Chapter nine

The first jab comes unexpectedly and with it, you're thrown off your feet. Trying to find a landing. Something to hold on to that does not belong to your opponent. That's when you discover you're alone, with no one to call home and no friend to rely on. The dreams came harder with each passing day. Vivienne saw herself in a boxing ring with Amelia and Gavin on the other side. It wasn't until the night before the incident that she saw the full picture. The referee stood in the middle of the ring. He blew the whistle, signifying the beginning of the match, and placed the object to be fought over in the center of the ring; Eva.

It was suspicious that a day after Amelia had laid complaints about Eva, Vivienne had this dream. It was like the universe was trying to prevent something from happening, and the sad part was that she didn't understand why they would fight over Eva. What did Eva have the key to except her wealth?

Vivienne kicked the covers off and rushed into the bathroom. She hurriedly put on her leggings and a pair of converses before picking up her headphones. She wanted to go for a run, and she wanted to be alone, but there was no way that was going to happen with her bodyguards around. She tried her best to escape the one by her bedroom and it only landed her on the rockhard chest of the one who guarded the entrance leading to the roof.

"Good morning, ma'am. Are you going somewhere?" He asked, speaking into his radio, so he could discretely alert the other guard of her attempt to escape. "If you want to go for a run," he said, briefly scanning her outfit, "he'll take you." He pointed to the one she hated the most. Mr. Classy.

Then she remembered, that Amelia suggested she get these guards. She wasn't so sure, but she had a feeling they reported to her. Her recent calls had given hints, but she didn't want to think about it for too long.

"Can I have one day outside to myself?" She yelled and they stood back. "You don't belong to my parents or anyone else who can dictate how I live and where I go. You don't get to decide that. You're on my payroll and I decide where you follow me and where you don't. Okay?" She asked, and they nodded. "If you don't get it, then I might just fire you and give a bad report on your agency," she threatened. "I can get six people to do that now and I won't have to move a muscle..l"

It was that easy, she breathed out as she stepped out of the house and into the elevator. She connected her phone to her headphones and her favorite song blared through. She bobbed her head to the beat of the song, forgetting all her worries for a minute. The things she had on her mind were not healthy and had the power to destroy her friendship. She stood, believing Amelia felt the same way. She nodded, sure that their friendship would stand the test of time. There was nothing that could possibly stop them, except themselves.

"Gavin!" Amelia screamed as she reached her third release that morning. Gavin groaned and pulled out of her and wore his boxers. He looked around for the t-shirt Amelia had thrown in her hunger and desire to have him.

She laid back on the bed, feeling too tired to stand. A call came on her phone and she checked it. Mike, the caller ID read. He was the leader of the team she had picked for Vivienne. It bothered her that something was happening to her supposed best friend and she was in bed with the man who claimed to love her.

She pulled the covers over her body as she slid lower beneath it. With the phone to her ear, she cleared her throat. "Hello," and greeted him. "Is there anything new?" She asked.

Mike did not reply for a while.

"Mike?" She called out again. She sat up this time, still naked, she leaned on the headboard and turned until she found a comfortable position.

"We've lost the control we had over her. There's nothing we can do," he said.

Amelia was forlorn and she didn't try to hide it. Gavin was her partner in all of this, and she hoped that she would soon have him all to herself just as she desired.

In all of this, Gavin was all that mattered to her. She loved Vivienne, but she also wanted to be like her, a successful event without the support of her parents. She would often say, "people like you made this possible" and Amelia thought she deserved more than her gratitude and if this was the way it was going to be, she didn't mind pushing through with their plans.

The phone fell out of Amelia's hand and dropped to her side. Gavin rushed over to the bed and sat beside her. "What happened?" He asked.

Amelia had a hard time digesting what Mike told him, so it took a while before she spoke. "Vivienne cannot be trailed anymore, Gavin. I didn't think she'd be that bold, but she told the guards off. Talking about her rights and how she is supposed to exercise them freely wherever she needs to," she said in exasperation. "She threatened to fire them if they followed her out," she turned to face him fully.

She gulped. "I don't know, but I have a bad feeling about this."

"What do you think has happened?" He laughed. "She's discovered our plans and is coming after us?" He scoffed. "Vivienne is too kind to think that way. I don't know if you saw how I wove my way into her life in minutes."

Amelia gulped again, almost feeling guilty. There were many before Antonio, and now him. If she were, to be honest, Vivienne was a good person and did not deserve any of them.

"Okay, so what do you think we should do?" She asked.

"Let the heist begin."