[Vivienne]The man is gone before I can do anything.I rush back inside and wake Rosita up. She rubs her eyes, clearly not in the mood to be roused like there’s some disaster coming up. “What’s up? I thought Marcus was dropping me home?”“He will. But I need you to get up and listen.”She blinks rapidly at that, probably because I sound like I’m either about to pass out or burn something down. “What’s happening? Why are you so worked up?”“I don’t even know,” I say, pacing in front of her. “But I’m pretty sure I just caught someone taking pictures of me on the balcony.”“What?” Her eyes widen. “The hell?” And just like that, she’s fully awake. “Are you sure? How do you know it was you? Maybe it was—”“He drove away as soon as I caught him.”“Oh,” she nods slowly. “Well, that’s definitely suspicious. What do we do about it?”“I have an idea,” I stop, turning to face her. “But I’m not sure if it’ll work.”“Oh, babe, I’m in.”“You don’t even know what I’m about to say.”“Hey, I trust you
[Vivienne]Inside, the place is dimly lit, with groups of people scattered around. The air is thick with smoke and the scent of cheap alcohol.I scan the room, spotting the bartender wiping down the counter, and a few rough-looking men in the back corner, laughing too loudly.Rosita tugs on my sleeve. “Are you sure about this?”“Not really, but we don’t have much choice. Something tells me if we straight-up went to them and asked for the feeds, they’ll throw us out before we get to make our case.”“Point,” she nods. “Fine then. Here I go. If I don’t make it back in one piece, please tell everyone I went down heroically.I roll my eyes. “You just need to chat them up, silly. You’re not going into a war.”“Yeah, keep saying that to yourself.”Then, she takes a deep breath, straightens her jacket, and strides toward the bar with the kind of confidence that makes me question her whole reaction outside.I hang back, my eyes still scanning the room, trying to keep a low profile.She leans o
[Vivienne]Shit. I stand quickly and turn, preparing to tell whatever lie comes to mind. But then I stop.It’s the same bartender Rosita was chatting with.In fact, now that I see behind him, Rosita is standing there, mouthing “sorry” and making a sad face.I hold back the urge to groan.The man continues to stare me down. Now that he’s no longer behind the counter, I can see he’s only a few inches shy of touching the ceiling in this small room. His shoulders are broad, and when he crosses his arms—probably to intimidate me further—his muscles seem to bulge out even more.I swallow. “Look. I can explain—” I start, but he cuts me off.“Save it for the boss,” he says, grabbing my arm and dragging me out.Rosita and I finally come face to face, and she gets her chance to apologize more audibly. “Sorry. I tried my best. But it’s like he could see right through me. Nothing I said worked.”“It’s alright. I knew this could happen.”“Really?” She tries to catch up. “So, what do we do now? Did
[Vivienne]Rosita and I follow the woman obediently.I mean, we could’ve tried to escape, but the idea seemed ridiculous. Where would we even run to? The bar was full of people who looked every bit as dangerous as you’d expect. Thinking they’d let us walk out without stopping us was laughable.Anyway, the woman leads us back to the bar, gestures for us to sit on the stools, and rounds the counter to stand across from us.Rosita and I exchange a glance, both of us clueless about what’s going on.The woman grabs two bottles of beer and slides them across the counter in front of us.Rosita is quick to take a sip, probably thirsty after that intense conversation she had with the bartender. Or maybe she’s just scared.I don’t touch mine. Instead, I look around the bar, watching people go about their day. Looks like they haven’t announced our little “crime” yet.“What’s wrong with her?” I hear the woman ask Rosita as she opens another beer.“Oh!” Rosita wipes her mouth with the back of her h
[Vivienne]I’m not sure I heard that right. “What?”The woman, who just introduced herself as Ruby, turns her gaze to Rosita. “Can you translate that for her, darling?”Rosita, who seems to be working on her third beer, nearly spits it right back into the bottle—something I’ve never seen her do before—and nods. “Yeah. Sure. What she’s trying to tell you, Viv, is that…”“I know what she’s saying.” God, what’s wrong with these people? Is this seriously how two strangers talk to each other? Or am I stuck in some weird dream I don’t even remember slipping into? Maybe they drugged me. Or worse.I turn to face Ruby. “What I don’t get is why you’re trying to help me. What’s in it for you?” There’s gotta be something. No one in this world does anything for free. Especially not something like this.“Joy. Satisfaction. You want more?”“So, you’re telling me you’re willing to help and don’t want anything in return?”Her eyes light up. “Exactly. It’s more like a public service. We help those who
[Vivienne]“Oh my God, this is going to be so much fun!” Rosita giggles, cupping her hands over her mouth to stifle the sound, but it’s a failed attempt.I’m already regretting this. “I don’t feel like it’s going to be fun at all.”“Oh, come on, are you kidding me? We’re going to raid a man’s house and tape him to a chair. This is as fun as it gets! Man, I always wanted to do that to Micah. You remember that bastard who broke up with me for that slutty Victoria, right? Shit. I wish I’d met Ruby before. I could’ve used some sweet revenge myself. I would’ve loved to glue him to the toilet seat, ‘cause that’s what he fucking deserves.” She spits it all out in one breath, huffing afterward.I turn to look at this new version of Rosita I’ve never seen before. “Are you okay? What happened to ‘moving on is the best payback to your haters’ and all that?”Rosita waves a hand dismissively, her eyes gleaming with that drunken enthusiasm that’s starting to worry me. “Oh, come on, Viv. That was th
