Chapter 53: – An Invitation –
Nikolas walked out of the bathroom, wearing only sweatpants, with a towel thrown over his wet hair. He rubbed it dry as he stepped into the living room, only to pause suddenly.
His nose twitched.
’What is that smell?’
He turned his head toward the kitchen, blinking at Viviana, who’d hurried out, barefoot and wearing a shirt that was clearly his. It was quite big on her.
He was confused, watching as she approached him with a soft smile. "What’s... going on?"
"Do you feel alright?" Viviana asked, lips pressed together like she was trying not to grin wider.
"I think so. Why?" Nikolas narrowed his eyes.
She nudged him towards the sofa. "Sit down."
He was lost, but he still did sit down. "What is that smell?" he asked.
Viviana grinned and turned, bouncing back to the kitchen. When she returned, she held a steaming bowl of soup, the smile on her lips stretching much wider.
"I checked and found out that soup is good for hangovers," she said. "I know I suck at cooking, but this time, I tried really hard. I dare to say I did well."
She set it on the table, then hopped onto the sofa beside him, folding her legs like a bow. "Taste it and tell me what you think."
Nikolas stared at the pretty smile on her face. He nodded subconsciously and lifted a spoonful, bringing it to his mouth.
"Nikolas, it’s hot. You should—"
But he ate it before she could finish, making her stare in shock. Wouldn’t that burn him?
Her eyes searched his face. "Are you... okay?" His expression was unreadable, pupils more dilated than usual. For a second, her heart sank.
’Is it bad?’ Had she gotten it wrong again? ’Have I been excited for no—"
"It’s good." Nikolas turned to her, and his face lit up. "It’s so, so good."
Viviana froze. "Re... really?"
"I wouldn’t lie to you."
She swallowed, then relief washed over her, before her eyes shone so brightly, head thrown back as a big smile spread on her lips.
Nikolas stared at her. At her messy hair that was left in a fine, neat, yet messy bun. Her shoulders were loose; that constant guarded air around her was nowhere to be seen. She looked... free. Not as standoffish as he’d always known her to be.
She was smiling. And his wife rarely smiled, almost like she didn’t know how to.
"Pretty," he muttered before he could even think it through. The word just fell out of him.
Which snapped her gaze back to him. "What did you say?"
Instead of repeating himself, Nikolas reached out, dragging a finger gently under her eye before cupping her cheek with his thumb, brushing softly against her ear.
Viviana blinked rapidly. She didn’t pull away from his touch, but she couldn’t directly meet his gaze either.
He knew she would never love him if she found out what he truly was. Humans feared creatures like him, and he could never be human like her even if he tried.
Reluctantly, Nikolas withdrew his touch. She finally looked at him. That look was back in his eyes. She’d seen it last night, and she couldn’t figure out what was wrong.
Was she the reason behind it?
"Nikolas," she spoke his name.
And he looked at her. "Hm?"
Her lips parted. She wanted to ask. To find out. But no words came. If she was the cause, what could she even do? Instead, she rose from the couch and disappeared into the bedroom.
When she returned, two golden cards were in her hand. She held one of them out to him.
"What’s this?" Nikolas asked, head tilted.
"It came in the mail this morning. An invitation to Fernando’s event. His collaboration with Carlos Aceto."
"Oh?" Nikolas pretended not to know, furrowing his brows at the pair of cards. "Why are there two cards?"
Viviana shrugged. "You’re invited too. I’m assuming he wants to rub it in our faces." As he took the card, she leaned in and flicked his forehead. "You didn’t make my wish come true, husband. You lost."
But his lips curved slowly. "Are you sure about that?"
She blinked.
"It’s not over yet, you know," he continued. "Not until the event ends."
Viviana screwed up her face, thinking it over. "Well, technically, you do have a point. But, with the event already scheduled, there isn’t much you can do. It’s a pointless fight. And honestly, I didn’t quite regard the deal seriously."
"Why not?"
