[Vivienne]A week has passed, and Axel hasn’t stopped talking about the man who helped him at the zoo.It’s like he’s found a new obsession—and not the healthy kind.“Don’t look so miserable,” Alexander says as we sit at the restaurant, having lunch. “He’s just being a kid, that’s all.”“I know,” I groan, wiping a hand down my face. “But I don’t like him being so obsessed with some man he doesn’t even know. I’m scared he’s too trusting, and we both know that never ends well.”“Now you’re just being paranoud,” he drawls, placing his hand on top of mine, reminding me yet again that I might not be ready for any physical comfort right now—not from any man.I pull my hand back and lean in my chair. If Alexander thinks I’m being weird, he doesn’t say so. Instead, he leans back in his chair himself, putting down his fork.“I can always find out who that man was, you know. If that will put your mind at ease.”“Nah,” I wave a hand in dismissal. “You’re probably right. I’m being paranoid. It’ll
[Vivienne]“The presentation is ready!”I turn around to find Andrew standing at the door of my office.“Well, then who are we waiting for?” I get up from my chair, grab my blazer, and head out the door, Andrew following with the briefcase where the presentation must be secured.Andrew makes a call to bring the car around while I dial Ana, hoping to let her know that I’ll be late.“Don’t forget to pick Axel up from school,” I say as soon as she answers.“Of course, madam.”“And don’t feed him ice cream on the way. He already had it yesterday, but he might get naughty and tell you he didn’t.”She chuckles on the other end. “I got you, madam. Anything else?”“Just… keep an eye on him,” I sigh, thinking about this business conference that’s so crucial for me to attend. “I’ll be back as soon as I can.”Ana assures me that she’ll do her best to take care of Axel, and I try my hardest to find relief in her confidence.The call ends, and the car arrives.Andrew opens the door for me.“My lad
[Vivienne]During the entire meeting, I have this constant, annoying feeling of being stared at.And not just by anyone.But by the most obvious man in the room.At times, I have the strongest urge to call him out on how unprofessional he’s being, but every time I work up the courage to do so, someone addresses me, trying to engage me in conversation or ask for my feedback.I’m grateful to whoever is up there, hearing my pleas for a break, when the meeting adjourns for lunch.The people slowly file out while Andrew steps away to attend a call.I wait for him to return, but before he does, I feel Caden slide in next to me, as if he doesn’t care about an audience. Not that he has to—there isn’t a single soul left in the room except for us.How hungry do these fucking elites have to be to clear out the room in less than five minutes?A lot, I guess.“We meet again,” he says, pulling me out of my thoughts.But I don’t have to entertain his nonsense. I’m a grown woman. I run a fucking busi
[Caden]When I got the call from home about Benjamin being sick, I did everything in my power not to rush to the hospital myself.But just as I was preparing to drop everything and leave, Mother called and assured me that everything had been taken care of. She said Benjamin was much better now, and if she really needed me there, she would let me know.Somehow, I tried to find comfort in her assurance. But God knows, I couldn’t do anything except sit in the waiting room assigned to my company, waiting for Mother’s call as she visited the hospital.I couldn’t even attend the meeting after lunch.But that’s alright. I was only there to observe, not participate.Sure, I missed Vivienne’s presentation, considering she was the last one to address the members, but maybe that was for the best.Ever since she spotted me at the conference hall, she’d been
[Vivienne]“I think there’s some misunderstanding,” I heard Andrew say from the main door. “We didn’t order any food.” Then, as if to himself, he muttered, “Or did we?”He turned to face me, looking as confused as I was beginning to feel. “Did you order anything to eat?”“Nope! The first thing I did after getting the room was take a shower. And it’s only been about ten minutes since I stepped out. So, no. I did not order any food. Not yet.”“See? I told you,” he said to the staff standing outside the door. “No order.”“But sir, the order is for your room only,” the man tried to reason.“That’s why I’m calling it a misunderstanding, isn’t it?”“What’s taking so long?” I ask when the back-and-forth between the two of them continues for the next five minutes.Andrew turns to face me once more, looking more agitated than ever. “He refuses to take the food back.”“And why’s that?”“Says his manager would fire him if he didn’t deliver the order. It would be his third strike in a month.”I r
