Lily was astounded for a second because of her friend's sudden request. "Huh? That's a weird thing you're asking. Don't tell me you still desire your ex-boyfriend even though he's dead?"
"You crazy—Wait, how did you know?" Vivianne's voice was filled with surprise. She knew she hadn't discussed it with anyone except Manager Yu. "Who told you?"
"Tristan! Obviously! He probably told you because he got caught cheating," Lily replied while looking around suspiciously.
Lily had managed to sneakily take a picture of Tristan before the higher-ups arrived at the morgue. It was something she wasn't supposed to do, and if she got caught, she would surely be fired.
"And he really told you that? That damn idiot." Vivianne sighed before gripping the steering wheel tightly. She felt her stress piling up, and she didn't like it.
"Yeah! I told him to tell me everything he knew." Lily was proud of herself. Though she may have an innocent face, she was skilled at making people confess. "He got caught in a drug raid. Your ex was a drug user, but it wasn't obvious, huh?"
"A drug user?" Vivianne blinked her eyes twice. "Are you sure about that?"
"He's positive, Viv. And it seems like he had been using drugs for a long time since they all know each other." Lily approached Tristan's corpse before taking a closer picture of his face. "I just don't know what kind of drugs they were using or where they got them."
"Damn it."
Vivianne bit her lip. At this moment, she wanted to invalidate her relationship with Tristan and forget about getting drunk just because of that man.
Vivianne despised her father because he was bad, and now her ex turned out to be the same? She felt like throwing up.
"I've sent the picture," Lily said, bringing Vivianne back to reality. "Why? Did you notice something unusual? Since he's your ex-boyfriend, maybe you know something?"
"I just want to see..." Vivianne replied as she enlarged the picture of Tristan. She focused on his cheek.
"I knew it! You just want to desire your ex!" Lily whispered. Her voice was getting softer because she didn't want anyone to hear her. "Girl, you're in the showbiz industry. Find a decent guy!"
"Shut up, Lilianne. Please." Vivianne's tone was somewhat firm, showing her irritation.
Lily immediately fell silent. Vivianne had called her by her full name, indicating that her patience was running out. While Vivianne remained silent on the other line, Lily reflected on her thoughts.
Recently, someone called their police station anonymously, and Lily was the one who answered the call. The caller used a voice changer, so she couldn't identify who it was.
The caller claimed to have information about a long-sought drug den in the Philippines. Lily took the call seriously, but the man didn't show up at their designated meeting place yesterday.
"Was that Tristan?" Lily questioned herself. "What if Vivianne gets into trouble because of him?"
Among Vivianne's friends, no one knew that she knew how to fight, which made Lily extremely worried. No one knew about the illegal business of the Allamino family either. Alfred had warned Vivianne to keep quiet, or things would get messy.
"So, Viv? Do you have any tips? We've been searching for a drug lord for a long time. If you notice anything, can you inform me?" Lily made several remarks, but there was no response on the other line. "Hello, Viv?"
Lily looked at her phone, furrowing her brow when she saw that the call had ended. She knew Vivianne since they were in college. She knew that when she could hardly talk to her, it meant she was deeply engrossed in her thoughts.
"Did she discover something?" Lily whispered to herself. However, she quickly snapped back to reality as the two higher-ups entered. She couldn't mess this up, or she would lose her job.
Meanwhile, as Vivianne entered her unit and freshened up, she contemplated what she had discovered earlier. She had seen tiny glitters mixed with Tristan's blood on his face.
At first, she thought it was just a reflection of light, so she asked Lily to take another picture. Turns out her suspicions were correct. Whoever attacked Tristan had glitters on the weapon or their clothes.
Vivianne remembered that Beckett was wearing something glittery on his necktie when they met at the Allamino mansion.
She bit her lip while lying down. Her heart was pounding like a drum. She already wanted to invalidate her relationship with Tristan, and she wanted to forget getting drunk just because of that man.
