Chapter 6: Chapter 6

Flash Marriage He Made My Jaw Drop 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?”