"So...how was your night?"Leo asked with a chuckle as he pulled out a chair and sat down while he watched Victor workouts. He hated doing workouts more than anything because he was blessed with a perfect body and Victor was more addicted to working out despite having a killer body which many women drooled over. It was early in the morning and the house was rather quiet and shaken after the happenings of the previous night. The Vivienne saga had left the entire Ellison family bewildered about how the mighty Victor Ellison entered a kitchen and cooked something. Not a surprise but it was just rare because even Alisa didn't get that pleasure"I heard you sent Jason to look into her...Victor, why is that necessary?"Leo added when he spotted the file lying on the floor just by the dumbbells. He knew everything that went on, especially with Victor. His friend was rather a strange man. He didn't talk that much but he was more of an action manHe just didn't know why he took so long to know a
(Vivienne)"Umm...I'm so sorry I.."I stammered the words out as I averted my eyes away from him and like he saw through me. He adjusted his towel which wasn't nicely wrapped around him. I guessed he had rushed out in the middle of his shower because the water was dripping down his body and face. "Out!" he made a low yell and I flinched from his angry voice and stormed out of the room without wasting time and slammed the door shut. I exhaled heavily as I put my hand on my mouth and felt like slapping myselfI was so stupid that I didn't even know why I was this way. If I knew any better than I would have stayed away from Victor's bedroom and minded my own business but now I had walked in on him while he was nearly naked. It was a bad thing that I saw him the last time in the gym and since then I vowed to avoid such incidents but now I was certain he would think I was doing this on purpose. The thought of him thinking I was a perverted girl made me feel irritated with myself as I walk
(Vivienne)"Are you going to eat all that?""Uh-huh...you got this for me right!?"I nodded and said with my mouthful and looked at the piece of pizza in my hand. Both like me and I spent the entire afternoon together. It was fun hanging out with him that I felt happy"Is that even healthy, sweetheart?"he asked and I frowned and turned to look at him. I was having a good time eating my pizza. I asked him to order one for me because I wanted to eat pizza. I didn't know if it was okay but I had to eat before Victor saw meSince I didn't see him, I guessed he stayed in the study after all. He was kind of weird, sometimes he was cool and other other times he was grumpy like earlier today he was grumpy but I didn't care as I sat with Leo"Sweetie what's happening to you?"After some time Leo prompted on his elbows and turned to look at me. We were sitting outside by the poolside. It was getting dark, the weather was blissful and I loved it. The sky was turning dark, making me relax as I lean
I gulped down water while trying to breathe and ended choking and coughing violently as I kicked viciously through the water. I felt an intense pain in the back of my head not knowing how to get myself upI was helpless. I found myself sinking to the bottom of the pool, I tried bouncing on my tippy toes to get to the surface but my arms and legs gave out as they became even weaker. My breath was agonizingly painful and short as I struggled to keep my head above the water grave that wanted to swallow me whole."H...help"I attempted to voice out but I ended up swallowing a cupful of water immediately when I opened my mouth. I grasped for my last breath of air but its cold water flooded in, my throat burned as if a thousand needles had been plunged into it"H...help"I tried again but I felt powerless as the water kept on dragging me down the bottom. The pool was a deep one and the water was rushing through making me helpless as I felt light. Submerged with water swirling around me, crus
Victor was still not happy with what he was about to do. He saw how his little surrogate was flirting with Leo earlier. She was enjoying his company. He didn't see any husband qualities in Leo as she said and she irritated him that he just wanted to leave her behind. "I'm sure she's going to trouble me," Victor said as he walked towards the pool area. It was dark so why was she still outside? Although the weather was pleasantly nice he still didn't approve of her staying outside hence he hurried there as he fished out his phone from his pockets and looked at the time.He was supposed to go out for a drive just alone but for great exposure, if his surrogate and for the benefit of the baby he was willing to tolerate her just for a night"Ms. Payton?" he called out as soon as he got there but he didn't see anyone. The lights were on giving him a clear view of the entire area.He walked down the pavement as he scanned the surroundings. He looked around but saw no sign of his surrogate. H
(Vivienne)Consciously I wanted to be awake to know that I was still alive and well but deep down my spirit was afraid of waking up and finding myself in an endless dark abyss showing me I died from drowningThe feeling of not being there engulfed me wholly as I found myself shifting around. The need to wake up kicked in and I could feel myself moving. a certain hand rested on me but I could pinpoint who it was but I felt it was assuranceMy heavy eyes tried to flicker open, trying to get a small glimpse of life and a new day but I felt a sharp pain which made me close my eyes despite them being closed the entire time. I was unaware of my surroundings but I could hear faint voices which sounded a little more at a distance. It was rather hot which gave me comfort"Ahh" was the only thing I could voice out, however, my voice came out all hoarse as if I had a frog stuck on my throat. I tried to lick my lips but they so dripped that my guess just brushed on them and felt a sharp pain"Car
