Melody Anne's Billionaire Universe: Devoured (Kindle Worlds Novella) (3 page)

She was not.

When she finally returned with a security officer, it was to find the photocopying room empty and without a single piece of evidence of his presence. The papers were gone, and even the photocopying machine’s data history had been deleted.

“He was just here…” But of course he would have made his escape. “What if he’s stolen something?” she asked numbly.

“I’ll check the CCTV cameras and let you know what we find out,” the officer assured her. “Don’t blame yourself for this. Even if it turns out something’s been stolen, it wasn’t your fault.” He gave her a sympathetic look. “Are you going to be okay?”

She managed a nod.

“You don’t need to continue with your job for tonight, you know. The company has rules for incidents like this, and you can leave if you want, and you’ll still get paid your entire wages for the night.”

She shook her head slowly. “I’m okay.” She did feel a little bit weird, a little bit stressed out, and more than a little bit crazy at how things had turned out, but she was…okay.

Right?

****

“I know you had your man check if she was fine and that she said she was, but that is not what I’m asking,” Luca reprimanded icily. “What I’m asking is whether she
looked
fine and if she did not, I don’t care what reason you use – I want you to have her checked by a medical professional and make sure she is not suffering from shock or anything similar.
Capisci
?”

He ended the call shortly after, but only with the assurance that they could provide him with a detailed report on Vivian Day’s current condition within the hour. Luca made another call, this time to his head of security. “Something’s come up, and I want you and the rest of your team working double time on finishing your background check on Ms. Day. I want the report on my desk first thing tomorrow.”

“Yes, sir.”

Tossing his phone on the bed, he restlessly paced the length of his cabin, one of the three luxuriously designed bedrooms in Luca’s private jet. If only Eula had not fallen sick during her vacation in her
Nonna’s
home, he would have stayed behind to address her fears and assure her of his intentions.

But with Eula begging him to fly back to Tuscany, he had been left with no choice. He also hoped, once Vivian learned of his circumstances, she would understand why he had to choose his daughter over her.

If she did not, then she was not the woman he thought she was.

But if she did---

Then she was the woman he had waited an entire year to appear in his life…

The woman he would hire to be his wife and a mother to Eula.

Chapter Two

Monday. It was the first day of the week, and as far as Vivian was concerned, it was also the beginning of a new chapter in her life. A chapter that was absolutely a Gian-free zone, she clarified firmly to herself as she stared at her reflection in the mirror.

“Got that?”

From the hallway, Maggie called out, “Are you talking to yourself again?”

“Nope.”

“Because I totally heard you, and it seems like you were warning yourself not to think about Mr. Photocopy.”

Ugh.
Her roommate knew her too well.

Still, she lied, hollering out, “You heard wrong!” Then she quickly slammed the door shut before Maggie could get another word in. It took her about ten minutes to shower, and then just another five to change into her cleaner’s uniform. Running a comb through her hair, she hurried to the kitchen and caught sight of her dark-haired roommate still in her pajamas, complete with bed head and sleepy-looking brown eyes. Then again, Maggie was always in pajamas since freelance writing allowed her to write from home.

“I hate you,” Vivian said without heat as she took a seat.

Maggie laughed. “I told you, just quit your job and try doing what I do.”

“I did, Maggie. But what takes you about ten minutes to write takes me an hour. At that rate, I won’t even earn half of what I do with cleaning.”

“It takes time, but you’ll improve,” Maggie said encouragingly as she poured her friend some coffee.

Flashing her a thumbs-up sign for the coffee, Vivian closed her eyes as she took a sip.
So good,
she thought. This was what life was all about. The little pleasures, and it was something she had learned not to take for granted.

Without opening her eyes, she mumbled, “Thanks for the pep talk, but writing isn’t just for me.” Putting her cup down, she said with a sigh, “Maybe one day, I’ll be like you and I’ll find my dream job.”

Maggie said slyly, “Which is what? To marry Mr. Photocopy and have his babies?”

Vivian turned red. “Stop calling him that, and actually, stop talking about him, too! How am I going to forget him if you keep talking about him?”

“Oh hon, even if I stop talking about him, you’ll
still
think about him.” Maggie shook her head ruefully. “Whether you admit it or not, you pinned a lot of your hopes on that guy, and after finding out he
may
have a kid---”

“He does,” Vivian said stubbornly.

