Chapter 7: Chapter 7

Flash Marriage He Made My Jaw Drop 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.