(Vivienne)I was feeling a lot better after a good night's sleep. Although I slept peacefully the thoughts of who undressed me bother me greatlyI failed to understand who exactly got me out of the pool. I tried asking Leo but I dropped the idea hence immediately morning came. I was the first to wake up but I didn't get out of bedWhen I prepared to get up, my heart became heavy with guilt. Especially the way Victor was behaving. After that time he cut me off as if whatever I was about to say made no sense to him. He didn't show up in my room but Monica did and that was to check if I was okayI was certain she thought I was making things up but I knew what I saw and now I sat there half covered waiting for Julia to walk inShe was late, unlike her usual time when she came early. I had so many questions for her. It would sound a little ridiculous but I was restless and anyone in my shoes would feel the same"Ahhh…"I groaned in frustration as I tried to remove the blanket off me and get
(Vivienne)The only thing going through my mind and confronting Victor about what he did. Yes, the topic about firing people was there but most importantly I wanted to tell him to keep his hands to himself. He had no right to touch me let alone undress me. "Ugh" I groaned in frustration as I ran my hand in my hair which I untied because I thought it was causing me to have a headache. I never wore my hair down but I chose to let it fall just to look a bit scary. I knew the grumpy man was not expecting his so-called troublesome surrogate at his office but I was fired up to tell him things about privacy"Hello there...so I didn't know you were coming"and to my surprise immediately the car stopped right in front of the Ellison busy being which stood tall and magnificent. The driver walked to my side and opened the door for me. I didn't like the treatment which bugged me a great deal but I stepped out on the concrete ground and adjusted my small shirtI wanted to be as decent as possible
(Vivienne)I sat there by the edge of the seat fiddling with my hands which felt too cold like I was sitting in a cold room. The VC was going through some files when I came in and he asked me to wait for a while. Looking at him he wasn't as scary as most students said he was. I met him countless times in these three eyes at his house when Alexis invited me and so far he was a kind man.He looked just like Alexis, especially her black hair although Alexis took her mom's blue eyes. Surprisingly she had eyes just like mine but I shook my head as I waited for him to finish upAfter some time he carefully shoved some files away and closed his laptop and took off his specs and set them aside"Welcome Miss Payton," he said, rubbing his hands together. His voice was low and calm which made me relax as I exhaled silently and nodded with a warm smile"I'm surprised about you...you are wonderful...as you know our school is nothing but the best in the region," he said as he looked at me with a bl
(Vivienne)"Ahh...now I feel worthless," Leo said with a cute pout while holding out a spoonful of ice cream. I laughed hard seeing how ridiculous he looked with such a face. For a 32 years old man. He was supposed to be better than this but the man was still the same. Playful like a child"I saw it...I mean is it real?"I asked again, I had a chance to watch one of the movie scenes he was shooting here. I didn't know the man was such a sweetie sexy seductor"It's called acting...it's fiction... whatever I do has nothing to do with my real self," he said defensively and I gave him the eye. No one would believe it when I saw how he was touching and kissing his co-star. It was so real, especially when they kissed. I felt shy watching him"I don't believe you okay...I saw and believed it"I simply said and ate my ice cream. Leo just looked at me with a blank expression. There was amusement and delight as if he was trying to understand me and I stopped not sure why his gaze made me feel unc
"But that's not what I want…""To work hard and do this yourself...but trust me...my dad is the best...he knows students like the back of his hand and I heard this time...the school will be selecting the companies we'll be going to, "she said and I was surprised. I didn't know that"Really how is that possible" weren't we supposed to choose for ourselves"I heard dad say it...that's why you need to chill I'm certain if it's dad in charge then both of us will get something good...I just hope he recommends his friend,'s company to you too"I heard Alexis loud and clear but I didn't want to get anything just because I was her friend but if her dad was in charge then I was hoping for the best"Our internship will start in a month or two...I'm so nervous okay...three years feels like forever" I said and dropped to the ground like a sack of potatoes, the slightly wet grass pricking my back and exposed arms but I didn't care. I exhaled and inhaled the wonderful fresh air of wet grass and open
