Chapter 39

THE TIME passed by quickly, and it was already the last week of February 2024. In March, he would go to Agrianthropos City for the initiation. Once he was there and the initiation started, he couldn't leave. So, before that happened, there was something he wanted to see.

It was Vivianne, and now, he knew where to find her. He got that information from Nathan and one of his investigators, but there was no certainty if Vivianne indeed stayed there all the time.

But he took the risk. He went to the Allamino family’s warehouse despite the bounty on his head. Many were searching for him—The whole world was looking for him, including the media industry. But what was the point of living in this world if he couldn't find the woman before he left?

"I hope she's here," Beckett said to himself while hiding at the side of the wall.

He peeked to see the warehouse door, but he mostly stayed hidden. He was wearing a full black shirt, jeans, and a face mask, but it wouldn't hurt to be cautious.

Minutes passed, and someone came out of the warehouse door. It was a middle-aged man and a woman wearing a simple black t-shirt and jeans. Beckett felt his heart race rapidly, accompanied by a slight pang when he saw Vivianne again.

"Where should I put this?" the man asked Vivianne. He was carrying a large box and seemed to be struggling with its weight.

"Just leave it there." Vivianne pointed to her side before leaning against the wall and crossing her arms. The man complied.

Beckett tried his best not to run towards Vivianne, blow his cover, and hug her tightly. Just seeing the woman made him feel almost insane. He hadn't seen her for so long, and even though she left him alone, he couldn't deny the relief he felt seeing that Vivianne was okay.

God knows how much he misses her and how much he wants to take her back. Luckily, he managed to restrain himself somehow. It wouldn't be right to disrupt Vivianne's life, especially now that he was going to Agrianthropos City. They would just hurt each other more.

"Do you have anything else for me to do?" the man asked again, looking at Vivianne. "If not, I'll go back inside."

"Nothing else."

Vivianne glanced in Beckett's direction, causing him to hide behind the wall. He cursed under his breath, anxious that Vivianne might have spotted him. He waited, but nothing else happened after that. Vivianne continued talking to the employee.

"Go back inside. I'll call you if I need anything else," Vivianne said.

"As you wish."

Beckett only listened to their voices, wary that Vivianne might still be looking in his direction. He knew Vivianne; she was clever, more than anyone thought. He heard slightly louder footsteps moving away, and he thought it was the man.

He looked again and saw that the middle-aged guy was gone. Vivianne was still there, playing with a small katana in her right hand. He was momentarily stunned. It was only now that he noticed Vivianne's aura had changed, not like before.

She looked more brave and intimidating, causing him to look away and hide behind the wall again. It seemed like he was seeing a different Vivianne now… Or maybe this was the woman's true nature? He never knew.

'I should go now,' said Beckett at the back of his mind, realizing that he was taking his time in the warehouse.

He should return to their hideout with Nathan for training. No one knows what kind of initiation he will experience, and even Jeru doesn't want to tell him. So, he will prepare himself thoroughly.

Beckett looked again at Vivianne for the last time, but he frowned when he saw that the woman was no longer there. He wondered. He didn't hear any footsteps, so how could Vivianne have disappeared?

“Do you really have a death wish?” a woman asked.

Beckett didn't need to turn around to know who it was. He knew and memorized every detail about Vivianne despite their short time together… There's no way Beckett wouldn't recognize her voice.

He turned to confirm his suspicion, and indeed, Vivianne was standing in front of him, looking at him fiercely. The katana was in her right hand.

“Vivianne…” Beckett called out, his tone tinged with longing and pleading.

Vivianne heard it loud and clear, but she ignored it. “Why are you here?”

“I just want to see you…” Beckett wasn't lying. Well, he wouldn't be able to hide it. His eyes showed how much he missed her. “You left, and it made me crazy. I want to see if you're fine… If you're doing well after all these months.”

Vivianne's heart twinged upon hearing that. It felt like she wanted to cry. Despite all the hurt she caused Beckett, he was still on his mind. He was still concerned about her. And even though she didn't ask for it, she knew that Beckett still loved her.

And he will do anything for her.

"Why wouldn't I be okay? Of course, I'm more than okay here," Vivianne responded in a cold tone. She didn't avert her sharp gaze from Beckett, even though her heart was pounding loudly. "I’m living my best life, and I’m here where I really belong."

"You're lying," Beckett said, gritting his teeth.

"Sorry to burst your bubble, but I’m not," Vivianne quickly retorted.

Every second she looked at Beckett felt like her knees were weakening. All the walls she built around herself vanished as soon as Beckett reappeared.

Every day, she prayed that she'd never see Beckett again, that his life would be fine, and that he'd find a new woman to love forever. But the truth is… She wanted to see him so badly. She wanted to escape all her problems and run away with him. But it wasn't that simple.

"Leave before someone sees you here."

Vivianne glanced around anxiously. She was slightly nervous that some of her father's men might suddenly appear. They wouldn't let go of Beckett once they saw him.

"I'm leaving, and I'll be gone for a long time…" Beckett held Vivianne’s cheek and looked at her intently. "This will probably be the last time I’ll see you up close like this. I don't know when the next one will be."

Vivianne bit her lower lip, trying to maintain her composure. For the second time, her heart was breaking, and she knew it was the same for her ex.

She was right. Loving each other would only cause chaos and destruction. They couldn't be together. They were adversaries. Their lives were messy. Their priorities were different. Two of them would clash… Until one of them breaks.

"Then leave." That's not what Vivianne wanted to say, but she had to. "Don't show yourself to me again. If you show up again and I have a gun, I'll make sure not to shoot your leg. I'll shoot the bullet here."

She pointed at her heart.

Beckett smiled. "You did that to save me."

"Go on dreaming," Vivianne replied before blinking.

However, Beckett was right. If she didn't shoot Beckett at that moment, someone else would have done it for her.

Beckett might have died at that time.

"Do you still love me?" Beckett asked, snapping Vivianne out of her thoughts.

"What?"

"You heard me."

"No. I don’t." Vivianne avoided eye contact, but Beckett quickly redirected her gaze toward him.

His grip was so gentle… Like he was trying hard not to hurt his girl. He's a man of destruction, inflicting pain to gain pleasure. But for Vivianne? She was willing to endure pain and suffering. She was willing to remove everything that would hurt him.

"Look me in the eye, and say that again," said Beckett in a low and authoritative tone. "Say that you don’t love me anymore. Say that you don’t want to see me again…" He brushed Vivianne's cheek, wiping away the tears streaming down. "If you do that, I will never show myself to you again. I’ll leave you for good."

Vivianne wasn’t able to notice it, but she had been crying. Beckett leaned forward and kissed those tears away. Vivianne gazed into Beckett's eyes, almost drowning in the sadness she saw there.

She can’t say it. She can't bring herself to say that she doesn’t love Beckett while looking into his eyes. She loves him so much… so much that she's willing to let him go.

“Run away from me…” Vivianne muttered, tears streaming down her eyes.

But Beckett shook his head. He smiled and kissed her on the lips. It was quick but full of love. “Just wait. I will save you from here. I promise.”