"I didn't even know this watch was in my bag."
Darren, who was sitting on the sofa where Lucas had been, stopped looking around the luxurious apartment when he heard Vivi's voice. Vivi approached him with his watch, which he had purposefully placed in her bag the night before.
But Darren didn't notice the watch in Vivi's hand because his gaze was fixed on her face. Vivi's face seems much more attractive without makeup or her flushed drunken face.
"I don't remember anything because I was so drunk last night. I apologize if I did anything wrong to you last night. "I will return your watch, sir," Vivi stated as she handed Darren the watch.
Darren took a peek at the watch Vivi handed him before returning his gaze to the woman. "Give me ten," Darren stated, making Vivi stare at him confused. "If you think our conversation last night was a mistake and you want to forget about it, then you have to give me ten watches that are exactly the same as the one in your hand as compensation."
Vivi placed Darren's watch on the table and folded her hands in front of her chest as she gave him a piercing look, not realizing that her keen eye had not intimidated Darren but made him even more captivated by her.
"Are you tricking me?" Vivi asked. "Did you bring me to the hotel drunk and then put this watch in my bag to trick me? If anyone should be compensated here, it should be me, not you, sir! Because I don't know what you did to me when you took me to the hotel drunk."
"I didn't do anything more than a few kisses, which you also enjoyed with a very seductive moan, miss," Darren explained, leaving Vivi stunned. "You were on your period, so I didn't do anything to you."
"So that's why you want to trick me now?" Vivi asked, her tone as cold as the glare she gave Darren, whom she thought was a liar.
"I think you can see it from here." Instead of responding to Vivi's query, Darren rose from his seat. He walked to the large window that offered an extraordinary view from the apartment on the 7th floor.
"Ah, look! There it is!" Darren pointed to a skyscraper in the distance by tapping his index finger on the window. "That's one of my buildings," he said to Vivi. "There are a few around this area, but this one is the closest one you can see from here."
"I believe more and more that you are a fraud," Vivi stated, which confused Darren because she still thought he was a fraud when he showed off his wealth like this. "Can you get out of my house right now before I call security?"
"I rarely do this because it's so embarrassing. But since you keep thinking me as a fraud..." Darren hangs up and goes over to Vivi, who looks wary as he takes out his phone.
"You can see for yourself," Darren added, handing Vivi his phone. "Take a look," he implored as Vivi continued to stare at him, seemingly uninterested in his phone.
Vivi finally lowered her eyes to stare at Darren's phone while he watched her as if he couldn't wait to see her reaction when she realized who he was.
And yes, it did. The way Vivi's eyes widened with a look of shock on her face that met Darren's expectations successfully made a satisfied grin appear on the man's lips.
The sole heir of a conglomerate couple and one of the world's 50 wealthiest people. A major corporation with thousands of employees, a real estate business with an annual increase in value, and other assets that made Darren one of the most regarded young businessmen.
"Wow." After reading the information about Darren, Vivi could only say one word. It was hard for her to believe that there were people in this world with wealth that seemed impossible, like Darren, and people who were so poor that they had to use contract marriages as a place to live, like her.
"But, still..." After admiring Darren's wealth, Vivi returned her gaze to him. "How can you play such cruel tricks on others just because you're wealthy?"
Darren laughed at Vivi's words. Even though he boasted about himself, the woman perceived him as a fraud to the very end.
"So, this is the only apartment your ex-husband gave you after the divorce?" Darren sat back in his seat, ignoring Vivi's suspicion that he was still a fraud. He sat back against the sofa and crossed his long legs, his gaze fixed on Vivi, who stood with her arms crossed across her chest.
"You were married to him for a year and a half, but all he gave you was this small apartment and a small amount of money?" Darren asked in a mocking tone that irritated Vivi.
"This apartment is not small at all, and the money he gave me is enough to allow me to live in luxury for years without working!" Vivi reacted, which prompted Darren to chuckle at her, making Vivi even more irritated that he had disrespected her and Lucas.
"I honestly don't remember what I said to you last night when I was drunk, sir. I hope you can leave because it was only a mistake and I've apologized and returned your watch–"
"I can give you a big mansion wherever you want it and enough money to live in luxury for the rest of your life." Vivi immediately fell silent as Darren interrupted her with something she didn't understand, causing her to frown again.
But when Darren continued to explain the plan he had prepared for Vivi, the woman could not help but widen her eyes.
"As you have done before, all you have to do now is sign a three-year marriage contract with me. And after our marriage contract ends, I will give you more than you can get now. I will give you everything to make sure that my ex-wife can still live in luxury after I divorce her."