Vivianne despised her father because he was bad, and it turned out her ex was the same? It made her feel nauseous.
When she realized she wouldn't be able to sleep anyway, she got up. Later on, Vivianne found herself in front of her laptop, investigating Beckett's life.
Name: Beckett Hernandez Clainfer (middle name not registered)
"He doesn't have a registered middle name?" Vivianne raised an eyebrow at the discovery. "Do they come from a broken family?" she whispered, but realizing she shouldn't be thinking about that right now, she shook her head.
It was easy for Vivianne to fish for information, especially if she used her connections as the heir to the Allamino family. She could call some of their best hackers, and in an instant, she would have the information she wanted.
Strangely, Beckett didn't have much more information than she expected. Besides his name, his degree in Chemical Engineering, and his story about being an actor, they didn't find anything else.
"Weird... So he doesn't have generational wealth..." Vivianne furrowed her brow. "But he's extremely rich now. He had buildings, properties, and such. Where did he get the money?"
"We've been searching for a drug lord for a long time."
Suddenly, Lily's words lingered in her mind. Like how Alfred accumulated all their wealth in a few years, Beckett could do the same. Being called the Nation's Perfect Guy was strange enough for Vivianne, and now, she needed to discover something.
"Vivianne!" someone called her name, causing Vivianne to snap out of her thoughts. "The shoot is almost done. Stand by for Beckett's next outfit."
"Alright. I'm coming."
Vivianne knew how to work professionally. She pushed aside all her thoughts, especially after Beckett's shoot was over, and she needed to change clothes for the new theme. This would be the last one, and then they could go home.
Finally, Vivianne would be able to rest because she hadn't had a proper sleep since earlier.
Minutes later, after Beckett answered a call on his phone, he signaled Vivianne to enter the dressing room. There were only the two of them there because their staff was busy outside.
Vivianne was Beckett's main stylist, and even though she came from a small company, her fashion sense was better than the previous stylists he had hired.
The theme was all about flowers, so Vivianne chose a dark yellow polo with black and white flowers imprinted on it. It might not be suitable for some men, but on Beckett, even a ragged cloth would look good.
His facial features were so ethereal that no one could rival him, at least according to Vivianne.
"What do you think?" Vivianne asked as she adjusted the fabric on Beckett's shoulder because it was wrinkled. "I think this is nice, but if you want to change something, just let me know."
Vivianne could feel Beckett's intense gaze, and to be honest, it made her uncomfortable. Even though she didn't want to admit it, thoughts of Beckett's kiss crossed her mind. Whenever she thought about it, she felt a warm sensation, even though the air conditioner was on full blast.
"If there's nothing you want to change, I can give the signal for the shoot to start—"
"Vivianne."
Beckett only called her name, yet her heart thumped rapidly. His voice was deep but gentle... She could hear him pleading, and Vivianne didn't know why.
"W-Why?" God knows that Vivianne tried her best not to stutter, but failed. "Is there something you don't like about what I'm wearing? You still have many options. Just tell me—"
Vivianne's words were cut off when Beckett approached her with long, impatient steps. Vivianne tried to step back to avoid being cornered against the wall.
But Beckett could read everything from her expression. In an instant, he pulled Vivianne by the arm and pressed her against the wall. Beckett placed both hands on her sides—a fucking deja vu.
"Don't do anything stupid," Beckett whispered in Vivianne's ear, causing her hairs to stand on end. "Don't interfere. Don't act like a curious cat. Stay still like you always did."
It was confirmed. Vivianne could hear the authoritative tone in Beckett's voice, but there was also a hint of pleading. For unknown reasons, she wanted to push him to his limits.
"Why? What will you do if I interfere?" Vivianne raised her hand, tracing Beckett's eyebrows, down to his nose, and it stopped at his lips. "How can you prevent me from doing what I want?"
"I'll tie you to me..." Beckett held Vivianne tightly. "In bed. In marriage. In every single thing you'll never expect me to do... So again, don't provoke my patience, Vivianne Kaye."