Flash Marriage He Made My Jaw Drop by Roana Cyrus

Flash Marriage He Made My Jaw Drop by Roana Cyrus


Introduction
Vivienne and Damien walked out of City Hall, looking down at the marriage certificate in their hands. Vivienne suddenly realized how crazy she was to have done this. She’d just married a man an hour after meeting him for the first time. Damien saw her expression out of the corner of his eye, and the corners of his mouth tilted up. “Bit too late to change your mind.” Vivienne tucked the certificate away and shook her head firmly. “No regrets, Mr. Smyth. I’m going to work now, and you should too.” Just like that, we got married, and we’re already splitting up? Did this woman really come here just to get the wedding certificate and go? Were they just going their separate ways now?

 

[Muhindi Wa Kuchoma]

Chapter 1

Washington, D.C.

In a coffee shop, Vivienne Quinn sat down across from the man she’d agreed to go on a blind date with. She was astonished to see him in person.

He was unexpectedly handsome. His facial features were impeccable, and even the way he sat exuded an air of regality.

This was Vivienne’s tenth blind date in the past three months. She didn’t have any say in it-if she didn’t go on the dates, her mother would go on a hunger strike and probably die of stubbornness.

The man in front of her now left all nine other men in the dust.

But that wasn’t important. After that many blind dates, Vivienne was determined to get straight to the point. “When do you plan to get married?”

She’d thought about it before she arrived. If her date’s conditions weren’t too extreme, she would go straight to marriage, and skip the entire dating process. Besides, wasn’t the dating part meant to lead to marriage, anyway?

Her mother was threatening suicide every three days. If Vivienne just got married, maybe she’d finally be able to live in peace.

The man looked taken aback, but he smiled. “We’ve just met.

Direct, aren’t you?”

His smile was unusually bright, like the sun in March. Vivienne forced herself to keep a neutral expression. “I almost forgot to introduce myself. I’m Vivienne.

“You probably heard about my situation from the person who spoke to you on the dating website. I’m 25 and a freelance worker, and I set up a stall at the night market selling jewelry pieces. I make about 50K a year, and I support both my mother and myself at home. I’ve dated several other men, but I’m currently single and healthy, with no bad habits like smoking.” Then she added, “I’m looking to get married.”

Her mother had forced her to go on this blind date today, and her mother had also found this man on a dating website. She’d figured her mother had just set her up with another weird, unattractive man, or maybe some old guy with a beer belly and a bad attitude.. There were a lot of unreliable dating sites, and Vivienne had seen enough to know that it was rare to meet a, well, normal man.

The man seemed to immediately understand Vivienne’s situation after she introduced herself. His lips curled into a smile, and his voice was warm and mellow. “Someone else introduced you to me? You weren’t worried that I was some kind of catfish?”

“Marriage is a gamble.” Vivienne pursed her lips. “This is my tenth. blind date. I heard you’re a local who works the Skyreach Group, and your parents passed away. You’re honest, down-to-earth, hardworking, eager to get married… Your last name is Smith…?”

Smith… Vivienne had forgotten the rest. She hadn’t paid much attention to what her mother had been saying about the man before she left.

“Damien Smyth, with a Y,” the man smiled again. “Yes, I work here. in Washington, D.C. I’m renting a house, and I drive a Chevrolet. I’ ve got a stable income, and I’m also currently single and healthy, with no bad habits.”

Vivienne took out her birth certificate and glanced at Damien. “Mr. Smyth, would you like to come to City Hall with me to get a marriage license? I don’t need any of your money to support myself, so there’s no need for a joint account, or a dowry and wedding. Let’s just keep it simple and get the license.”

Well, the first thing she needed to do was get her mother out of the picture. After that, she could take everything else one step at a time, depending on how well things went.

Most of her friends were already dating or married, and most of them were happy in their relationships. None of it seemed too interesting.

Damien tapped his fingers on the back of his other hand, thoughtful. He thought about what Vivienne had said. Why was this woman, with all her financial considerations, so anxious to get married that she brought her own birth certificate to a blind date?

He was turning 30 this year, and his own family was pressing him to get married.

“Do you mind that I don’t own a house? You may be getting more than you asked for if you marry me.”

“I don’t own a house either,” Vivienne said. “Without parents to help out financially, it’s rare for people to buy their own houses by the age of 30. I understand it. As long as you’re a hard worker with character, nothing’s impossible.”

She was well aware of the housing prices in D.C. Being an ordinary girl with no impressive background or skills of her own, she doubted she could expect too much of her partner.

She kept staring at him. After a long moment, Damien picked up his phone and made a call. “Send my identity documents to City Hall for me.”

An hour later, Vivienne and Damien walked out of City Hall, looking down at the marriage certificate in their hands. Vivienne suddenly realized how crazy she was to have done this.

She’d just married a man an hour after meeting him for the first time.

Damien saw her expression out of the corner of his eye, and the corners of his mouth tilted up. “Bit too late to change your mind.”

Vivienne tucked the certificate away and shook her head firmly. “No regrets, Mr. Smyth. I’m going to work now, and you should too.”

Just like that, we got married, and we’re already splitting up?

Did this woman really come here just to get the wedding certificate and go? Were they just going their separate ways now?

As Vivienne hurriedly turned to leave, Damien spoke up. “You never gave me your number. How can I contact you later?”

Embarrassed, Vivienne pulled out her phone, and the two of them added each other on Whatsapp. Damien sent her his phone number.

“Call me if you need anything.”

This was Damien’s personal number. Vivienne glanced at his phone out of the corner of her eye, noticing that he’d changed her contact name to ‘Wife.’

“Okay.” There was something strange about it all, she thought. She was a married woman now?

She’d thought about just leaving his contact information as his name, but after seeing the word wife, she hesitated. My Mr. Smyth, she typed in.

Damien was about to say he’d walk her back when his phone suddenly rang. The words died on his lips, and he instead said, “Have a safe trip.”

Vivienne nodded and hailed a cab by the side of the road to leave, and Damien watched her go.

Not long after, a Rolls Royce stopped beside him and the man in it rolled down the window.

 

[Muhindi Wa Kuchoma]

Chapter 2

As Vivienne hurriedly turned to leave, Damien spoke up. “You never gave me your number. How can I contact you later?”

Embarrassed, Vivienne pulled out her phone, and the two of them added each other on Whatsapp. Damien sent her his phone number.

“Call me if you need anything.”

This was Damien’s personal number. Vivienne glanced at his phone out of the corner of her eye, noticing that he’d changed her contact name to ‘Wife.’

“Okay.” There was something strange about it all, she thought. She was a married woman now?

She’d thought about just leaving his contact information as his name, but after seeing the word wife, she hesitated. My Mr. Smyth, she typed in.

Damien was about to say he’d walk her back when his phone suddenly rang. The words died on his lips, and he instead said, “Have a safe trip.”

Vivienne nodded and hailed a cab by the side of the road to leave, and Damien watched her go.

Not long after, a Rolls Royce stopped beside him and the man in it rolled down the window.

“I thought you were waiting for me at the cafe. What are you doing here at City Hall?”

The man who’d spoken was the second heir of Skyreach Group, Grayson Smyth.

“Just getting a license.” Damien pulled open the door and got in, his voice low. “Drive me to the airport.”

Grayson started the car, but asked curiously, “What license are you talking about?”

“Marriage license.”

Grayson was so startled by Damien’s casual attitude that he stepped on the gas too soon, and when he realized what he’d done he slammed on the brakes, narrowly avoiding an accident.

“Are you serious? You don’t even have a girlfriend. Mom

introduced so many women to you, but you didn’t like any of them, and she started to think you liked men.

“Well, our family’s pretty open-minded. Mom will probably find some guys for you to choose from, and I’ll carry on the family name-”

“That’s enough. I’m halving your paycheck for the rest of the year.”

“What?! Don’t!”

“Once you drop me off at the airport, you can help me buy a house. It doesn’t need to be too big-three bedrooms and two bathrooms will do.”

“What are you buying such a small house for? You’ve got all those villas to your name already… Aren’t those enough?”

Damien glanced away. Grayson shut up, but there was no way his brother was serious about the marriage certificate or the house. This had to be a joke. Or did Damien have a secret girlfriend he hadn’t known about?

He couldn’t have just found some random woman on the street to marry.

When Vivienne returned home, her mother picked up a feather duster and smacked her with it as soon as she opened the door. “Vivienne, what have you done? I told you to go on that date. Did you lie to me? Why-”

Before Mrs. Quinn could finish her sentence, Vivienne took out the marriage certificate.

“Mom, I got married.” She opened the paper to show her mother. “You can relax now.”

Mrs. Quinn looked it over, dumbfounded. She tossed away the feather duster and took the paper with trembling hands.

The man in the picture was certainly good-looking. She moved on to the name… Damien? Damien Smyth. She remembered the man

on the dating site had spelled his last name as Smith, though. Why was it listed here as Smyth?

Could she have misread it?

 

[Muhindi Wa Kuchoma]

Chapter 3

“Vivienne, did you get a fake certificate to fool me?” Mrs. Quinn read and reread the paper, unconvinced that this was really authentic.

Vivienne pointed to the stamp. “Mom, it came straight from City Hall. It’s not fake.”

“Well, where is my son–in–law then? Why hasn’t he come to see me?” Mrs. Quinn peered out the door and added, “I only asked you to go on the date and spend time with him. What’s all this for? Did you even get to know him?”

“I thought you asked all about him. He works for Skyreach, which is a good job… he’s about thirty, and he’s good–looking…” Vivienne thought back on the details of her brief time with Damien. “He seems gentle enough. His parents died and he has no other immediate family members, so…”

It was nice to not have to worry about a mother–in–law and sister- in–law, right?

Mrs. Quinn let the news digest slowly. Even as she looked down at the marriage certificate, she wasn’t sure she’d made the right choice by forcing her daughter to get married. She didn’t understand that Vivienne had only rushed into this marriage to please her.

She had cancer, but she’d kept that from Vivienne all this time. After her last relationship had fallen through, Vivienne had refused to go out with another man. Mrs. Quinn was worried that, when she died one day, Vivienne would be alone and have no one to
take care of her, no one to help or hold her when things went wrong. That was why she’d been forcing her to go on blind dates, to find a reliable man to settle down and start a family with.

Now that it was settled, though, it was useless to say anything else.

“Vivienne, ask my son–in–law to come meet me here.” Mrs. Quinn sat down heavily. “I know you did this on your own, but he should still measure up to a mother’s standards.”

“Okay, I’ll ask him tomorrow if he can come have dinner here,” Vivienne said. “Mom, I have to go out to the stall now. It’s hot outside and you don’t look too good, so stay home and rest.”

She repeated her instructions a few times more before packing her things and heading out. She’d set up a stall at the Eastern Night Market to sell handmade jewelry, small pieces that she’d made herself.

Her stall was a second–hand van she’d bought, and she set up regularly at 5 o’clock every day and closed at 11 o’clock sharp. When business was good, she would bring in about four thousand dollars a month. In Washington D.C., where every inch of land was worth like gold, this was more than enough for her to survive on.

Vivienne had studied jewelry design, but after an incident a few years ago, no jewelry company was willing to hire her now. So she‘ d simply started her own business.

When she set up her stall for the night, the market was already bustling. She took a second to send Damien a text message. My mother wants to meet you. Are you free to have dinner tomorrow?

It went through, but there was no response. Business picked up shortly after, and Vivienne forgot all about it.

Tonight was a good night for business. She sold over three hundred dollars worth of jewelry and closed the stall at 11, as usual.

She was sitting in the back of the van counting the day’s earnings when her phone buzzed.

I’m sorry, I’m going to NY for business. I’ll be back in a few days, and we can do dinner theh.

Traveling for business was common in company work, Vivienne knew. Okay, she texted back.

She packed up and returned home. Nothing in her life had changed, except for her being officially married now.

Vivienne was extra busy over the next few days, going out early and coming home late, and she all but forgot that she had a husband. One night, she didn’t close the stall down until midnight, and it had started to rain. When she got out, she realized the car had broken down in front of her house.

She would just repair it herself, she decided, climbing out with an umbrella to take a look. It wasn’t the first time the van had had issues, and there were no major problems as far as she could tell.

There were, however, several minor issues. She couldn’t afford to buy a new car, or even another used car, since that would cost over half a year’s income for her. She would have to repair it and keep driving it.

After a preliminary inspection, Vivienne figured that she’d have to send it to the shop again. She was disappointed to realize that it would cost a couple hundred dollars.

She wasn’t far from her apartment, but the rain was getting heavier, and it was late at night. She left the car on the side of the road and opened the trunk, shielding her things with the umbrella.

Vivienne would have to move all the unsold jewelry back since some still needed to be processed, and some were from

customers that had given her their pieces for repair. She’d have to put it all back in her house tonight.

The wind was strong, and holding an umbrella and a big box at the same time proved difficult. The rain had soaked her through already, and she knew she probably made an embarrassing sight.

Not far away, Damien watched this scene play out from inside his Rolls Royce, unbeknownst to her. He had just come back from New York.

Vivienne looked thin, about to be blown away by the wind and rain, but she stood firm even as Damien wondered if she’d be overwhelmed by the weather. The wind did, though, take her umbrella, and she looked soaked all over. Still, she shielded her belongings with her body, keeping her head down as she headed toward the apartment building.

Touched, Damien took an umbrella and nodded to his driver. “Go back to the old house.”

Then he got out of the car and hurried to catch up with Vivienne.

 

[Muhindi Wa Kuchoma]

Chapter 4

Vivienne’s hands were slipping down around the big box she was

holding. Just as she was about to drop it, a pair of hands suddenly caught it and a mellow voice sounded overhead.

“I’ll do it.”

Vivienne looked up, and the man in front of her placed the umbrella he was holding in her hand. He took the big box from her and carried it into the apartment lobby.

She came back to her senses a few seconds later and hurried to catch up, then gave the man back his umbrella.

Damien had already looked into Vivienne’s situation, so he’d found out where she lived. He carried the rest of her things to the unit she lived in and placed them at the door.

“Thank you, sir. All my things would’ve gotten damaged if it weren’t for you. Do you want money? Or I can buy you a meal. I don’t know how else to repay you.”

Vivienne was nearsighted and not the best with faces, and she’d forgotten to wear her contact lenses today. She’d also lost her glasses in the rush to get her things out of the car, so she didn’t recognize the man standing in front of her as her new husband.

It’d essentially only been an hour since they last interacted. They’d sent no texts over the last few days.

She was truly grateful for this man’s help. She couldn’t imagine how ruined the jewelry would be right now if it had fallen onto the ground and gotten wet.

Damien looked at Vivienne thoughtfully. “You don’t need to pay me or take me out for a meal. A drink upstairs would be nice, though.”

Immediately wary, Vivienne stared at him, her voice distant now. “I- I have a husband.”

Damien smiled and leaned closer. “I’m glad you haven’t forgotten. But you should probably take a better look at me.”

Vivienne’s eyes widened in surprise as he came closer. “Mr. Smyth… Uh… Smyth…”

She had forgotten his name. He looked helpless. “It’s Damien.”

Vivienne stepped back, flustered. “When did you get back?”

“Just now.” Damien stood up straight to explain. “I was busy, and I forgot to contact you.”

“It’s fine.”

He nodded. “Alright, then.”

That part didn’t matter much. She wasn’t used to being married, obviously, and she’d forgotten about him.

Still embarrassed, Vivienne tried to explain herself. “I-I’m not good with faces. I’m nearsighted, and I left my glasses somewhere, and it was dark, and… I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to mistake you for someone else.”

Her clothes were soaked, and they clung to her skin, perfectly outlining her figure. Under the brighter lights in the lobby, Damien could see her delicate features-bright eyes, white teeth, and fair skin. She looked like a flower blooming.

Damien lifted an eyebrow and put his own coat around her shoulders. “Go get changed. You might catch a cold.”

Vivienne looked down, her cheeks flushed with shame.

“Thank you.” Vivienne wished she could dig a hole and hide in it. “You’re all wet, too. Do you want to come in and change?”

She regretted asking the minute the words came out of her mouth. Would Damien misunderstand, and think she was implying something else?

Damien stared at her with a half-smile, watching the subtle changes in her expression. This woman blushed so easily.

Vivienne was completely different from the celebrities and models he usually ran into. She reminded him of a little wildflower growing on a cliff, standing strong against the wind and rain-nothing like those flowers growing in greenhouses. She had perseverance, but she had a girlish shyness about her, too.

After a long moment of Damien’s silence, Vivienne opened her mouth to add something else, but he finally spoke. “No, it’s fine.”

Vivienne closed her mouth, embarrassed again at being rejected. Damien hurriedly amended, “It’s too late for this to be appropriate. I haven’t met your parents, so I shouldn’t be so casual. I’ll prepare a gift next time I come by.”

It was inappropriate of her to ask, she thought. The elevator opened behind her, and Damien helped her move the big box inside. “Rest early and start packing.”

“What? Packing for what?”

Damien smiled at her blank look. “You and I are a legal couple now. Don’t you think you should move in with me?”

She’d forgotten about that, too. Married couples had to live. together. She hadn’t thought about that when they’d gotten the marriage certificate-that was all she’d planned for, after all.

