.
“I know. But it’s still a bit worrisome at times,” Veronica admitted, showing some vulnerability for a moment.
“Don’t worry, I’m here,” Annalise said, holding her hand.
The ladies talked with more people, and at the end of the night, Veronica managed to get more support than ever before. People were friendly to Annalise as well, and they saw that she was not only a partner but also an asset to the company.
When they walked back upstairs after it was over, Veronica stopped. She heard a sound in her purse.
“It’s my phone,” she said.
“You should answer it,” Annalise replied.
Veronica nodded, holding the phone to her ear. “Oh, hello Bob.”
Annalise stood there, waiting for the next few words, wondering what Bob wanted right now.