A few days later
"That's not a very happy story, Miss Joy," Kyle said as he entered the office, surveying the empty room.
"Well, Mr. Kyle, I didn't say I was living a happy life, nor that the story was even remotely fantastic," Tatum replied, plopping down in her chair and spinning it around.
They both remained silent for a few seconds before looking at each other in deep stillness."Where's the boss?" they asked in unison.
Loud laughter echoed in the hallway, accompanied by two distinctly different voices. As the two entered the office, still laughing, they stopped smiling when they met the two completely bewildered faces staring back at them with great curiosity. Tatum tilted her head, analyzing the situation: Vivienne, Aiden, and good vibes.
The brunette wrinkled her nose, imperceptibly to the others, then smiled superiorly—or perhaps sarcastically—at Kyle.
"I thought she was crying," she said only for him, capturing the image of the man's perfect teeth.
"You won't believe what Vivienne just did," came their boss's voice, filling the room.
Tatum turned her chair toward her boss while she and Kyle exchanged surprised glances, patiently waiting to hear what Vivienne had managed to do—because they both knew what she typically failed to do. Everyone did, in fact.Aiden settled into the leather chair behind the desk piled high with documents and papers and opened his planner, continuing:
"You know those news stories from a few days ago?" he asked, looking at all three of them. "They're gone!" He laughed, obviously happy. "Isn't that great? I had no idea Vivienne could do that."
Tatum's face faded slightly, and her jaw tightened. She knew she shouldn't react in any specific way, nor had she communicated that she was the one who resolved the issue in the first place—it irritated her that Vivienne used the deleted stories to take all the credit. To look good in front of him, to be praised.
I mean, I did communicate that I took care of it. I didn't mention how - but it doesn't matter.
That was what Tatum hated most. Dishonest people, that are too proud to admit when they couldn't do something to please those around them. When someone hides behind a veil of deceit, pride becomes a double-edged sword—both their shield and their downfall. They parade around in a masquerade of false achievements, savouring the illusion of their own greatness. Vivienne was one of those people who would climb on every little thing so they could be on the stage.
As for the brunette, she didn't want that. She didn't need to be praised because she didn't do this for another reason other than to protect her boss - that was her job, right?
That's what Vivienne was doing now.Tatum shifted her demeanour, so now her face displayed a silent surprise and a smile that could make you want to dig your own grave and cover yourself up. A moment was coming that would need to be eternally remembered later. Tatum slowly spun in her chair and flashed a devilish smile. Aiden looked at her confused. Why wasn't she happy?
"Seriously, Miss Vivienne?" she asked, more rhetorically, and the redhead before her nearly swallowed hard as her eyes met Tatum's.
She knew that Tatum knew that she knew and that Tatum knew she knew she was lying, which tipped the balance back toward the brunette again. And damn, how she disliked that! Vivienne hadn't expected her boss to hire another bodyguard after losing the former employee, who had meant a lot to him. And even more so, to be a woman. When Tatum appeared, she brought with her a wave of energy and skills that eclipsed Vivienne in many aspects. Vivienne felt that her struggle to maintain her position in the firm had become even more difficult, and her frustration grew as she observed how easily Tatum seemed to handle everything.
What irritated her the most was Tatum's ability to ignore absolutely everything that didn't relate to work tasks. Tatum was focused and efficient, and this placed even more pressure on Vivienne, who felt overwhelmed by the pace and level of professionalism that the brunette brought to the firm. Over time, the redhead had constructed an entirely unrealistic image of the brunette in front of her, simply because she didn't want to accept her in her life. She didn't want to accept her beside her. Or maybe she didn't want to accept her beside him.
And she knew all these things."I'm very curious how you managed that," Tatum added, rising from her chair and placing her hands behind her back.
Tatum narrowed her eyes and fixed her stare on Vivienne for a few seconds before sighing and casually flopping back into her chair."Can you imagine, Mr. Kyle, how much influence we really have?" she said, looking off into space. "Too bad we can't manage it completely."
Kyle took a moment, a subtle smile playing on his lips.
"Vivienne," he said, addressing her directly, "I mean, it's quite impressive. What resources did you use? Did you have inside help?" He tilted his head slightly, eyes narrowing just enough to hint at his scepticism.
Vivienne hesitated, her confidence faltering as she felt the weight of their gazes.
"Uh, well, I—"
"You know, it's not every day you can just make a whole story disappear. Must have taken quite a bit of planning," he continued, leaning in as if to encourage her to explain further.
She opened her mouth to respond but faltered, her bravado slipping.
"I just... made a few calls."
"Just calls?" Kyle pressed, feigning innocence. "I mean, what if they got suspicious? I'd imagine a company like that wouldn't just take down a story without a reason."
Tatum watched the exchange, a slight smirk tugging at her lips as Vivienne's composure began to crack under Kyle's gentle pressure. "Well, I mean, it's not like I did it alone," Vivienne replied with an awkward laugh, trying to regain her footing. "I had help."
"Help?" Kyle raised an eyebrow, clearly enjoying the interrogation. "From who? It sounds like you had quite a network working for you. And that is useful information for us, for Mr. Black as well as we could thank them in a certain manner."
Vivienne's eyes darted away, her cheeks flushing slightly. "I just know some people," she said, trying to sound nonchalant.
Tatum suppressed a laugh, sensing Vivienne's unease. "Sounds like you really pulled some strings," she said, leaning back in her chair with an air of casual amusement.
Kyle exchanged a knowing glance with Tatum, both of them understanding the unspoken truth. He appreciated how Tatum operated behind the scenes with her friend, working to help without seeking recognition. She didn't need to be praised for her efforts, and that was a quality he genuinely admired.
*Flashback*
- You did what?! the scream of the husky voice behind her made her flinch for a second as she drifted her phone away.
She looked up behind her and saw the mesmerizing blue eyes looking deeply and shocked into hers. Oh fuck! She closed her eyes as she tilted her head in annoyance - how much of the conversation did he see exactly?
- Mr. Kyle, she began.
- No, no. How did you do that? Who is that person you're texting? his eyes were full of curiosity and she could sense a little bit of pride as well.
She pressed her lips into a thin line and massaged her temple as having a headache. Great! Now she has to explain who this mysterious guy is and how the heck he managed to remove the news in the blink of an eye!
- Sit. Be quiet. And listen, that's all that she said and he of course did so.
She looked him straight in the eye and started questioning her options. She could lie and tell him that it was just a friend that owed her a favour so this is it, or she could tell him the truth about how her friend is a genius in IT and programming and every time she needed something and couldn't get it on time, he was there to help.
I am not a liar for fuck sake!
- He is a genius, he helps me with these kinds of things when I can't do them myself. He is my friend and he owed me a favor.
When she can't do them herself? Does she know how to manipulate the internet? Does she know how to delete stuff that is already public? Does she have friends? Woah. This is a lot to take in.
Kyle looked at her full of wonder and shock and also a little bit confused. As he looked at Tatum he realized that even though she is working here for a few months, he doesn't know anything about her and on top of that - She can write shit, delete shit and make it vanish forever, all in her favour.
She is such a powerful woman, in such a tiny body.
- You realize now that you have to tell me everything about it, right? Kyle sat on the chair in front of her, smirking and glancing at her.
- You realize that if you say something afterwards about anything that I'm telling you in the next 5 minutes, I will take your teeth off one by one and make you swallow them, right? Tatum said in a casual tone as the man in front of her froze.
*End of flashback*