Would they be sleeping in the same bed? Vivienne’s face formed a thoughtful expression. It wasn’t as if she could refuse Damien’s offer.

She’d been so happy to finally get a marriage certificate. Was she going to back out now?

“Okay.”

 

[Muhindi Wa Kuchoma]

Chapter 5

When she got back up to her apartment, Mrs. Quinn had already gone to bed. Vivienne made sure her steps were light so she didn’t wake her mother.

That night, she couldn’t sleep. She tossed and turned until dawn.

Vivienne had a punctual biological clock, though. No matter how late she slept, she would wake up at 7 o’clock in the morning.

She made breakfast for her mother and left the house. The car needed to be taken to the shop for the night market later, and she would have to call her friend to ask for a ride while it was being repaired.

She waited outside the car shop until a red BMW pulled up about half an hour later, with her friend Lainey in the driver’s seat. She waved at Vivienne. “C’mon, get in.

Vivienne smiled and got in, clicking the seatbelt into place. Lainey already knew where they were heading, and she pulled away from the curb and drove directly to the night market.

“Your crappy old van’s long overdue for a replacement,” Lainey commented. “Why are you fixing it again? Just take my advice and buy a new one.”

“Easy for you to say.” Vivienne laughed. “I don’t have that kind of money. If I fix it up, it’ll still work fine.”

She and Lainey had known each other since high school, and they’
d been friends for about ten years now. Lainey ran her own cosmetics store, and business there was good. She was living a good life, all things considered.

“Vivienne, I hate seeing you work so hard with all this talent you have. You’re wasting it on the night market, y’know? You were at the top of our class, honestly. If it wasn’t for…” Lainey came back to her senses soon enough to cut herself off. She glanced at Vivienne, then smiled and changed the subject. “You’re still young, but you hate everybody I’ve introduced you to! Do you want to be a nun soon? What about that guy Hendrix Tennyson… I heard he went back to China and started a law firm there. I hear he’s still single, so I can help you go after him if that’s what you want.”

Vivienne’s heart throbbed at the name, some old memories resurfacing. She shook them away. “I know you want to help, Lainey, but there’s really no need. I forgot about him a long time. ago.”

Time healed all wounds, right?

“Why don’t you find a boyfriend yourself, then?” Lainey meant well, but she couldn’t stop talking the second she opened her mouth. “I overheard my aunt saying you were introduced to several guys, but you didn’t like any of them-”

Vivienne interrupted her softly. “Lainey, I’m married.”

“Nothing wrong with that. It’s a natural step in the-” Lainey turned suddenly to stare at Vivienne. “What did you just say? What? You don’t even have a boyfriend, but you-? Did you just pull a husband off the sidewalk?”

This was impossible. The sun might as well have risen in the west if Vivienne was married.

Amused, Vivienne said, “Well, it was a random guy, but my mom found him on a dating site. And yes, I married him.”

Lainey braked so hard that the car fully stopped at the side of the road. “Just like that, you’re married?”

She dragged Vivienne to a convenience store nearby to properly interrogate her and put her hands on her hips sternly. “Don’t you dare lie to me, now. Tell me what’s going on. Who is this guy?”

Vivienne didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. “His name’s Damien. He’s local, about 30… He works for Skyreach Group, and his parents aren’t around.”

“Damien?” The name sounded familiar, but the Marlowes weren’t high up enough in social tiers for Lainey to be sure where she’d heard it. They weren’t in the same circles, though-she was sure of that.

She wasn’t entirely wrong. As the president of Skyreach, Damien. kept himself rather low-key, never accepting interviews or showing his face on TV.

Lainey didn’t dwell too long on that.

“I’ll bring him to meet you when I get a chance,” Vivienne offered.

“Well, obviously. He married my best friend, so I’ve got to see what he’s all about,” Lainey said. “But, more importantly, does he have a house? How much does he make? Is he going to split it with you? When’s the wedding? Is there any sort of dowry?”

All of Lainey’s questions were practical and realistic, but there were just too many of them. Vivienne shook her head. “I didn’t ask about his income, and I myself don’t have a house or nice car. I can support myself, though, so I don’t need any of his money.

“The wedding’s just a formality. It’s not necessary. We agreed to live together, and that’s pretty much it. We’ll pay bills jointly if necessary.”

Lainey looked shocked. “You’re out of your mind! You don’t want anything out of this marriage? You don’t even have a house. You’re going to have to work so hard in the future! You’ll have your children’s education to think about… What will you do without a house and car? Joint finances… well, how far can that get you in this life?”

Vivienne wasn’t too worried about the long-term issues. But she was afraid that Lainey might misunderstand her, so she explained, “I proposed all these things. I don’t want to take advantage of him-I don’t know how long this marriage will even last us, so the rest isn’t important yet.”

Things like her future children’s education weren’t problems yet. Why make them one?

Lainey stared at her friend for a while. She’d known Vivienne for so long, but Vivienne had never done anything as shocking as this. “Well… Do you want to go to the class reunion next Friday? I heard Hendrix will be there, and we’ve already booked Moon Restaurant for the occasion. If you want to catch up, I hear he’s doing well, on top of opening his law firm.

“I also heard he bought a villa down in McLean, which is famous for its housing. The places down there cost millions. If you really do reconcile with him, well… you won’t need to work so hard in the future.”

Blind dates were unreliable. Lainey knew as much. If Vivienne and Hendrix were together, Vivienne wouldn’t have to worry about a thing.

But Vivienne understood what her friend was getting at. She shook her head and smiled. “I shouldn’t go.”

She was married now. Even if she had no real relationship with Damien, they were still a legal couple, and she should be faithful to him. Damien had been good to her so far. She’d try to live a good life with him for as long as this lasted. How Hendrix was doing-for better or worse-was none of her business.

Lainey was about to say something else when Vivienne’s phone rang, and when Vivienne looked at the caller ID, she got a little nervous.

It was Damien. She picked up the phone and heard his warm voice come through. “Where are you? I’m coming to see you.”

“I’m outside with a friend,” Vivienne said. “What’s going on?”

It wasn’t as if she was in a hurry to move in, was she?

“Okay. I have something to take care of.” Damien was brief. “Send me your location when you’re done, and I’ll come pick you up.”

Vivienne glanced at Lainey, who lowered her voice. “Is that your new husband?”

She nodded and turned her attention back to the phone. “I’m done. I’ll send you the address now.”

She hadn’t gone to the night market yet, but she was worried that if she said she was busy too, Damien would think she was coming up with excuses to avoid him. Now that they were legally married, Vivienne didn’t see any reason to not get along well with her new husband-regardless of whether there was really anything going on between them romantically or not. It’d been her idea to get married, and she was determined to keep their marriage steady.

After she hung up, Vivienne turned to Lainey apologetically. “I guess I’m not going to the night market today. He wants to pick me up later.”

“You really are a little housewife now,” Lainey sighed dramatically. “Fine. As your best friend, I’ll give you my blessing. But if he ever treats you badly, you tell me right away.”

Vivienne smiled. “Don’t worry. He’s been very kind.”

Not long after Vivienne sent Damien her location, he arrived in a cheap Chevrolet and texted her on Whatsapp to let her know he was there. I’m here at the curb.

Vivienne emerged from the store when she got the message, and Damien got out of the car to greet her as she came toward him. “Vivienne!”

He was wearing a simple, casual outfit, but nothing could hide the aura he gave off. The clothes he was wearing made him look like a model walking down the runway, natural as could be.

Lainey was nearly drooling by the time he reached Vivienne, and she patted her on the shoulder. “Well, now I know why you got married so fast, Viv. Beauty can be misleading!”

It was normal to be hot-headed if your date was this good-looking. But good looks wouldn’t pay the bills…

Vivienne rolled her eyes and laughed. “I won’t deny that his looks did play a big part in it.”

Damien approached the two, and Vivienne quickly introduced him. “This is my best friend, Lainey. We’ve known each other since high school. Lainey, this is my… this is Damien Smyth.”

She couldn’t bring herself to say the word husband. Vivienne blushed from ear to ear, embarrassed.

Damien was used to it by now, and he glanced at her before turning to greet Lainey politely. “Nice to meet you.”

“You’re so handsome, Mr. Smyth.” Lainey giggled. “Vivienne sure has a good eye!”

As she spoke, Lainey took a quick peek at Damien’s car. It was an average-priced car, typical of a working-class salary in Washington. D.C. But Vivienne knew she was just being polite-Lainey had always loved the idea of marrying into a wealthy family, often saying that her beauty and personality would surely land her a good marriage in the future.

Vivienne didn’t think about it that way. The rich weren’t stupid, and beauty wasn’t worth all that. Why would a businessman do business at a loss?

She just wanted to live a simple, ordinary life. If she was doing well with a simple life, she couldn’t ask for anything else.

 

[Muhindi Wa Kuchoma]

Chapter 6

Vivienne wasn’t too worried about the long-term issues. But she was afraid that Lainey might misunderstand her, so she explained, “I proposed all these things. I don’t want to take advantage of him-I don’t know how long this marriage will even last us, so the rest isn’t important yet.”

Things like her future children’s education weren’t problems yet. Why make them one?

Lainey stared at her friend for a while. She’d known Vivienne for so long, but Vivienne had never done anything as shocking as this. “Well… Do you want to go to the class reunion next Friday? I heard Hendrix will be there, and we’ve already booked Moon Restaurant for the occasion. If you want to catch up, I hear he’s doing well, on top of opening his law firm.

“I also heard he bought a villa down in McLean, which is famous for its housing. The places down there cost millions. If you really do reconcile with him, well… you won’t need to work so hard in the future.”

Blind dates were unreliable. Lainey knew as much. If Vivienne and Hendrix were together, Vivienne wouldn’t have to worry about a thing.

But Vivienne understood what her friend was getting at. She shook her head and smiled. “I shouldn’t go.”

She was married now. Even if she had no real relationship with Damien, they were still a legal couple, and she should be faithful to him. Damien had been good to her so far. She’d try to live a good life with him for as long as this lasted. How Hendrix was doing-for better or worse-was none of her business.

Lainey was about to say something else when Vivienne’s phone rang, and when Vivienne looked at the caller ID, she got a little nervous.

It was Damien. She picked up the phone and heard his warm voice come through. “Where are you? I’m coming to see you.”

“I’m outside with a friend,” Vivienne said. “What’s going on?”

It wasn’t as if she was in a hurry to move in, was she?

“Okay. I have something to take care of.” Damien was brief. “Send me your location when you’re done, and I’ll come pick you up.”

Vivienne glanced at Lainey, who lowered her voice. “Is that your new husband?”

She nodded and turned her attention back to the phone. “I’m done. I’ll send you the address now.”

She hadn’t gone to the night market yet, but she was worried that if she said she was busy too, Damien would think she was coming up with excuses to avoid him. Now that they were legally married, Vivienne didn’t see any reason to not get along well with her new husband-regardless of whether there was really anything going on between them romantically or not. It’d been her idea to get married, and she was determined to keep their marriage steady.

After she hung up, Vivienne turned to Lainey apologetically. “I guess I’m not going to the night market today. He wants to pick me up later.”

“You really are a little housewife now,” Lainey sighed dramatically. “Fine. As your best friend, I’ll give you my blessing. But if he ever treats you badly, you tell me right away.”

Vivienne smiled. “Don’t worry. He’s been very kind.”

Not long after Vivienne sent Damien her location, he arrived in a cheap Chevrolet and texted her on Whatsapp to let her know he was there. I’m here at the curb.

Vivienne emerged from the store when she got the message, and Damien got out of the car to greet her as she came toward him. “Vivienne!”

He was wearing a simple, casual outfit, but nothing could hide the aura he gave off. The clothes he was wearing made him look like a model walking down the runway, natural as could be.

Lainey was nearly drooling by the time he reached Vivienne, and she patted her on the shoulder. “Well, now I know why you got married so fast, Viv. Beauty can be misleading!”

It was normal to be hot-headed if your date was this good-looking. But good looks wouldn’t pay the bills…

Vivienne rolled her eyes and laughed. “I won’t deny that his looks did play a big part in it.”

Damien approached the two, and Vivienne quickly introduced him. “This is my best friend, Lainey. We’ve known each other since high school. Lainey, this is my… this is Damien Smyth.”

She couldn’t bring herself to say the word husband. Vivienne blushed from ear to ear, embarrassed.

Damien was used to it by now, and he glanced at her before turning to greet Lainey politely. “Nice to meet you.”

“You’re so handsome, Mr. Smyth.” Lainey giggled. “Vivienne sure has a good eye!”

As she spoke, Lainey took a quick peek at Damien’s car. It was an average-priced car, typical of a working-class salary in Washington. D.C. But Vivienne knew she was just being polite-Lainey had always loved the idea of marrying into a wealthy family, often saying that her beauty and personality would surely land her a good marriage in the future.

Vivienne didn’t think about it that way. The rich weren’t stupid, and beauty wasn’t worth all that. Why would a businessman do business at a loss?

She just wanted to live a simple, ordinary life. If she was doing well with a simple life, she couldn’t ask for anything else.

Lainey was still admiring Damien’s appearance when Vivienne looked back. It was rare to see such a handsome man.

Damien smiled. “Vivienne and I have to take care of something, so we’re going to take off now. Let’s get dinner next time.”

He’d seen through Lainey’s train of thought a while ago, but she was Vivienne’s friend, so he made sure he stayed respectful.

“Oh, don’t be so polite! You’re busy, and that’s fine. We’ll have plenty of opportunities to grab a meal later.”

Vivienne followed Damien back to his car. They drove past several traffic lights before Vivienne remembered to ask, “Where are we going?”

“I took the day off. I’ll take you to buy a car, and then we’ll go to my house.” Damien’s voice grew teasing. “After a week of marriage, shouldn’t you know the way to your own house?”

 

[Muhindi Wa Kuchoma]

Chapter 7

Vivienne was surprised to hear that he was going to buy her a car.

When her car had broken down last night, Damien hadn’t said anything, so she had just assumed he didn’t plan to do anything about it. Now, today, he was driving her straight to the dealership.

Vivienne had been dependent on her mother ever since she was a child. With no man in the family, she’d had to rely on her mother for everything, and her mother had likewise relied on her. She learned to be independent at an early age, repairing faucets and toilets and lightbulbs around the house.

It felt like she was being protected by someone else for the first time in her life. Last night, he’d handed her an umbrella and carried her heavy boxes for her. He was the head of the family now, shielding her from the wind and rain ahead.

She looked at him sideways. She hadn’t known him for long, and she couldn’t figure out what he was getting at, or if this was his real financial situation–but she didn’t want to take advantage of him, either.

“Don’t worry about that. My car’s being repaired. Don’t waste your money.”

Damien had expected her to refuse. “You married me without asking for anything. What’s going to happen to my reputation if this gets out? I may not earn much, but I can pay for basic expenses like these. I’ve saved up money over the years, so don’t worry about the car.”

If Grayson heard this, he’d be worshiping him. Damien’s real wealth
meant that buying a building was nothing, a drop in the bucket–let alone a replacement car.

Damien was clearly just doing what he thought he should do as a man, but Vivienne had nothing to say in response. She didn’t even dare look at the more expensive cars when they got to the car dealership. Damien drove a regular car, so she decided to choose one that was about the same price.

In the end, she picked something that was cost–effective and practical. She insisted on paying for half of it, using money that she’d saved up for a year. Damien had no choice but to agree, though Vivienne’s decision did give him more respect for her.

Of all the women he knew, even his mother, Vivienne was the only one that wasn’t after his money. When they’d bought the car, she’d bargained the price down, and then paid for half of it–what else could he ask for?

In Damien’s opinion, this amount of money was worthless to him, but this was how ordinary people lived. Vivienne was thrifty and frugal.

Vivienne felt her wallet aching when she paid her share, but it all disappeared the second she got into her new car.

“This is so different. I don’t know if it’s faster, or something, but this is definitely much better than my old car!” Vivienne couldn’t contain her excitement. Plus, the car was red, which was one more thing to be happy about.

She was so easy to please. Damien felt the corners of his mouth twitch as she clapped happily. “Take me for a drive in your new ride?”

“Of course.” Vivienne grinned. “Get in and sit tight.”

Damien got into the passenger seat and secured his seatbelt. This was the first time he’d ever been in a car with a female driver, and thinking that this signaled his impending doom, he couldn’t help himself. “Are you a good driver?”

Vivienne immediately understood what he meant, and her smile widened. “Have you bought insurance?”

“Let’s go buy it now. I’ll list you as the beneficiary.”

They got along surprisingly well. Vivienne hadn’t expected Damien to be so funny.

Vivienne drove Damien around the streets nearby. She proved to be a steady driver, reacting quickly and calmly to lights and other drivers, but Damien kept an eye on her the whole time anyway. Vivienne was far different than he’d imagined female drivers to be–not frazzled and timid like he’d heard.

“Head to the Willow Garden neighborhood,” Damien said.

“Huh? Why?”

“To look at your new home.”

Vivienne said nothing.

