A week had passed since Beckett stormed into the Allamino mansion. After that, they both returned to their respective jobs. Like before, they were doing their best not to get caught, especially now that their careers were flourishing even more.
“Joan, can you get the blower from the other room? This one isn’t working well,” Vivianne said as she was fixing the hair of an amateur model from Syneverse Entertainment. “Also, grab some hair spray, just in case we run out.”
“Okay!” Joan replied, Vivianne’s assistant, before following her instructions.
Vivianne was still Beckett’s exclusive dress stylist, but she had started to step out of her comfort zone. Recently, she had tried her luck at hairstyling, and it had become a new hobby for her. Her company was generous enough to let her pursue this new passion with amateur models.
“Here, Viv,” Joan handed over the blower and hair spray when she returned.
“Thank you,” Vivianne said, winking at Joan before fixing the man’s hair in front of her. She could read what was on his mind by the way he looked at her, but she chose to ignore it. “This style suits you, at least for me. What do you think?”
“Well…” The man looked at the mirror and checked his overall appearance. “I like it… and I like you,” he smoothly replied.
Vivianne heard it loud and clear but pretended not to have heard anything. Instead, she just prepared her equipment because the photoshoot would start at any time. Hearing random confessions was not something new for her.
“Do you have a boyfriend?” the man asked again, grinning.
Vivianne just nodded in response.
“Dump him,” the guy said in a cold tone. “We look better together than you and your boyfriend.”
‘Oh. Fuck.’ Vivianne furrowed her brow, realizing the audacity of the new model she was handling.
“Focus on the shoot,” Vivianne replied in her cold tone.
Vivianne was about to leave when the man suddenly stood up and grabbed her wrist.
“Hey-”
“It’s fine, Joan. I’ve got this,” Vivianne cut off whatever Joan was going to say. She looked at the man and raised an eyebrow. “What do you think you’re doing?”
“Are you acting all high and mighty just because you’re Beckett Clainfer’s exclusive dress stylist?” he asked in a mocking and irritated tone. “You’re just a dress stylist. We’re the models, so don’t act like you’re all that.”
The man’s grip on Vivianne tightened as he uttered those words. Meanwhile, Vivianne subtly scanned her surroundings. They had caught the attention of others, making her nervous.
Not for herself, but for the man standing in front of her. Once Beckett found out about this, the man’s life would be ruined.
And seconds later, it happened.
The guy’s manager approached the rude man in front of Vivianne. He whispered, “This is an order from the higher-ups at Syneverse Entertainment, but you’re banned here from now on.”
“B-Banned?” the man stammered. “Damn it, I have a photoshoot today. How did that happen?”
“It’s an order from the higher-ups. You know I can’t do anything about it,” the manager replied, sighing. “The photoshoot is canceled as well. Sorry for the inconvenience.” The manager looked around, repeatedly apologizing to everyone.
The man finally let go of Vivianne due to his frustration. He grabbed the manager by the collar and asked, “And who the hell would do this to me?”
“Maybe you got into a fight with someone,” the manager replied coldly, releasing himself from the grip of the arrogant man. “I told you to work on your attitude, especially since you just started modeling.”
Vivianne shrugged upon hearing this. Syneverse Entertainment was known for its trial-and-error approach with its models. Even Beckett’s rise to stardom had been unexpected, and they were constantly looking for new talents just like him.
Too bad the guy had hit on her, and Beckett had just ruined his life in an instant.
VIVIANNE WAS a bit stressed after finishing her work, but she managed to get through it, especially with the help of her assistant, Joan. Joan had no complaints, was eager to learn, and, most importantly, was easy to get along with.
“Thank you for hanging out with me, Joan,” Vivianne said as she packed her things. Beckett was waiting for her in the parking lot, as they had plans after her work.
“I should be the one thanking you, Viv. I’ve learned a lot from being with you,” Joan replied with a smile. “I have to go now; I have some other work to take care of.”
“Wow, you’re so hardworking. You have a lot of side gigs,” Vivianne teased before closing her bag’s zipper and slinging it over her shoulder. “Take care on your way.”
“You too, Vivi.”
Vivianne smiled in response before heading to the parking lot. Beckett was already there, waiting for her with a grin.
“You seem happy,” Vivianne commented, raising an eyebrow but not upset.
“You told him that you have a boyfriend,” Beckett said, his lips pursed as he tried to hide his smile. “I wish you could tell everyone that you’re mine.”
