Beckett was astounded by the sudden information Vivianne gave him. It was as if Vivianne knew what he had been investigating all along – the connection of the Allamino family to his mother.
He had been investigating the Allaminos for years, but he had never discovered anything substantial.
Never in his wildest dreams did he expect Vivianne, the sole heir of the Allamino family, to speak about their illegal business – especially when she should be hiding this information.
But the fact that she brought him to this place wasn’t the only thing that confused him.
“What do you mean by that?” Beckett asked, referring to Vivianne’s last statement. “Why would I pull you to hell?”
“Because I am sinful too. I won’t pretend to be innocent because that’s the truth.” Vivianne kept her gaze focused on the road while gripping the steering wheel tightly. “I am sinned, flawed, and heartless. I know everything that’s happening, but I remained silent… I couldn’t do anything to save them.”
For a moment, Vivianne’s memories traveled back to the past. She suddenly remembered how Alfred, her father, exposed her to violence at such a young age. Even as a child, she was accustomed to seeing dead bodies or witnessing brutal deaths.
But she was never desensitized to it. Instead of becoming used to it, those experiences became Vivianne’s horrible nightmares, haunting her even when she was fully awake and doing her job. Her father, despite her facade, was the most terrible person she had ever met.
Her father only cared about the company and the mafia. He didn’t even care about the desires of his daughter and wife. Alfred controlled them like puppets, and Vivianne needed someone to cut the strings.
And she hoped that someone would be Beckett.
“As others were hurting, all I could do was escape and protect myself, but I couldn’t even do that…”
As Vivianne reminisced about her traumatic past, she suddenly felt shivers running down her spine. It was as if she could feel every punch and attack from her father during their training sessions.
She felt as though tiny needles were piercing her body, heading toward her heart and soul.
Beckett, on the other hand, listened silently as he clenched his fists, his knuckles turning white. Anger consumed his entire body. He didn’t know what was happening, but one thing was for sure.
Vivianne didn’t have a good relationship with her father, Alfred. She didn’t even notice it. She thought Vivianne was just a typical rebellious heir from a wealthy family, but she didn’t expect that there were deeper wounds in their father-daughter relationship.
“We have this organization called the Allamino Mafia. That’s one of the reasons why we suddenly became wealthy even though we had no connections with others,” Vivianne said, her voice becoming softer and softer. “I don’t know how it was formed or what they do inside because I left the mansion a long time ago… but Papa wants me to take over.”
Beckett wasn’t surprised by that. He knew the ways of the mafia because he had encountered them several times while he was in Italy. One of his classmates before was also a mafia heir, and his destiny had already been determined by his bloodline.
But he could see in Vivianne’s eyes that she wanted to change her fate. Amidst the fear and apprehension in her expression, he could also see her courage. He couldn’t help but fall for her even more.
“That’s why you’re working so hard to sustain your needs…” Beckett said, stealing glances at the young woman. “You don’t want to build a debt.”
“I don’t want him to have another card to control me even more,” Vivianne replied. “He’s already used my mother enough. I don’t want to add to that. He has my mom hostage in that damn house.”
“What?” Beckett asked, both confused and shocked.
“I really want to bring down that organization, but I can’t. I know other people could do that for me…” Vivianne smiled, but beneath it, there was sadness and anger. “So if you want to bring them down, I won’t stop you. I’ll even help you.”
Her words were filled with sincerity and pain at the same time. Somehow, Beckett could empathize with her. Like Vivianne, he knew how difficult it was to live in a world filled with suffering.
It wasn’t easy, and hell, it would be so painful that you would also wish to die.
Beckett had the urge to hug Vivianne but decided not to do it. He gently tapped her shoulder to show his sympathy. Vivianne appreciated it, as it was all she needed right now.
What she did was extremely reckless… and dangerous. Surely, if her father found out that she had told Beckett about their mafia involvement, he would have her head.
But she was too desperate to care.
“If it’s your wish, then I will fulfill it,” Beckett said, causing Vivianne to look at him. “But promise me one thing…”
Beckett held Vivianne by the shoulders and turned her to face him. His hand traveled to her cheek, gently wiping away her tears. Her tears were already falling, yet she didn’t notice it.
“Promise me that you’ll only cry when you’re with me. You need to be strong,” Beckett said with a gentle but authoritative tone. “You can’t let someone see your vulnerabilities. They will use it against you.”
Beckett knew how the world was messed up, with people fighting for their rights and power more than any zombie apocalypse or virus spreading all over the country. In his years in Milan, he had witnessed betrayal and revenge multiple times.
And now, it’s their turn.
Vivianne nodded. She knew that, but sometimes, it’s easier said than done.
After their conversation, they drove back to Manila. This time, Beckett was the one driving. He let Vivianne rest in the passenger seat and fall asleep for a while.
But Vivianne couldn’t sleep either. After a while, she looked at Beckett. Since he mentioned her father’s illegal organization, he hadn’t spoken about them as a couple anymore.
She wanted to know if he would still pursue her after everything she had told him… If he would still court her, or maybe he had changed his mind.
“Do you still want me after all I’ve said?” Vivianne asked, causing Beckett to glance at her briefly. “Because if you want to run away from me, I’ll understand. I promise I won’t judge you.”
The man didn’t respond. Instead, he continued driving while trying to focus on the road. He held the steering wheel tightly as if restraining himself.
Vivianne noticed that, and her heart started pounding. Occasionally, Beckett would bite his lip, making her think he might be angry. Whatever the reason, she needed to find out.
“Are you mad at me?” Vivianne asked.
“No,” Beckett replied shortly.
“I’m not convinced by your answer.”
Vivianne reached out to touch Beckett’s arm to talk to him more intimately, but she let out a gasp as he suddenly stopped the car on the side of the road. There was a lot of grass around them as they were in a field. No cars were passing by, given the late hour.
“Why did you stop?” Vivianne asked in confusion. Her brow furrowed.
“I’m not mad, Vivianne. I’m just controlling myself.” Beckett gently caressed Vivianne’s hand that was gripping his arm. “You turned me on so badly… So badly that I wanted to take you.”
“W-What?”
Vivianne blinked. She wasn’t innocent enough not to understand what Beckett was referring to. After all, Beckett is a man. What she didn’t quite get was what her words had turned him on.
‘Could it be that he’s submissive?’ Vivianne wondered to herself, but she shook her head immediately. ‘No. I’m sure he’s the dominant type.’
“Stop thinking about naughty things. You’re making it harder for me,” Beckett said, his jaw tightening as he looked at her blushing cheeks.
It was a double entendre. It was being hard for Beckett to control himself… and his aching d**k bulging inside his pants.
Vivianne swallowed hard as she noticed that. Her body heated up in an instant. Her body was now yearning for his touch and kisses more than she should.
And to make things more intense, they were inside the car, on their way back home.
“I still like you-No, I’m loving you, that’s why I’m trying to control myself,” Beckett said in a low, dangerous tone. “Because if I don’t, I’ll take you right here, right now.”
“Then take me,” Vivianne whispered, her voice devoid of fear.
“W-What?” Beckett was caught off guard by Vivianne’s words.
“Take me here… If you want to,” the woman whispered again, causing Beckett’s remaining self-control to quickly unravel.