Willow Garden wasn’t far away, and it wasn’t exactly an upscale neighborhood, but in D.C. a three–bedroom, two–bathroom house here wasn’t cheap. For Vivienne and her mother to save on rent, they could only rent a place in the poorer suburbs. She doubted she’d ever be able to afford a real place here.

This was Damien’s second time coming to Willow Garden. Before going to New York, he’d asked Grayson to help him buy a place here in full, paid off, furnished, and ready to live in. Earlier in the morning, he’d stopped by to see it, and he was worried that Vivienne would see through him, so he’d had someone switch up everything in the house and pack away the clothes he always wore.

When Vivienne entered the house, her first impression was that it was warm and tidy. She was surprised–how did a single man keep this house so clean?

There were still pots and pans in the kitchen, and the stove had been used. “Do you cook for yourself on weekdays?”

Damien poked his head into the kitchen. The pots and pans were new, but the stove looked old, which made it seem used at a

glance. Without missing a beat, he replied, “Yeah. But I don’t have time to cook if I’m busy.”

Women liked a man who could cook.

 

[Muhindi Wa Kuchoma]

Chapter 8

Damien walked her over to the bedrooms. “There are three bedrooms here, so pick whichever one you like. I know we just got married and don’t have any real emotional bond, so you probably don’t want to sleep in the same room as me.”

Vivienne looked embarrassed at having her thoughts spoken aloud. Damien did not beat around the bush.

She tucked her hair behind her ear. “I’ll try to make our marriage smooth.”

*

Vivienne wasn’t wrong. You live for a lifetime, but there are only so many chances you have to choose a partner, fall in love, and grow old together.

She’d only known Damien about a week, but she was happy with how this had all turned out so far. Damien, in turn, smiled. “There’s another room that you can bring your mother to stay in. If there’s anything you think is missing, add it–I’ll work hard to buy us a house of our own so that we don’t need to rent anymore.”

It was another test of sorts, to see if she was going to be greedy now. He’d bought the house after the wedding, and it belonged to Vivienne now as well. But she didn’t know that.

“It’s a nice place. There’s convenient transportation nearby, too. And I’m not worried about renting, so there’s no rush for you to buy a house.”

If they bought a house, Vivienne thought, she wouldn’t be able to help much payment–wise, considering her income. Even with

Damien’s income, it wouldn’t be easy.

Mortgages could overwhelm a person. If you were looking to save, it was smarter to just rent–that’d be cheaper than the price of a house, at least short–term. And she was surprised that Damien had offered to let her mother stay with them. What son–in–law, or even daughter–in–law, would be willing to live with their mother–in–law?

Vivienne’s understanding warmed Damien’s heart. “Whatever you like.”

Vivienne was rather uncomfortable with how complacent her husband was being. “You’re well–qualified and handsome. You’ve got a car and a decent job… Why didn’t you find anybody on any of your dates?”

“Destiny, maybe.” Damien saw no harm in answering. “They just weren’t the ones for me. Besides, it’s tough to buy a house here in D.C. with a job like mine.”

That was true, too. Without either a six–figure income or parents who helped pay bills, it was difficult to pay bills and support a family in this area. Plus, with children to feed and educate, it was out of the question. Here in the capital, expenses were ridiculously high. Vivienne was already barely getting by with her own income.

“Oh.” Vivienne nodded, but she was suddenly concerned that Damien might have some condition he hadn’t told her about. There wasn’t any tactful way to ask directly, though. “So why did you marry me?”

“Didn’t you say yourself that the purpose of dating is to get

married, anyway? Marriage is a gamble. If you’re willing to gamble, why shouldn’t I be?”

Good answer.

Damien glanced around at the house. “Well… Let me know when you move in. I’ll help you.”

“I’ll go and talk to my mom about…” Vivienne looked down as her cell phone rang. “Sorry. I have to take this.”

Damien nodded and waved her off. She picked up, and a woman’s urgent voice sounded on the other end. “Vivienne, this is Georgia. Your mother fainted, so I had to call an ambulance! They just took her to the People’s Hospital.”

Vivienne felt her heart drop. “Why did she faint?!”

Mrs. Quinn had been working as a cleaner in a hotel to help pay the bills, and Georgia was another lady who worked with her there. “I’m not sure. Your mother and I were changing a set of sheets when she suddenly fainted. You should hurry to the hospital.”

“I will. Thanks, Georgia.” Vivienne hung up and turned to Damien. “My mom’s in the hospital. I have to go see her.”

Damien had overheard the worried call. “I’ll go with you.”

Vivienne nodded, but she was at a loss. She and her mother were
dependent on each other. What would she do if something awful had happened to her mother?

 

[Muhindi Wa Kuchoma]

Chapter 9

Thinking about how her mother had threatened suicide before her last blind date, Vivienne grew even more frightened. When she arrived at the hospital, she asked the nurse’s desk where her mother was being kept, and they told her that Mrs. Quinn was on the third floor.

She rushed upstairs, Damien following close behind.

Meanwhile, in her room on the third floor, Mrs. Quinn had just woken up. The doctor was there with the test report. “It’s nothing serious, just hypoglycemia. You need to eat and rest regularly, and maybe even keep some candy on you.”

Mrs. Quinn was doubtful. “Am I really just hypoglycemic?”

A few months ago, she’d been tested for cancer at the same hospital. Just now, she’d been unconscious, and she’d thought it was the cancer taking its toll.

But the doctor sounded certain. “It really is just hypoglycemia, ma‘ am. Rest here for a while longer, and we’ll discharge you soon.”

“Can’t you test me again to make sure it’s not something else?”

“Mom!” Vivienne burst into the room, her eyes bloodshot. “Mom, are you okay? Why did you faint for no reason? Doctor, what’s wrong with my mom?”

“You’re family? She’s just hypoglycemic and overworked. Make sure she sleeps and eats on time, but it’s not serious.”

Vivienne was relieved. She’d run through every single possibility in her mind on the way here, even if there was only the slightest chance it was possible.

Mrs. Quinn still looked puzzled. “Doctor, I really don’t have any other problems? Three months ago, I was tested for cancer at this same hospital.”

Vivienne paled at the mention of cancer and looked at the doctor.

“The test results say no other symptoms were found. But if you’re not sure, you can have another comprehensive examination done.”

“Do it again,” Vivienne said quickly. It was better to be safe.

“Alright. You’ll have to pay the extra fees for it.” The doctor turned to his assistant. “Schedule another test.”

Damien nodded to Vivienne. “Come with me. I’ll go pay the bill.”

She nodded in agreement, but she was uneasy at her mother being left alone. Usually, if her mother was sick or had a headache, Vivienne would do all of the work herself–but this time, she had Damien to help her.

The results came back soon. It had been determined that Mrs. Quinn really was only hypoglycemic and didn’t have cancer. The hospital had administered the wrong test, and the results of that had said Mrs. Quinn had cancer.

When Mrs. Quinn heard the news, she sat stunned for a moment, and then hugged Vivienne and cried.

“I’m so sorry, Vivienne. I thought I was dying, so I made you go on all those dates, and you rushed off and got married.” Still crying, Mrs. Quinn squeezed her daughter tight. “Why don’t you get divorced now, and we’ll take our time to find someone who you really like and who really suits you?”

Vivienne looked at Damien awkwardly, standing off to the side.

She had only been married for a week, and her mother was asking her to divorce Damien? Then Damien would have to get married a second time because of her…

Vivienne had no choice but to remind her where she was. “Mom, calm down. There are other people here, you know.”

Mrs. Quinn looked up and finally noticed there was someone else standing in the room. “Vivienne, who is this handsome man?”

Vivienne forced a smile. “This is your son–in–law, Damien.”

Mrs. Quinn was so surprised that she stopped crying.

“Mom,” Damien said gently.

Mrs. Quinn practically went weak at this, stuttering and shaking and smiling. “Y–you’re Damien! Oh, good, good… You’re so handsome! These dating sites really are reliable sometimes!”

Embarrassed at her mother’s behavior, Vivienne turned away. The atmosphere was odd now.

Damien hid his smile, but he couldn’t keep the amused tilt from his brows. He’d never seen such an interesting mother–daughter duo before. “Help Mom clean up, Vivienne. I’ll go pull the car around so we can take her home–it’s probably more comfortable there than this hospital bed.”

That part, at least, was true–Mrs. Quinn didn’t need to be hospitalized. She didn’t enjoy being in the hospital, either, and she noticed that Damien seemed busy.

She had been worried that Vivienne had married the wrong man, but this certainly didn’t seem too bad.

It all depended on his character. When he’d arrived at the hospital, he’d taken the initiative of paying her medical fees, and communicated with the doctor in detail before the test results had even come out. That made him a good candidate in Mrs. Quinn’s eyes.

 

[Muhindi Wa Kuchoma]

Chapter 10

Damien pulled the car up to the doors of the hospital and waited. Vivienne helped her mother outside, and he got out to open the car door for them. When Vivienne got in, he covered the top of her head to make sure she didn’t hit her head against the doorframe.

Mrs. Quinn noticed these subtle details with a satisfied smile. Damien returned to the driver’s seat.

“Vivienne, it’s 1 P.M. now. I’m sure your mom’s hungry, too, and the doctor did tell her to eat regularly. Why don’t we find a place to eat?”

Vivienne hadn’t even thought of that. Damien was so attentive. “That’s true. You decide.”

“Okay.” Damien started the car up, and half an hour later, they stopped at the entrance of an elegant–looking Chinese restaurant. Vivienne glanced around at the decor and whispered to him.

“Isn’t this too expensive?”

She’d just bought a car, and she didn’t have any money on her now. In order to save money, she rarely ate out–and when she did, she always made sure to look at the decor in the restaurant first. If it was too grand and elegant, she’d find someplace else to eat.

This restaurant not only looked high–class, but it was also in a prime spot in D.C. It was a chain restaurant, but that didn’t mean it was cheap.

Damien smiled at her. “It’s fine to eat at places like these once in a while. Besides, this is the first time I’m officially meeting your mother, and it’s also our first dinner together, so we can spare the expense. And you saved me money on wedding gifts, so why worry about the price?”

They were already at the door, so it was pointless to protest any further. Vivienne helped Mrs. Quinn inside.

Damien had already made the arrangements and booked a table, so the three of them went up to the second floor to be seated. Unbeknownst to Vivienne, this was just another one of the Smyth family’s businesses.

Once they were seated, Damien pointed them to the tabletop. “Scan this QR code here on the table, and it’ll show you the menu. Order whatever you want.”

There were usually two waiters attending each booth, but Damien was worried that Vivienne wouldn’t be used to it, so he’d assigned them elsewhere.

Mrs. Quinn took a look around at the luxurious decorations in the room and pulled Vivienne aside gently. “Just order two dishes. We‘ Il have too much to finish otherwise.”

She meant, of course, that it’d be too expensive otherwise. Mrs. Quinn had no intention of draining her son–in–law’s wallet.

Vivienne nodded. “I know.”

The doctor’s words rang in her mind, and she still wanted her mother to eat properly, but when she scanned the code to look over the menu, she felt the urge to pull Damien out of the restaurant entirely.

Everything was so expensive. Just a glass of mineral water was fifteen dollars, not to mention the prices of the food. Vivienne skipped past that entirely and looked down at the cheapest option, the two–dollar spring water.

Damien took one look at Vivienne’s reaction and realized what she was thinking. “I’ll order it.”

“No, no.” Vivienne cut him off quickly. “Let’s just go somewhere else. This is way too pricey.”

“It’s okay,” Damien smiled. “I’ve got a coupon from a client. It’ll give us fifty percent off, and you can write it off as a work expense.”

“Huh?” Vivienne said, confused. “Aren’t we just abusing company policies now? What if they find out?”

She used to work at a company where a lot of the employees went out to eat regularly, then took the bills to the company to be written off as work expenses, thus using the company’s money for expensive dinners. When the managers found out about it, they fired several people.

Vivienne was just worried that Damien had made the same mistake. It was surprising, since she couldn’t connect the good- looking Damien to tricks like these.

He looked amused at her reaction. “I’m kidding, lighten up. How about some fish?”

“It’s alright. My mom’s right–just order two dishes, or we might not be able to finish.”

“That’s right. Don’t order too much,” Mrs. Quinn echoed.

Damien smiled again. “Okay.”

Then he ordered four signature dishes and a soup, worried that both mother and daughter might be hungry.

Vivienne looked distressed at the prices, but she said nothing. Soon, the dishes were served, and Damien stood up to personally- and very politely–pour coffee for Mrs. Quinn and Vivienne. Then, he took out a card from his wallet and handed it to Vivienne, his etiquette prim and perfect.

“This is my personal credit card. My mother–in–law is witness that I‘ m giving this to you, and from now on you’ll be in charge of this family.” Damien looked at Mrs. Quinn. “Mom, I promise that I’ll treat Vivienne well and give her a wonderful life.“

 

[Muhindi Wa Kuchoma]

Chapter 11

Mrs. Quinn had been waiting for this, and with Damien’s assurance, Mrs. Quinn felt more at ease.

“Damien, you have already obtained the certificate. As a mother, I hope you will live a good life and work hard together to live a good life. Then I am relieved.”

Mrs. Quinn said earnestly, “Vivienne has had no father since she was a child, and I brought her up alone. So I wish her happiness more than anyone else. In the future, if Vivienne does something wrong, please don’t hurt her, just send her back to me, and I will educate her.”

No one else was able to hurt her daughter, even if her daughter did something wrong, her daughter had to be disciplined by herself.

Vivienne was so moved, “Mom, I love you.”

Damien glanced at Vivienne, and solemnly promised Mrs. Quinn, “I will let Vivienne live a good life.”

The man in the Smyth Family was always committed to marriage. As long as Vivienne treated him well, then he would not let her down.

Vivienne looked at Damien, the two had actually only met three times, so they didn’t have much feeling toward each other. But every word and every move of him gave her a sense of security.

Damien said, “Let’s eat when the dishes are still hot. I don’t know if it suits your taste.”

Vivienne tasted it and was very pleasantly surprised, “So delicious! I’ve never been to such a luxurious restaurant. It really makes sense for it to be expensive.”

Damien said with a smile. “I will make more money in the future and bring you here once a month.”

Vivienne quickly waved her hands, and said with a slight smile, “That’s not necessary, it’s not easy for you to make money, so once is enough for me.”

Damien was surprised that his wife was saving him money.

Damien looked at her gently, thinking that Vivienne was really an easy–to–satisfy person, and she had a beautiful smile that made people feel comfortable.

Although the two of them didn’t act intimately, they respected each other like good friends, so the smile on Mrs. Quinn’s face deepened a bit.

The three of them ate in the private room, and Grayson, who also came to the restaurant for dinner, saw Damien inside through the open door when he passed the private room and was very surprised.

His brother actually had dinner with a woman?

Grayson rubbed his eyes quickly and made sure that it was really his big brother.

Who was the woman next to his brother then?

Grayson was curious, so he clawed at the crack of the door and took a closer look.

Grayson was shocked that that woman with his brother looked so old.

It was Mrs. Quinn that Grayson saw. Vivienne went to the restroom.

From Grayson’s point of view, he happened to see Damien sitting and eating with Mrs. Quinn.

Damien delivered food and poured coffee for Mrs. Quinn.

He was the person in charge of the Skyreach Group in everyone’s eyes. But at this time, he was only Mrs. Quinn’s son–in–law, and he must have the etiquette he should have. This was also the family education of the Smyth Family.

Grayson was so excited, besides his mother, he had never seen his elder brother be so considerate to any woman.

His brother rejected those rich and young ladies arranged by his mother, so it turned out that he had this special taste. His brother liked older women?

Uh, Oedipus complex?

Grayson felt like he was struck by lightning. Because he got excited, he accidentally pushed the door open and almost fell to the ground.

Grayson’s sudden intrusion made Damien and Mrs. Quinn subconsciously look over.

Damien frowned, and Mrs. Quinn asked curiously, “Mister, who are you?”

“Damien.” Grayson scratched his head and smiled awkwardly, “I didn’t mean to bother you two, I just passed by and saw him, my brother, Damien.”

Mrs. Quinn glanced at Damien, and Damien glanced at Grayson lightly, and said calmly, “I am not close to him.”

Not close?

Grayson was confused, he and Damien were brothers with the same parents, when were they become not close?

Mrs. Quinn had an epiphany expression on her face, smiled kindly, and said, “He looks handsome.”

Damien was kind of unhappy about this comment.

A few hours ago, his mother–in–law praised him in the same way.

Grayson didn’t know what his brother wanted to do, so he just sat there, not daring to talk nonsense, and asked Damien with eye contact saying, ‘What’s going on?‘

If Damien really liked such an old woman, that would be a tragedy, he rather hoped his brother to like a man.

 

[Muhindi Wa Kuchoma]

Chapter 12

Damien gave Grayson a look that told him to stop talking. At this moment, Vivienne came out of the restroom, seeing that there was a stranger in the box, she was stunned for a moment and looked at Damien.

Mrs. Quinn helped explain, “This is Damien’s distant relative, called…”

Mrs. Quinn didn’t know his name, but Grayson answered, “Grayson Smyth.”

Seeing Vivienne, Grayson was dazed. Could it be that his brother was not dating the old lady in front of him, but this young one?

Hearing his family name Smyth, Vivienne was not suspicious and sat down.

