Vivianne was almost going crazy with the pain she was feeling as she gulped down the beer on the bottle she was holding. She was no longer in the right state of mind to even grab a glass, and she didn’t care about the effects of alcohol on her body.
She was getting dizzy and slightly nauseous. Despite being in an upscale bar, her behavior was becoming more unruly. She continued to curse because the pain in her heart was intensifying.
“Fuck all of you!” Vivianne exclaimed, and shortly after, she slammed her head on the counter, not caring if she had everyone’s attention.
She wanted to forget the pain… Everything. But she couldn’t.
As time passed, her anger continued to boil, especially when she looked at her phone and saw her wallpaper and that of her boyfriend.
Wrong. Her ex-boyfriend, to be precise. After catching him earlier having sex with another woman in his condo unit, he had the audacity to break up with her.
“Fuck you, Tristan. I told you I’ll exact my revenge! Just wait!”
Vivianne found herself smiling foolishly at the beer in her hand as if it were Tristan. She quickly placed it on the table before her intrusive thoughts win-Throw the bottle away. She was about to leave when she was suddenly blocked by one of the bartenders, raising her eyebrow in surprise.
“Miss… Your payment?” the man asked politely but also with a hint of confusion, looking at Vivianne.
It seemed like Vivianne had wandered into this place. She was still wearing the white blouse and black pants she had on while working earlier at the Grand Arena.
The woman had a beautiful appearance and skin, but compared to the other patrons in the bar who were elegantly dressed, she seemed out of place.
It dawned on Vivianne how foolish she must have looked, and her brow furrowed.
“Ah, sorry. Just wait,” she stammered, rummaging through her wallet in her bag. “Shit, hold on. Where is it?”
Her vision was spinning, making it difficult for her to move. She was in her most vulnerable state, and if her father were to find out about this, he wouldn’t approve of her getting drunk… especially with a man as the cause.
Her father didn’t believe in love, which Vivianne found ironic and disappointing at the same time. Her father sought heirs and babymakers, not children and a wife.
“Fuck, Vivianne. Focus, okay?” the woman muttered to herself, realizing how her thoughts wandered in different directions again. “I shouldn’t have drunk that much. Shit.”
But she quickly shook her head. This wasn’t the right time to blame herself. The bartender was now looking at her as if she had committed a major crime, irritating her further.
“I’ll pay, okay?” Vivianne said irritably before huffing. “So, can you stop looking at me like that-”
Vivianne didn’t finish her outburst when her vision suddenly blurred. She stumbled and almost fell to the ground.
“Ah!”
But it didn’t happen as someone grabbed both of her arms. Her face collided with the chest of a man, causing her to grimace in pain.
When Vivianne lifted her head, the man wearing a face mask and a hat was unfamiliar at first, but when she looked into his eyes, she gasped.
“S-Sir Beck-”
“Here,” the man interrupted before handing his black card to the bartender. “I’ll pay for her drinks, too,” he added, pointing at Vivianne.
“O-Okay, Sir,” the bartender replied, taking the card and quickly processing their payment.
Afterward, the bartender returned the card to the man. “Thank you very much, sir.”
The man just nodded, then turned his attention to Vivianne. He grinned as it seemed like he was enjoying staring at her. He almost kissed her because of how close their faces were.
“Hey, woman,” Beckett called, snapping Vivianne out of his thoughts. “Aren’t you going to move away?”
“No.” Instead of moving away, Vivianne moved closer to him. She sniffed his neck. “You smell nice…”
Beckett raised an eyebrow, and Vivianne’s actions didn’t help to cool down his body. Although he desired Vivianne intensely, he didn’t want to take someone’s body without their consent.
And technically, consent from a drunk person was invalid.
“Sir Beckett…” she whispered in his ear. Her voice had an enticing tone, causing him to close his eyes. “Do I look like a beggar or pitiful in your eyes?”
Her eyes were sparkling. Beckett was almost drowned in them, wondering why this stranger’s eyes held something he had never seen in all the women he had worked with and slept with before.
“You’re drunk,” said Beckett, gritting his teeth.
He sat Vivianne on a high stool chair, his hands resting on her arms. “Go home. You shouldn’t even be here.”
Beckett let go of Vivianne, intending to leave, but she suddenly held his arm. Shivers ran down his spine as Vivianne’s gentle touch awakened something inside him.
“C-Can you stay here with me?” Vivianne asked, seemingly unaware of what she was saying. “Can you accompany me until I get better?”
Her desperation and longing were evident in her voice. After working for so long, he always felt alone. Vivianne’s father was always busy, so she focused on her work.
It had been a while since her world crumbled so much… Just because of a fucking guy who cheated on her.
Beckett didn’t respond, but he also didn’t take his eyes off Vivianne. He knew what he should do. He knew he should push her away.
That’s how every woman knew him. He would use them as much as he wanted and dispose of them when they were no longer useful.
But Vivianne was different.
“Two minutes,” Beckett said, looking into Vivianne’s eyes. “Two minutes, and then I’ll go. You should, too.”
Vivianne nodded and smiled, though it was fleeting. Beckett paused for a moment because of what he saw. That was the first time he had seen her genuinely smile, even if it only lasted a second.
“One more beer, please,” Vivianne said to the bartender.
“You’re already drunk. Are you trying to kill yourself?” Beckett asked, raising an eyebrow.
Vivianne laughed. The tone of the man’s voice was extremely sarcastic, but she knew he was serious.
“Just one. I’ll go home after, promise,” Vivianne reassured him, raising her thumb.
Beckett shook his head, furrowing his brow, wondering how his plan to find a woman to sleep with tonight had led to this.
The two minutes passed quickly, and just as Vivianne’s drink arrived, Beckett announced, “Time’s up,” pointing to his wristwatch. “You should go home too, and you shouldn’t tell anyone that you saw me here. I know where you work.”
Vivianne simply nodded, not even looking at him. Her focus was no longer on Beckett but on the alcohol given to her.
It was the first time a woman, a drunk woman at that, had ignored him to his face.
He shook his head before walking away from Vivianne. He was determined to find someone to fuck tonight, but before that, he approached one of the guards in the bar.
He was a regular customer, so the employees knew who he was.
“Watch that woman and make sure she gets home,” Beckett instructed, and the guard nodded.
It didn’t show, but Beckett wanted Vivianne to go home safe and sound.
At the same time, Beckett hoped he would never see her again. There was something telling him that being with that girl would lead to a messy situation…
And his damn intuition, if not always, was right most of the time.
***
As he was about to get into his car, he bumped into someone… and that someone was the same woman he hoped he would never see again.
“H-Help me, please!” Vivianne cried out, causing him to become alert.