Chapter six

“Bruce, what are you doing here?” Vivian asked as the man as he gathered the fallen textiles and handed them over to her. Bruce stood before her, his well-defined features mixed with an almost relaxed demeanor. His blonde hair that melded with his deep chocolate brown eyes seemed to catch the sun rays, enhancing the radiance of his eyes, like one of those ken dolls that Vivian often collected as a child. Which, may or may not have been one of the reasons she had dated him back then. The way his eyes crinkled in a smile brought blush to Vivian’s cheeks as she reminisced about the days when she had been charmed by both his looks and his ambition. But sadly, not everything was destined to last.

As she stood there pondering on all the reasons as to why her ex-boyfriend was at her place of work, her gaze shifted and she noted the badge that hung off his waist. A detective.

Bruce’s smile softened a bit. Initially he had opted to go get a cup of coffee, but as luck would have it, right from across the street, he had seen Vivian hurrying into the building he now stood in, he had rushed after her on impulse. But after so long, he was tongue tied. Who follows their ex into their place of work anyways? Bruce thought to himself as he wondered what to do. There was no going back now though.

“relax, I’m not stalking you or anything…hah” he gave out a light chuckle as he scratched the back of his neck as sweat soaked his back. It had meant to be a joke to ease the growing tension, but Vivian did not look all too amused by him.

“okay?” said Vivian, looking at him with such a scrutinizing gaze that made the man winch at his own joke. He cleared his throat. “actually, I’m here on a case and I’d be in town for a few weeks…” he flashed his badge, indicating he meant business. Vivian nodded attentively, but it still didn’t explain why he was here. Could this case perhaps be linked to the agency, the woman wondered as she pushed up her glasses, but before she could ask any questions, the sounds of expensive heels clacking against the marbled tiles entered her ears and she felt her feet turn cold when she met Damien’s gaze. His presence was as commanding as ever, but there was no mistaking the tension in the air.

“Vivian,” Damien’s voice was smooth but laden with something dangerous at its core, a subtle warning, “is everything alright?” he asked, coming to stand besides the woman like a jealous lover. Bruce’s eyes narrowed, but he maintained his radiant smile nevertheless.

Vivian looked between Bruce and Damien, her heart trembling from the mere thought of being walled by two handsome men. On one side was her boss, and on the other was her ex. Damien assessed Bruce, clearly, he had not liked what he had seen, but he was not the only one to have taken an instant dislike to the man, because the feeling had been mutual.

Even if he had never been a fan of the flashy high-profile life of models and superstars, it didn’t mean he lived under a rock, and Bruce knew just about enough of Damien Sullivan, the billionaire heir and first son who started his company and had it thriving. But that alone wouldn’t have been enough to irk him, it was the dangerous reputation he had and from the look of things, Vivian had no idea just kind of man he was. It was also his reputation with women in this industry that made a nerve tighten in his jaw. Every week he was with one model or another, and to think his beloved…Vivian, was working for a man like this did not sit well with him.

“Everything is alright. I just tripped.” Vivian said softly as she stepped forward to put some distance between both men in hopes of quelling whatever drama was about to stir up now.

“mm- “Damien hummed, his sharp gaze indicating a challenge, it was the kind of look one would give to assert their dominance, the kind that said, -this is my territory, move down wind-

Damien wasn’t all too keen to people eyeing “things” that belong to him and he had seen that puppy love look on the man’s face. It irked him to see how they interacted with so much familiarity, the subtle blush on her cheeks and the excruciatingly long moment his hands lingered on her body…-he would break those hands personally and make sure he never gets the opportunity to do that again. And as for Lisa, he would deal with her accordingly for that silly stunt she pulled, but what he wanted to know was who this man was, “and this is?”

“Detective Bruce Hawthorne…” Bruce introduced himself, his voice carrying a calm authority as he flashed his badge with a subtle smirk. The gesture wasn’t just for formalities; it was a deliberate move to assert his presence, making it clear to Damien that he wouldn’t be easily intimidated.

However, Damien’s reaction was far from what Bruce had hoped for. Instead of being fazed, Damien met Bruce’s gaze with a cool, almost detached expression, his piercing blue eyes sizing up the man before him.

“yeah! He’s an…um, old friend of mine…” Vivian quickly add with a smile on her face when Damien’s suspicious gaze landed directly on her now.

“I see, well, Detective, you have my thanks for giving our dear… Vivian here a hand, but the last I checked this wasn’t a precinct, not unless you’re here to audition? I couldn’t tell with that can opener you’ve been flashing about might not be the right accessory, ” Damien said, referring to the detective badge that Bruce had shown him earlier. The detective felt as though he had been slapped with raw meat, his honor so shamelessly crumpled by this bastard and through to the ground as though it were nothing but scrap metal.

And the way he had said it so casually as though he hadn’t meant it to be an insult rubbed Bruce the wrong way, his voice calm but holding a zest of challenge in it. The smile on Bruce’s lips pulled tight as he cocked his head to the side.

“I see you’re quite the funny man, hm?” Bruce retorted with some zest of his own.

Completely at a lose for words, Vivian drew in a sharp breath as her grip on the materials tightened a bit. The moment was getting a bit intense for her and the small exchange between both men was beginning to draw attention. It was quite obvious that the men weren’t planning on getting along and Vivian couldn’t blame them really.