(Vivienne)"Why is he so difficult?"Alexis asked as we rushed for classes. We were so late and Mr. Whitlock was a ridiculous professor. He didn't tolerate late coming and of course, he gave difficult exams...forget tests and assignments which were like he didn't have a heart"It's cool he's just preparing us for our future," I said, fixing my hair. I was a total mess. I was only wearing blue skinny jeans with a blue tank top and some sneakers. My hair looked like a bird's nest because I didn't blow dry it but just washed it and applied conditioner to soften it"Come on, let's hurry or it will be a full lecture on being late which would apply to our resume, "Alexis said sarcastically and I wanted to laugh because her words made no sense. But I understood her unlike me, she was the center of it all. Being the vice Chancellor's daughter wasn't easy. She and to be the perfect example and she was exceptional"Oh thank God" she exhaled in relief when we got to class and it was as noisy as e
"Hey ..hey...no look at me...yeah look at Uncle," Kyan said waving the baby toy in the air and the baby followed his gaze. "Good girl...look at this...her name is... Vivienne or just Vivie" he added and showed a photo of Vivienne. Of course, he didn't know if the baby could even see or recognize the picture he was showing her. She was just three months old"Come on Sky focus," he said, sounding a little coy as he sat there. His niece was in a world of her own. But she looked really cute in her pink romper with pink socks and a cute headband with a ribbon attached to it. She was giggling and moving around with her tiny little hands grabbing things and fighting to get her tiny fingers in her mouth"Okay...we are on our fourth session of knowing Vivienne...she's cute with eyes like yours...not sure why but you have beautiful eyes just like her, "Kyan said, making a thinking face as he looked at a pic of Vivienne then his niece. Of course, her name was Skylar, short for the Sky. Victor na
******Three months later(New York)**(Vivienne)"Can I help you?""Yes, please...I'm new here...can you show me where the library is?"I asked, looking around the place"Yeah down the road...you can take a taxi from here or just walk but it will take a little while" the lady replied showing me the directions I smiled and thanked her before I walked away leaving the fast-food restaurant I was having my lunch atI glanced at my watch and it was getting late and the goofy girl I was waiting for hadn't shown up"Where are you, Alex?"I said and quickly crossed the road to the other side so I could wait for her. It was early in the afternoon, the day was crisp and sunny. Although it was a little windy which made my hair blow around disturbing my peace I didn't mind as I stood there staring at the brochure in my hand. I looked around the busy streets. The lady I asked at the restaurant told me this was where the public library was. I would have used the one at the University but I decided to
**2 Weeks later**"S...sir should I…"Julia asked when she accidentally walked into the room Vivienne used to sleep in but stopped when she met Victor along the way. He didn't know why he came here but he couldn't fall asleep no matter how hard he tried"Leave," Victor said coldly and Julia didn't even waste time as she retreated away Victor stood by the door for a while then rested his hand on the doorknob. A long sigh escaped his sealed lips as he pushed the door open and walked inHe turned on the lights revealing a neat well-put-together room. His Surrogate's bedroom. This was her bedroom. It had been two weeks since she left him after giving birth. He didn't blame her at the end of the day, they had a deal. She signed a contract which she honored. It was up to her to leave he had no say in her decision but she should have done what was needed of herVictor shook the thoughts away and walked to the bed. It was the same, the room was the same and empty. Her perfume lingered in the a
(Vivienne)"Destination please?""United States," I said, handing her my details as well as my password. The lady looked at me for a while and continued her work"Vacation or…""School" I replied without delay and the woman glanced up then shrugged. I didn't know why she did that but I didn't care as I stood there waiting for my ticket. I was lucky the plane to the US hasn't left yet. It has been an hour since I got here. I had everything ready to go but just needed to confirm the tickets and it was taking longer than I expected"Are you okay Ms?" the lady asked, not sure why but I was fine, just a little cold. I didn't know why it was this cold now of all days. I was wearing black leggings with ankle boots as well as a long-sleeved sweater that reached up to my neck and a brown long coat to keep warm but still, I could feel the wind blowing around"I'm fine please, "I remarked distantly, trying, by all means, to keep her off. I came to the airport early. I wanted to leave this place
(Vivienne)It felt like a dream, I felt empty and aching everywhere. I tried to move myself hoping to stop the pain I was feeling but everything seemed hard. I wanted so badly to open my eyes and see where I was unfortunately they seemed glued and wouldn't open"Ahh!"I tried to shift a little and when I moved my hand. I felt a sharp pain that made me his and kept my hand still. My head was spinning and when I flickered my eyes opened. I could only see blurry visions and it took blinking multiple times to finally adjust to the Bright Light of the strange room I found myself in"Well you are awake" I heard a small female melodious voice and suddenly a nurse was standing before me. She was smiling at me which made me wonder. I was so lost to find myself in the white-painted room which smelled like medicine and a mixture of certain cleaning agents"W...what happened here?"I managed to voice out the words but hearing myself, I sounded so restrained as if I had lost my voice at some point"