“I’m not interested.” I’m ready to slam the door shut, but he blocks it with his leg.“You will be if you just see it once.”“I don’t want to see anything, Caden. Now, please, if you’ll just leave, that would be great.”“I can’t.” He continues to block the door, and it’s safe to say this is the most frustrating thing I’ve experienced in the past few years.“You have to. You can’t force me into doing anything. I’m not your wife.”“No, you’re not,” he says, tilting his head slightly. “But that doesn’t mean I’ve forgotten everything about you.”I scoff unknowingly. “Oh, really? And what exactly do you think you remember?”He leans in just a fraction, voice lowering like he’s about to share some grand secret. “That you hate not knowing things.”I hate that he’s right.But that doesn’t mean I have to give in every time my curiosity tries to get the best of me.I huff instead. “Cute theory, but I’ve grown since then. Maybe I don’t care as much anymore.”“Doubtful. But tell you what, Vivienn
[Vivienne]I don’t like being in the dark.I don’t think anyone does.But what choice do we have when we are stranded in a hotel room with no way of knowing what the hell went wrong?It couldn’t be normal for a hotel like this to lose electricity, could it?Where was the backup? The generators? The fucking manager to inform us what the hell was going on?“All lines are dead!” Andrew announces as I sit on the couch, legs pressed to my chest. “Maybe I should go down and see what’s going on.”That seems like the most rational thing to do.The only problem, however…“And how would you do that? We are on the freaking ninth floor.”“Yeah.” He scratches the back of his head as the only candle in the room casts light on his frame. “That did cross my mind. But what choice do we have? We can’t just sit here and wait for a miracle to happen.”If only miracles were so easy to happen…“I know.” I don’t like the thought of him going alone. Not because I don’t trust him, but because I would feel gui
[Caden]By the time I get downstairs, the whole place has turned into a screaming and shouting mess.For a second, I pause and stare, wanting to assure myself that I haven’t actually walked into another dimension by mistake.But no. The longer I stand there, the more faces I start to recognize.More than anything, I catch sight of Vivienne standing on the sidelines, watching everything with the same bafflement as I do.I also catch some arguments as I make my way to the reception area, where the whole chaos is unfolding.“This place is a joke!” one of the businessmen from the morning’s conference snarls at the manager. “How could you let something like this happen? Do you think we are fools? Some of the most influential people in the city are here, and you dare do something so horrible? I’ll sue you!”The manager, a middle-aged man with thinning hair and a face rapidly losing color, raises his hands in a desperate attempt to placate the irate businessman. “Sir, please, I assure you—we
[Caden]“So, what would you like to order?” I ask, gazing into her deep brown eyes as she looks at me with a slightly shy smile on her face.Ever since we walked into this restaurant, not far from the hotel, she has been oddly quiet. Not quiet in the sense that she looks unhappy or uncomfortable, but definitely not quite herself either.Something still seems to be bothering her, and I intend to find out what it is.But first, “Have you tried Japanese cuisine before?” I ask.“A bit, here and there. Never thought about it much.”“Then you should know the difference between sake, shochu, and umeshu,” I say, watching as she looks at me in confusion. “Have you tried them?”“No? I mean, I don't know. I haven't been much of an explorer when it comes to... foreign cuisines.”I smile. “Well, since you're already in Japan, why don't we do that tonight? I'm sure you'll love them. Besides, they taste very different from wine or whiskey.”I glance over the menu.“We have plenty to choose from,” I
I swallow hard, his words sinking into my chest like heavy stones dragging me down.Is this really how it’s going to end? Is this really the fate waiting for Axel? To see his father not as a hero, not even as a villain, but as a stranger?The thought alone feels like a knife twisting in my gut.I glance at Caden again, at the hard set of his jaw, the empty look in his eyes. He believes every word he just said. Maybe he’s even accepted it already, as if there’s no point in fighting it.But me? I can’t accept that.I won’t.Axel deserves better. He deserves a family that doesn’t shatter at the first sign of trouble. He deserves parents who at least try—who don’t just give up and call it fate."Maybe... maybe it doesn't have to be like that," I whisper, surprising even myself.Caden finally looks at me, really looks at me, with an expression I can't quite read. Sadness? Hope? Or maybe just pity because he thinks I'm naive enough to think I can save my son from something as broken as us.
