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CHAPTER 9

Author: Angel
last update Last Updated: 2025-09-14 06:29:21

Vivian

The day had been slow, a heavy kind of slow. I tried sketching, but the lines on my pad felt empty, like my pencil refused to listen to me. I tried reading, but the words slipped past me like smoke, paragraphs blurring into nothing. I even tried cooking, but after burning garlic in the pan, I gave up and ordered noodles that I barely touched.

Mostly, I wandered from room to room in the penthouse, opening drawers and cabinets like something important would magically appear. Nothing did. Just silence, and the hollow sound of my own breathing.

By the time Yvonne called, I was restless enough to agree to almost anything. She did not ask, though—she announced.

“I am coming over. We are going out. No arguments,” she declared through the speaker, the sound of traffic filling the background.

I flopped back onto the couch. “I am not in the mood.”

“Exactly why you need to go out. Get dressed, Vivian Kim. I am not letting you rot alone in your palace of self-pity.”

“That’s not fair
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  • FALLING FOR THE COLD BILLIONAIRE NEXT DOOR   CHAPTER 12

    Vincent The auction hall was already alive by the time Aurora and I arrived. Chandeliers spilled gold across marble floors, their light catching on crystal glasses and polished shoes. Every surface gleamed as if competing with the art that lined the walls. The air buzzed with murmured conversations, clinking glassware, and perfume sweet enough to cling to the throat.Aurora darted ahead of me like a spark. She had chosen a pale lavender dress that brushed her knees, modest but elegant, the kind of thing a seventeen-year-old with far too much taste for her age would wear. Her dark hair had been smoothed into soft waves, and her eyes were bright with excitement as she scanned the displays. She paused at a marble bust, tilting her head critically.“It looks like it is judging me,” she whispered, then laughed. “I do not like it. Art should make you want to keep looking, not look away.”“You sound like you have been doing this for decades,” I said.“Someone has to balance your boring opin

  • FALLING FOR THE COLD BILLIONAIRE NEXT DOOR   CHAPTER 11

    VivianWhen I opened my eyes again, I was in my own bed. My head pounded, my throat felt like sandpaper, and my body was heavy with exhaustion. Somehow, I had made it home.I dragged myself into the kitchen, fumbling for a glass of water. The cool stream filled it halfway before I lifted it to my lips. Relief brushed over me for a moment—until the memories started to bleed back.The club. The man. Vincent’s hand steadying me. The cold night air.And then the kiss. My kiss.It slammed into me like a spotlight snapping on in a dark room. My lips pressed against his, the taste of alcohol, the heat of desperation. His stillness. My recklessness.The glass slipped from my hands and crashed against the tiles, shattering into bright, merciless pieces. Water spread across the floor like spilled secrets.I stared down at it, my chest tightening, horror sinking deeper with every breath.I kissed Vincent.Heat climbed my neck as if shame itself had taken root beneath my skin. He must have carrie

  • FALLING FOR THE COLD BILLIONAIRE NEXT DOOR   CHAPTER 10

    Vincent I came to Yves for business, not for pleasure. That was the only reason I stepped into the club’s pulsing chaos on a Friday night. My client preferred the noise, the velvet booths, and the illusion of power the place carried. I did not. But I sat through the meeting anyway, listening to numbers slurred over glasses of whiskey, and made sure the deal was closed before midnight. The moment it was done, I should have left. Instead, I found myself scanning the crowd as if something was holding me there. That was when I saw her. Vivian. She was in the lounge at first, a glass in her hand, her posture too graceful to be careless but too weary to be intentional. Yvonne was with her for a while, but then she disappeared, and Vivian remained. Alone. Something about her pulled the eye without trying. She was not laughing like the others, not performing for the room. She was quiet, but she carried a kind of presence that demanded attention without asking for it. A few minutes later

  • FALLING FOR THE COLD BILLIONAIRE NEXT DOOR   CHAPTER 9

    Vivian The day had been slow, a heavy kind of slow. I tried sketching, but the lines on my pad felt empty, like my pencil refused to listen to me. I tried reading, but the words slipped past me like smoke, paragraphs blurring into nothing. I even tried cooking, but after burning garlic in the pan, I gave up and ordered noodles that I barely touched. Mostly, I wandered from room to room in the penthouse, opening drawers and cabinets like something important would magically appear. Nothing did. Just silence, and the hollow sound of my own breathing. By the time Yvonne called, I was restless enough to agree to almost anything. She did not ask, though—she announced. “I am coming over. We are going out. No arguments,” she declared through the speaker, the sound of traffic filling the background. I flopped back onto the couch. “I am not in the mood.” “Exactly why you need to go out. Get dressed, Vivian Kim. I am not letting you rot alone in your palace of self-pity.” “That’s not fair

  • FALLING FOR THE COLD BILLIONAIRE NEXT DOOR   CHAPTER 8

    VincentBy late afternoon, the boardroom was finally empty, leaving only the faint scent of burnt coffee and the stack of contracts waiting on my desk. Meetings drained most people. I thrived on them. Details, numbers, negotiations—they gave shape to the chaos.Damon Anderson arrived at my office on cue, a neat stack of folders in his arms. His shirt sleeves were rolled up, his tie loosened just enough to suggest he had been working as hard as I had. He placed the files precisely on my desk before speaking.“All set. Tomorrow’s meetings are confirmed, your flight itinerary is updated, and the revised projections are already in your inbox.” His voice carried the calm cadence of someone who knew his job inside out. Then he paused, the faintest smirk tugging at his lips. “Should I also book you an appointment with daylight? Word is the sun has been asking for you.”I looked up, unimpressed. “Sunlight doesn’t close deals.”“No, but neither does glaring at spreadsheets like they personally

  • FALLING FOR THE COLD BILLIONAIRE NEXT DOOR   CHAPTER 7

    Vivian“Yvonne, I am not crazy. I’m just… reevaluating,” I said into the phone as I paced my living room, swatches scattered across the coffee table like confetti after a storm.“Reevaluating?” Yvonne snorted through the speaker. “That’s code for spiraling. How many hours have you been staring at the same sketch?”“Two. Maybe three.”“Uh-huh. And in those hours, did your fabric magically sew itself into a collection?”I groaned and dropped onto the couch. “You’re supposed to encourage me.”“I am. That’s why I’m telling you to eat. You need carbs, Vivian. Nobody builds an empire on caffeine and air.”Her voice softened, teasing but sincere. “Listen, you’ve been in Avron barely a month. Stop expecting yourself to have everything figured out. I’m bringing dinner later, and you’re going to eat every bite. Deal?”I smiled despite the frustration knotting in my chest. “You sound like my mother.”“That’s because your mother isn’t here. And unlike her, I know where you hide the wine.”I laugh

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