Chapter four

Eight days had gone by since the incident at the restaurant and Vivienne was yet to recover from it. She had luck on her side when she chose the restaurant but had no idea something like that would transpire. There was no video or picture on the internet about it.

"Has she had something to eat?" Amelia asked before she walked into her bedroom.

"I made bacon and eggs and she picked on it for a while before returning to her room. That's why I called you," the cook told her.

Amelia paused to think for a while. "Okay," she nodded. "Fix something. I'll go talk with her. Thank you, Grace." She walked into Vivienne's room, and she still had the duvet over her head.

She removed her shoes at the foot of the bed, pushed the duvet off, and climbed in beside her.

"Can you breath in that thing?"

Vivienne groaned and she laughed. "Come on, you can't sit in bed all day. You have to go out. See the world!" She encouraged her.

Vivienne groaned again, she picked a pillow and covered herself with it. But not for long, because Amelia snatched it from her. "And you think I want to see the world?" She mumbled. "The world has seen enough of me. It's time to rest and say hello to my maker because these men are the worst!" She said dramatically and Amelia laughed.

"It's good to know you haven't lost your sense of humor," she commented.

Vivienne pouted and Amelia rolled her eyes. There was something on her mind, Vivienne could tell. She narrowed her eyes at her and Amelia nodded.

"I know, I know. I'll tell," she admitted.

Vivienne flashed a victorious smile. She sat up and leaned on the headboard. Luckily, she had it passed for situations like this.

"You know," Amelia began and Vivienne turned to face her with rapt attention. "For someone who was lying miserably, you sure have an ear for gossip."

"Quality gossip," she corrected, "and I have ears. Not one, but two ears for quality gossip."

Amelia stared at her in disbelief. "Quality gossip has healing powers," she smiled at her silly discovery. "I'll add that to the Guinness World Records in my name."

Vivienne clapped with a forced smile on her face. "Now spill," she ordered. Amelia kneeled on the bed and threw a salute her way.

"So I talked to Mira," she said and Vivienne suddenly became more alert.

"And?" She asked impatiently.

Amelia mimicked Vivienne's position and leaned on the headboard. "She said a lot. It may be too much for you to digest, but I'll try to be as accurate as possible."

Vivienne nodded hurriedly. "I want to know all about it."

Amelia went on to spill the details of the conversation she had with Antonio's assistant. It left Vivienne in shock, but also wondering if he could be that wicked. He'd taken a fair share of her wealth before their separation. What more could he want?

She held a pillow to her chest as she replayed everything Amelia had just told her. "What does he want?" She asked, pausing after every word. "Why won't he let me be?"

Amelia shook her head pitifully. "I don't know what he wants for sure, but I can tell you this. You're not safe." She said and Vivienne could feel the walls around her crumbling. "You need protection. You might need a man, Vee. A man who can look out for you and protect you from all the harm."

Vivienne was in deep thought as she tried to pick a man from the ones she knew. None seemed trustworthy and she concluded that she might just be fucked. "I don't know any man that would do that for me," she sobbed. In all her getting, she tried to find a man and most of them ended up the same. Just like Antonio. The difference between some of them was that they were content with what they were about to take from her and stayed away afterward.

"No one can fill that place, Amelia. No one," she sobbed. "I think it's time for me to stop looking for a man," she nodded as she had just gotten the best idea.

"Life doesn't revolve around them. I might just be into women and I haven't realized it yet. Who knows?" She chuckled. "Life has a way of revealing things to us, and if this is mine, I don't mind."

Amelia tried to laugh, but she could only manage stifled sounds. "I don't think this is true, Vee. It's only a matter of time before the right man comes calling. In the meantime, I heard a certain Leyva man has been at your office all week. I saw him today and he looked dashing in a coffee brown suit. Your style," she teased her. "I think he might just be the one."

Vivienne looked at her friend like she was insane. "On what grounds have you concluded that?"

Amelia didn't look surprised at her question. "He looked out for you at the restaurant. Even when you weren't quick to notice that someone had his phone out, he did. He didn't take pictures, but there was a live voice chat sent out on social media and Gavin took care of it," she said cheerfully.

"Just as Antonio used to clean up after me," she said spitefully. "I don't know how you can't see that these men are the same. They don't change." She said, turning her body so that she looked Amelia in the eyes. She felt tears burning at the sides of her eyes and she blinked severally until she was sure they were no more.

"Hey," Amelia said sympathetically. "You don't have to decide just yet. Try. Let him take you out. You can discuss business or whatever it is you want. Okay?"

Vivienne nodded. "Okay," she replied. There was a lot of uncertainty and doubt, but she would never know until she tried.