“I-It’s nothing,” Vivian stammered out. Hiding the box behind her back, she added, “It’s the same color as yours. Err… I’m having a terrible stomachache. I need to rush to the bathroom!”
She did not wait for a response as she fled for the nearest bathroom.
As soon as she was in the privacy of the cubicle, she perched on the toilet seat lid and carefully lifted the lid of the box once again.
Unlike Sarah and the others’ silk scarves, there was a bunch of keys in her box instead.
She was still staring at it in dumbfounded shock when she received a message.
Finnick had sent her his home address, which revealed that he was living in the most expensive villa neighborhood in Sunshine City.
His address and a bunch of keys. He was serious about me moving in to live with him? I guess it’s not wrong of him to think as such; after all, we are lawfully wedded to one another. It’s normal for us to live together…
Soon after that, she left the bathroom and headed back to the magazine company with Sarah and the rest.
They had managed to get several good shots of Finnick during this interview. However, they did not dare to publish his photo without his consent.
Hence, the chief editor called to ask Finnick if they were allowed to do so.
The chief editor had only done this because he had wanted to try his luck. He did not really expect a positive response. After all, the president of Finnor Group had always been hiding in the shadows. Agreeing to an interview was already a huge surprise on his end.
To the utter amazement of everyone, Finnick had actually agreed! Immediately, the entire magazine company was buzzing with chatter.
“Damn! The president of Finnor Group is allowing us to publish his photo? Looks like we’re going to be famous!”
“Quick, quick! Show us his photo! Is he really as handsome as Sarah claims?”
Previously, Vivian and the others had not dared to show Finnick’s photos without his consent. Now that he had given them permission to use his photos, they took them out for public viewing.
All the women in the magazine company squealed and shrieked when they saw his photos.
“Hot damn! He’s so gorgeous! Sarah, the way that you’d described him doesn’t do him justice at all!”
“Yeah! None of the celebrities can compare to him! None at all!”
“Hey, why is Mr. Norton’s chair so weird? It kinda looks like… a wheelchair?”
Someone had finally noticed the wheelchair that Finnick was sitting in, as a hush soon descended upon them.
Sarah spoke up loudly, “Yeah, Mr. Norton is wheelchair-bound. But so what? He’s handsome and filthy rich. To me, that still makes him Prince Charming!”
All the other women fervently agreed, which sent jealousy shooting through their male colleagues. The men scoffed and made disparaging comments. “Who cares if he’s rich and handsome? Do you know that nearly eighty percent of men in wheelchairs can’t ‘perform’ anymore?”
“That’s right! Didn’t you say that he was already married? His poor wife is probably going to have to remain celibate for the rest of her life.”
Cough, cough, cough!
Vivian, who had been quietly listening to their chatter while drinking water, very nearly spat the liquid out. As it was, she choked and started to cough violently.
One of her colleagues moved over to pat her back. “Vivian, what’s wrong with you? It seems as though Mr. Norton’s charm is just too much for our perpetually calm Vivian too, huh?”
“Yeah, exactly!” Sarah piped up, “You guys should have seen her just now at the interview. She was so nervous!”
Grimacing slightly, Vivian protested, “Hey, don’t speak of such lies! I wasn’t the one swooning over him like a fangirl.”
“How could I not?” Sarah cradled her cheeks while admiration shone in her eyes. “He’s simply too perfect! If it weren’t for his crippled legs, he would be the stereotypical president male lead, like in all those romance novels!”
It was clear that the women were completely ignoring their male colleagues’ scornful remarks.
For the next few days, the magazine company was busy, working on the article about Finnick. Everyone seemed to be in high spirits as they threw themselves into their work with newfound gusto.
At long last, it was the weekend. Vivian was completely burned out from the hectic week. Nonetheless, she was still unable to rest, to her utter misfortune. First, she took the time to visit her mother in the hospital. After that, she went back home to pack her belongings, in preparation for moving into Finnick’s house.
She was worried about dragging this on any longer. She did not want him to think she was being insincere in the ‘relationship’ of theirs.
As she had expected, Finnick’s villa was massive, with a slight hint of a mid-century design in its architecture. He did not have a lot of servants in his villa, only an old couple named Liam and Molly.
Liam helped Vivian in carrying her luggage to the master bedroom on the second floor. The interior was a simplistic but modern design. Opening the closet, she noted that half of it was filled with men’s clothing, while the other half was empty.
Understanding dawned upon her. She would be sleeping in the same room as Finnick.
Not finding anything wrong with that, she put her own belongings in, neatly filling up the closet.
By the time she had finished unpacking, it was already nighttime. Finnick was still not yet home though.
Her dinner was a plate of spaghetti, cooked by Molly. When she was done, she returned to the master bedroom to take a shower.
Done with her shower, she reached out for a towel to dry herself, only to realize that she had forgotten to bring one in with her.
Cursing herself for being so careless, she warred with herself for several long moments. In the end, she carefully cracked open the bathroom door and peeked out.
Seeing that there was no one in the room, Vivian stepped outside fully and sprinted for the closet. Water dripped down her wet body, landing on the floor.
Just as she was rummaging through the closet for a towel, she heard a loud click from behind her.
She jumped a little in shock, as she whirled around to see Finnick entering the room in his wheelchair.
The man was visibly astounded to see her as well, evidently not expecting his new wife to be so bold as to welcome him home in such a… provoking manner.
Vivian froze to the spot, as her mind went blank. When her brain kicked into gear again, she let out a shrill scream as she dashed towards the bathroom.
Unfortunately for her, the floor was slippery from the water that she had shed, on her trek across the room. Her feet slid out from beneath her and she fell forward.
“Watch out!”
Finnick’s expression scrunched up, as he swiftly moved his wheelchair over to catch her. Thankfully, he got there in time, so she tumbled right into his lap.
As his fingers brushed against her soft and wet body, he stilled in surprise.
Bowing his head, he took in the two spots of bright red on her cheeks.
Although Vivian was not a typical world-class beauty, her features were delicate and fine. She was the sort of woman that would appear increasingly beautiful, the more one had looked at her.
This moment was one that was as such. Her face was free of all makeup, while her damp hair was tucked behind her ears. Beads of water trickled down her silky strands, trailing down, past her prominent collarbones and along the curves of her petite figure.
Finnick swallowed, his throat suddenly feeling as dry as parchment, as his eyes darkened considerably.
Finally righting herself, Vivian lifted her head and met the man’s heated gaze.
She was no innocent child. She knew what the look in his eyes had meant.
Oh no!
“S-sorry…” She instantly tried to get back on her feet. While scrambling to stand, her hands landed on Finnick’s legs as she paused briefly.