Mrs. Quinn said, “Damien, your parents died early, and you have no siblings. Poor kid. It is not easy to work hard in Washington DC alone. I can see that you are a good boy who is diligent and motivated. Then I can rest assured that Vivienne will be happy with you.”

The amount of information in this statement was too much, and it directly confused Grayson.

Parents died early?

No siblings?

Grayson’s eyes widened, his parents were doing well at home, and he was also sitting here, and his brother was not poor at all!

Grayson looked at Damien with a rather confused face, “Damien, you…”

Before Grayson finished speaking, Damien stepped on Grayson’s foot under the table, signaling him to stop talking.

It hurt, and Grayson let out a cry of pain.

Mrs. Quinn asked concerned, “Grayson, are you okay?”

Vivienne also looked at Grayson, feeling strange about this man.

Grayson received a warning from his elder brother, and could only endure the pain and said, “No, nothing.”

Damien said without changing his face, “He may have committed Podarthritis.”

Vivienne was curious, “Podarthritis?”

Grayson could only look at Damien bitterly.

Damien took a sip of coffee calmly, “There are thousands of diseases in the world, it’s not surprising.”

Grayson forced a smile, “Yes, podarthritis, it’s my old problem.”

In order to know what happened, let alone podarthritis, even his brother said that he had hemorrhoids, he would admit it as well.

Grayson thought that his brother finally fell in love with someone.

Vivienne really believed it, and the three of them finished eating. Damien went to pay the bill and asked Vivienne to take Mrs. Quinn to wait in the car first.

Grayson hopped on one leg and chased after Damien, “Damien, wait, who’s that beauty? Your girlfriend?”

Grayson thought that if he got the first information about Damien’s girlfriend, wouldn’t his status in the Smyth Family also go up?

With first–hand information, he could use it to get more pocket money.

While paying the bill, Damien said, “Not girlfriend, she’s my wife.”

Grayson was stunned, and wondered if he heard him correctly?

After paying the bill, Damien said, “Keep your mouth shut, she doesn’t know who I am yet.”

Grayson came to his senses and screamed in shock, “Are you really married?”

“Yes.” Damien replied calmly with a ‘yes‘.

Grayson was really excited this time. He thought he got first–hand information about his brother’s girlfriend, but he didn’t expect that she was his sister–in–law.“,

Grayson digested the shocking news for a while, “If mom and dad know that you are married, they will definitely jump up in a place with joy. As long as you can get married, they are willing to really die early.”

The two elders of the Smyth Family indeed worried about Damien’s marriage.

Damien glanced at him and said, “It’s just a misunderstanding.”

He briefly talked about being mistaken by Vivienne in the coffee. shop, and Grayson asked, “So, are you going to keep hiding this from her, your wife?”

“Let’s go and see.” Damien said, “Our family does not need to use marriage to consolidate social status, but it’s still better not to marry people with ulterior motives.”

Grayson understood that what Vivienne mistook for Damien as a blind date might have been a plot. After all, Damien was rich and handsome, so it was right to have some worries.

Vivienne and Mrs. Quinn were still waiting in the car, so Damien asked Grayson to mind his own business and went back to the car by himself.

Vivienne asked casually, “Where’s Grayson?”

 

[Muhindi Wa Kuchoma]

Chapter 13

“He has something to do, so he’s leaving first.” Damien started the car, “I’ll take you back first.”

Damien sent Vivienne and her mother back to their rental apartment, which was the first time he came to the place where Vivienne lived.

The apartment was small with only one bedroom.

There was a bed in the living room, which was separated by a curtain. The apartment was small but tidy.

Obviously, Vivienne lived in the living room and left the room to her mom. The rent in Washington DC was expensive. Just such a small apartment, the monthly rent was more than 500 dollars.

Vivienne’s income was about 2000 a month, and Mrs. Quinn worked as a sanitation worker in a hotel, earning more than 1000 a month. The income of the mother and daughter in Washington DC was really just enough to survive.

Damien thought of the five thousand that Vivienne gave to buy the car, and she must save that for a long time.

It was nothing to Damien, but to Vivienne, it took her a long time to save.

Seeing Damien looking around the rental house, Vivienne felt a little embarrassed, “There is only plain water at home, is it okay for you to drink that?”

There wasn’t even coffee at home, and she didn’t usually drink coffee.

The apartment was too small and there was no dining room. Vivienne usually ate on the table in the living room.

Compared with Damien’s three–bedroom house, this apartment was really small, so Vivienne was naturally embarrassed.

But there was no look of disgust in Damien’s eyes, and he sat down on the sofa, “Yes.”

Vivienne poured water for Damien, and Mrs. Quinn suddenly said, “Vivienne, Damien is on vacation today, so you can move in with him today, you can’t live here all the time after you get married.”

Vivienne looked at Mrs. Quinn in surprise, “Mom, then what about you?”

The meaning in Mrs. Quinn’s words was obvious she didn’t intend to live them together.

“Didn’t you pay a year’s rent before, it’s not due yet, and the landlord won’t refund the money, what a waste, so, I just live here, I’m old, so I’d better not bother you two.” Mrs. Quinn Then looked at Damien and said with a smile, “Damien, take her with you.”

Mrs. Quinn was a smart person. Just now when Damien went to check out, Vivienne mentioned to her that Damien wanted to let her live with them.

It was considerate enough of Damien to have this kind of thought, since they had just got married and had no relationship foundation, she knew it was not suitable for her to live with them.

Vivienne said anxiously, “Mom, I can’t leave you alone. Your health is not good, you need someone to take care of you.”

Damien knew why Mrs. Quinn refused to live with them, and said, “Mrs. Quinn, let’s move there together. The environment over there is better and you can save a lot on rent. As for the rent you paid before, I will communicate with the landlord and ask him to return it. Both Vivienne and I are worried about your health.”

Damien knew that they were frugal, so this was why he mentioned the rent to persuade Mrs. Quinn to agree with him.

Mrs. Quinn shook her head and insisted, “I’m used to living here, and Willow Garden is not far from here, if there’s anything I need, I’ll just call you. Vivienne, don’t dawdle, pack your things quickly, and follow Damien home.“.

Neither of them could hold back Mrs. Quinn, and Mrs. Quinn insisted on letting Vivienne move out today.

So Vivienne had no choice but to give in. Thinking that there was just 20 minute’s drive between her rental apartment and the Willow Garden, she didn’t force Mrs. Quinn anymore. She packed her clothes and moved into the Willow Garden with Damien.

Moving was a laborious and troublesome job. After Vivienne moved everything there, she tidied it up and it was dark outside already.

She chose the bedroom to the left of the living room. The master bedroom was to the right of the living room, where Damien lived.

After finishing her settlement, Vivienne sat on the sofa and took a sip of water, and said, “I’ll go buy some food and cook.”

Damien held her back, “You’ve been busy all afternoon, shall we just go out for dinner?”

“We had our lunch in an expensive restaurant today, so we’d better have dinner at home, I mean, don’t waste money. Besides, you’ve done all the tiring jobs, so I’m not tired.” Vivienne laughed, “Just now I saw that there are vegetables in the supermarket downstairs. So I will go buy some groceries

and be right back, this is our first meal in our new home and I want to have it at home.”

Something seemed to cross Damien’s heart. This was their first

meal in a new home. He didn’t have any reason to reject that.

 

[Muhindi Wa Kuchoma]

Chapter 14

Vivienne went to the supermarket downstairs to buy groceries.

Damien had been delayed for a day, and the assistant called him a few times, and there were several documents that he needed to review and approve.

So Damien went to study to get busy with business and called several senior executives for a video conference.

It was an hour after Damien finished his work, when he walked out of the study, two home–cooked dishes were placed on the dining table, and Vivienne was still busy in the kitchen.

Looking at Vivienne’s busy figure and the steaming meals, Damien felt that life was a little more real for him.

In fact, the life of an ordinary couple was like this. They both had their own jobs to do, but after work, they shared meals together.

“Work finished?” Vivienne came out with a bowl of soup and said with a smile, “It’s ready to eat. You must be hungry.”

Vivienne just came back from shopping and heard Damien having a video conference in the study, so she didn’t bother him.

It must be very busy in such a listed company. He had been with her all day today. Thinking of this, she felt a little bit sorry.

Vivienne served the meal, and the two sat down to eat.

Damien looked at the dishes on the table, and said, “You are good at cooking.”



“You must be busy at work. I will cook the meals at home in the future. Do you need me to prepare a lunch box for you? I will prepare it m in the morning, so you can take them to the company.” Vivienne said, “I see that many people bring their own meals to work, it’s nutritious and economical.”

Damien didn’t want Vivienne to get up so early in the morning, and said, “No, the company has a cafeteria, so we don’t spend money on meals.”

“Okay.” Vivienne nodded, took out the bank card that Damien gave her before, and said, “Here. You can keep your money yourself.”

In front of Mrs. Quinn, Vivienne didn’t want to reject Damien’s kindness, so she accepted it temporarily.

The money here was all saved by Damien. They had only known each other for a short time, so she really dared not take it.

Damien didn’t expect Vivienne to return it to him, and said, “This is a family fund. Running a home needs lots of money. You just bought a car, so you probably don’t have much money on you. Groceries, daily necessities, they all cost money, and every month‘ s salary will be charged to this card.”

Vivienne really didn’t have much money, but she didn’t have the habit of spending money on men either.

“Then I will keep accounts every day. I have downloaded this kind of app. It is also clear where every money is used. We have agreed on the AA. So I will pay half of the monthly expenses.” Vivienne also had her own principles, living under the AA system, which was agreed upon before.

Damien gave in and said, “It’s all up to you.”

Only the AA system could save Vivienne from such a big

Chapter 14

psychological burden.

Vivienne felt at ease, “Then it’s decided like this. By the way, how much is the monthly rent here?”

Damien was actually not very clear. According to the market, the approximate quotation was, “4,600 a month.”

A house with three bedrooms and two living rooms cost more than 4,000 a month in Washington DC, which was really not expensive.

Vivienne nodded, “Then I will pay 1,000 for the rent.”

She couldn’t afford half of the rent per month. It seemed that she had to find a way to increase her income.

Damien frowned and looked at Vivienne, “Vivienne, I married a wife not to share the pressure, with me, so I hope that after you marry me, it won’t increase your financial pressure. I earn more than you, so I can pay the rent. You don’t have to worry about it.”

This time, Damien didn’t regress. If she shared the rent and the living expenses, she wouldn’t have any money left.

Damien’s tone was tough, Vivienne wanted to say something more, but he said, “Vivienne, marriage needs to be managed, not do the maths. There will be no fair boundary for the division of responsibilities. This is like when you are pregnant in the future, I can’t share half of the hard work of your pregnancy.”

Pregnant?

This was the second time Vivienne heard this today, and she felt an indescribable feeling in her heart.

“Then, okay.” Vivienne noticed that Damien was angry, and said nothing more, “Let’s eat.”

Vivienne’s cooking was not as good as the chef’s, but it was still good. Damien ate a lot, and the two of them ate up both dishes.

Staring at the empty plate, Vivienne muttered, “I need to cook more next time.”

Damien stood up to clean up the table.

Vivienne said, “I’ll do it.”

“I’ll do it.” Damien held the plates and said, “It’s you who insist on the AA system, so you cook, I wash the dishes, it’s reasonable.”

The money was shared, and housework should also be shared.

Vivienne wanted to do more because she thought that she was living here.

But she was also worried that she had calculated too clearly and hurt Damien’s self–esteem.

In the end, Damien went to wash the dishes, and Vivienne took a peek at Damien who was wearing an apron and washing dishes by the sink.

The charm of a man who did housework had increased a lot.

She found that living with Damien wasn’t so bad.

If the employees of Skyreach Group and the elites of the upper class saw that the head of the Smyth Family, who could cause. financial turmoil with just a snap, lived in such a small house with his new wife and was even washing dishes, they would drop their jaws.

Vivienne moved her eyes, and then the phone rang, it was Lainey calling.

Vivienne went to the balcony to answer the phone, “Lainey, what’s the matter?”

“Well, Professor Summer is also going to the class reunion on Friday. He just called me and asked about you. I think he wants to meet you.”

Hearing this, Vivienne frowned in embarrassment.

Professor Summer was Vivienne’s class teacher in high school. He treated her very well and she was grateful. If her teacher wanted to meet her, she couldn’t skip this class reunion.

But if she went, she would meet Hendrix.

 

[Muhindi Wa Kuchoma]

Chapter 15

After many years of graduation, everyone had achieved something. Now that they got together, comparisons must be indispensable.

She used to be a top student, but now she was like this, which was one of the reasons why she resisted class reunions.

Lainey asked on the phone, “Vivienne, are you listening?”

“Well.” Vivienne returned to her senses, “I’m listening, the class reunion is on Friday, I’ll go if I have time on Friday.”

Lainey also knew Vivienne’s concerns, so she didn’t say much, just told her that.

After hanging up the phone, Vivienne stood on the balcony in a daze, not knowing when Damien was standing behind her.

Damien handed her a cup, of milk, “It can help you sleep well.”

“Thank you.” Vivienne took the milk absent–minded.

With one hand in his pocket, Damien looked at her and asked, “Is there something on your mind?”

Vivienne hesitated and said, “Lainey called just now. There is a class reunion next week. Our teacher will be there. He is very kind to me..”

Damien understood, “You don’t want to go, but you have to go, so it’s hard.”

Vivienne nodded.

Damien said, “Just follow your heart. It’s too late, go to bed early.”

It was not convenient for Damien to express his views on this matter. He didn’t know Vivienne’s past after all.

Also, Vivienne couldn’t say that her ex–boyfriend would attend the class reunion, so she could only hold back this matter.

“Well, you too, good night.”

The two said goodnight to each other and went back to their rooms. Vivienne locked the door, and they lived together peacefully overnight. The previous worries were unnecessary.

Early the next morning, Vivienne got up to make breakfast. After Damien had breakfast, he went to work. She cleaned at home, finished the housework, and started doing handwork.

She didn’t go out to the stall last night, so she lost a lot in earnings. Today, she would make more accessories and go out to the stall earlier to get back what she hadn’t earned yesterday.

Damien was a busy man. When he entered the company, there were various meetings and business talks at night.

It was impossible for him to go back to dinner every day. If there was a social occasion, he would send a message to Vivienne and tell her to have dinner herself.

Vivienne was also very busy, she did handicrafts during the day and went to the night market at five pm.

But most of the time, she came back from the stall, and Damien might not come back yet.

Damien often came back very late at night, smelling of alcohol.

Then Vivienne would cook something warm the next day to ease his hangover, and she prepared all kinds of medicine to ease the hangover as well.

Watching Damien come back drunk, Vivienne realized that it was really not easy for Damien to work hard in a big city.

If a woman didn’t have the ability to support a family financially, she could still choose to be a great housewife, but a man was hard to make this choice, they have to support their family and be the breadwinner.

In the midst of being busy, the day of the class reunion finally arrived.

Lainey called Vivienne early in the morning.

The class reunion started at six o’clock in the evening, and Vivienne was nervous at home all day, and at five o’clock, she changed into a plain dress and put on light makeup.

There were old acquaintances at the class reunion, and Vivienne naturally couldn’t be too sloppy.

At 5:30, Lainey drove to pick up Vivienne at the Willow Garden.

Only then did Lainey know that Vivienne had moved to a new house and lived with Damien?

“Willow Garden, I checked. A house here costs at least six zeros.” Lainey said, “It’s just a pity. As far as your husband’s income is concerned, it will take forty or fifty years to pay for it without food or drink.”

Vivienne put on her seat belt and said, “Washington DC is

expensive. There are too many people who can’t afford a house. Renting a house is also very good. It’s not easy for him. He doesn’t come back until late at night after socializing every day. Lainey, don’t say that in the future. Especially don’t say that in front of him.”

“Okay, let’s not talk about it, Vivi, you should pay more attention.

He works in such a big company, and he is handsome, he must be liked by girls.” Lainey reminded, “If he really comes back late every day, you should be careful of that.”

Vivienne smiled and said, “He won’t cheat me, he gives me all his salary, and he is really busy.”

“That’s great then! He really is a good man huh.”

Soon, the two arrived at the Moon Restaurant, where the classmates had dinner together.

After getting off the car, Vivienne swallowed her saliva when she saw the magnificent decoration of Moon Restaurant, and asked, “Lainey, we are going to dutch tonight, right?”

A meal here must be expensive.

Alas, she just made some money these days, and she was about to lose it.

 

[Muhindi Wa Kuchoma]

Chapter 16

“Of course not! Hendrix organizes this reunion, and he said it’s on him.” Lainey realized that she had slipped her tongue, and quickly observed Vivienne’s face.

Vivienne frowned.

So Lainey had to tell the truth, “In fact, everyone knows that Hendrix organizes this class reunion just to meet you. He even invites Professor Summer. Since you are married. I don’t want to be a lobbyist at first, but Professor Summer called me, so I can’t refuse him. If you don’t want to go, you can still change your mind now.”

She respected Professor Summer so much, so Vivienne pursed her lips, remained silent for more than ten seconds, and said, “Let‘ s go.”

