Chapter 33 PRACTICE SESSION PART 2
The schedule was brutal. Motion capture sessions from 9 AM to 5 PM, Monday through Friday. Another photo shoot on Saturday morning. Voice recording sessions scheduled for the following week.
"It's a lot of work," Alexander said, seeming to think that her silence meant she was worried about the hours. "But we'll have breaks, and we can adjust if it becomes too much. Your wellbeing is important."
Vivienne nodded, not sure she could talk. His concern seemed real, which made everything worse. If he were demanding or cold, this would be easier for her because she could keep her mind on her job and not get too close.
But Alexander Hunt was being nice. Thoughtful. The same man she had fallen in love with ten years ago.
"Ms. Cross?"
She realized he was waiting for her to say something. "I'm sorry. Yes. The plan is fine. I get what I need to do."
"Okay." He put his phone in his pocket and stepped back to give her more room. "The team here is the best in the business. Don't hesitate to talk to Eliza or me directly if you have any questions or concerns. My door is always open."
"Thanks."
Thankfully, Eliza called out from the other side of the studio that she needed Alexander to look over some technical details. He smiled apologetically and left.
Vivienne watched him walk away, talking to the technical team in that calm, confident way he always did. She forced herself to look away, to focus on anything else.
The rest of the session went by in a flash. More fittings, more tests, and more explanations of how the equipment works and how the process works. Vivienne was relieved by the time Eliza finally said they were done. It was almost six-thirty.
"You did great today," Eliza said with warmth. "We'll see you at nine tomorrow morning. We'll give you the mocap suit, but you'll need to wear layers for the breaks because the studio can get cold."
Vivienne thanked her and ran away to the changing room, where she took off the mocap suit. She quickly put on her own clothes, wanting to get out of there and back to Noah.
She came out to find Alexander waiting in the hallway.
That was something she didn't expect.
"I wanted to walk you out," he said in a casual way, as if it were perfectly normal for a CEO to take contractors to the elevator. "Make sure you got there okay."
"That's not needed."
"I insist." He pointed to the elevator, and Vivienne had no choice but to walk next to him.
Their footsteps echoed in the empty hallway as they walked in silence for a moment. Vivienne kept her eyes on the road ahead. Her body was tense, and every nerve in her body was aware of his presence next to her.
"How's Noah?" Alexander asked all of a sudden.
Vivienne's blood ran cold. "He's okay."
"He's a great kid. Very smart." Alexander pushed the button to call the elevator. "My niece wouldn't stop talking about him all weekend. It seems that he taught her a hard game about traveling through space."
"He loves space."
"I could tell." They got in the elevator when the doors opened. Alexander pushed the button for the lobby. "How old is he again? Nine?"
"Yes." Vivienne kept her eyes on the numbers on the floor as they went up.
"What about his father?" Another pause. "By the way, I hope he's okay with the terms?"
Her throat got tight.
"Uhm... yeah," she said finally, her voice barely audible. "He is."
Before Alexander spoke again, the elevator got to the lobby. Vivienne stepped out right away when the doors opened, putting space between them.
"Thanks for today," she said quickly and professionally. "I'll see you in the morning."
"Ms. Cross—"
But she was already walking away, her heels clicking quickly on the marble floor as she ran toward the door.
She didn't turn around.
Vivienne sat at her kitchen table and looked at her alarm clock. Noah had gone to bed, which was earlier than usual.
She had it set for 6:00 AM. Early enough to get Noah ready for school, get herself dressed and ready, and get to Hunt Enterprises by nine.
The apartment was quiet around her.
She thought about the motion capture studio, Alexander's questions, and the next six months, which would be like a minefield she would have to cross without a map.
She thought about how sad Noah would be, how Rebecca would start working full-time tomorrow, and how this new life would break up the careful, safe life they had built.
She remembered the drawing Noah had made of them at the park.
Vivienne shut her eyes and took a big breath.
Tomorrow. Tomorrow was the start of everything.
And now there was no turning back.
She lay in bed for hours, staring at the ceiling and trying not to think about how she would be spending her first full day with Alexander Hunt tomorrow.
Pretending. Lying.
Keeping secrets that got harder and harder to bear as time went on.
But now there was nothing she could do to stop it. The first day of her new life was about to start.