A Midnight Drive

The iron grip on Vivienne’s arm sent a sharp, stinging pain radiating straight to her shoulder. Gideon’s jaw was clamped tight, his amber eyes burning with an unyielding, freezing rage under the dim streetlights outside the manor.

"Mr. Rothwell, why would you think I did it on purpose?" she shot back, twisting her wrist, desperately trying to break her hand free from his bruising hold. "All I did was try to match you up with Camilla, didn’t I?"

Gideon hauled her backward with sudden, overwhelming force. Her heels scraped harshly against the rough pavement, and she stumbled, nearly crashing hard into the solid wall of his chest.

His voice radiated a cold, biting accusation that sliced through the crisp night air. "You’re the one who asked Camilla to invite me to the Kensington manor. And that’s your scheme all this while?"

Vivienne caught her balance, her breath hitching for a fraction of a second before a sharp sound of disbelief escaped her lips. She raised her head, meeting his furious gaze, and found herself genuinely amused by his fundamentally broken logic. She yanked her arm again, shaking off his tight grip with a forceful jerk.

"So I’m the one who asked Camilla to invite you to the Kensington manor?" she mocked, rubbing her aching skin. "My reputation must precede me."

Gideon’s eyes narrowed into dangerous, icy slits. "Vivienne Kensington, you are not in the position to stick your hand into the matter between Camilla and me. I don’t care what your purpose is, don’t act like you’re pulling the strings."

"Gideon, let me make one thing clear today." Vivienne stood her ground, her posture straight and her eyes flashing with pure defiance. "I didn’t ask Camilla to invite you over here. Whatever nonsense she fed you has nothing to do with me."

She took a deliberate step back, her tone dropping into a solemn, razor-sharp warning. "I couldn’t care less about the matter between the two of you. So go back and tell your girlfriend not to point all her f*cking fingers at me whenever she needs a scapegoat. I’m not a pushover!"

Enraged by the confrontation and refusing to entertain his baseless accusations a second longer, she spun on her heel, determined to march down the dark road and find a passing cab. But before she could even take two full steps, Gideon lunged.

His arm wrapped securely around her waist, dragging her backward with relentless momentum toward his parked luxury car.

"Mr. Rothwell, what are you doing? Let me go!" Vivienne thrashed, her hands pushing against the heavy car door as he shoved her unceremoniously into the passenger seat.

She scrambled to reach the handle, glaring daggers at him as he slid behind the steering wheel. "Gideon Rothwell, you’d better let me out right now, or I’ll call the police for kidnapping!"

"Do as you like," he muttered, his tone dripping with indifference. He ignored her fierce threats, throwing the gear into drive. He floored the gas pedal, the engine roaring like a beast as the tires tore away from the curb, leaving the imposing gates of the manor far behind.

From the dark, shadowed entrance of the estate, Camilla stood frozen in place. She watched the red taillights of the sleek car shrink into the oppressive distance. Her breathing grew shallow and rapid. Her fists were clenched so tight her acrylic nails dug deep into her palms, drawing sharp pangs of pain. A dark, dangerous, and jealous fury burned in her widening eyes, twisting her beautiful features into a mask of bitter resentment.

Inside the roaring vehicle, the bright city lights quickly gave way to the dense, suffocating darkness of the wilderness outside the city limits. The tense silence in the cabin was thick enough to cut with a knife. Vivienne gripped the leather armrest, her gaze darting to the endless stretch of pitch-black highway ahead.

"What are you doing?" she demanded, her voice laced with a vigilant edge. "We’re in the middle of nowhere. Are you planning to kill me out here?"

Gideon suddenly slammed on the brakes. The tires shrieked against the asphalt, the heavy car jerking to an abrupt, jarring halt on the desolate shoulder of the road. He stared straight through the windshield, his jaw ticking. "Get off," he demanded coldly.

Vivienne glanced out the window at the pure, freezing darkness. Nothing but jagged rocks, dense black silhouettes of trees, and the faint, distant crash of unseen ocean waves. "You’re asking me to get off here?"

"Are you telling me you don’t understand what I just said?" His voice was impatient, sharp as shattered glass. "Get out of the car."

Refusing to cower or beg for his mercy, Vivienne kicked the door open. The freezing night wind instantly bit through her thin dress. She stepped out into the desolate, signal-less night, slamming the heavy door shut behind her.

Before she could even steady her footing on the loose gravel, the engine revved. Gideon immediately floored the gas pedal, his taillights rapidly fading into the oppressive, endless distance.

"Mr. Rothwell, you do have the f*cking balls!" Vivienne cursed loudly into the empty void, crossing her arms tightly over her chest. It was pitch black all around, the end of the endless highway nowhere to be seen. The eerie chirp of insects echoed from the dense forest. She pulled out her phone, clicking on the flashlight to illuminate the jagged rocks and the steep slope leading down to the shore. No cell signal. She was stranded.

Miles down the winding road, the silence inside the luxury car grew deafening. Gideon gripped the steering wheel, his knuckles turning stark white. He glared at the empty asphalt ahead, but intrusive, nagging doubts began to creep into his racing mind.

He reflected on the disastrous dinner he had just walked out of. He had genuinely never planned to marry Camilla. He had never publicly claimed her as his girlfriend, and even Richard Kensington never had the guts to demand a wedding, despite the fact that Camilla was the woman who had slept with him six years ago.

His brow creased into a deep, frustrated frown. If Vivienne truly hadn't orchestrated the invitation tonight to force his hand, then why did Camilla insist it was her doing? Had Camilla actually lied to his face just to put on a manipulative show?