She didn’t do anything wrong, why would she bother herself so much then.

Lainey smiled and held Vivienne’s arm, “Let’s go, we’re here for Professor Summer’s sake, not for Hendrix. Vivienne, don’t tell your husband about this, I’m afraid he will misunderstand that I am sowing discord and force you to stay away from me.”

“He won’t be so petty.”

Vivienne had unconsciously spoken for Damien.

The two walked in, and the waiter led them to the box.

When the box door was pushed open, everyone inside looked at Vivienne.

The former top student and school beauty, seeing each other again after five or six years, naturally made people look forward to her coming.

There were about 20 men and women in the box. It was very lively at first, but the moment Vivienne came in, they all suddenly became quiet.

Having not seen each other for nearly six years, Vivienne looked at this group of old classmates, they were all a little strange.

Everyone changed a lot, less vigorous and more mature than before.

Some of them had gained weight and had big bellies. Most of them had already married and achieved certain results in various fields.

To put it bluntly, it was also a comparison, and they all wanted others to know that they were doing well.

Men compared their careers, and women compared who married a better husband, or how well they did in the workplace.

Vivienne’s eyes fell on a man in a white shirt. She hadn’t seen him for many years. Except for a little more mature and handsome, there was not much change.

He was Hendrix, and among this group of classmates, he was the best one.

Hendrix’s family was fairly well–to–do. He studied abroad for a few years and did so well there. Now he had returned to develop. He came back and partnered with someone to open a law firm. Not only was he handsome, but he was also young and promising, with a bright future.

Some classmates even lamented that they got married too early.

Hendrix stood up, with a look of excitement, “Vivienne, you’re here.”

Vivienne nodded, avoiding Hendrix’s sight, walked toward an old man, and shouted respectfully, “Professor Summer.”

Professor Summer had retired, and Vivienne was his favorite student. When he saw Vivienne, he showed kindness on his face, “Vivienne, come and sit down.”

Vivienne found a seat and sat down. Immediately, some male classmates came to their senses and said, “Look at our school belle, we haven’t seen you for almost six years. Why are you still so beautiful and well–maintained? The moment you entered the door just now, It’s like a fairy descending to earth.”

Before Vivienne came, everyone speculated whether Vivienne would become a sloppy housewife, or whether the years had ruined her beautiful face. After all, Vivienne had no contact with anyone after graduation. She just got closer to Lainey, so no one knew her recent situation!

Vivienne just smiled politely, and another female classmate deliberately asked, “Vivienne, we were mentioning just now, you were a top student back then, and you were the second student from our school to be admitted to Harvard. Which company do you work for now? I hear that those who come out of Harvard should at least start with an annual salary of hundreds of thousand.”

“That’s right. In our class, only Vivienne and Hendrix were admitted to Harvard. Of course, they must have done better than us.”

“You tell me! Now Hendrix has opened his own law firm, and I heard that he bought a villa in Mclean Estate.”

“Just now I saw his car, a Maybach, that costs a lot.”

Vivienne was admitted to Harvard but dropped out after only one semester. No one knew about it.

Vivienne looked distressed, Lainey saw this, and helped out, “You guys talk a lot! Now everyone is here, shall we eat? I am almost starving to death.”

As soon as Lainey interrupted, the topic was put on hold for a while, and Hendrix looked over to Vivienne from time to time.

Classmate reunion, when everyone gathered together, must be to talk about the past school life, and then talked about the current situation.

Men could brag as much as they could, married women, in addition to comparing who was better married, they just talked about what skincare products they used, whether it was LA MER or HRlianna, or what color lipstick Dior produced, and what kind of jewelry. Cartier had.

Vivienne didn’t even know what LA MER was. She usually washed her face with skin care products that cost no more than 20 bucks.

Some students asked, “Vivienne, what products do you usually use to maintain your skin? Aww, look at your fair skin.”

Vivienne was a school belle back then, and she was still so beautiful now, which made people envious. Everyone cared about the brand of skin care products she used, and everyone was also interested in her private life.

Plus, everyone knew about the history between Vivienne and Hendrix. At this table, although they didn’t point it out, they knew it well.

Vivienne smiled faintly, “Uh, Clinique.”

After hearing Clinique, they secretly exchanged glances, and the way they looked at Vivienne also changed, showing a sense of superiority.

Lainey couldn’t see that these people looked down on Vivienne, and said, “Vivienne is naturally beautiful, unlike some women, tens of thousands of skin care products can’t help them. Oops, look at your faces, and there are spots? It’s not enough to help just from products, you have to transfer internally, or you can come to my beauty salon, and I will definitely give you a discount.”

Lainey owned a beauty salon, so it was naturally a matter of on- site sales and customer development.

Vivienne suppressed a smile in her heart, Lainey was so good at being mean.

Everyone was showing awkward faces, and they politely said that they had their own beauty consultants.

Vivienne didn’t talk much, she ate quietly most of the time, chatted with Professor Summer, and kept avoiding Hendrix’s gaze.

At this time, a beautiful woman with waved hair walked up to Vivienne and said with a smile, “Vivienne, I haven’t seen you for so many years, and you are getting more beautiful and more attractive. You must have a boyfriend now, why didn’t you bring him together? It is acquiesced to bring family members today.”

The beauty’s name was Rachel Fox, and she used to compete with Vivienne for the school belle in school.

Rachel had always admired Hendrix, and now she was a partner at Hendrix Law Firm.

When Vivienne broke up with Hendrix, Rachel went after Hendrix with passion and even followed him abroad, but she had not succeeded yet.

Seeing Vivienne now, Rachel naturally wanted to make something happen.



Seeing Rachel directly asking about Vivienne’s personal affairs, everyone looked at Vivienne curiously.

Hendrix was also waiting for Vivienne’s answer.

Vivienne smiled and shook her head, “I don’t have a boyfriend.”

Hearing this, Hendrix was delighted. Vivienne didn’t have a boyfriend, which meant he still had a chance.

While Rachel felt upset, thinking that maybe she said this just to give Hendrix hope?

Just when Rachel was about to ask something more, Vivienne said, “I’m already married.”

As soon as these words came out, all they could hear was silence.

 

[Muhindi Wa Kuchoma]

Chapter 17

Vivienne didn’t hide it, she knew Rachel’s intention, so she said what Rachel hoped she said, and took the opportunity to break Hendrix’s mind.

Vivienne was too frank, so Lainey had no chance to save it.

Hendrix glanced at Lainey and asked what was going on with his eyes.

Prior to this, Lainey did not disclose the news of Vivienne’s marriage.

Lainey was also helpless, she only found out not long ago, and as an outsider, it was inconvenient for her to say.

The people at the table looked at each other in shock, the atmosphere was a bit strange, and they were all observing Hendrix’s reaction.

Hendrix held the wine glass tightly, feeling depressed, and took a sip of the wine.

Some broke the deadlock with a smile, “Vivienne, why didn’t you invite us to attend your wedding? If you have asked, we would all show up.”

This was just an afterthought, a polite way of speaking.

An old classmate who hadn’t been in touch after graduating from high school suddenly sent you a wedding invitation. They would just discuss behind you, but they wouldn’t show up. This was the reality.

And Vivienne was not in the classmate chat group at all, so saying this was obviously just to break the ice.

Vivienne deliberately said, “We haven’t had time to hold the

wedding. After the date is selected, I will invite everyone to my wedding.”

Vivienne didn’t plan to hold a wedding, so she just said this to gag the others.

Sure enough, as soon as Vivienne spoke, the smile on the face of the speaking classmate froze, and for the sake of his previous words, he smiled bitterly and said, “Congratulations! I will be there.” Then he stopped talking.

Lainey suppressed a smile, this was the Vivienne she knew, a girl could gently make others shut up.

Another female classmate said in an unfriendly tone, “Vivienne, why didn’t you bring your husband today. We are all curious about who this lucky man is.”

Rachel didn’t expect Vivienne had gotten married either. Hearing the news of her marriage, her defense against Vivienne immediately dissipated, and she looked at Vivienne with friendliness.

“Yeah, Vivienne, why not call him now and introduce him to us?” Rachel urged, “Do you want to see what Vivienne’s husband looks like?”

“Of course, I want to.”

“Vivienne, what does your husband do? My husband runs a fireworks factory, and I can introduce him to your husband.”

Vivienne thought that getting married would stop these people’s curiosity, but it caused more instead.

Vivienne said politely, “He works in the Skyreach Group. Uh, he has been too busy recently. I will bring him to meet you guys next time.”

After the class reunion was over, no one would contact each other, let alone when the next meeting would be, this was just an excuse.

When they heard that Vivienne’s husband was working at Skyreach Group, Rachel glanced at Hendrix, who had an unhappy face, and said to Vivienne with a smile, “That’s a big company, which department is your husband in?”

“When we graduated, we also submitted our resumes to Skyreach Group. But we didn’t even pass the initial test.”

“Skyreach Group has very high requirements for recruiting, and the remuneration is ideal. It is a leading company. Numerous people are trying so hard to join.”

“Vivienne, your husband is amazing, what degree does he have?”

Vivienne really didn’t know, she only knew that Damien worked in Skyreach Group, as for his position, and department, she had no idea.

Vivienne said, “I haven’t asked him these.”

“You are husband and wife, why don’t you know, Vivienne, you are so petty, are you afraid that we will ask your husband for help?”

Some classmates said angrily, “Oh, come on, that’s Skyreach Group, and it has nothing to do with her husband. Her husband is not the president, but just an employee.”

“How much can the annual salary of a company’s employees be? Besides, her husband still works for others. However, Hendrix has owned his own law firm.”

These words awakened many people.

Yes, Vivienne only said that he worked in Skyreach Group, maybe he was just an unimportant employee.

Vivienne’s clothes did not cost more than 50 bucks, and the skin care products she used were from Clinique. So it could be seen that her life was not good, in another word, her husband must have no great skills.

Those who sit here were either their own bosses or well–married, and the car keys that the male students took out were all BMW- level.

The female students were also carrying the LV bags.

Thinking of the former school belle did not marry well, these people’s sense of superiority came up.

Vivienne knew what they meant, and said neither humble nor overbearing, “Happiness is not determined by money. As long as we love each other, the rest is not important.”

She just couldn’t bear these people looking down on Damien and belittling him.

Seeing that Vivienne was angry, some people laughed disdainfully, and some pretended not to hear and took a sip of wine.

Poor and lowly couples were sad about everything. How could the quality of marriages be the same between those who had money and those who had no money?

“Vivienne, don’t be angry, we’re just joking.” Rachel put her hand on Vivienne’s shoulder and acted as a peacemaker.

Just at this moment, Vivienne’s cell phone rang, and it was Damien who called.

Vivienne glanced at the caller ID, and before she could respond,

Rachel said loudly, “Your husband’s call, right? What a coincidence, invite him here.”

Vivienne, “He…”

Rachel took Vivienne’s phone and answered it, then said with a smile, “Is that Vivienne’s husband? I’m her classmate. We are at Moon Restaurant now. Vivienne wants you to come along. And everyone is waiting. They all want to meet the lucky man who married our school belle.”

 

[Muhindi Wa Kuchoma]

Chapter 18

Vivienne looked unhappy and regretted coming to the class reunion.

After finishing the call, Rachel returned the phone to Vivienne with a joking attitude, “Vivienne, I hope you don’t mind.”

As she said that, she looked at the others, “The male protagonist will come later, we are all classmates, so what if he is just an employee, those who can enter the Skyreach Group are definitely not bad, so please stop talking nonsense later. ”

Everyone had different thoughts. In this day and age, studying well didn’t mean that you must be successful.

So what if he entered a big company, wasn’t that still an employee?

Hendrix kept silent, he also wanted to meet the man who married Vivienne.

Hendrix was really unwilling to lose to a small employee.

Vivienne was a little bit stuck, adults really couldn’t do everything on their own.

And the head teacher was still sitting here, it was really hard for her to leave.

Professor Summer also saw Vivienne’s embarrassment and smiled to help, “Vivienne, in choosing the other half, personality is the most important thing. The one that suits you is the best.”

“Yes,” Vivienne responded softly. She never minded whether Damien had money or not, but she was still very worried. What would happen when Damien came?

Leaving aside the fact that her ex–boyfriend Hendrix was here, these students were not friendly at all, so she was worried that Damien would be hurt.

Lainey lowered her voice and said to Vivienne, “How about I make an excuse, then you’re leaving with me?”

This class reunion was like a mirror, reflecting all kinds of social conditions.

If you did well, everyone would fawn at you, and if you didn’t, you would be alienated and ridiculed.

This was life.

Vivienne shook her head, and Professor Summer had already spoken, so she had no choice but to bite the bullet and hold on to this class reunion.

Vivienne made an excuse, “I’m going to the restroom first.”

Some students laughed and said, “Vivienne, there is one in the box, so don’t take this opportunity to leave.”

Vivienne frowned and went into the restroom, then she immediately called Damien back.

Soon, Damien answered, “Vivienne, what’s wrong?”

Vivienne asked, “Where are you now?”

“On the way to Moon Restaurant.” Damien’s deep voice came from the other end of the phone, “I’ll arrive about ten minutes later.”

Vivienne quickly said, “We are almost done here, so you don’t need to come. Lainey will send me back later, it was just a prank by my classmates, please don’t be angry.”

“It’s okay, I’m on the way already, so I will pick you up.” Damien smiled gently, “Don’t worry.”

Even if he didn’t come to the scene, Damien, who had a lot of experience, could guess what might happen at the reunion.

If he didn’t go, Vivienne may be an embarrassment.

Listening to his gentle voice, and the phrase “don’t worry” really made Vivienne feel a lot more at ease.

“Then drive slowly and be safe.”

“Got it.”

After hanging up the phone, Vivienne let out a long sigh of relief and returned to her seat.

Rachel immediately asked, “Vivienne, where’s your husband now? He still comes, right?”

“he’ll be there in a few minutes.” Vivienne knew what these people were thinking, they worried that she would hide Damien and dare not let him come to meet them.

Vivienne didn’t do something wrong, and she was not vain. She and Damien were legal couples, so there was nothing to worry about.

After thinking it over, Vivienne felt at peace.

Everyone was looking forward to Damien’s arrival, staring at the door from time to time, which made Hendrix even more depressed.

About ten minutes later, the door of the box opened suddenly.

Everyone cheered up and looked over, but it was the waiter who came to change the plates.

Everyone looked away, and a warm voice suddenly came from the door.

“Vivienne.”

Everyone looked back again, and it was Damien who appeared at the door.

Damien was wearing a suit and leather shoes. He had just returned from work in the company. The well–tailored suit made him attractive. He was handsome and impeccable, and the feeling he gave others was even more unique.

As soon as Damien went there, everything around him was eclipsed.

Some female classmates couldn’t help exclaiming, “Wow, so handsome.”

“He’s hotter than Johnny Dep.”

“It’s no wonder Vivienne protects him so much. If I have such a handsome husband, I would also hide him at home.”

When Hendrix saw Damien for the first time, the sense of superiority in his heart disappeared immediately.

His sixth sense told him that he was a very strong opponent.

Hendrix was also elite. Some companies abroad hired him as a legal consultant at a high price, but he directly refused and returned to the US for development.

It was the first time he met someone with such a strong aura.

Vivienne stood up, with a smile on her face, “Come here.”

Damien walked to Vivienne’s side, and they were such a perfect match.

Vivienne officially introduced him to everyone, “This is my husband, his last name is Smyth.”

Damien greeted them politely, “Hello.”

Everyone came back to their senses, and some classmates said enviously, “Vivienne, your husband is so handsome, he’s even hotter than some actors.”

It didn’t matter whether he had money or not, this face was pleasing to the eye.

It was human instinct to like beautiful things.

Vivienne smiled, and Hendrix suddenly challenged, “Mr. Smyth, I just heard that you work in Skyreach Group. May I ask which department you are in? This Skyreach Group is not easy to get into. I met the president of Skyreach Group abroad two years ago. I am also familiar with many leaders of Skyreach Group, but you look a bit unfamiliar to me.”

The implication was that Damien was not an executive of Skyreach Group

Hendrix had never met the president of Skyreach Group. To be precise, he had only seen his back from a distance. He just wanted to show off in front of Vivienne.

Damien glanced at the people in the box when he entered the door and also felt the hostility from Hendrix.

Hendrix stood out among this group of people. As a man, Damien also sensed the possible relationship between Hendrix and Vivienne.

Damien hooked his lips and said, “I’m in the R&D department.”

 

[Muhindi Wa Kuchoma]

Chapter 19

The R&D department was the core department of the company and privacy was the most important thing for them, so they seldom showed up in public.

Damien didn’t expose Hendrix’s lie, because the moment when Hendrix lied to show off, he lost the qualification to be Damien’s opponent.

Hendrix felt as if he had punched the cotton, and seeing the two of them standing together, he felt even more depressed.

“I’m not very familiar with the R&D department.” Hendrix couldn’t help but continue to ask, “Are you the leader of the R&D department?”

“No,” Damien replied frankly, which made Hendrix very petty.

If he was not a leader, he must be an ordinary employee. Everyone looked at each other, thinking that they had guessed right, Vivienne didn’t marry a rich husband.

