“WITH Beckett Clainfer again?” Joan repeated, blinking several times in surprise. “You had his name blocked from the newsletters earlier, and I’ve already done that. Why are you scheduling an appointment with him now?”
“And since when do you have the right to question everything I ask you to do?” Vivianne retorted, her tone tinged with annoyance. “Just because you’re Alfred’s favorite doesn’t mean you can act this way towards me. Perhaps you forget, I am still his daughter-the heir to the company you work for.”
Joan fell silent. She felt irritated by Vivianne’s words, but she knew they were true. No matter what she did, she would always remain an employee.
“I’m sorry, Ma’am Vivianne,” she just apologized.
Vivianne rolled her eyes and sighed. Even though Joan couldn’t see her, she knew it was what her boss did. “Do it as soon as possible. I need to talk to him as soon as possible.”
“Okay, Ma’am Vivianne.”
“And make sure Alfred doesn’t find out about this. Remember, if he finds out, it won’t just be me who’s in trouble, but all of us,” Vivianne threatened, her voice becoming deeper. “Do you understand me, right?”
“Yes,” Joan replied weakly.
“Good.”
Vivianne hung up after that. Joan frowned as she returned her gaze to the video on Jill’s tablet that was paused. Despite herself, her heart beat rapidly as she stared at Beckett’s face.
His presence still affected her, which is why she had his name blocked from the newsletters she received earlier. She wants to move on. She was the one who pushed Beckett away before, but she’s also the one who longs for him.
‘But his life is better now, isn’t it? And he wouldn’t be able to do what he wants now if I just let him stay by my side,’ Vivianne thought to herself.
“Ma’am Vivianne?”
She snapped back to reality upon hearing Jill’s voice. She looked at her, seeing the concern in her eyes. “What is it? Have you been talking to me all this time?”
“I’ve called you three times already,” Jill admitted. “I can talk to Sir Beckett for you if you want. What do you want me to say?”
Everyone in the Allamino Mafia knew about what happened between Vivianne and Beckett, and Vivianne suspected Joan of spreading it. In Vivianne’s eyes, Joan was a cunning snake: she appeared nice but had a hidden agenda. So, no matter what happens, she couldn’t trust her.
“No. I’ll take care of the mess,” Vivianne said and smiled at Jill. “Thank you for your help, Jill. If you hadn’t found this video right away, I don’t know how I would have dealt with this problem.”
“It’s nothing, Ma’am Viv. It’s also my job anyway.” Jill smiled back at her.
After their conversation, Vivianne sent Jill back to the other warehouse to continue the work she was assigned. She also scolded Joan for doing things she hadn’t instructed.
However, Joan argued that the result of her actions turned out fine, so Vivianne shouldn’t be mad.
“I understand what you’re saying, but what if the result wasn’t good? What if instead of everything turning out fine, it became even more chaotic because of what you did?” Vivianne retorted. “And do I need to remind you that you are not the boss here? How many times do I have to tell you that?”
Joan didn’t respond. She just bowed her head, clasping her hands. She knew Joan hated being embarrassed in front of others. And Vivianne knew exactly how to use someone’s weakness to her advantage.
Joan could only apologize because Vivianne was the one she chose to oppose. Her mood wasn’t good because of what was happening.
“Look up. I don’t like it when people don’t look at me while I’m talking to them,” Vivianne ordered, and Joan immediately complied. She had a brave expression but fear in her eyes. “Did you do what I asked? What did his management say?”
“They said we just have to wait for confirmation from Mr. Clainfer,” Joan replied.
“What?” Vivianne raised her eyebrow and crossed her arms over her chest. “So, Beckett already knows about my request to talk to him, but we still need to wait for his confirmation?”
“Yes, Ma’am.” Joan nodded.
“Wait, did you tell him that I made the request?” Vivianne pointed at herself. “Tell him that it’s me. Maybe he’ll change his mind,” she added.
She was somewhat confident that Beckett did this to see her… So she almost wanted to sink into the ground when she found out it wasn’t happening that way.
“I told them you made the request, but that’s still their response. Mr. Clainfer said he’ll meet with you, but his schedule is too hectic with various matters. It’s up to you if you want to wait or not.”
“That a. sshole,” Vivianne muttered before clenching her fist. She forced a smile at Joan. “Thanks. Just let me know when the schedule is set.”
“Yes, Ma’am Vivianne.”
DURING THOSE times, Vivianne thought Beckett would quickly approve their meeting schedule, but he didn’t. She almost wanted to pull her hair out in frustration when Joan told her she could only see Beckett the day after tomorrow.
She even wanted to visit Beckett at Syneverse Entertainment, but she wasn’t an employee there anymore. She couldn’t go there, especially without an appointment.
“What about the client? Did you give him extravagant offers to come back to us?” Vivianne asked while sitting on scattered boxes inside the warehouse.
“We’ve done everything, Ma’am. We gave him offers that we thought he couldn’t refuse, but he still declined them without hesitation,” Joan replied. “He said his new supplier can match all our offers.”
Vivianne sighed in frustration. She knew it was all Beckett’s doing, but what she didn’t know was why Beckett was doing all this.
‘If he really wanted to see me, he would have approved my request immediately. So, that’s not the reason…’ Vivianne thought to herself. ‘Beckett, what are you planning?’
“Anyway, Sir Alfred is calling for you. He wants you to go to the mansion after you finish your work here,” Joan said, and Vivianne just nodded. “He already knows about the sudden transfer of one of our top clients to a new supplier. Maybe that’s what you’ll be discussing.”
“You told him, didn’t you?” Vivianne raised an eyebrow.
Joan grinned. “Even if I didn’t tell him, he would still find out, Ma’am. He should know that you’re failing at your job.”
Its voice was sarcastic, causing Vivianne’s lips to curl. “That’s it. Your true colors are showing. You’re done pretending to be nice to me, right? Because you’re not really nice… And there’s no one nice in this place.”
“Are you included, Ma’am?” Joan asked in a taunting tone.
“Yes. Including me,” Vivianne replied in a cold tone. “Who said I was nice, huh? Nobody.”
Her hand slowly went to Joan’s head, and she briefly held it. “Be careful always, okay? You might be surprised one day that all those things you brag about are gone,” she said meaningfully before abruptly leaving.
Joan’s brave face earlier was replaced by fear after hearing Vivianne’s words. There was something about Vivianne that could make her shiver in fear, even though she always told herself she had nothing to fear.
Joan really hated Vivianne’s guts, and she was even more annoyed because Vivianne acquired all that wealth even though she didn’t want to lead the mafia.
‘Just wait. I’ll get this company too, Vivianne. I’ll make sure Sir Alfred chooses me to lead here even though I’m not his child,’ Joan determinedly thought to herself. ‘When that happens, those who wronged me will surely regret it.’