“You’re still reeling from the discovery,” Maggie finished triumphantly. “It’s no good running away from your thoughts, Vi. I know from experience. You just need to embrace the pain---”

Vivian mumbled her answer as she munched her toast.

Maggie frowned. “What?”

Hurriedly getting up from her seat, Vivian drank the rest of her coffee before answering, “I said, I don’t even get what you mean about embracing the pain. I told you, Mags. Stop using too pretty words that seem to say one thing but mean the other. It makes my head hurt.”

Taking her bag from the couch, she slung the strap over her shoulder and waved goodbye to her friend. “See you later, and yes, dinner and dishwashing on me tonight.”

“No need, I’m going out on a date.”

“Eric?”

Maggie snorted. “Eric who?”

She gasped. “Maggie!”

“I get bored easily, so sue me.”

Shaking her head, Vivian said with a sigh, “Just take care, and try not to take break any hearts tonight.”

“Yes, Mom,” she heard Maggie call out to her teasingly as she stepped out of their apartment.

Running down the stairs, Vivian shook her head at Maggie’s flippant attitude towards the other sex. Why couldn’t she find it just as easy to move on? She remembered her roommate’s advice, which she honestly still didn’t get. Did embracing the pain mean allowing the tears to fall while she listened to love songs or watched
Romeo and Juliet?

That would only make her more depressed and get her to slow down at work.

She shook her head to herself.

No, it was just better to keep pushing all thoughts of
him
to the back of her head while she focused on her work. She had to just keep pushing and pushing until she completely forgot all about him.

It was a good plan…until she made it to her second job and saw the crowd that had formed in front of the lobby’s announcement board.

That was weird,
she thought. At five in the afternoon, most of the people were usually in a hurry to leave. Possibly, the newest announcement had just been posted. Tiptoeing, she tried to see what they were all staring at but when it proved impossible, she reluctantly turned away and headed to the employees’ entrance at the side. When it was her turn to clock in, Vivian asked the lady guard, “What’s going on, Gloria?”

The fortyish blonde shrugged. “Oh, it’s just the usual M&A.”

Although neither of them had a business degree, hanging around over sixty hours a week around corporate professionals had them well versed in their bosses’ language, and Vivian nodded in understanding. M&As or mergers and acquisitions could be good or bad, depending on who was taking over.

“You know how it goes,” Gloria was saying as Vivian moved aside to let other employees clock in. “Negotiations are kept hush-hush then when money’s been exchanged, boom! People come to work and they have no idea they’re about to be laid off.”

Shifting on her feet, Vivian asked curiously, “So which company is absorbing which?”

“Some kind of billion-dollar technology firm called LV is taking over---”

“Louis Vuitton?” Vivian blurted out in surprise.

Gloria rolled her eyes. “I wish it was that exciting, but no. It’s also European, though. Italy, I think. All the info’s on the board, as well as a list of names that the bigwigs want to meet.”

“And the company being absorbed?”

Gloria blinked. “Oh, so you really don’t know anything about it?” She gave Vivian an uncomfortable smile. “It’s
your
company.”

Vivian gasped. “What?” The company she worked for happened to own the entire twenty-story building they were in, and she hadn’t heard a single peep that it was in trouble.

From behind them, a male voice asked regretfully, “You’ve heard then?”

Recognizing the voice, Vivian immediately felt her throat tightening in shyness. As she turned around to face the newcomer, she saw Taylor Bainbridge smiling at her. Of medium height and with sandy brown hair, Taylor was extremely attractive and only a year older than her. He was also considered one of their company’s rising stars, which was why she wasn’t surprised when the other office cleaners were again shooting her nasty looks upon seeing him talking to her.

Trying to ignore the way Gloria was grinning so knowingly at her, she managed to keep her voice from croaking as she asked, “Did you know about it, Mr. Bainbridge?”

Taylor’s lips twitched. “Every time you call me that, it just cracks me up. It’s almost like we didn’t go to the same high school.”

She smiled weakly. “Company policy, you know.”

“I understand, and to answer your question…” He looked at her guiltily. “I did hear about it, but it was just a few days ago.” Taylor sighed. “I’m sorry I couldn’t tell you, though. It was classified information.”

Reddening at his belief that he owed her an apology, she stammered right away, “Y-you didn’t need to tell me anything.”

Taylor cleared his throat. “Yes, well, I’m sure your name isn’t on the list so…”

“I’m glad…” Her voice trailed off as she tried but failed to think of what else to say.

They stared at each other.