An ordinary employee was not even in the same circle as them at all. He was just handsome.

There were twenty people sitting at the big round table, and it was already full. Hendrix, as the person who organized the party, didn’t ask the waiter to add another chair when Damien came.

It was obvious that he wanted to embarrass Damien.

Others also understood his intention. So no one would offend the young and promising Hendrix, who was well–known in the legal circle, for the sake of an ordinary employee.

Seeing Damien being excluded, Vivienne was very distressed and angry.

She stretched out her hand to hold his hand, and said to everyone with a blank face, “My husband has come to pick me up, so we will go back first. Since we are different people, so we’d better not see each other again.”

As soon as these words came out, they all fell silent.

They didn’t care about her feelings, so she was no need to be polite anymore.

When Rachel snatched her phone, Vivienne was already very uncomfortable, and now she exploded.

Damien felt her protection, and an imperceptible tenderness flashed across his eyes.

Vivienne then said to her teacher, “Professor Summer, I’m sorry for what happened today, I will visit you another day.”

Seeing that the atmosphere was intense, Professor Summer said with a smile, “Be careful on the road.”

Vivienne was about to leave, and Hendrix quickly said, “I drove the car, and I can see you home.”

Damien refused, “No, I drove here.”

He didn’t care about the attitude of this group of people, and Vivienne obviously didn’t like them either, so there was no need to be nice.

“Then I’ll take you to the door.” Hendrix insisted, “I have something to do, so let’s go together.”

Hendrix’s reaction displeased Vivienne. She hadn’t seen him for many years, and she felt that Hendrix changed so much, and was so aggressive. She didn’t even know him anymore.

Rachel smiled and said, “I’ll go with you too, Hendrix, give me a ride.”

Hendrix called the waiter, paid the bill, and walked with Vivienne and Damien.

Damien parked the car in the open parking lot, and he took Vivienne to the car, and the lights of a Maybach next to him turned on.

Hendrix came up from behind and opened the door of the

Maybach, as if showing off, looking at Vivienne, “Vivienne, perhaps I should give you two a ride.”

Vivienne knew what Hendrix was thinking. He just deliberately showed off that he had a luxury car.

“No need.” Vivienne said and looked at Damien again, “Let’s go home.”

Damien smiled, ignored Hendrix’s existence, and opened the car door, “Go home.”

Seeing Vivienne get into a Chevrolet, Hendrix looked very upset.

Damien drove away, and Hendrix’s face darkened, he couldn’t control his emotions and kicked the tire.

Rachel, who followed him out, smiled and said intentionally, “The husband Vivienne found is quite a humble man, and he treats Vivienne well, and they are very suitable with each other.”

Hendrix sneered, “A poor man who drives a Chevrolet, how can he give Vivienne a happy life?”

From this tone, Rachel knew that Hendrix was not convinced and did not give up.

Rachel said, “You and Vivienne haven’t seen each other for so

many years, and you two are so different now. Maybe she likes ordinary life better.”

Hendrix looked in the direction of Vivienne, and said unwillingly, “I m a better person to her.”

Rachel was startled, “Hendrix, they’re married already.”

“That man is not good enough for her.”

On the way back, Vivienne looked at Damien several times out of the corner of her eyes.

Damien didn’t have any expression on his face, it was hard to tell whether he was angry or not.

Vivienne hesitated, “Uh, well, I’m really sorry, are you angry?”

“No.” Damien smiled and shook his head.

“Really?” Vivienne said, “Just now my classmates deliberately embarrassed you. I thought you would be angry. I’m really sorry. Please don’t take it to heart. If you are angry, you can just throw it on me.”

Damien was amused by her cautiousness, “I’m not angry, really. and I didn’t take it to heart. I was quite happy actually.”

Hendrix wasn’t enough to keep Damien interested.

Vivienne was surprised, “Happy?”

Damien laughed and said, “The look you defended me just now is cute, and you are quite domineering, I didn’t expect you to be like that. I think it made me know you more.”

Vivienne felt embarrassed immediately, and said with a dry smile, “I’m usually very peaceful, and I never quarrel with others.”

She thought to herself, ‘He won’t misunderstand me as a shrew, right?‘

Damien glanced at her with a smile, and suddenly asked, “That man, is he your ex–boyfriend?”

 

[Muhindi Wa Kuchoma]

Chapter 20

Vivienne’s heart skipped a beat, and she immediately looked at Damien, observing his expression.

She had a guilty conscience and explained, “I didn’t deliberately hide it from you, nor did I come to the class reunion for my ex- boyfriend, don’t get me wrong.”

When the two met for the first time, Vivienne confessed that she had an ex, and Damien could tell from Hendrix’s reaction just now.

Even if Vivienne didn’t have any feelings for him anymore, Hendrix definitely did.

At the traffic lights, Damien stopped the car smoothly and looked sideways at her, “Vivienne, don’t be nervous, I believe in you.”

Hearing this, Vivienne was a little astonished.

Normally, even if husbands were not jealous, they would lose their temper.

Damien’s reaction was very flat, neither angry nor jealous, but when she thought about the fact that the two had just met, and they were just a couple without love, then she was relieved.

Damien didn’t know what Vivienne was thinking, the reason why he wasn’t angry or jealous, was because Hendrix wasn’t enough to be his opponent.

Even if Damien didn’t care, Vivienne still explained, “We dated for half a year in high school, and later we were admitted to Harvard together. But his family chose a foreign school for him. He went abroad halfway, so we didn’t contact each other again. We just held hands, not even kissing.”

With the green light already on, Damien started the car and drove forward, “You graduated from Harvard, why did you choose to set up a street stall in the night market?”

“Huh?” Vivienne was a little surprised that Damien wasn’t interested in her history with Hendrix.

Vivienne calmed down and said, “Something happened and I dropped out of school after only one semester, without graduating.”

Seeing that Vivienne was a little embarrassed, Damien didn’t ask anymore.

Vivienne thought he would continue to ask, but he just stopped asking, which made her more worried.

The two returned to the Willow Garden, and when they entered the room, Vivienne couldn’t help but said, “I chose the design department back then, and I liked jewelry design. Because of the plagiarism incident, caused quite a stir. Coupled with the loss of love, I couldn’t bear the harsh words from the public for a while, so I dropped out of school.”

In fact, these were what Mrs. Quinn and Lainey told her. She had very vague memories of these days.

She only vaguely remembered that she seemed to have really experienced these things, and she also forgot some things. She suffered from severe depression, and it took a long time for treatment to recover.

As for the plagiarism incident, she couldn’t remember it clearly, and Lainey said she was wrongly accused.

As for the specific truth, Vivienne herself was not very clear.

Since her depression recovered, she didn’t hold on to the past anymore. She started to set up a street stall and rely on herself.

Dividing into pages now

What happened in the past was not important anymore, the most important thing was to take every step well.

Damien didn’t ask because he didn’t want to tear apart Vivienne’s scars.

There must be a story about being admitted to Harvard but dropping out of school.

He didn’t expect Vivienne to take the initiative to explain.

He looked at her with an indescribable sorry in his eyes, and he asked, “Do you regret it?”

If Vivienne graduated from Harvard, life would definitely be better than now.

Vivienne shook her head, “I made this decision myself, and I have nothing to regret. I believe that there is more than one road to Rome.”

Damien nodded approvingly, “I believe you can make it.”

Vivienne’s eyes were firm, just like when he first met her, she asked him if he would marry her.

“You didn’t drink today?” Vivienne noticed that Damien didn’t smell alcohol.

Usually, Damien came back drunk, and the two hardly communicated normally.

“I don’t have an appointment today, so I plan to come back early and go to the night market to help you.”

It was not that Damien didn’t have appointments, but he grabbed Grayson to attend for him.

Now Grayson was still drinking and talking on the wine table.

“I see.” Vivienne asked, “Have you eaten yet? If not, I’ll cook.”

“I’ve eaten.” Damien smiled, seeing that Vivienne was depressed, and said, “I’m going to the study to do something, you should go to bed early.”

At this time, Vivienne needed a quiet and independent space.

“Okay.”

Vivienne really wanted to be alone for a while, and the class reunion still affected her mood.

After Damien went to the study, she also went back to the bedroom to take a shower, put on her pajamas, and lay down on the bed.

At this time, Whatsapp popped up as a friend request.

Vivienne clicked on it, feeling mixed feelings in her heart.

It was Hendrix who added her as a friend and commented: Let’s do it all over again.

Vivienne felt ironic and a little angry.

Hendrix knew she was married, but what was his motive for posting such a message in the middle of the night?

Vivienne deleted it directly, reject his request, and then went to sleep after turning on the silent mode of her phone.

Sleeping until midnight, Vivienne woke up thirsty.

Sleepily, she lifted the quilt and walked out of the room, groping for water to drink, but suddenly bumped into Damien.

Dividing into pages now

“Ah!”

Vivienne subconsciously cried out in shock, and she leaned back, her legs hit the sofa behind her, and she lost her balance. She instinctively grabbed Damien in front of her, so they both fell on the sofa.

And Damien’s lips touched Vivienne’s lips impartially.

The soft feeling on the lips surprised both of them as if an electric current hit them.

The dim environment, the intimate posture, and some scattered memories flashed through Vivienne’s mind.

That was a part of her memory that she had forgotten, and when she tried to piece together the complete memory, her mind was blank again.

And some strange images also flashed in Damien’s mind…

The sound of branches breaking came from outside the window, and Vivienne and Damien came back to their senses.

Damien got up quickly, and Vivienne also sat up quickly. The two of them opened a certain distance, and the atmosphere changed subtly.

Damien pressed his hand to his lips, coughed lightly, and asked uncomfortably, “Why are you awake?”

The deadlock was broken, and Vivienne lowered her head, adjusted her hair, and said, “I’m thirsty.”

Her heart beat faster, her cheeks were slightly hot, and she didn’t dare to meet Damien’s gaze, keeping her head down.

“Oh, I’ll pour you water.”

Damien got up and turned on the light, poured water for Vivienne, then turned back and handed it to her.

Vivienne reached out to take it, “Thank you.”

She hurriedly took a sip of water to calm down, and then, all the water in the glass was drained.

“You want more?”

Damien’s magnetic voice sounded above her head, and Vivienne raised her head subconsciously and bumped into his deep eyes, her heartbeat seemed to slow down by half a beat.

With such a handsome guy in front of you, no one could resist.

Damien was wearing loose pajamas, exuding a dignified temperament, with bronzed skin, and pectoral muscles faintly visible from the neckline.

 

[Muhindi Wa Kuchoma]

Chapter 21

Everything was so beautiful and delicious.

Vivienne realized what had appeared in her mind, so she quickly calmed down and stood up quickly, “Thank you, I’m not thirsty anymore. I’m going back to sleep.”

Vivienne pointed to the door of her room, walked quickly back to it with her head down, and closed the door.

Seeing her fleeing back, Damien raised a smile unconsciously, and he reached out to touch his lips, tasting her sweetness and softness.

He was a bit thirsty somehow.

So Damien licked his lips, picked up the glass Vivienne used just now, got up and walked to the water dispenser, and poured a glass of water to drink.

Vivienne in the room patted her hot face, her mind was full of the picture of their kiss just now. Her emotions were hard to calm down for a long time, after all, it was her first kiss.

After they lived together, Damien left early to work and returned home late, and she was also busy. The two respected each other like a guest and had never had such intimate contact.

Vivienne suffered from insomnia, tossing and turning, as soon as she closed her eyes, Damien was in her mind.

“Ugh!!!! What’s wrong with me!”

Vivienne stared at the ceiling and muttered, pulled the quilt over her head, and counted sheep to hypnotize herself to sleep.

That night, she had a sexy dream, which was very real, as if it had really happened, and the man’s breathing in her ear was so clear…

The next day, Vivienne got up late, and when she woke up, it was past nine o’clock.

She glanced at the time, hurriedly washed and changed her clothes, and walked out of the bedroom, only to find someone sitting on the sofa in the living room.

Vivienne wondered, “Don’t you have to go to work today?”

Usually, Damien had already left the house at this time.

Seeing Damien, she subconsciously remembered the kiss last night and her sexy dream last night, then she felt a little embarrassed.

“Today is Saturday.” Damien had a laptop on his lap, “I bought us breakfast, it’s still hot, you can eat now.”

Vivienne glanced at the table, where bread, milk, and eggs were placed.

“What about you?”

“Well, I’ve eaten.” Damien said, “Since it’s the weekend, so I’ll go to the night market with you in the evening.”

He wanted to know more about Vivienne.

“Huh?” Vivienne was slightly surprised.

Damien asked, “Is there any inconvenience?”

“No.” Vivienne nodded blankly, “Okay.”

She just didn’t expect that Damien, who was a white–collar worker at a big company, would like to set up a street stall with her.

“Go have breakfast.” Damien finished, bowed his head, and continued to deal with the matter at hand.

Vivienne glanced at Damien, working in a big company was really hard, even on weekends, there were endless jobs to do.

Vivienne sat down to have breakfast, and Damien was working on the side. It was very quiet, the two of them would not disturb each other, but they would not feel awkward.

At this time, the doorbell rang.

Vivienne looked at the door curiously, and was about to open it, when Damien got up and said, “Eat, I’ll answer that.”

Damien put down his laptop, got up to open the door, and Vivienne continued to sit at the dining table without moving.

Damien just bought this house, and he just moved here not long ago. Not many people know the address. When he heard the doorbell, he roughly guessed who it might be.

Sure enough, Damien opened the door, and a noble lady stood at the door with a friendly smile and opened her arms, “Surprise, son, I’m here to see my daughter–in–law, where is her?”

 

[Muhindi Wa Kuchoma]

Chapter 22

The lady was none other than Damien’s mother, Violet.

For Damien’s marriage, Violet spent so much time on it, and she even thought of introducing a man to her son.

Damien didn’t notify his family when he got married. If Grayson hadn’t slipped his mouth, Violet would still be in the dark.

Violet probed in, anxious to see what her daughter–in–law looked like.

Damien quickly grabbed Violet’s arm, preventing her from going in, and said in a low voice, “Mom, why don’t you tell me in advance before you come?”

He now regretted letting Grayson find the house because Grayson’s mouth just couldn’t keep any secret.

Violet rolled her eyes at Damien, and said scoldingly, “You didn’t even say hello to your family when you married a girl. I came to see my daughter–in–law, not you.”

Damien, “Don’t scare her…”

“I know, I am not some scary monster, look at how nervous you are.” Violet grinned from ear to ear, and couldn’t wait to see what her daughter–in–law, who could make her tough son so nervous.

Vivienne, who was having breakfast, could only hear Damien talking to someone outside the door, but couldn’t make out what they were saying.

Vivienne walked over curiously, “Damien.”

Seeing Damien hooked up with a fashionable lady, Vivienne was even more puzzled.

When Violet saw Vivienne, her eyes lit up, and she boasted with a smile, “You’re so beautiful and cute.”

Violet was fond of Vivienne the first time she saw her. She was very satisfied with her daughter–in–law.

Vivienne looked at Damien in bewilderment.

Damien said, “This is…”

“Distant relative, you can call me aunt,” Violet answered with a smile, and she didn’t want to embarrass her son. She knew the ‘both parents had died” thing from Grayson.

If the truth was revealed, her son’s marriage would be ruined, and then she had no daughter–in–law. What a big loss!

Damien glanced at his mother, hooked his lips, and said, “Vivienne, she’s my aunt. This is my wife, Vivienne.”

Another distant relative popped up?

When Vivienne heard that it was a distant relative, she said enthusiastically, “Auntie, come in and sit down.”

Vivienne really didn’t know how many relatives Damien had. The last time it was a distant brother, and now there was another aunt.

Violet was so happy, she was worried that her two sons would cheat on her together, so she came to find out herself, now that she saw her daughter–in–law, she felt at ease.

Vivienne handed water to Violet, “Auntie, have some water.”

After a while, she washed the fruit for Violet, “Auntie, have some fruit.”

Violet grinned from ear to ear, and said, “Vivienne, thank you for your warm welcome, please sit down and rest for a while. You can ask Damien to do these things, men need to be trained. I am so happy to hear that you are married.”

Saying that, Violet took off the Bracelet from her hand, “I’m in a hurry today, so I didn’t bring any gift with me. Please take this bracelet. It’s a wedding gift for you, so you must accept it.”

Vivienne was a jewelry designer. Even if she didn’t have the money to buy expensive materials, she still had a lot of research on jadeite materials. She could tell at a glance that this bracelet was not cheap.

“Auntie, this is too expensive, I can’t accept it.” Vivienne was flattered.

“It’s not expensive at all, l’have a lot of them at home.” Violet insisted on putting it on for Vivienne, and said with a smile, “Look, it suits you so much.”

Vivienne was not at ease, Damien said, “Take it, it’s my aunt’s kindness.”

Vivienne still couldn’t accept something so expensive. If it was an ordinary gift, she could accept it.

Vivienne took off the bracelet and returned it to Violet, “Auntie, I have received your blessing, but I really can’t accept it. Please keep the bracelet.”

Seeing that Vivienne insisted on not accepting it, Violet was more satisfied with Vivienne.

