Although Vivienne said it so lightly, Angelina could actually see the pain in Vivienne's eyes. Even though Angelina's parents were rarely home, they still had a good relationship with their only daughter. Despite being busy, they always found time for their daughter. And because of this, if there was ever a time when Angelina felt like she was wronged, the first person she would think of would be her parents. She couldn't even imagine how it felt when Vivienne's own mother didn't believe in her. "She went to Venice to celebrate her birthday that year," started Vivienne. "Since I was also there, I decided to just give her the birthday gift in person rather than sending it through mail. I don't know why she suddenly invited me to join her birthday celebration and I also don't know why I agreed."Angelina kept stirring the drink with the straw as she listened to Vivienne. "I drank a little too much and listened to my mother's suggestion to stay the night at their villa. But in my unco
Both Angelina and Vivienne turned their head and faced Noah standing by their table. He raised his hand and waved at Vivienne, "Hi, Vivi! What a coincidence!""Is it a coincidence?" asked Vivienne with a meaningful smile on her lips. "Last time, it was a coincidence. I don't believe that today is another coincidence."Noah pulled a chair without asking and sat down naturally as he answered, "Don't be so doubtful. Life can give you many surprises. One of those surprises is called fate."His cheeky answer made Vivienne didn't know what to say to this guy. She chose not to pay attention to him or else, he'd be getting out of control. Seeing how Vivienne was focused on eating her spaghetti, Noah could only turn to his secret ally, "Angie, how nice to see you here? But I just heard you talking about trouble. Who is troubling?""Who dares to give me trouble?" asked Angelina in her signature arrogant tone. "Only I can trouble others. I won't give others a chance to bring trouble to me.""Th
"I don't understand your logic at all, Noah," said Vivienne feeling really helpless in front of him. His brain really worked in a strange way that she was unable to understand. It was like they were on different wavelengths. But she had a hunch that he was doing it on purpose. "You don't have to understand my logic. You just have to know that I'm calling you irresponsible!" Noah sounded like he was standing on the moral high ground and despised her condescending behavior of looking down on his humble self. "When did you become... like this?" questioned Vivienne in confusion as she looked him up and down with a critical look in her eyes."Like what?" "This dramatic person," elaborated Vivienne as she couldn't find any other better word to describe him right now. "I am almost unable to recognize you like this. It makes me wonder what you went through to make you change so much."Noah didn't respond to her immediately, instead, he extended his hand to hold her hands catching her off g
"What evil plan do you have in mind now?" questioned Vivienne when she noticed Angelina's all too familiar expression. She felt tired inside just thinking about what this woman planned to put her through. "Actually, I wanted to go shopping with you after this," replied Angelina honestly. "But there is a change in the plan now since I have something urgent to take care of." She gave Vivienne an apologetic look. She wasn't just making excuses right now, the earlier call was regarding the urgent matter that suddenly cropped up. She couldn't ignore it. Turning to Noah, she asked, "Do you have time, Noah? How about you drop off Vivienne?"Vivienne hurriedly shook her hands saying, "There is no need to bother anyone. I can just take a cab. Why are you being so troublesome?""I have time!" answered Noah readily completely ignoring Vivienne's refusal. He looked at Angelina eagerly, "Even if I don't have the time, I'm more than happy to make some time for this important task."Angelina patted
Vivienne knew it was a waste of time to argue with Noah who seemed to have selective hearing or maybe it was right to say that he was very capable of interpreting the meaning of her words in his own unique way. It did not concern him whether her original meaning was that or not. Noah was feeling amused seeing her helpless and exasperated look but he couldn't do anything about it. He liked the feeling of teasing her as it was so easy to do so.They walked together with Noah chatting animatedly and Vivienne just silently observing the surroundings to see how they had changed in the past decade. In a way, a lot has changed, but something remains a reminder of the past. They were still a distance away from the office but Vivienne could already see the building which was a marvel of modern design. The studio's exterior was sleek and contemporary, with reflective glass walls that mirrored the bustling cityscape. The entrance was adorned with a minimalistic yet striking logo of the company
Unbeknownst to Vivienne, she became a topic of gossip for the employees who just saw her entering the CEO's office. Vivienne tapped on Noah's hand on her waist saying, "You already dragged me in. You can let go already. I won't run."Noah looked quite hesitant but he still had to remove his hand from that enticing waist. But doing so, he did not forget to comment, "You never know. Vivienne Pearl is quite good at running.""I am indeed good at running," answered Vivienne with a teasing smile. "I have experience from running in marathons."Noah also laughed at her and went to his desk to get his car key. Vivienne looked at the aesthetically pleasing interior of his spacious office. The walls were adorned with a mix of contemporary art and framed posters of iconic video games, adding a touch of color and inspiration. A large window spans one wall, offering a panoramic view of LA's skyline and allowing natural light to flood the room. The sunlight filters through sheer, neutral-toned cur
Vivienne turned around and noticed Noah's burning gaze settled on her which made her pause for a moment. Noah stepped forward and put his hand on her shoulder, pushing her against the bookshelf. "What now?" questioned Vivienne. "What did I do now to make you look at me so intensely like you want to eat me up?"The back of Noah's fingers brushed against the side of her face as he spoke in a low and deep voice, "I do want to eat you right now. And right here too.""Behave! This is your workplace," Vivienne put her finger on his chest and gave him a push but he did not step back at all. His presence was overwhelmingly enveloping her senses at this close range once again. It was making her thoughts hazy and her resolve, pitiable.Noah buried his nose in the crook of her neck and his hot breath made Vivienne arch her neck a little as she bit her lower lip in restrain. Earlier in the restaurant because of the mix of smells in the air, he didn't notice that Vivienne was wearing a perfume. B
Seeing such a focused expression on Noah's face, Vivienne was enthralled for a while and did not even dare to blink as if doing so would break this peaceful dream. It felt like a dream.No!How could it be a dream when she never even dared to dream about such a scene before?Vivienne was a very realistic person. The family environment she grew up in forced her to not only break away from fantasies but to be extra sensible and mature at an early age. She was always a person who kept her feet on the ground and never expected too much from anyone. In fact, it can be said that her expectations were also low.She had never even expected to have Noah's attention much less his love. But now he seemed to be not only attracted to her but was too attentive as well. It actually gave her a floaty feeling and she was trying hard to keep her feet on the ground still. She had to stand on the ground firmly. She couldn't allow herself to sway with the impact of his attention.Even though he allowed he