Gloria coughed after a moment, saying, “You know, you two can catch up with each other at a different place. Sorry Mr. Bainbridge, but you’re holding up the line.”

Following Gloria’s gaze, Vivian colored when she saw that the other woman was telling the truth. But then she saw something else---

Behind the long line of maintenance employees waiting to clock in was a man in a pinstriped suit, light blue eyes blazing with what could only be fury.

Gian.

Without thinking, she whirled around and walked away.

He was even more handsome than she had allowed herself to remember
, Vivian thought despairingly, and so much sexier. Her chest heaved when she remembered the way he had stared so angrily at her, and Vivian’s fists clenched.

Taylor came after her almost immediately, asking in concern, “Are you okay? You turned pale all of a sudden.”

“I…I…”
I had just seen the guy who I almost fell in love with? The same guy who happened to be married and with a kid?
Mentally cringing at the idea of revealing to Taylor just how foolish she had acted over a guy she barely knew, she said instead, “It might be my migraine.”

He frowned. “Do you want me to take you to the clinic?”

She shook her head hastily. “No, it’s okay, I’m used to it, umm, coming and going.” She couldn’t quite meet Taylor’s eyes as she uttered the lie. They stepped inside the elevator together, Taylor taking the initiative to punch the buttons for their floors.

“Tenth, right?”

She nodded.

“You sure you’re alright?”

She made herself look at him and forced a smile, saying, “Thank you for being so nice to me---” Although Taylor returned her smile, it was one that didn’t reach his eyes, and her voice faltered.

“Vivian…”

She watched him take a deep breath, and she bit her lip hard at the sudden urge she had to run away. But then a moment later, the doors opened to her floor, making Vivian almost sigh in relief. “This is me,” she said awkwardly, all the while forcing herself not to just bolt out of the elevator like she wanted.

“And so it is.” Although Taylor’s voice was pleasant, his eyes were intensely focused on Vivian, and a shiver of awareness ran down her spine.

As she turned her back on him and stepped out, fingers suddenly encircled her wrist from behind, and she stiffened. A moment later, Taylor was standing right next to her, his breath tickling her hair as he muttered, “I think it’s time we cleared the confusion and I lay it all out in the open once and for all.”

Vivian’s eyes widened.

“I’m not just being nice when I talk to you and spend time with you, Vivian. I
like
you. I’m
attracted
to you, and I want you to go out with me.”

Taylor’s grip on her wrist loosened.

By the time she found the courage to turn around, the elevator doors had closed and Taylor was gone.

Vivian tried to forget Taylor’s surprise admission as she went to the locker room and changed into her second uniform for the day, and surprisingly she succeeded. What her mind still had trouble forgetting was how much of an idiot she had been with
the other guy.

This totally proved it
, she thought glumly. She had the worst taste in men.

As she tied her hair, she went to check the to-do list for today and saw that she had been assigned to clean the first four floors, which included the lobby. Wheeling her trolley out of the storage area, she headed to the service elevator and upon reaching the lobby, she saw that the crowd in front of the announcement board had already thinned.

Good,
she thought
. I can just maybe sneak a peek and see what all the ruckus is about.

Parking her trolley on the side, Vivian patiently made her way to the front.

She read the list of names absently, even knowing that she was too unimportant to warrant the bosses’ attention. They probably didn’t even know she existed---

And then she saw it.

Vivian whitened.

Vivian Day, to report to Human Resources immediately

She tried reading it several times just to be sure she wasn’t imagining it.

She wasn’t.

That really was her name.

And HR wanted to talk to her?

Why?

Walking back to her trolley like a zombie, she wheeled it in front of reception, and ignoring the way the receptionist wrinkled her nose in disgust, she said haltingly, “I saw my name on the list.”

The blonde’s thin brows arched. “Are you certain?”

“I wish I wasn’t,” Vivian mumbled, “but I am. It says I’m supposed to go to HR?” She knew where the department’s office was, but company policy requested every inter-department visit to go through reception for record keeping.

“Your name?” the blonde asked as she reached for the receiver.

“Vivian Day.”

The blonde nodded. “Hold on.” Her tone was brusque, but it changed quickly enough when her call pushed through, turning sweet and friendly as she asked if there was an appointment for Vivian Day. When the call ended, she glanced at Vivian and, turning her nose up, she asked, “You know where HR is?”

Naturally,
Vivian thought,
since I’ve been cleaning the entire building for almost a year now.
But since she wasn’t ever the type to make waves, she only allowed herself a small nod.