Her smile slipped crookedly. "I mean, there is nothing wrong with it. It wasn’t even fun to begin with. I just... didn’t think there was anything you could have done. And that is perfectly fine! This is my problem anyway."
Nikolas rose to his full height, towering over her as his expression shifted. She craned her neck back, breathing out as his hand crawled up her shoulder to rest warmly against her neck.
The man’s grin deepened confidently. "Wait and see, cupcake. I’ll show you that I can give you anything you ask of me."
Then he sat back down to go back to the soup.
Viviana stared at him. ’Anything...?’
That sounded impossible. Nikolas wasn’t like the people on her father’s level. The ones who could twist the world into their palms without effort.
The sudden ringing of her phone broke her thought. She fished it out of the pocket of her shorts and glanced at the screen.
— Dawn —
Right after she’d quit her father’s company, Dawn had quit as well, chasing after her. Viviana had been surprised, wondering why she would do that, only for Dawn to explain she overheard the explosive conversation between her and her father. Not intentionally, of course. And if Viviana didn’t mind, she was more than willing to work with her.
It was a sudden proposal. After all, reviving a dead designer brand was almost impossible. It had been a different story when it carried the Di-grassi name, but even her father had abandoned the company, dismissing the designers as incompetent. Viviana, though she’d always loved designing, was never allowed to put interest into it.
For now, she’d only managed to legally change the name of the company. It was still undergoing—
[Boss!] Dawn’s voice hollered through the phone. [I wanted to let you know the company has been cleaned out, dusted and ready to be opened. But... don’t we need to hire staff?]
"Right." Viviana nodded. "But it’s just going to be the two of us for now."
[Eh? Why?] Dawn sounded taken aback. [What—what do you mean?]
"I don’t have the financial means, not currently. So stick with me for a bit, yeah?" Viviana said.
That is not a problem, boss. But isn’t it going to be difficult with just the two of us running such a big agency? The place is huge!]
That indeed worried Viviana. "Yes... But I can make it work. I’ll make it work."
[Oh, okay then. Good luck to us, boss!]
"Take care." Viviana hung up.
She dropped onto the sofa beside Nikolas, throwing her head back with a grunt.
"What’s wrong?" Nikolas asked, glancing at her.
She looked at him tiredly, saying, "Remember when I quit my father’s company? Though he isn’t willing to let me go. But you do recall, no?"
He nodded.
"You see, I asked him to hand over the clothing company he used to run. It was supposed to be a massive brand; that was the vision, at least. But he gave up on it. The building’s been sitting there unused."
"Do you plan to run it?"
She gave a nod. "Yes. Designing is what I’ve actually always loved. But my father said no. He said I was best suited for his empire, so I worked myself to death to meet his expectations. I became the CEO. The Lady Di-grassi."
A sigh fled from her. "What a shame. I should have cared more about myself than I did for his expectations. I should’ve fought harder for myself. But honestly speaking, even if I did, I wouldn’t win. Not against my father."
Nikolas studied her. He leaned forward slightly, saying, "Let me ask you something. If you revive this company and somehow collaborate with Bastiani’s modeling agency, do you think it would have a shot?"
Viviana blinked, then suddenly bubbled out a series of laughs—a sweet sound that made his ears ring.
"What in the world are you talking about?" she chuckled.
He only gazed at her. "Tell me."
"Niko, that’s pure delusion. That man wouldn’t even give my father the time of his day. If he couldn’t grant my father a single audience, why would he bother with me? He probably wouldn’t even spit in my direction."
Nikolas’s expression changed. ’Is this what she thinks of me?’
Viviana sighed. "He’s like my father—egoistic, arrogant, and looks down on people. Honestly, I don’t care about him. I’m not interested in working with someone like that. Sure, it would be a tremendous boost, but personality-wise? I doubt I could even stand being in the same room with him."
She chuckled again, then stopped when she noticed the horrified look on his face.
"Uh... Nikolas? Why do you look so pale?"
Nikola swallowed and blinked as his thoughts reeled in that moment.
’What the!? I’m not like that. I’m not any of those things!’