Bang!"Oh, my goodness!" Lying on the bed and playing with his phone, Bryan jumped in surprise when the door to his room suddenly opened. And he immediately glared at Vivi as he saw the woman with the big belly walking toward him while ruffling her waist."What? Where are your manners, huh? Why did you just barge into a virgin's room?!" Bryan snapped."Where are you hiding him?" Vivi asked with an annoyed look."Hiding who? Can't you see I'm busy, huh?" Bryan argued as he was busy with his phone again."Seriously, Bryan! I don't have much time. The plane is leaving soon!" Vivi raised her voice in an annoyed tone, but Bryan just shrugged."Then hurry up and get going! Why are you lingering in my room?" snapped Bryan–who could comfortably call one of the rooms in Darren's house 'my room' due to the number of times he stayed there and used it."You don't want to tell me?" asked Vivi, and Bryan shrugged again. "Just watch out if I find him here!"Vivi turned to leave Bryan, causing the ma
Lucas put his cup down on the table after taking a sip. It hadn't been ten minutes since he'd sat down in this cafe to meet Vivi, but he'd almost finished his coffee before Vivi arrived. Unconsciously, the nervousness he felt was making him thirsty.Lucas didn't know why he felt so nervous. But the feeling came only after Vivi, whom he hadn't heard from in 5 months, suddenly contacted him and invited him to meet.Since Vivi returned to Darren, his relationship with Vivi, which was once intense, has been severed. He never hears from Vivi again, and even Bryan, who is still on good terms with him, never mentions Vivi or Darren in his presence.Lucas was very worried and wanted to contact Vivi at least once to check on her. But Lucas tried to suppress his curiosity for fear of putting Vivi back in a bad relationship with Darren. He assured himself that if there was no news, everything was okay because if something happened to Vivi, he would hear about it from Bryan."Have you been waitin
"Because there is a childhood wound that I want to heal.""What wound do you want to heal?" asked Vivi."My wounded heart from parents who never loved me at all," Darren says, causing Vivi to fall silent as she remembers Bryan's story about Darren's mother killing his father."As a kid, I wanted a lot of trivial things. But because I was afraid of my parents, I never said it and grew up without ever feeling those things. Now that I can get everything easily, I will no longer feel happy. So I want to heal the wound my parents left in my heart by giving my future child all I never had in my childhood," Darren explains."This child is so lucky," Vivi said as she gently rubbed her belly. "I am so jealous that he has a dad who loves him so much because I never really felt my parents' love." "Why would you be jealous? This baby's daddy is your husband. He's all yours," Darren said."I like this kind of feeling. Feeling happy without much effort. Just being in your arms and chatting without
"No need to go to the hospital!" Vivi immediately rejected Darren's invitation in a panic. "It's probably not because I'm pregnant. Maybe... Maybe it's just fatigue or a cold."Darren looked at Vivi worriedly–more worried than ever because Vivi refused his offer to go to the hospital."It's okay if you're not pregnant, Vivi. You should still go to the hospital for a checkup. We can't go home if you're sick," Darren said. He tried to say it softly so Vivi would not feel depressed because she thought he wanted her to be pregnant.Although, in truth, Darren was very upset to hear Vivi's suspicion that she might be pregnant with his child."You looked very happy when I said I might be pregnant." But it seemed that Darren had unconsciously made it clear enough for Vivi to see. "I didn't want you to be disappointed because–“"I told you I wouldn't force it. If you're not pregnant, if you're not ready, then it doesn't matter. But please, you should still go to the doctor and get checked out
"You're just in time." Standing in front of the stove with an apron attached to her body, Vivi greeted Darren's arrival with a warm smile. "I just finished making lunch. Wash your hands and..."Vivi stopped talking when Darren, who was walking towards her, suddenly hugged her tightly. It surprised Vivi that the man hugged her like that without saying anything."Darren?" Vivi called Darren's name softly. "What's wrong?" she asked in a worried tone."I miss you so much. So let me hug you like this for a while until my longing goes away," Darren said, which made Vivi hug him back immediately."Vivi." Darren then called Vivi in a soft way that he only used to call his wife. And after Vivi answered him with a soft murmur, Darren asked, "Are you happy with me?"Vivi did not answer Darren's question right away. She put her arms around Darren so she could see his face. And she felt that Darren must have said something that had shaken Darren's heart to ask her such a question.And without answ
"A- Ah! Shit!"Bryan cursed in annoyance that his gaming fun had to end when his phone suddenly rang. And he was even more annoyed when he saw Vivi's name on the screen."Hel-""What, huh? WHAT?!" Bryan didn't need to hear Vivi finish a word to immediately interrupt her with a yell, which surprised the woman and made her hastily move the phone away from her ear."Why are you yelling-""You don't remember how arrogant you were to me this morning about getting back together with Darren, do you?!" Bryan interrupted Vivi again, still yelling, which surprised Vivi very much because she was being scolded like that."Have you been fighting with Darren again? Did he hit you again? Hah! Enjoy it! I don't care anymore, so you don't have to call me to tell me-""What's wrong with you?" Vivi, who couldn't stand Bryan's incoherent tirade, finally interrupted him. "Are you secretly hoping that Darren will hurt me again?""So he hasn't hurt you?" Bryan asked, lowering his voice, while Vivi only answ