Chapter 24

Vivianne thought everything would be fine after she apologized to Beckett earlier, but it turns out she was mistaken. After answering Beckett's question earlier, the man remained silent. He became even quieter, and only the sound of them slurping noodles could be heard in the entire room.

"Is there a problem?" Vivianne asked, unable to contain her curiosity. "Did I say something wrong?"

"None," Beckett shook his head and took a deep breath. "Just eat, so you can rest afterward."

"Do you not have a photoshoot schedule today?" Vivianne changed the topic. She didn't want their conversation to end. She disliked the silence because her mind wandered everywhere. "Why did you come back here anyway? Did you forget something?"

Beckett didn't answer. Instead, he pointed to the smoke detector in the kitchen. "That alarm will notify my phone if something happens. It alarmed earlier, so I thought… something bad happened to you."

His voice was incredibly soft, and if it weren't so quiet in the room, Vivianne might not have heard what he said. But no, she heard it loud and clear. Her heart was also pounding hard. She didn't expect Beckett's response to her.

"Thank you…" Vivianne suddenly said before looking at him, which surprised Beckett.

"For what?"

"For not being mad at me, for cooking me food, for understanding me…" Vivianne extended both hands and held one of Beckett's hands resting on the table. "And for loving me despite the secret I told you last night."

Vivianne spoke those words with affection and sincerity. She felt a bit embarrassed because she wasn't used to saying such things, but something urged her to express herself in that way.

She just wanted to show her appreciation to Beckett, whom she had considered a selfish bastard before. She took a deep breath, tightened her grip on Beckett's hand, and spoke again.

"I'm not used to this kind of treatment…" Vivianne began, a faint smile gracing her lips. "Knowing that you're angry at me, yet you still treat me so nicely..."

Vivianne had grown accustomed to harsh treatment and violence since childhood, which was why she found Beckett's treatment of her so surprising. She felt a sense of novelty in how Beckett treated her—with kindness, safety, protection, and love, something she was experiencing for the first time.

"I told you, I'm not mad at you," Beckett corrected her in a stern yet gentle tone. He looked at Vivianne, trying to guess what was on her mind. "I'm worried about you since you acted strange when I came here."

And Beckett knew that Vivianne was hiding something, which is why she seemed a bit distant. Beckett knew that when someone's thoughts were clouded, it was easier to extract information. With a little manipulation, he was sure Vivianne would reveal what was on her mind.

However, Beckett didn't want to employ his cunning tactics on Vivianne. Even though it was difficult, just like the patience he displayed waiting for Vivianne to tell him why she knew about the shooting incident at the orphanage, he would wait again.

He would wait for Vivianne to fully trust and open up to him.

‘But… Trust?’ Beckett chuckled softly at his own thoughts. ‘It's only right for her not to trust you, Beckett. You're a liar, a demon who will only hurt her in the end. You're going to use her to your advantage.’

Now, another part of his mind was disagreeing with his life choices. Deep within his heart, Beckett knew he wasn't capable of loving someone—at least not an innocent woman like Vivianne.

"I'm okay," Vivianne replied to him before gently stroking her hand, bringing Beckett back to reality. "My body just hurts, and I have other things on my mind too. But I'm fine, I swear. You don't need to worry about me."

With Vivianne's words, Beckett's heart seemed to soften. He cursed inwardly while looking at their intertwined hands. When it came to Vivianne, he found himself becoming weak.

"Don't do that again," Beckett said after a few seconds of silence.

"Hmm?" Vivianne asked in confusion, her eyes narrowing. "Do what?"

"Making me worry..." Beckett's lips twitched as he stared at the noodles in front of him. They had grown cold since they hadn't touched them while talking. "I thought that you're in danger… That I'm going to lose you."

With each word from Beckett, his voice grew softer. Vivianne could sense the pain in his tone, which puzzled her. Suddenly, she felt like Beckett had experienced the same pain before, but she didn't want to pry into that.

Instead, she looked into Beckett's eyes as she spoke again. "I'm not going anywhere, okay? You know who I am. You know where I came from, and I won't die just because of a wound on my hand."

