Chapter 5

Tristan did not answer Vivienne’s question immediately. He simply pulled his red sports car over to the shaded side of the road before turning off the engine. Instant silence once again engulfed the luxurious cabin.

“Why are you quiet? Is something wrong with your eyes?” Vivienne snapped, growing increasingly uncomfortable with the atmosphere that had suddenly become intimate.

Tristan turned his body toward Vivienne. One muscular arm rested against the steering wheel while his eyes stared intently at Vivienne’s round face, which had turned red from irritation.

“I’m just admiring something rare,” Tristan said, his voice softening, losing the mocking tone he had shown earlier. “You are... very beautiful, Vivienne.”

Vivienne froze. Her head instinctively turned sharply toward him, her eyes widening completely. What? Seriously? Her heart pounded wildly, not because she was enchanted, but because of the shock crashing into her consciousness. For the past two years, the words she heard most often were ‘pig,’ ‘fat,’ ‘an eyesore,’ and ‘embarrassing.’ Not a single person—not even her own husband—had ever called her beautiful in her current state.

“Are you blind?!” Vivienne shouted, her voice rising to cover the nervousness suddenly attacking her. “Everyone says I’m fat like a pig! Ugly, neglected, and completely unattractive! Stop joking around!”

Instead of backing away after being yelled at, Tristan unfastened his seatbelt. He leaned his tall body closer to Vivienne, closing the distance between them until Vivienne could smell the fresh masculine scent of a young man’s cologne coming from Tristan’s body.

“They’re the blind ones,” Tristan whispered, his eyes dropping to Vivienne’s full lips before locking onto her gaze again. “You’re completely wrong. To me, you’re very, very beautiful. Full, soft, and tempting... especially if you were completely naked on my bed.”

Damn it. This bastard is exactly the same as that old man, Alistair Vance.

Inside her mind, Vivienne cursed endlessly. Yet at the same time, flashes of last night suddenly replayed inside her head. Dominic groaning helplessly beneath Giselle, marking each other’s necks, making love without caring about her existence as his legal wife. That overwhelming heartbreak suddenly triggered something wild inside Vivienne’s chest.

The desire that had been awakened last night, combined with the sudden boost of confidence from being praised by someone as handsome as Tristan, made Vivienne lose control of her common sense. Two men from the Vance Clan had flirted with her in less than twenty-four hours. To hell with sin. Her own husband was the one who had thrown her into this hell first.

Instead of feeling afraid or slapping Tristan, Vivienne leaned back against her seat. A crooked smile full of challenge spread across her lips as she stared directly into Tristan’s eyes, which were beginning to darken with desire.

“So... you want me naked in front of you?” Vivienne challenged, deliberately making her voice husky and seductive, provoking the hunting instincts of the Casanova before her.

Tristan’s breath caught for a moment. He had not expected this plus-size woman, who initially seemed shy and defensive, to suddenly strike back so boldly. A triumphant grin spread across Tristan’s handsome face.

“Of course. I’d gladly strip those clothes off you and—”

Thud!

Before Tristan could finish his sentence, both of Vivienne’s hands landed against Tristan’s broad chest, shoving him hard until his back slammed against the car door.

“In your dreams!” Vivienne scoffed.

With quick and agile movements, Vivienne opened the passenger door and stepped out of the sports car. Standing on the sidewalk, before truly leaving, Vivienne turned around for a brief moment. She looked at Tristan, who was still stunned inside the car, then gave him a sensual smirking smile—a deliberate bait to make the young man even more curious and desire her even more. Vivienne knew perfectly well that a man like Tristan would never let go of prey bold enough to reject him.

At that exact moment, an empty taxi passed by. Vivienne immediately waved her hand. As soon as the taxi stopped, Vivienne quickly climbed into the back seat without looking at Tristan again.

Inside his sports car, Tristan slammed his fist against the steering wheel. His handsome face hardened, filled with frustration mixed with desire hanging heavily in the air.

“Damn you, Vivienne!” Tristan growled with ragged breaths, glaring sharply at the taxi slowly driving away with her inside. “Playing games with me, Huh? Just wait and see. In the end, you’ll become mine! You’ll kneel beneath me and scream, begging me to strip you naked!”

Meanwhile, inside the taxi heading toward the Vance Clan headquarters, Vivienne rested her head against the window. Her hands gripped her cream blouse tightly, trying to calm the wild pounding of her heart.

“Vivienne, you have to avenge your heartbreak! You have to prove to that bastard that you’re also desired by rich men far greater than that damn scumbag!”