"What do you mean I'm okay?! I clearly hit my head and I am in pain!" Viviana cried, touching her head where she was sure it had split open. But there was no blood, just like the secretary had said. The boy, too, had gotten to his feet and dashed into the crowd.
"He ran away! How could you let him run away?! Catch him! He pushed me and caused me so much pain!" Viviana yelled, struggling to stand. The secretary pulled off her jacket, draping it over Viviana's coffee-stained dress.
"Miss, we need to get out of here," she said, glancing at the crowd that had gathered, some recording the scene on their phones.
"I need that boy! I want to teach him a lesson!" Viviana insisted, her voice sharp with annoyance, as her secretary guided her out to the waiting car.
"Haah! haah!haah!" Viviana's chest heaved like a train engine, her breath ragged and quick. She continuously touched the back of her head, where the lingering pain still pulsed. What was that? she thought, her mind racing. I've never felt like this before… Was I hallucinating? She pulled her hand away from her head, staring at it to check for any trace of blood, but there was none.
The car's luxurious interior felt stifling, the soft leather seats and ambient lighting doing little to soothe her frazzled nerves. The cityscape outside the tinted windows blurred as they sped through the road, but Viviana barely noticed. She was consumed by the strange vision and the pain that had accompanied it.
"Miss?" The secretary called her a few times before Viviana finally heard her.
"Huh?" Viviana replied, snapping out of her thoughts.
"Are you okay? You seem distracted," the secretary asked, her tone gentle but concerned.
"No, I'm not!" Viviana denied sharply. "What made you think that?"
"I didn't mean to be rude, but you didn't seem to notice your phone was ringing, so I thought you looked distracted," the secretary explained, hoping not to upset her further.
Viviana glanced down at her phone, realizing it was indeed ringing in her palm. She hadn't even noticed. It was Theo, her boyfriend's friend, calling her. She frowned and picked up the call. Theo had been trying to reach her ever since she got bumped into at the airport.
"Hey Vivi! You called and suddenly cut the call. I was worried," Theo said, trying to sound cool.
"Where is Nico?" she asked in a stiff voice.
"Wow! You lost your boyfriend again?" he joked.
Viviana blinked heavily a few times, taking a deep breath before speaking. "Just answer the d*mn question! Where is he and why is he not picking up his calls? Is he still on the business trip?"
"Business trip?" Theo sounded genuinely surprised. "Why would a guy like him go on business trips?" he joked.
"He clearly told me he was off to a business trip and would contact me when he got back, but it's been a freaking month with no sign of him!" Viviana's frustration was palpable.
"No way. He's lying to you big time. I told you not to trust him. You were better off with someone like me instead," Theo tried to wedge himself into the rift between Nico and Viviana.
"Where is he?" Viviana's teeth gritted, and her fingers dug deeper into the leather car seats.
"I bet he's at his apartment. He was there yesterday when I went over, so I bet that lazy man hasn't moved a finger since then," Theo replied casually.
"Send me his address," she snapped, ending the call instantly. Her secretary glanced at her, monitoring her mood.
"Is everything okay with Mr. Nico and you?" she asked cautiously.
Viviana shot her a brief glance and then looked away without answering.
"Miss, I forgot to mention it before, but I managed to get my hands on the CCTV footage from the cruise you were on two months ago. I wasn't going to say anything, but now I think you should see them," her secretary spoke in a low, serious voice.
Viviana looked at the rearview mirror, locking eyes with her secretary, whose serious expression mirrored the gravity of the situation. "Show me!" she demanded, clenching her jaw. The secretary nodded, driving to the nearest quiet area where they could park peacefully. It was a silent spot under a bridge, right by the clear water. The secretary pulled out a laptop and started searching for the footage while Viviana stood outside the car, taking deep breaths to cool off.
After a few moments, the secretary came out of the car, placed the laptop on the hood, and Viviana stepped closer to view the footage. There it was: her boyfriend Nico and her supposed best friend Freya making out in secret.
Viviana stood ramrod straight, as if someone had soldered steel into her backbone. Her neck twitched as she painfully swallowed her anguish. Her eyes watered, and she took a deep breath, looking up to hold back her tears. "What a dog! He thinks he can double-cross me? Me, Viviana Cassius?" she gritted her teeth, her nails digging into her skin. "I will make sure he regrets it." She hissed, venom dripping from her words.
Just then, her phone buzzed with a message. It was Theo, sending Nico's apartment location. Viviana nodded and turned to her secretary. "Give me the keys. I have somewhere to go," she said in a voice laced with hurt and determination.
"Miss, let me drive you," the secretary offered, reluctant to let her go alone.
"I said give me the keys!" Viviana snapped, her rage boiling over. She had been deceived, and she was not going to let anyone take away her chance at retribution. Her voice, filled with fury, scared the secretary, who quickly handed over the keys and bid her farewell.