Vivian turned the tap off and speedily slipped into her clothes. Then she walked out with her broken phone.
As she dried her wet hair, she handed the phone to Finnick and mumbled, “It fell into the water and I can’t switch it on anymore. Can you fix it?”
Finnick pulled her onto his lap and replied, “How clumsy of you.”
He inspected the phone and shook his head. “I can’t.”
Since Finnick usually ferried her to work, Vivian didn’t see the need to fix her phone immediately. So she decided she was going to the repair shop after work the next day.
Unfortunately, Murphy’s Law befell her that very day.
The next day, the moment she stepped into the office, she could feel something was off.
“Morning, everyone.”
Vivian greeted everyone as usual, but no one gave her any response.
She then realized that everyone was looking at her with an inscrutable emotion.
Sarah rushed over and examined her peculiarly. Then, she comforted her by saying, “Vivian, don’t be too upset. After all, love is more important than a child.”
“What…?”
It was baffling that Sarah was saying all these.
A period of time had passed since Vivian discovered the loss of her child.
It’s been so long. Why is everyone consoling me all of a sudden?
Just then, Shannon appeared beside her. With a disparaging smile on her face, she began to mock Vivian, “My, my. The audacity of you… Hats off to you, really. Whose child was that? The Chief Editor’s? Or some other man’s? Or do you yourself not know who the father of the child was?”
Vivian gaped at her in disbelief. There was no enmity between them. Who gave Shannon the right to talk to her like that?
Meanwhile, Fabian walked out upon hearing the commotion.
“It’s still office hours. Enough with all the gossips and get back to work!”
Finnick’s stern warning prompted everyone to move, but their eyes never left Vivian.
There was a hushed murmuring as they chattered amongst themselves. Vivian could make out their tones, but she couldn’t hear what they were saying.
“I can’t believe she has the nerve to show up for work. If it were me, I would lie low after being humiliated so badly.”
“Look at her all haggard… Maybe it’s all a ploy to win Mr. Norton back… Tsk…”
“A pitiful person is always detestable in some way.”
“When we first got to know her, I’ve always thought she was a kind person. Who’d know she’s like that…”
“I know, right? Looks can be deceiving.”
“Hope she learns from her mistakes and changes for the better…”
Fabian noticed that Vivian was being ambushed by everybody’s harsh remarks. Out of goodwill, he decided to come to her rescue. Letting out a light cough, he said, “Vivian, please come to my office.”
“Alright.” Desperate to figure out what was going on, Vivian followed behind him. He’s probably the only one who can tell me the truth right now.
Fabian summoned her to the Chief Editor’s office and took one look at her careworn visage. He instantly assumed it was due to the incident that morning.
Worried for her, he glanced at her tenderly and inquired, “Vivian, are you alright? I didn’t expect things to turn out that way. I didn’t think Uncle Finnick would…”
He hesitated before continuing. “I mean, of course, I believe you. Still, they’re not wrong. Some matters must be hard to explain… Be that as it may, the child’s already gone. Just let the past remain as it is. I’m sure Uncle Finnick will understand. He’ll definitely forgive you…”
Fabian paused for a moment before continuing, “Also, I apologize if Ashley has created more trouble for you during this period. Please accept my apology on her behalf. At the end of the day, she’s still your sister. Don’t take it to heart.”
“Fabian, what exactly are you talking about?”
His words were baffling to her.
“Fabian, tell me what exactly you mean by all that.”