[Caden]“Did we hear anything from Foxx Enterprise?”“No, sir. Not yet. But I communicated via email that we won’t be waiting for long. What we offer stands only until Saturday.”I nod, skimming the legal papers in my hand. “Good. And what about the Andersen project? Where are we on that?”“Our team is still working on the bid, sir. They haven’t finalized anything yet.”I close the file and drop it on the table. “Tell them to pick up the damn pace. We don’t have all week. I want the bid ready by the end of the day.”“Sure, sir!” Betty leaves the office, and I lean back in my chair, rolling my shoulders to dispel the exhaustion that’s been building up. That’s what happens when you’re running on less than three hours of sleep every night, I guess.I turn to my laptop, trying to focus on the next task at hand. I’m searching for a file I saved last night when the door to my office opens again. The click of heels against the floor and a familiar scent hit me harder than they should.No. Sh
[Caden]I kiss her.I kiss her until I grab her by the hips and heave her on the table.I guide her long legs to wrap around me while I bend her backward, kissing her until we both can’t breathe.By the time I pull away, we both are panting, hard. She glares at me as if she has reached a new level of hatred for me, and I gaze into her eyes, trying to understand why is it so hard to resist her.This is insane. I have always practiced a great amount of patience around her. I have resisted her even when it killed me to stay away. But now, when I don’t have any right on her, when she says she feels nothing for me, it feels like something inside me has changed. I can’t seem to imagine her with someone else. I can’t seem to entertain even the thought of her being with someone else.I frown.But before she raises her hand to slap me—again—I grab her wrist and pin her behind her back.She squirms. “Let go of me, Caden. Right this second. Or I swear to God—”I kiss her one more time, stealing
[Vivienne]“Dr. Kaito will see you now,” the receptionist announced.I look up from my lap and glance around for the hundredth time.Ever since we walked into the building, I have been nervous as hell—and for all the right reasons, I would like to say.For the first time, Dr. Kaito will see Axel, and my son will get to know if he’ll ever get to see like normal kids out there. And that thought alone makes me feel all kinds of anxious. Never in my life have I been this nervous. My palms are sweating, my legs are shaking, and my throat feels dry beyond rationality. My brain is a complex mishmash of positivity and negativity. It’s not like I want to think of the worst, but my heart doesn’t know how to handle this situation without taking everything into account.I need to know how this meeting can go. I need to know so I will be ready for whatever the outcome might be.“Are you alright?” Caden’s familiar deep voice arrives from next to me. He’s probably wondering why I haven’t moved from
[Vivienne]Caden’s about to press his lips to mine, and I’m about to allow it, when something growls so loudly in the room, we both pause, turn stiff, and stare at each other for one long moment.Then, we both burst into laughter.Caden’s face dips into the crook of my neck while I feel embarrassed and giddy at the same time.The thing that growled?My stomach.Caden finally lifts his head, dark eyes crinkling with all the lightheartedness in the world. “You’re hungry.”“Yup,” I mumble, trying to look away but can’t. It’s as if I’m still in some kind of trance, and looking away will break it. “Did I forget to mention?”He shakes his head, and then, thankfully, gets up. Back on his feet, he helps me sit up and then runs a hand through his dark hair. “I’ll order something for you.”“It’s okay.” I try to stand up too, but he grabs me by the shoulders and gently pushes me back on the couch.“No. I’ll order. Just tell me what you need.”I could easily argue with him there, but something in
[Caden]I haven’t even told her everything yet, and I already feel like so much weight has been lifted off my shoulders.Makes me wonder: why didn’t I do it before? What was I waiting for? What worse could have happened if I had taken that kind of risk?But I can’t rebuff my fears either.It’s hard for me to accept—or confess—but my fears weren’t exactly baseless.When you’ve faced disappointment and betrayal so early in life, it makes you wary of trusting literally anyone—sometimes even your own judgment. And that’s what happened to us. Even though everything inside me approved of Vivienne and we ended up getting married, I still couldn’t get rid of this constant fear and suspicion that somehow she would betray me too—that she would leave me when I was at my lowest, and I’d be able to do nothing but hold myself responsible for letting another person get close to my heart.I’m about to question if my attempt to open up right now is even worth the effort when I finally look up and find