Vivianne chuckled, trying to lighten the mood, but Beckett remained serious. She stopped smiling and gazed at him. They had been talking for a while, yet she only now noticed that he was still wearing makeup, and he was dressed for a photoshoot.

Suddenly, guilt washed over Vivianne. Her suspicion was correct. Beckett had a photoshoot earlier, and it seemed like he left his work just to come to her.

Vivianne cleared her throat and let go of Beckett's hand. "Let's eat? The noodles are getting cold. It's a shame not to finish them, especially since you're the one who cooked."

"It's just noodles."

"It's your noodles. Duh." Vivianne playfully rolled her eyes, causing Beckett to chuckle. With that, the tension between them dissipated, something Vivianne was truly grateful for.

She knew she was still at fault for what happened. If she hadn't been so nosy and looked at the family picture on the side table, she wouldn't have been startled, and it wouldn't have broken.

But she didn't want to dwell on that for now. What mattered was that they were together, and she could feel how much Beckett cared for her. At that moment, Vivianne made a silent promise to herself that she would also do everything for Beckett.

After finishing their meal, Vivianne was about to start cleaning up, but Beckett immediately stopped her. "Leave that alone. I can manage."

"No. You cooked, so I'll wash. Let me do it."

"Your hands are injured." Beckett pointed to Vivianne's bandaged hand. "Just sit there and watch me, okay?" He removed the utensils and placed them in the sink. "Just be careful with your heart, though. You might fall hard for me."

"Hah. It's like the wind suddenly got stronger," Vivianne teased before pretending to hold onto her seat to avoid being blown away. Beckett chuckled and shook his head.

True to Beckett's instruction, Vivianne simply watched him wash the dishes. Her gaze trailed down to Beckett's arms, which flexed with each movement. She noticed the attractive physique of the man and blushed as she remembered how he had taken her to heights of pleasure with that body.

Too fast, too risky, too deep—but all were worth it. Vivianne had never felt such happiness in her entire life. She was incredibly grateful that someone could accept her despite her dark family background.

She couldn't ask for anything more than to be happy with Beckett and to bond like this every day. No one knew how long they would stay like this, so Vivianne was determined to make the most of every opportunity to be with Beckett.

"I'm done," Beckett announced after finishing washing the dishes. He removed his gloves, washed his hands, and then approached Vivianne. "What do you want to do next?"

Vivianne furrowed her brow. "Aren't you going back to the photoshoot? You might have trouble catching up later, and the management might get angry with you."

'And then Fiona will blame me if she finds out we're together now,' Vivianne added in her thoughts, though she didn't say it out loud. It seemed like Beckett wasn't aware that Fiona had talked to her on her second day at work.

"I trust him, but I don't trust you. I don't know why he took you, but while you're here in the Syneverse, don't do anything foolish."

Vivianne winced as she remembered those words. But she couldn't help but ponder. Everything seemed too perfect to be a mere coincidence...

"I'll deal with that later. Don't worry, I can handle it all," Beckett assured her with a wink. "So, do you want to watch a movie? Or... cuddle?" He raised an eyebrow, implying something.

"Let's just watch a movie!" Vivianne exclaimed before playfully swatting her partner. "I think your definition of cuddling is a bit different."

Beckett grinned and shrugged his shoulders.

An hour later, they were halfway through the movie they were watching. It was an action-romance film that focused mainly on the enemies-to-lovers trope. Vivianne couldn't help but smile, especially when she recalled the day she punched Beckett in the face.

‘So much gratitude for someone who saved me from death,’ Vivianne thought to herself. ‘But his treatment of me was terrible back then, so he deserved it.’

"Vivianne," Beckett suddenly called her name, bringing her back to reality.

"Why—"

Vivianne turned around and instinctively closed her eyes as Beckett's lips met hers. Beckett's hands found their way to her nape and waist, deepening the kiss and pressing their bodies together.

"You mean the world to me..." Beckett said as their lips parted, and he rested his forehead against Vivianne's. "That's why if you have something to tell me, yet you can't say it for now, it's fine. I'll wait for you."

Vivianne smiled and gently caressed his cheek. "I'm also willing to wait for you... when you're ready to tell me everything," the young woman replied, leaving Beckett slightly puzzled by her response.