A heavy knot formed in his stomach. He was heavily agitated by his own irrational, emotional behavior. He had lost his temper. He had kidnapped a woman and left her stranded in the freezing, dangerous wilderness. He cursed under his breath, sharply whipping the steering wheel to the left. The tires squealed as he forcefully turned the car around in the middle of the empty highway, speeding back into the deep darkness.

When his headlights finally swept across the drop-off point, they illuminated a scene that made his breath catch in his throat.

Vivienne was not crying or panicking. She was sitting calmly on a large rock by the edge of the shore. The night sky softly illuminated her graceful, upright silhouette. The chilling sea breeze whipped her long, thick, curly hair around her shoulders. She raised her arms, her slender fingers elegantly gathering the dark waves, sweeping them up to tie a knot at the crown of her head. The simple movement exposed the delicate, pale curve of her slender neck.

It was a striking, intimate sight in the middle of the desolate wilderness. An undeniable, intensely frustrating fascination flared in Gideon's chest. The sudden heat of attraction caught him off guard, making his pulse hammer against his ribs.

Hearing the tires crunch over the loose gravel, Vivienne paused. She glanced back over her shoulder, the glaring headlights casting harsh shadows across her delicate features. An open sneer touched her lips. "I thought Mr. Rothwell was really planning to leave me here overnight. I didn’t expect you to be quite conscientious, huh?"

Gideon frowned deeply, annoyed by the sudden racing of his own thoughts and his uncharacteristic reaction to her. He rolled down the window, his expression hardening. "Get in."

Vivienne slid off the rock, her heels clicking against the stones as she walked toward the rear door. She reached for the handle.

"Sit in the front," he snapped irritably.

She paused, turning her head to give him a questioning look.

"I'm not your driver," he added, his tone flat and unyielding.

Vivienne tutted, shaking her head. She walked around the hood, opened the passenger door, and slid into the leather seat. "Mr. Rothwell, I think you’re quite a baffling man."

Gideon ignored her jab. He shifted the gear and drove away, his face gloomy, staring straight ahead at the dark road.

The intensely tense ride back toward the city limits was buried in a suffocating silence. Vivienne didn't bother trying to strike up a conversation. She propped her elbow on the window ledge, resting her chin in her hand, watching the dark landscape blur past.

Just as the warm glow of the city streetlights began to filter into the cabin, the heavy silence was broken by the ringing of her phone. She pulled it from her purse. The screen lit up with Maddox's name. It was past nine-thirty. Her boys were probably worried sick.

She tapped the screen to answer, deliberately softening her voice into a breathy, gentle tone. "Hello, sweetheart?"

Beside her, Gideon stiffened. A harsh scoff escaped his lips. His grip on the steering wheel tightened until the leather creaked.

Vivienne ignored his reaction, leaning into her performance. "I’m sorry, something came up and there was a delay. I’m going back now, so wait for me at home. Muack. See you." She hung up the phone, a small, triumphant smirk playing on her lips.

"Boyfriend?" Gideon asked. His voice was laced with rudeness, sharp and biting.

Vivienne turned her head, flashing him a bright, intentionally provocative smile to push his buttons. "Yes, it’s my man."

Gideon’s jaw clenched so hard a muscle twitched in his cheek. An inexplicable, fiery irritation surged through his veins. He didn't say another word. He just hit the gas, speeding through the glowing city streets. Minutes later, he abruptly pulled over to the curb on a busy downtown avenue, slammed on the brakes, and unceremoniously dumped her right there on the sidewalk without a second glance.

When Vivienne finally walked through the front door of her villa, kicking off her heels with a tired sigh, she found little Maddox sitting cross-legged on the living room couch. He hopped down, picking up her slippers and placing them neatly by her feet.

He looked up at her, letting out a heavy, dramatic sigh. "Mommy, were you with a despicable man just now?"

Vivienne burst into warm laughter, sliding her tired feet into the soft slippers. "How did you know that?"

Maddox crossed his tiny arms over his chest, his brow furrowed in a serious expression. "You always call us sweethearts or dears on the phone whenever you have a nasty man by your side." He already knew her long-standing habit of using fake pet names to effectively ward off unwanted suitors.

Vivienne knelt down, pinching his soft cheek. "My incredibly smart boy. You always remember these things down to the very details. Where are Jaxon and Chloe?"

"They’ve fallen asleep," Maddox replied, his little chest puffing out with pride.

She patted his head, her heart swelling with deep affection. "Thank you. You always take care of your younger siblings when Mommy isn't home."

Maddox shrugged, spreading his hands with a small, confident smile. "I'm the eldest, ain't I?"

The very next morning, the bright lights of the Lumina Jewelry office building did nothing to dispel the lingering, toxic tension from the previous night's disastrous dinner. Vivienne carried her briefcase, her heels clicking rhythmically against the polished marble floor of the elevator lobby.

Before her finger could even press the call button, a hand lashed out.

Camilla grabbed Vivienne's arm, her fingernails digging deep through the fabric of her blouse. With a fierce yank, Camilla dragged her backward, pulling her away from the gathering crowd of morning employees and aggressively shoving her into a secluded corner near the fire exit.

Vivienne stumbled but quickly caught her footing, slapping Camilla’s hand away. "Camilla Kensington, are you looking for a fight?" Vivienne straightened her blouse, a cool smirk touching her lips.

Camilla’s chest heaved. Her perfectly styled hair was slightly disheveled, and her eyes blazed with a furious, unhinged jealousy. "Vivienne Kensington, I didn’t expect you to have such a scheme up your sleeve, huh?" She gnashed her teeth, stepping dangerously close.

"What do I have up my sleeve?" Vivienne chuckled softly, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Didn’t I warn you not to have any filthy ideas about Gideon?" Camilla hissed, her voice trembling with raw, unrestrained rage. "What did the both of you do behind my back last night?"