[Vivienne]“Why are you telling me this?”I don’t know how else to put my bafflement into words if not by being straightforward.No matter how difficult this man can be sometimes, I can’t deny that the man in front of me is known for his straightforwardness when it comes to business. His opinions on matters are never all over the place. Absolutely not. In fact, despite his aloof persona, he always has strong opinions about everything.Simply put, he’s not one to talk in circles, and right now, I plan to do the same.At first, he stays quiet, still sitting on the floor, picking at some invisible thread on my dress. His eyes are lowered, never meeting mine, as if he’s neither done nor ready to end this conversation.“I don’t know,” he says then, quietly as usual. “Maybe I think you should know. Or maybe because I’ve been keeping these things to myself for so long that now I can’t keep them in any longer. If I did, I might explode, and I don’t want that.”I don’t know what to say. Should
[Vivienne]I shouldn’t be having such thoughts right now.Especially when I’m engaged to someone else and the thoughts I’m having involve my ex-husband in the most outrageous manner.Like really. Why would I suddenly think of his lips on mine, his hands on the most secretive and sacred places of my body, and something absolutely unholy that has something to do with his mouth and my…Shit.This is probably the fever talking.Because as far as I know myself, I can’t be that horny for a man. And that too, for a man like Caden.The guy is literally and solely responsible for some of the worst years of my life. Not only did he embarrass me, disappoint me time and again, but he humiliated me whenever he got the chance. He broke my heart in the worst ways possible, even though he knew how terribly and deeply I was in love with him. He didn’t appreciate me when he had the chance, so why—why would my brain force such images into my head?Instead of these steamy encounters, my brain should put
[Vivienne]When I open my eyes, I don’t expect anything out of the ordinary.Like all my mornings, I expect to wake up staring at the ceiling, followed by my phone screen, and then realizing I have only half an hour to get ready or risk being late.But none of that happens this time.This time, when I wake up, I feel like I’ve been crushed by a train or something of that sort. My heart hurts, and when I try to turn or lift my arm to rub my face, it takes an immense amount of strength to do that.“Ughhhh!” I groan, blinking a few times to make sure I woke up in the same dimension I slept in—and not the other way around.“Hey, it’s okay,” a deep voice says, too faint for my ears to pick up clearly. Or maybe I’m just too drowsy to catch it. It’s only when I look to my side that I realize it belongs to the only man I have no desire to face first thing in the morning.“What the hell are you doing here?” I snap—or at least I try—only to feel like my throat is closing up on me, warning me no
“Uh…” Ben starts, scratching the back of his head like that’s supposed to make him look innocent. “We were... uh, watching cartoons.”Well, that’s pretty obvious. But the question is, "Why?"I look at the time just to be sure and realize we’ve only slept for, what... four hours?I round the couch and look them dead in the eyes, despite being aware Axel can’t very well see. But he can hear, right? And they both need to hear this.“You’re supposed to inform me when you’re leaving the room, Ben. This is not cool.” I turn to face Axel. “And so do you, mister. Did you tell your mom you were leaving the room to watch TV?”Axel pouts, eyes lowering. “No? Mom doesn’t let me do anything fun this early in the morning.”“Exactly my point. Now, get up and move your ass. First, you two will shower, change your clothes, have breakfast, and then your mom and I will decide if you’ve been good and deserve to watch TV or not. Is that clear?”They both look unhappy as hell. Not that I care.I usher both
[Caden]By the time we land in Shizuoka, one of the most beautiful cities in Japan, it’s already past dinner.The kids got hungry and ended up eating while we were still in the air, before passing out from pure exhaustion.When we get off the private jet, Vivienne’s assistant has already taken care of all the arrangements.A queue of three cars waits for us on the runway, and they drive us straight to a diamond-star hotel—one that even I (being a billionaire myself) never thought I’d step into, at least in this lifetime.The place looks like something out of a dream—marble fountains in the lobby, crystal chandeliers the size of small planets, and staff that bow so low it feels like we’re royalty. I can see Vivienne trying to act unimpressed, but even she does a double-take when we pass the massive koi pond inside the elevator.Yeah. Inside the elevator.The kids are too groggy to care. Both of them are in each of our arms, as they stay half-asleep and half-awake throughout the elevato
[Vivienne]Something tells me he’s about to say something that I would hate with everything I have.Something probably cheeky, stupid, and not worth my time.I roll my eyes, leaning back in my seat. “On second thought, maybe I don’t want to know.”“Why? Giving up that easily?” he says, but it sounds like a challenge.I don’t like the fact that he’s trying his best to get a response out of me, but something inside me doesn’t mind either—that he’s willing to try that hard. For me.I have no idea why that thought is so exhilarating when it shouldn’t be.Sure, I’ve spent years pining for this man’s affection, wondering how it would feel to finally be accepted by him, to be loved by him. But that should have changed by now, shouldn’t it? I’ve moved on. He’s moved on. There simply shouldn’t be any feelings involved. And if there are, then it’s simply wrong. So damn wrong.“Something tells me you’re dying to tell them anyway, aren’t you?” I perk up a brow, more than sure now.A soft chuckle