Chapter 34

"I will not even ask you about this if I can't handle what you're going to say, Vivianne," Beckett replied. His voice was deep, and so was his gaze. "I just wanted to know the truth."

Vivianne nodded before smiling sadly. "I will tell you everything. Everything."

Vivianne's mind went back to the time when she was at the Allamino warehouse. It was where Alfred conducted illegal transactions, selling drugs and women. She didn't like being there, but if she didn't go, Alfred might do something terrible to her mother.

Despite her lack of enthusiasm, Vivianne endured all the training that Alfred had prepared for her. She had already completed her physical training since that was what Alfred had focused on when she was younger.

Now, he was teaching her about the business and the right way to conduct transactions.

"Can I go home now?" Vivianne asked in a bored tone, glancing at her wristwatch. "I have work."

"This is your job, Miss Vivianne," replied Rosalie, one of Alfred's right-hand people at this warehouse branch. "You need to learn all the processes involved here. Someday, all of this will be yours too."

"Processes of what? Selling prostitutes?" Vivianne laughed sarcastically and shook her head. "I've seen it all. I know how it works. So, can I go now?"

"Not yet because Sir Alfred isn't here," Rosalie answered firmly before looking to her side. In less than a second, guards had taken positions around her. "And we have orders from Sir Alfred that we can hurt you if you resist."

Vivianne cursed inwardly. Her father really took advantage of her weakness in physical fights. If only she were as ruthless as her father, she could have taken the gun from her pocket and buried its bullets in their heads.

"Fine," Vivianne said, slumping onto the couch with crossed arms.

The guards continued to watch her closely. She scoffed in annoyance as her eyes shifted towards the room.

Her heart tightened when she saw the helpless woman in the cage. Some were crying, while others stared at the wall, hoping for a miracle to spare their lives.

Her mother, Ella, had gone through the same experience. Alfred's men had taken her, and like the others, she was intended for prostitution. However, just before she was shipped overseas with the other women, Alfred saved her. Ella had thought it was a blessing, but it turned into a nightmare.

Alfred used her as a pawn to control her own daughter.

"Vianne... my child..." Vivianne remembered her mother's plea as she gently touched the wounds on her body during her physical training. "I'm sorry, dear. I can't even protect you... I'm sorry if I became your mother..."

Then, her gaze fell on Ella's wrists, where she could see a few scars from self-inflicted wounds with a knife. Ella had repeatedly tried to end her own life to free her daughter from Alfred's grip.

"Mom..."

"Everything will be okay, my child."

In an instant, Ella had a knife in her hand again, causing Vivianne to gasp in shock. She opened her eyes and realized it was just a terrible dream.

Or perhaps a haunting memory.

"Shit." Vivianne clutched her chest as it suddenly hurt. She looked around and realized that Rosalie and her guards were no longer there.

She grinned as she walked out of the warehouse. She was happy because Rosalie had finally stopped watching over her, but her smile faded quickly as her gaze fell on the imprisoned woman.

They were the people to be sent overseas as part of the transaction. She closed her eyes before quickly running out. As she heard the woman crying, her heart ached.

Her mother had the same fate as them, but here she was—just looking at those people while they were suffering to death. She was an heiress, but she had no power.

Even if she were to inherit the entire Allamino Corporation in due time, she would still remain Alfred's puppet because he would still be the one dictating everything she did.

‘I hope Beckett can do what he needs to do,’ Vivianne thought as she clenched her fists. ‘I hope he can bring down Alfred.’

She took the risk of telling Beckett everything before, just to give him enough motivation to strike against her own family. The information she knew about him at that time was already enough for her to trust him.

That was all she could do. She could only think that everything would be alright... That Beckett would be alright.

Vivianne looked around to see if there were any guards to stop her from leaving. She smirked when she found none. She went to the back to make her escape, but she was immediately stopped when she saw Alfred there.

"Why is he here?" Vivianne wondered to herself.