This Bracelet was worth hundreds of thousands, if Vivienne didn’t accept it, it meant that she was not greedy for money.

Violet said with a smile, “Okay, then I’ll keep it for you first. I will pass it on to you later anyway.”

Vivienne didn’t quite understand, she was just a distant relative, why did it have to be passed on to her?

Vivienne had no idea, but it was not polite to ask.

Damien was also worried that Violet was too enthusiastic to reveal his secrets. After Violet stayed for a while, he found an excuse to send Violet downstairs.

When Violet left, she was very reluctant, and when she got in the car, she urged Damien to bring her back to Smyth’s Family as soon as possible.

Damien just said, “No rush.”

Violet said, “Son, you can’t just because you’ve been lied to before…”

Damien frowned coldly and interrupted, “Mom, it’s time for you to go back.”

Violet realized that she had stepped on her son’s tail, so she stopped talking and got in the car to leave.

Damien went to send Violet, and Vivienne was cleaning at home, and when Damien came back, she was just finished.

“We will go to set up a stall at five o’clock in the afternoon. I will go to my mother’s place now and come back in the afternoon.”

Vivienne haven’t visited Mrs. Quinn for a few days, and she happened to have something to ask her mother. Damien was busy, so Vivienne drove back alone.

Mrs. Quinn was on vacation today and was very happy to see Vivienne.

“Vivienne, why are you coming back alone, where’s Damien?”

“He has something to do.” Vivienne entered the room, changed her slippers, and said, “Mom, I remembered something yesterday, and it was very vague. What happened When I was suffering the depression? Do I forget something very important?”

Hearing this, Mrs. Quinn’s face changed drastically, and she said falteringly, “You’re thinking wildly again, didn’t I tell you before, you were framed for plagiarism, and Hendrix went abroad. You were stimulated and then you got sick, why did you ask?”

Vivienne recalled the dream last night and said, “I don’t know why, but I just remembered something.”

“Vivienne, have you been too tired recently?” Mrs. Quinn worried, “Don’t think too much, it all passed, how are you and Damien now?”

Mrs. Quinn deliberately changed the topic so that Vivienne wouldn’t ask her further.

“We’re good.” Vivienne sat down and said, “He’s very busy with work. By the way, a distant relative of his came here today. He said she was his aunt. His aunt was very polite and insisted on giving me a bracelet. I didn’t accept it because it’s too expensive.”

“Damien’s parents died early, but his relatives are pretty good.” Mrs. Quinn said, “Vivienne, I think he is a pretty good man. You two should spend more time together, and love can be cultivated slowly.”

“Mom, I see.” Vivienne didn’t want to worry Mrs. Quinn, and said, “Mom, what’s for lunch today?”

Mrs. Quinn said, “We go and visit Stella at noon. She twisted her ankle yesterday. Let’s go and have a look.”

Vivienne was not willing, “Mom, Aunt Stella looks down upon us. When you were sick and hospitalized, she didn’t show up once. Why would you bother to visit her?”

Mrs. Quinn had two elder sisters and a younger brother.

Mrs. Quinn was the youngest daughter of the family. She was beautiful and good at studying. So everyone in the family doted on her. They all thought that Mrs. Quinn would marry a rich husband, then she would become rich too.

Unexpectedly, Mrs. Quinn was pregnant out of marriage, and the Dividing into pages now

 

[Muhindi Wa Kuchoma]

Chapter 23

family felt ashamed. But Mrs. Quinn insisted on giving birth to the child, and later she barely contacted her family.

Since the death of Vivienne’s grandparents, Mrs. Quinn regretted so much and took the initiative to walk around with several sisters in order to repair their relationship.

Mrs. Quinn said earnestly, “Vivienne, we are family. Don’t be so petty. Go get yourself ready and you will come with me.”

Vivienne was extremely unwilling to go to her aunt’s house, but she worried that Mrs. Quinn would be wronged, so she had to follow.

More than half an hour later, Vivienne drove to another district and entered a slightly upscale residential community.

The car entered the parking lot, and when Vivienne and Mrs. Quinn got out of the car, they happened to meet an acquaintance.

“Aunt, Vivienne, what are you doing here?”

Vivienne turned her head, and standing next to a BMW was her cousin, Lily.

Lily was thirty–two this year and married a doctor. Her husband had been promoted some time ago. She herself was a housewife. They had been married for eight years and still had no child. Lily had tried various ways, but she still didn’t conceive.

Lily was exquisitely dressed, carrying an LV bag in her hand, and looked at Vivienne and Mrs. Quinn with very indifferent eyes.

Mrs. Quinn said with a smile, “Lily, I heard that your mother twisted her ankle, so I came here to take a look.”

“Alright.” Lily’s attitude was cold, and she didn’t take the initiative to invite Vivienne and her mom to go upstairs. She just locked the car and went to the elevator by herself.

Lily had always looked down upon them, just like her mother did. Vivienne couldn’t bear it, but Mrs. Quinn didn’t care and pulled Vivienne to follow.

After Stella got married; her husband got lots of money and then bought three houses.

So They owned three houses in Washington DC, and of course, they thought they were superior.

When they entered the house, Stella saw them, but she didn’t show any emotion.

Mrs. Quinn presented the gift she bought, and asked with concern, “Stella, how is your ankle?.”

“I’m fine.” Stella didn’t accept the gift, and said, “Elena, you only earn a little a month, why are you spending money to buy these things? Just bring them back later, and don’t buy anything next time.”

This was not to be considerate but to look down on these things.

These were bought by Mrs. Quinn in the supermarket and cost more than 300. Normally, Mrs. Quinn would not buy these.

Mrs. Quinn was embarrassed, and said with a smile, “I have already brought it here, just keep it.”

Stella reluctantly asked Mrs. Quinn to put the things on the ground.

Vivienne looked at her mother begrudgingly, feeling distressed and angry.

She asked Mrs..Quinn several times not to come, but Mrs. Quinn insisted on coming.

Vivienne was about to speak, but Mrs. Quinn gave her a look to signal her not to speak.

Vivienne could only hold back.

“You guys sit down.” Stella waved her hand, motioning for Vivienne and her mother to sit down.

In the past, her parents liked Elena, so they gave priority to Elena in everything nice. Stella was very jealous. Now that she lived better than Elena, she immediately felt superior and felt at ease.

Quinn pulled Vivienne to sit down, Stella smiled and asked,
“Vivienne, you haven’t visited me for a long time, and you look more and more beautiful..But as for women, the most important thing is to marry a good husband. Look at Lily, she is well married and lives a comfortable life.”

What she really meant was that Mrs. Quinn looked good when she was young, but that was useless, she was cheated on by a man in the end.

Mrs. Quinn felt embarrassed, and Vivienne couldn’t help it, and said with a smile, “Lily indeed lives a good life. I heard that her husband was promoted some time ago. By the way, they have been married for eight years. Why don’t they have a baby yet?”

 

[Muhindi Wa Kuchoma]

Chapter 24

Vivienne’s words instantly turned the atmosphere into ice.

Lily, who was looking at her phone, had a dark face. It was her heartache that she could not conceive a child.

Both her husband’s mother and her husband cared about that so much.

Her husband’s mother often insinuated that she was a chicken that did not lay eggs.

Just after her husband was promoted, her husband’s mother treated her even worse, and she even secretly encouraged her husband to divorce her.

Lily was afraid of losing her husband, so she went back to her natal home to hide for a few days.

Stella looked at Lily with an embarrassed expression, and said, “There is no rush to have a child. Lily is still young, and the two want to enjoy their life for a few more years. Besides, her husband is also busy. Vivienne, you haven’t had a boyfriend yet, how about I introduce one to you?”

Mrs. Quinn smiled and answered for Vivienne, “Stella, don’t worry, Vivienne has already found a partner.”

“Really? Why haven’t I heard of it before?” Stella said, “Vivienne, you need to be careful choosing a boyfriend. Don’t be cheated just like your mom.”

Vivienne didn’t want to say more, but when she heard the words, she was annoyed and said, “Don’t worry about it, Auntie, he is a trustworthy man.”

Mrs. Quinn could only laugh dryly at the side.

Lily put down her phone and asked, “Vivienne, what does your partner do? Perhaps he owns a house?”

Vivienne said truthfully, “No, we’re renting a house, and he’s just an employee. Your husband is much better than him.”

She knew what Lily meant. Wasn’t she just to confirm that her husband was better.

As soon as she heard that they didn’t even have a house and he was just an employee, Lily lost interest to ask further questions.

Stella was also delighted, she didn’t want Vivienne to marry a better man than her daughter.

Stella said insincerely, “As long as he loves you, that’s not a big deal. Not everyone is as lucky as Lily.”

Vivienne didn’t say a word. In today’s society, relatives and friends may hope you have a good life, but they would never hope that you lived better than them.

Stella asked Mrs. Quinn to have lunch together, and after lunch, she asked Mrs. Quinn to help push the wheelchair to go shopping in the mall.

Mrs. Quinn would love to do that, she cared about her family.

Vivienne didn’t want to stay any longer. After Mrs. Quinn and Stella went shopping, Lainey called her and she left.

Vivienne went to the basement parking lot to drive, and Lily also went out with her LV bag.

“Vivienne.” Lily called to stop Vivienne, walked over, glanced at Vivienne’s car, and smiled contemptuously, “You changed a car. Did you buy this car in the second–hand market?”

Lily’s car was a BMW, which was in sharp contrast to Vivienne’s Chevrolet.

Vivienne didn’t want to compare these things, but she didn’t give in. She said, “Lily, you should worry less about my affairs and more about yourself. Eight years without a kid. Be careful that your husband will find someone to replace you.”

Lily’s heart was full of alarm, but she said calmly, “He doesn’t have the guts.”

Vivienne laughed, noncommittal, got in the car, and left.

However, Lily listened to Vivienne’s words just now. She knew too well that her husband’s family was eager to have a grandkid.

If her husband really found another woman, then her good life. would end.

Thinking of this, Lily hurried back to her husband’s house.

At Starry Sky Club, according to the address provided by Lainey, Vivienne navigated and drove to the entrance of the club.

This was a membership–only club. To put it bluntly, it was dedicated to serving rich people.

Of course, there were also people who had tried their best to get a membership card and came in to dig gold.

Vivienne didn’t know why Lainey asked her to come there, she waited at the door for a while before Lainey came to pick her up.

“Lainey, what are you doing here?”

“Playing ball.” Lainey was wearing a tracksuit and said, “I was brought here by a friend. But It is too boring, so I asked you to come to play with me. I heard that the president of the Skyreach Group is coming today, and my friend is here waiting for him.”

Vivienne asked casually, “Why is she waiting for him?”

“Of course, it is to create opportunities. The president of Skyreach Group is still unmarried and single. There are many rich ladies in the club today. Do you think they are all here to play?”

After Lainey said this, Vivienne noticed that there were quite a lot of well–dressed and expensive girls wherever she went.

Vivienne smiled, “Marriage is kind of a fate thing.”

“But the marriages of these rich ladies are different from ours. There are family interests involved. It is rumored that the president of Skyreach is young and handsome, and, wealthy. Naturally, lots of girls want him.”

Lainey suddenly remembered, “By the way, your husband works in Skyreach Group, he should have met the president, isn’t he really as handsome as the rumors say?”

Vivienne smiled and said, “I don’t know, but I’ll ask him later.”

 

[Muhindi Wa Kuchoma]

Chapter 25

Lainey complained, “Vivi, you care too less about your husband, by the way, he wasn’t angry about the class reunion, right?”

At the class reunion, after Vivienne left, Lainey immediately followed.

“No.” Vivienne said, “I feel that there are very few things that can arouse his emotions.”

As the time they spent getting along longer, Vivienne gradually got to know a little bit.

Lainey said, “Hendrix was quite aggressive, but it passed.”

She wanted to match the two before, but now that Vivienne was married, it would be unreasonable to match them again.

“Lainey, why don’t you go find your friend, and I’ll just find a place to sit.” Vivienne didn’t like such occasions very much.

“Okay, you find yourself a place, and I’ll go say hello to my friend. If you’re not used to staying here, we just leave together.”

“Okay.” Vivienne found a quiet corner to sit down. The service here was very good. As soon as she sat down, the waiter brought drinks for her to choose from.

Vivienne asked for a glass of water. She didn’t know if these drinks cost money. If they did, she probably couldn’t afford the cost.

Vivienne was sitting by the window. From the window, she could see the golf course outside. The lawn was lush and green, and a group of rich men was playing golf.

Those lives were too far away from her.

Vivienne looked away, took out her phone, and sent Damien a message, [Have you eaten yet?]

She worried that Damien was so busy working at home that he forgot to eat.

She thought that Damien worked as a programmer in the R&D department. The work was intense, and it was so tiring.

Vivienne was worried that Damien didn’t have lunch, but she didn’t know that Damien was only a few hundred meters away from her.

At this time, Damien was on the second floor of the club. He was called by his friends to play, but he didn’t know who leaked the news. So many rich ladies were downstairs, and he was having a headache now.

When Damien heard the notification sound of the phone message, he took out the phone and looked at the message. He was expressionless just now, but after seeing the message, his expression softened a lot.

His good friend Trevor came over and jokingly said, “Who’s the message? You look quite happy.”

Trevor was the heir of the Randolph family in Washington DC and had known Damien for many years.

Damien quickly replied with one word, “Yes.” Then he put away his phone and said to Trevor, “This is the last round, I have something to do this afternoon.”

Vivienne would go to the night market at five in the afternoon, so he had to go back later.

“It’s rare for me to come back from abroad, and you have to leave after just playing for a while. Come on, don’t be a pooper. You can put off the things.” Trevor said, “I’ve already booked a seat for the evening, and we’re going to drink together.”

“I can’t put off it.” Damien patted Trevor on the shoulder, “I’ll make it up another day.”

Trevor was a little taken aback, as long as Damien didn’t want to socialize, there was nothing he couldn’t put off.

He became even more curious, thinking of Damien’s expression when he looked at the phone just now, and asked, “Is the person who asked you a beautiful woman?”

Damien nodded.

Trevor excitedly said, “Who is she, do I know her?”

Damien said in a low voice, “You don’t know her, but I’ll introduce her to you later.”

Trevor looked at him for a long time, and sighed, “Tsk tsk, bro, you care about love more than our friendship.”

Damien played the last round of pool and left after it.

Every exit downstairs was guarded by girls, just to have a beautiful encounter with Damien.

Damien had no choice but to let the bodyguards make the way in order to get away quickly.

Lainey said hello to her friend, and was about to leave when she suddenly heard a noise in front of her.

“The president of the Skyreach is down.”

There were girls screaming.

Many girls went forward, and Lainey’s friend also walked quickly.

Dividing info pages now

Out of curiosity, Lainey also walked forward. About ten meters away, Damien came out of the elevator surrounded by bodyguards.

Lainey stood on tiptoe and saw Damien at a glance.

She was shocked.

Considering that Damien was an employee of Skyreach Group if the president of Skyreach was here, then it was possible that Damien was here too.

She didn’t expect Damien to be the president of Skyreach for the first time, and she asked her friend, “Where is the president?”

The friend said, “The one in the white T–shirt is Damien, the president of Skyreach.”

“What? Damien?” Lainey was shocked.

She suddenly remembered why she thought the name Damien was familiar before.

She had heard it from her friends.

Lainey’s family was average, but because she liked to make friends and ran a beauty salon, she also had one or two rich friends around her.

So Damien was the president of Skyreach?

Lainey couldn’t believe it and reconfirmed with her friends. When she looked again, Damien had already left surrounded by bodyguards.

There were a lot of people, and Damien was in a hurry to leave, so he didn’t notice Lainey in the crowd.

After everyone dispersed, Lainey came back to her senses, hurriedly greeted his friends, and hurried to find Vivienne.

 

[Robot]

Flash Marriage He Made My Jaw Drop

Vivienne picked up a fashion magazine and flipped through it when Lainey rushed over suddenly.

“Vivi, Vivi, I saw the president of Skyreach.”

Lainey was very excited.

Her best friend was married to the president of Skyreach Group. This was a step into a wealthy family, and she had become a wealthy wife.

Vivienne smiled and said, “Lainey, come on! You don’t need to be so excited. When you saw Damien, you were not so excited. Could it be that the president is more handsome than Damien?”

Lainey sat down, and took a sip of water first to suppress the shock, “Let me breathe first.”

She had a lot to say, but she was afraid of saying something

wrong.

Judging from Vivienne’s reaction, it seemed that she didn’t know Damien’s real identity at all. Why did Damien hide it from Vivienne?

And why did he marry Vivienne?

How could a wealthy family like the Smyth Family marry someone with no background like Vivienne?

Lainey was full of doubts, and she was afraid that Vivienne would not be able to accept it, so she didn’t tell Vivienne the truth. immediately.

Seeing Lainey acting so strangely, Vivienne was also curious, “Tell me, what does the president look like?”

“I, uh, I actually didn’t see clearly, I just looked at his back.” Lainey



decided not to tell her first, she had to figure out why Damien

married Vivienne, and she couldn’t let Vivienne get hurt.

Vivienne once suffered from depression. What if she was stimulated and became ill?

Vivienne smiled, “Then why you are so excited?”