“Well, I’m not hiding the fact that I have a boyfriend. They just don’t know who he is.” Vivianne pinched Beckett’s cheek playfully. “So, you’re the one who got him removed from Syneverse?”
“He had previous issues too. It was easy for me to get rid of him,” he boasted. “And no one can disrespect you like that. I hope this serves as a lesson for the other models you handle as well.”
Vivianne’s smile widened even more. “How possessive you are.”
“I’m just protecting what’s mine.” Beckett kissed Vivianne on the lips before driving the car.
Moments later, they arrived at the El Continental Hotel and Casino. It’s the hotel owned by Jerusalem McBride. They usually stay here whenever they go on a date to ensure their protection from prying eyes outside.
Jeru’s hotel isn’t a typical place where people can come and go, which ensures their safety.
“This place is really beautiful,” Vivianne remarked as they entered the room. “No wonder you like bringing me here,” she added.
“Mmm.”
Vivianne was not ignorant of the place either. She had heard about this hotel from Alfred even before. El Continental Hotel was said to be one of the most successful businesses she had ever seen.
Little did Beckett know, Vivianne was also secretly investigating Beckett and his family. She just wanted to get to know him better and confirm his mother’s position in the mafia.
She was doing it discreetly, making sure Beckett wouldn’t notice. However, Beckett was doing the same thing.
A few hours later, they were done making love. Vivianne was almost exhausted and drained. They had made out on every corner of the room. Who wouldn’t be tired after that?
“Can you still go for another round?” Beckett asked with lust evident in his eyes, his hand gently caressing Vivianne’s cheek.
Vivianne laughed lightly before groaning. “My body hurts. Let me rest for a while.”
“I’m just kidding.” Beckett planted small kisses on Vivianne’s forehead. “You should sleep, okay?” he said before standing up and putting on a robe.
Vivianne was puzzled. “It’s already late. Aren’t you going to sleep?”
“I still have some work to do.” Beckett patted Vivianne on the head. “I’ll sleep later once I’m finished.”
“Okay…” Vivianne replied as she gradually drifted to sleep.
Beckett, on the other hand, went to his study table and opened his laptop. He had received an email from Nathan, stating that Trevin had finished decrypting the files, and he needed to review them.
It was also the reason why he had exhausted Vivianne today. He remembered how Vivianne had woken up in the middle of their conversation with Nathan.
He didn’t want that to happen again, especially not this time when he was about to uncover crucial information about the Allamino family.
‘This is it. I will know everything about them…’ Beckett thought to himself, his heart racing as he was close to getting all the answers he had been searching for.
He took a deep breath and opened the file that Nathan had sent him. His eyes widened, and his lips parted in shock as he saw the disturbing contents of the file.
It was confidential files. Almost all the illegal transactions of that warehouse were detailed there-human trafficking, drugs, illegal firearms dealing, murder contracts, and other things. Everything was written in the document attached to his email.
“No wonder they wanted to dispose of the flash drive as soon as possible,” Beckett smiled sinisterly. He clenched one hand while continuing to review all the files. “How talented you are, Trevin…”
Beckett felt a mix of happiness and anger, especially since he knew that innocent people were getting involved in Alfred’s business. He was even more infuriated when he thought about how Alfred was willing to use his own child for his own gain.
As he continued scanning the document, he noticed something unusual. He picked up his phone and called Nathan.
“Hello, Boss?” Nathan answered on the other end. “Did you see the file I sent you?”
“Yes. But there’s something strange…” Beckett leaned back in his chair and turned to look at Vivianne sleeping peacefully. “Why doesn’t the document bear any marks indicating it belongs to the Allamino family?”
“I-I don’t know either, Boss…” Nathan scratched his neck. “But that’s where I found it. I swear.”
Beckett clicked his tongue, feeling irritated. While it was good that he now had information about Alfred’s illegal organization, he didn’t have enough evidence to prove it.
Nevertheless, what he had discovered was sickening. He wasn’t claiming to be righteous because he had his own flaws, but Alfred was even worse than him.
“Boss, there’s something else I found,” Nathan continued. “I’ve obtained the identity of the child who was shot at the orphanage back then.”
“Who is he?”
“Dylan Hechanova, Boss,” Nathan replied. It didn’t ring a bell for Beckett. “And his legal guardian is Ylona Hernandez…”
“Who?” Beckett blinked, as if in disbelief.
“Your mother, Boss…”