Chapter 34 The unwanted guest.
Vivienne's POV
I saw a glint in his eyes, not anger, not sadness, but a flicker of smiles, of hope.
“And what's the condition?” he asked.
"I don't want a big party or some huge celebration," I said, making sure my voice was firm and clear. "I want something that's only on paper, just a legal arrangement.
“And I want us to get to know each other a little more, maybe spend a few months together first, and then after that we can go ahead with an actual wedding ceremony if we still want to."
I watched as his smile slowly faded away after I laid down all my conditions. The cheerful, excited look that had been on his face just a few minutes ago completely disappeared.
But I didn't let that bother me or make me feel guilty. If he really wants me to play along with this game he's proposing, then it has to be according to my own rules. I'm not just going to do whatever he wants without having some say in this.
After a few long seconds of silence, with him just staring at me and me waiting for him to say something, anything, he finally cleared his throat. I could tell he was trying to gather his thoughts.
"Erm...Okay, if that's what you want then it's fine by me," he said finally, though his voice didn't sound as cheerful as before.
I wasn't quite done yet. I had more to say.
"But my question is, can you delay the board members for a bit? Maybe you can simply tell them to give you some time while you prepare for your wedding, or come up with some other excuse to stall them with something else. Just buy us some time."
He paused and acted as though he was really thinking hard about it, considering all the possibilities. His eyes looked distant for a moment, like he was running through different scenarios in his mind. Then he finally spoke.
"I'll see what can be done about that. I'll figure something out," he said. "But first, let's eat. I'm so famished and we can talk more about the details over dinner."
Dinner was great, so was having him around. We talked some more before we called it a night.
By morning the news of Claudine chasing me out of Rapheal’s house was all over the city. Margot got a wind of it and decided to locate the house.
“Miss Vivienne, someone is downstairs looking for you, said her name is Margot,” the maid said.
My mouth hung wide open but no words would come out. I just sat there, frozen for a moment, trying to process what I had just heard. I was in my room, sitting at my desk, going through my messages on my phone and searching online for companies that might be hiring when she walked in through the door with the news.
"Tell her I'm not available right now," I said, trying to keep my voice steady. I waved my hand to dismiss her, hoping that would be the end of it.
A few minutes went by. I had just started to focus back on my job search when she came back again, standing in my doorway with the same message. I could see the uncomfortable look on her face.
"She won't leave. She's refusing to go anywhere," she explained, shifting her weight from one foot to the other. "She says she's going to wait right there in the living room until the boss comes back and meets with her. She's very insistent about it."
I felt my shoulders slump. I was already so tired, completely exhausted from everything that had been happening. The thought of having to get up, walk downstairs, and deal with Margot face to face would completely drain whatever little energy I had left in me. I just couldn't do it. Not right now.
"Then just let her wait there," I said with a heavy sigh. "Tell the chef to give her something to drink, maybe some snacks, and make sure she's comfortable while she sits there waiting."
"Of course! I'll do that right away," she said back to me before turning to leave.
As I watched her go, I felt something shift inside me. I'm so done with being pushed around and bullied like this. I'm tired of people thinking they can just show up unannounced and demand my time and attention whenever they feel like it.
She can stay down there waiting for as long as she wants for all I care. When she finally gets tired of sitting around and waiting, she'll leave on her own. I'm not going to let her force me into doing something I don't want to do anymore.
I'm done.