[Vivienne]After Caden revealed another grand truth of his life, he stormed out of my room as if he couldn’t bear to stand in the same room as me.I, on the other hand, drop my ass on the edge of the bed and cover my face with my hands.Shit.Why does everything have to be so messed up? So complicated? So damn… annoying?Just when I think everything between us is starting to calm down and maybe there’s a chance we can have a peaceful, platonic relationship for the sake of Axel, something like this happens, and I’m forced to wonder if all these efforts are even worth it. If letting Caden back into our lives is going to make our lives easier or even more complicated.The truth is, I don’t have answers to any of these questions.Not yet.But I need to find them, or it will be too late to fix anything at all.I stare at the ring on my finger, the generous diamond ring Xander made me wear after his proposal.God knows, I still don’t know what I feel for that man, or if I even feel anything
[Astrid]I stare at the mess in my room.The shattered vase. The broken laptop. The pieces of other furniture overturned and out of place.But even with all this destruction, I feel nothing but rage.Pure, white rage. The kind that makes me want to rip someone’s throat out. Especially that of Vivienne. And her fucking son.I ball my fists, the veins in my hands popping as I fight to keep my control. But it's slipping, fast. I want to scream, to break every damn thing in sight until there’s nothing left. Until I feel something other than this boiling fury that’s choking me from the inside out.How dare she? How dare she take what’s mine? How dare she get so close to Caden? And go on that vacation with him?Did she learn nothing from the past? Is she not afraid that the way she’s going, she’s making an enemy out of me? Out of Astrid? Does she even know whom she’s messing with?I curl my fingers around the glass of water on the table, before tossing it away against the wall too.It shatt
[Vivienne]I have to say, Caden has a way of doing things that not only gets his work done, but also leaves the other party too confused yet satisfied for their own good.Now, I’m not saying that being shoved against the door and having his face so ridiculously close to mine is satisfying in some weird kind of way, but it surely is leaving me confused for sure.“What are you doing, Caden?” I cannot help but ask, finally able to find my voice after a minute of intimate staring and a confusingly beating heart.I know being jealous has always been Caden’s strongest streak, but I never thought he was jealous because of me. Not that I have deliberately tried to make him feel that way. Ever. It was always him, surrounded by Sasha and her dramatic ways, making me feel like a third wheel of sorts.I try to push him away, but he doesn’t dare budge. His dark eyes remain stuck on mine, his hands clasped around my waist.“Whatever you think.”I sigh, reminding myself once again how wrong everythi
[Caden]After spending almost the entire day at the clinic, when we return to our hotel suite, Ben and Axel drop dead the second their heads hit the pillow.Vivienne, on the other hand, excuses herself for a quick shower and a change of clothes, while I decide to do the same.However, before I pick out my clothes from the wardrobe, my phone starts to ring.Astrid’s name flashes on the screen, and I almost roll my eyes.Almost. Instead, I answer. “Speak.”"Are you serious, Caden?" she asks, so loudly that I have to pull the phone away from my ear a little."What's the matter?""What's the matter?" she repeats, as if she can't quite believe I asked her something so boldly. "What isn't the matter? When the hell were you going to tell me that you were going to Japan with that ex of yours? When, huh? Is this how you treat me now? Keeping me in the dark while having a vacation at some royal hotel suite?"I pinch the bridge of my nose, already feeling a headache brewing. "It's not a vacation
[Vivienne]Caden was right when he told me that Dr. Kaito is not just another doctor in a lab coat with a stethoscope looped around his neck.Oh, no. He’s so much more than that.To be honest, I have never seen a professional doctor quite like him.First of all, he’s not dressed like one.Secondly, he doesn’t talk like one either. No complicated medical words with him. No unnecessary attempt to appease us or assure us. And certainly not interested in the fact that Caden and I are among the richest people in the world.The moment we stepped into his cabin, his entire attention has been on Axel only.Which, of course, I’m glad for, but still. He really asked us nothing. Not his medical history. Not his symptoms. Not even his age, or how long he has been like this.The only thing I have done since we took seats on the couch across from his long desk is hold my breath and keep my mouth shut.Now, almost an hour has passed, and Dr. Kaito and Axel finally return their attention to us.Dr. K
[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