She stared at Alfred in confusion, but when he turned in her direction, she quickly hid. When she peeked at Alfred again, it seemed like he hadn't noticed her. He was still busy talking to the man in front of him, his brow furrowed.

"Have you found the child?" Alfred asked his companion while his hands were in his pockets.

"Yes, Sir. He was in an orphanage, which is why we couldn't locate him immediately. He also used a different last name, which caused the delay," the man replied.

"Was he alone there? Wasn't anyone helping him? Did you find out who was hiding him to prevent us from finding him quickly?" Alfred raised an eyebrow.

"What are they talking about?" Vivianne furrowed her brow upon hearing this. She decided to abandon her escape plan and listened to their conversation instead.

"Ylona Hernandez is his guardian, but according to the documents, she hasn't returned to the orphanage in a long time," the man answered. "Should I go ahead and kill him?"

"I want you to be the one to do it," Alfred approached and patted the man on the shoulder, "and I want it to look like anything but suicide."

"Sir?"

"Make everyone know that you killed him. That child deserves to die brutally and painfully..." Alfred's anger registered in his eyes. "And I wanted to find the other person I needed to kill."

Vivianne quickly covered her mouth before Alfred and the man could hear her gasp. Her eyes widened. She knew how cruel her father was, but to kill a child in the most horrific way... Vivianne couldn't bear it.

Despite always being a passive observer of her father's deeds, Vivianne did what she could at that moment. She found information about the orphanage and went there to save the child.

But the killer was a skilled sniper.

And just before the sniper could accurately shoot the child, she kicked him in the back, causing him to miss his shot.

"That's what happened. If you want to know more about that day, I'm sorry. That's all I know," Vivianne concluded her story for Beckett.

She wasn't comfortable sharing all this with Beckett. She kept her head down while speaking and fidgeted with her clothes, using both hands. She had just told Beckett about her parents' history, how she had turned a blind eye to those in need, and how evil Alfred could be.

During this time, she thought Beckett's perception of her might change. But what he did next was unexpected.

Beckett came closer and embraced Vivianne. "You can cry if you want to."

"H-Huh?" Vivianne furrowed her brows.

"It's painful, isn't it?" Beckett asked, causing Vivianne to pause. "I know you've been bottling up all your emotions for years... Because I've been doing the same thing, too." He rested the woman's head on his chest. "You can show that you're hurt, especially with me. You can be true to me."

Those words were like a trigger for Vivianne to cry. No, she wasn't a crybaby. She never allowed other people to see her true emotions, but with just one word from Beckett, she released the pain she had been holding in for so long.

Beckett was her safe space, her companion, the love of her life. As she tightened her embrace around him, she realized how much she loved him and how grateful she was that he was part of her life.

They spent most of their day just like that—hugging each other, talking about superficial stuff, and drinking wine. Beckett asked Nathan to take care of Jeremy for the day. He wanted to spend the rest of his day with Vivianne as if it were their last.

And before they knew it, it was already nine o'clock in the evening. Beckett watched a show while Vivianne leaned on his chest, staring at him as if he were the most precious thing to her.

She memorized every single detail of his face and etched it into her memory.

"Beckett..."

"Hmm?"

"Can you promise me something?"

"Promise you what?" Beckett lowered his gaze to Vivianne, a smile on his lips. "That I should love you for the rest of my life? Of course, I will."

Vivianne chuckled before playfully hitting Beckett's chest. She was somewhat flustered but would never admit it, even if he teased her about it. "Well, I have three wishes."

"Too many," Beckett jokingly replied. "But what is it?"

"First, if you can save my mom, save her... Because I can't do that for her," Vivianne said in a soft voice.

"I will." Beckett's hand met Vivianne's hand, squeezing it reassuringly. He showed her a reassuring smile. "The second?"

"Take care of yourself always. Be attentive. Don't trust anyone."

"As always," Beckett nodded. That was what he always did. He never let his guard down. "And the third one?"

"Just in case something happens... Remember that I love you." Vivianne kissed Beckett as tears rolled down her cheeks, and with that, Beckett gradually lost consciousness. "And I'm sorry..."