“Come on, he is the President of Skyreach, that’s the man standing at the top of the pyramid, even just looking at his back is enough to make people feel turbulent.” Lainey tentatively asked, “By the way, Vivi, how did you and Damien get married in the first place? Did you really meet him on a dating site? You got married right after you met?”

Vivienne nodded, “Yes, my mother signed up for me on a dating website, and he was also anxious to get married. According to the dating website, Damien has also met many girls. But he was satisfied with my conditions, and I thought he was good, so we got married.”

Lainey wondered how the president of Skyreach could go on a blind date on a dating site.

But again, judging from Vivienne’s reaction, Vivienne really didn’t know her real identification with Damien.

Lainey asked again, “He said his both parents died? Single without a house?”

Vivienne nodded again, “Yes, there is information on the dating website, Lainey, what’s wrong with you? Why are you asking these all of a sudden.”

“Nothing, just asking casually, and lamenting the wonder of fate.” Lainey smiled, concealing her guilt, and said, “Vivi, have you ever imagined that one day you will marry into a super rich family?”

Vivienne thought that Lainey disliked Damien for being poor, and that was why she said such things.

Vivienne said firmly, “I never thought about it. Damien and I have married. As long as he treats me well, it doesn’t matter whether he is rich or poor. The daughter–in–law of a rich family is not so easy to be, anyway, I don’t want to marry a rich man.”

Nowadays, there was often news on hot searches that some daughters–in–law were oppressed by their rich parents–in–law. Just a few days ago, Vivienne also saw a piece of news that the once- famous actress married into a wealthy family and was required to get up at six o’clock every day. Her mother–in–law also set rules for her every now and then. And her husband often stayed out at night.

Such a marriage was too sad.

www

Lainey laughed dryly, and didn’t dare to ask any further questions, just said, “Vivi, you’re right, you found such a handsome husband, that is lucky enough.”

Now Lainey’s only worry was that Damien was just playing with Vivienne, cheating on Vivienne’s feelings, and he would divorce her after he lost interest.

Otherwise, how could he keep Vivienne outside and lie that the house was rented?

But Lainey didn’t dare to say anything before the matter was clarified.

Vivienne looked at the time and said, “Lainey, it’s almost time. I have to go back to prepare the stall at five o’clock.”

“Okay, then I’ll go with you. I have already greeted my friends. I’ll go. back to the beauty salon.”

Dinding into pages now

Chapter 26

When Vivienne returned home, Damien had already been there.

“You’re back,” Damien said.

“Yes.” Vivienne changed her shoes and said, “Today my mom took me to my aunt’s house, and then I followed Lainey to the Starry Sky Club. Oh yeah, your boss was also at the club today, and many girls were there. Lainey also went to see your boss.”

Hearing this, Damien’s heart skipped a beat.

 

[Robot]

Flash Marriage He Made My Jaw Drop

Chapter 27

Damien never expected that Vivienne also went to that Club.

Damien’s throat tightened, and he asked, “Did you guys see the president of Skyreach Group?”

Vivienne shrugged and said, “I didn’t see him. Lainey said she saw his back. There were too many people, so she couldn’t see it clearly, but it was just a figure from the back, which made her excited. Is your boss really so handsome?”

Damien breathed a sigh of relief and said, “Compared to your husband, he’s still a little worse.”

Vivienne laughed, “Narcissist! If your boss hears it, he will definitely fire you.”

Damien said, “I am a programmer. I can easily find a job again, but our boss will not be so petty.”

Vivienne gossiped, “Damien if your boss is so rich and handsome, why is he still single? Perhaps, he likes men?”

Damien was speechless.

“I don’t know. Employees can’t discuss the boss’s personal affairs.” Damien quickly changed the subject, “Isn’t the stall going to start at five o’clock, and everything is ready?”

“Oh, I almost forgot, I’m going to move the goods now.”

The president of Skyreach was too far away. She was not from the same world as him, so making money was what she should do.

Only money could make her feel safe.

This time, with the help of Damien, all the hard work of moving the goods fell on Damien.

Everything was ready, and the two set off to the Eastern Market together.

Vivienne rented a booth here, so she didn’t have to be afraid of being kicked out by the city manager.

When she first entered this business, Vivienne didn’t understand anything, she was caught by the city management, fined, and her goods were confiscated.

Vivienne was flustered and distressed at the time and cried aggrievedly. She dared not tell Mrs. Quinn when she got home.

But she had gone through it alone.

Damien came to set up a stall for the first time and didn’t know anything, but Vivienne was quick and turned on the small lamp.

Damien looked at such a small table with ornaments made by Vivienne herself, and her heart was greatly touched. She survived by setting up a street stall in Washington DC.

Damien looked around the night market. There were a lot of accessories sellers in this row. Most of them were young girls, and the competition was quite fierce.

There were also clothes, daily necessities, and snacks, and it was very lively.

There were several universities around this night market, so it became lively as soon as school was over.



Residents nearby were also willing to come out for a stroll, so the flow of people was very large.

Vivienne took two folding stools from the trunk and handed one to Damien, “Sit on this one.”

Damien glanced at the folding stool, took it, and sat down without saying anything.

The weather was a bit stuffy, so Vivienne prepared a small fan and handed it to Damien, “Hold it, so it won’t be hot.”

Damien came for the first time, and Vivienne worried that he was not used to it, so she prepared a lot of things for him.

A small fan, bottled water, and snacks, in case he would be bored, she even prepared a tablet.

Damien had a feeling of being pampered, he smiled, “You don’t have to be so considerate.”

Vivienne was not only very considerate but also a little cautious, for fear that Damien would not get used to it.

Vivienne smiled and said, “I’m afraid you will be bored.”

She sat down next to Damien, and the stall owner next to her also came. He was a big brother who sold clothes, and joked with a smile, “Vivienne, is this your boyfriend? Wow, he looks so handsome.”

Vivienne was about to speak when Damien corrected, “I am her husband.”

Vivienne was confused.

The big brother was almost forty. Was Damien jealous? Then why



he was so eager to declare his identity?

Vivienne smiled and said, “Hank, he is my husband.”

Hank was surprised, “Vivienne, when did you get married, I haven’t heard from you before.”

“Uh, we just got married.” Vivienne changed the topic, “Hank, you are here alone today, why didn’t your wife come?”

Hank sighed, “She took the child to the hospital. Someone has to come out to make money. If I don’t come, the rent is wasted, and the money hasn’t been earned yet. Our child’s medical treatment costs a lot.”

Hank used the most helpless tone and simple words to tell about the difficulties of the people at the bottom.

After sighing, life had to go on.

Vivienne explained in a low voice next to Damien’s ear, “Hank’s son has leukemia and has never had a suitable bone marrow

transplant. For their child, they emptied their entire family and owe a lot of debt. Now their relatives and friends are hiding from them.”

Damien had never been in touch with people like Hank. In his world, all people talked about was investment and projects, so he was too far away from the lives of these people.

However, these people had an unyielding spirit, no matter how hard life was, they were still trying so hard.

Vivienne said with emotion, “Bad luck only picks people who are already suffering. Hank’s own health is not good. He is the pillar of the family. If he collapses, the family will be gone. He is a good

man. I didn’t know the rules when I first set up a stall. It was Hank and his wife who took care of me.”

Even though his own life was not satisfactory, he still helped others.

Damien glanced at Hank who was setting the stalls, and said, “There is a saying that all hardships come to an end, and they will get better.”

He glanced at Vivienne’s stall again and asked, “What can I do?”

Vivienne regained her composure and said, “Just sit and wait for customers to come.”

Damien really didn’t know how to sell accessories, the two sat together and chatted, “How much can you earn on average every day?”

“About 80 or so. But you are here now, I probably can earn more. After all, you are so handsome and pleasing to the eye. You can attract lots of girls.”

Damien hooked his lips, and he loved to hear this.

It was getting dark soon, and there were more and more people. After more than an hour, Vivienne didn’t sell a single one.

Usually, at this time, she must have sold some.

Vivienne felt confused. Then she noticed that as long as people passed by the booth, they would look at Damien, then they would look back when they walked away, but they didn’t come close.

Soon, Vivienne found the crux.

All her clients were girls. And Damien was so handsome, sitting there with a cold face, which made these young girls too shy to come close.



Vivienne took out a mask to him, “Damien, you’d better put this on,

or I won’t be able to earn tonight.”

 

[Robot]

Flash Marriage He Made My Jaw Drop

Chapter 28

Damien didn’t realize her meaning at first and looked at Vivienne with the mask in his hand.

Vivienne said helplessly, “You are so handsome, so those girls dare not approach you, then no one buys my stuff.”

She realized that this sentence was a bit hurtful, and she was afraid that he would misunderstand, so she added, “I don’t mean to blame you. It’s just human nature. People will look up to beautiful and dare not have a blasphemous heart, so, my handsome husband, if you are targeted by other girls, I will suffer a lot.”

Apart from the necessary introduction in front of outsiders, this was the first time Vivienne had taken the initiative to address him with the word “husband“.

Damien felt inexplicably happy, put on the mask, and said, “Got it.”

Vivienne smiled in satisfaction, and then smiled to passers–by, “Beautiful girls, take a look, these ornaments are unique, I made them myself.”

“Miss, I still accept customization here. If you have any requirements, you can tell me…”

Vivienne greeted customers enthusiastically, with sweet words, and girls soon surrounded her.

Every piece of accessory made by Vivienne was very delicate, unique, and interesting, and they had a variety of styles.

Whether it was earrings, hair clips, or rings, they were all very beautiful.

In order to promote her own accessories, Vivienne also wore them on her head and hands. She was beautiful, with black and beautiful



hair, and fair skin like snow. These accessories were even more icing on the cake, attracting many customers.

Girls just liked these special accessories. And Vivienne sold them at a cheap price of 5 bucks each, and more complicated accessories were sold at 10 bucks.

It usually took an hour for her to make a simple one, and the complicated one needed half a day.

She focused on pure handwork, and the accessories were really beautifully designed. These college girls were not short of money and were willing to pay.

Damien watched from the side, he calculated the cost of Vivienne, the materials of these accessories were not very valuable, but it took a lot of time.

If Vivienne wanted to earn about 80 a day, she needed to sell more than a dozen accessories, and it may take her a day or two to complete these accessories.

In this way, the profit was very thin.

After a group of customers bought the things, Damien suggested, “Vivienne, with your design talent, you can apply for a jewelry designer. What you like is design. If you make these accessories all by yourself, the efficiency is very low.”

“I thought about it too, but those big companies need a diploma.” Vivienne pursed her lips and said, “A diploma is a threshold for entering a big company. I don’t even have a degree. I just know how to design and have no work experience. I haven’t won any awards, so no one will hire me.”

Looking at the billboard on the road, Vivienne was dreaming and said, “My biggest dream is to become an outstanding jewelry



designer like her.”

Damien followed her gaze, and the beauty on the billboard was Selina, the chief designer of the jewelry brand under the Skyreach Group.

“But you’re better than her,” Damien said.

Vivienne smiled, “She is the top among jewelry designers. She came back from France and won many awards. She is the chief designer of the jewelry brand under Skyreach Group. Oh, you are in the same company. Have you ever met her?”

“I haven’t seen her.” What Damien said was true. As the president of a company, he didn’t have time to meet a designer.

Moreover, the jewelry brand was only one of the industries under the Skyreach Group, which could be regarded as a sideline developed by Damien.

Vivienne said with pity, “Yes, you are a programmer, and she is a designer, there should be no intersection.”

Damien said, “The jewelry brand under the Skyreach Group is recently recruiting new designers, you should try it.”

Vivienne opened her mouth and was about to speak, but Damien interrupted her, “How do you know it can’t work without even trying, the Skyreach Group needs real talents, not just a diploma.”

When Damien said this, Vivienne suddenly had some courage in her heart.

“Your company really wants to hire new designers? Don’t they hire outsiders?”

Damien said nonsense in a serious manner, “I got internal



information that they will recruit externally this year.”

This was not nonsense, whether to recruit or not was just a matter of Damien’s words.

Vivienne was very convinced, “Yes, you are an employee of Skyreach Group, and it is normal for you to know some news.”

She thought to herself that Damien encouraged her to apply for the job, maybe because he wanted her to be in the same company as him and make progress together?

She survived by setting up a stall now, but she couldn’t live like this for a lifetime.

Moreover, a person’s ability was limited and efficiency was very low. What she liked more was design, and she wanted more people to wear the jewelry she designed.

She and Damien were husband and wife, and he was elite. So it made sense that the two should make progress and work together.

“Well, I’ll try.” Vivienne asked, “Are you hungry? I’ll go get us something to eat.”

Neither of them had dinner yet, and Damien was indeed hungry.

“Okay.” Damien said, “I’ll go buy it. What do you like to eat?”

He felt sorry for her that it was not easy to make money, and he was not willing to let her spend money.

“I’ll go, you are not familiar with this place.” Vivienne got up and said, “There is a lot of delicious food, but there is one thing, you must have never eaten, just stay here for a while, I will be back soon. ”

 

[Robot]

Flash Marriage He Made My Jaw Drop

Chapter 29

Damien was left to look at the stall, and Vivienne went straight to the front.

After she left, Hank from the next stall came over and took out a pack of Marlboro, “Bro, would you like one?”

Damien had never smoked cheap cigarettes like Marlboro.

But he didn’t want to reject other people’s kindness, so he took one, “Thank you.”

Hank sat on the folding stool and said, “You are a lucky man. Vivienne is a nice girl. She is talented, beautiful, and kind–hearted. Plus she works so hard. A good wife will prosper for three generations, you should cherish her.”



Damien glanced in the direction Vivienne was going away. The night market was bustling with people. At a glance, all he could see was the back of their heads, and Vivienne could not be seen at

all.

He just knew Vivienne for a short time, but he could feel her simplicity.

Damien agreed with Hank, “You are right, she is a good wife.”

Hank smiled and said, “Bro, cherish her. You are a perfect match. By the way, I haven’t given you two a gift. Come on, this is my little gift, please accept it.”

Hank took out an envelope with not much money in it, only 100 bucks.

But It could buy his meals for a week, and it was also the money for his child to see a doctor.

This gift was light, but the kindness was very heavy.

Damien refused, “Hank, it’s okay, take it back. Vivienne and I appreciate your kindness, but you need the money to see a doctor.”

“If you’re a man, just take it.” Hank stood up, took a puff of a cigarette, and said, “Vivienne usually helps us a lot. I can’t give you much. Please keep this and buy some daily use or whatever, or I feel bad.”

That was a man’s self–esteem.

“Thanks.” Damien accepted it and lit a Marlboro and took a puff. The smoke choked his nose, which made him cough a few times.

Hank laughed and said, “Hey man, you don’t usually smoke, right?”



“Yes,” Damien said, “Sorry about that.”

Hank had a hearty personality, and the two chatted about daily life.

After a while, Vivienne came back with two cups of milk tea and two Rakfisk noodles.

Before Vivienne approached, Damien smelled the stench, “Vivienne, what did you buy?”

“Rakfisk noodles.” Vivienne placed the noodles on the small table as if offering a treasure, and said, “You must have never eaten it. I know it doesn’t smell good, but it’s delicious, have a try.”

Damien never drank milk tea. He usually drank freshly ground coffee.

Damien smelled the stink, of the Rakfisk noodles, with a painful expression on his face, “This thing is eatable?”

It stunk a bit hard to swallow.

Vivienne said, “It was the same as durian. Try it. It’s really delicious. I promise you will fall in love with it once you try it.”

Vivienne held the Rakfisk noodles in front of him and almost started feeding him directly.

Damien restrained the stench, glanced at the bowl, then at Vivienne.

Vivienne looked at him expectantly, “Try it!”

Vivienne’s eyes seemed to be full of stars, which made him impossible to refuse her.

Damien held his breath, took a bite out of his fork, and put it in his mouth with a very complicated expression.

Chapter 29

Vivienne smiled and said, “Isn’t it delicious?”

Damien suppressed his nausea and swallowed it, took a sip of the milk tea, and said, “This is delicious.”

He was really not used to the noodles.

Vivienne didn’t force him either, “Then you drink the milk tea first, and I’ll buy you another food.”

Hank laughed beside him and said, “Bro, I’m not used to eating the Rakfisk noodles either.”

Damien didn’t like the Rakfisk noodles but fell in love with milk tea.

The coffee he usually drank was bitter coffee, so this kind of sweet soda was quite delicious to him.

When Vivienne came back, Damien was almost finished drinking.

Vivienne was busy all night, taking care of business and taking care of Damien.

Damien felt like he was not helping. He asked many times if she needed help, and Vivienne just told him to sit and rest.

Just when Damien was thinking of helping Vivienne sell all these accessories so that they could come back home earlier, suddenly, a familiar voice sounded above his head.

“Damien, it’s really you. Are you here, uh, setting up a street stall?”

Grayson was a little unbelievable. He was dragged by his new girlfriend to visit the night market. Only happened to see Damien setting up a street stall.

A CEO of a big group, setting up a street stall on the side of the road?

Band pages now



Life could always give you surprises, huh?

heart.

Grayson was so impressed by his brother’s effort to win a girl’s