Vivian's Table Novels & Stories

The phone on the table vibrated again, a short, vicious vibration that felt like a countdown timer. I didn't need to look at the screen to know who was messaging me, or what the demand would be. The invisible mastermind pulling my strings wanted me to turn around. They wanted me to watch the final piece of the razing fall into place. ​Slowly, fighting every instinct I possessed as a man who had spent years building a respectable life, I turned around. ​Vivian sat across the table, completely motionless. The color had drained from her face until she looked like ceramic left out in the frost. Her hands were folded neatly in her lap, but her fingers were locked together so tightly the knuckles

~Ioana~ With a soft thud, Vivian gently set the jug filled with water on the table. But froze when she noticed the frown marring my lips. "Is something the matter, Madame?" She asked tentatively. I shook my head but paused. 'Why should I endure it?' "Vivian…" I called out to her. "Yes, Madame?" "Replace the table… looking at it spoils my appetite…" "I'll do that right away, Madam—"

I stared down at him and said, deadpan, "I'll never tell you. I'm not letting you mess with her peace." Pedro stared at me, frozen. Then Marco stepped in. "Vivian's really dead?" His voice was low, stunned. I gave him a cold smile. "Yeah, she is. You should be thrilled—you always hated her. Thought she wasn't good enough. But really, Marco, what makes you think you were?" The night felt thick. The Domingo estate was unusually lively. Behind me, Pedro was still crying, Marco snapping at him. And honestly? That part felt kinda satisfying.

After a while, Wanda clutched her stomach as intense pain coursed through her. She spat out a mouthful of blood. She belatedly realized what had happened and swept the glass of milk off the table, making it shatter on the floor. Then, she slapped Lila. "What did you put in the milk? When did you learn the truth?" Lila's expression darkened when she heard her words. She snarled, "I put whatever you put in my soup but at a hundred times the dosage."

Tonight was not just dinner. Tonight was Vivian’s night. At the head table, Alpha Darius Blackthorn sat like a king carved from old mountain stone. Silver threaded through his black hair, and power rested around him so naturally the room seemed to bend toward it. Beside him sat Luna Maren, elegant in deep blue, her silver eyes calm and watchful. Ezra sat to his father’s right. Vivian sat beside him. Of course she did. She wore emerald silk that made her look untouchable. Her dark hair was swept over one shoulder, and a silver crescent pendant rested at her throat.

The words sounded casual, but his eyes remained on me a second too long before he left the room. The door closed softly behind him. …………………… The dining room looked like something out of a magazine. The table alone was larger than my old apartment, covered with polished silverware, crystal glasses, and enough food to feed twenty people. Yet despite all the beauty surrounding it, the atmosphere felt suffocating. Vivian sat elegantly at one end of the table beside William, her expression warm and graceful as servants moved around her. Across from them sat Chloe. The moment her eyes landed on me, her lips curved slowly. She looked satisfied and I wondered what the reason was.

“Of course.” The seating arrangement, of course, was not accidental. Vivian guided her toward the middle of the long table—right next to Alessandro. Perfect. As they sat, Isabel glanced up just once. His gaze met hers. It was brief. Controlled. Unreadable. But it sliced through her anyway. She shifted in her seat and reached for her water glass. Vivian chatted politely about summer plans and charity benefits while waiters began to serve the appetizers—grilled octopus, crusty bread, and a soft cheese that smelled like regret. Isabel barely heard her.

Vivian whispered, pinching me from underneath the table and smiling at the same time like nothing was wrong. “Oh and Luca” I said, jumping up a little because I didn’t expect it “This is Vivian my best friend, she’s also a chef in learning at one Macdonald’s restaurant and she would be here till Monday, you can feel free to show her some of your recipes, and ask her help if you want.” I was feeling so ashamed that Vivian would succeed in putting me up to this. I guess I started with the game first, so I was in no position to complain.

Even as she spoke, she was studying Lulu intently, and she subtly turned away as Lulu lowered her head and moved aside. "What are you doing here?" Zachary asked, striding toward them with a glass of water. "Mr. Slate…" Vivian beamed when she saw him, hurrying toward him while shoving Lulu aside. Lulu almost lost her balance but managed to catch herself, whereas Zachary seemed not to see it. He stayed silent and waited, pursing his lips when Lulu did not say a word. At the same time, Vivian put the food container on the table as if she was at home. "I was so worried and I know you wouldn't have much food at home, so I brought you something. I made all these myself!"

With her chin held high, she walked past me, not caring that her shoulder brushed my chest, or that I fought inwardly not to shove her against the wall and tangle my fingers into her hair. She marched down the steps, gathering the material of her dress into her palms as she took each step. She was shorter than I imagined her to be, not that one can choose their mate. Vivian stood at the doorway to the kitchen; her eyes cast downward, gesturing Piper toward the table full of fresh foods. She must have rewarmed them because heat billowed above the rolls. Piper took her seat, and I sat across from her, watching her annoyed eyes, and her jaw clenching and unclenching.