Chaos Girl Rewrites the Script novel Chapter 608

Alaric?

Vivienne's beaming smile instantly violently twitched.

Why the hell was Alaric here?!

Before she could even process the shock, Wesley popped his head out from behind Alaric, offering a highly respectful greeting. "Miss Lexton."

Alaric peered past her into the apartment. "Why are the lights off?"

Vivienne curled her toes awkwardly against the hardwood. "The power's out."

Power's out? Wesley shot a confused glance back toward the elevator lobby. That made zero sense; everything had been perfectly fine on their way up.

Alaric looked her up and down without a trace of emotion. "Where is Cyril? Is he not here?"

"Alaric." Cyril strolled into the entryway, his hands casually tucked into his pockets and a faint, easy smile playing on his lips.

Alaric locked eyes with Cyril right over Vivienne's head. One exuded an icy detachment, the other a smooth warmth. But beneath their deceptively calm gazes lay a terrifyingly sharp, unspoken hostility.

...

Vivienne forced a tight smile, entirely ready to mock Cyril for his blatant hypocrisy. But then a sudden realization hit her, and her eyes sparkled with newfound excitement.

Alaric's arrival was an absolute stroke of genius! The guy was rigid, strictly by the book, and heavily bound by rules. There was zero chance he would tolerate any inappropriate behavior between her and Cyril. As long as Alaric was here to act as a buffer, Cyril wouldn't be able to lay a single finger on her.

And as for that infuriating 99.99% completion meter, she had completely made peace with it. If she had an opening, she'd push for it. If not, she'd retreat, finish analyzing Balthazar Beaufort's intel, and move right along to the next plotline. She refused to let this chaotic rescue mission completely derail her.

She was just going to ignore everything that had happened tonight. No explanations, no responses. Sure, it was a totally toxic move, but that was just how things worked. He played her, she played him; eventually, they'd both just get used to it.

"Well, since you're here, don't just stand out there! Come on in!"

Having worked out her brilliant strategy, Vivienne's attitude completely flipped. She immediately bustled around, highly eagerly fetching a pair of slippers for Alaric. "Make yourself comfortable. Consider this your own home."

Alaric looked mildly perplexed by her sudden enthusiasm, but her beaming smile seemed genuine enough. The icy frost in his eyes instantly thawed into something much softer.

Grinning broadly, Vivienne spun around to find Cyril watching her with a dark, calculating stare. Her eyes flashed with pure provocation, and she deliberately brushed her shoulder against his as she squeezed past him.

Cyril merely let out a low chuckle.

Alaric swapped his shoes and stepped into the living room. Hundreds of scented candles turned the dark apartment into a glowing sea of stars, blanketing the massive space in a deeply intimate glow and filling the air with a heavy, intoxicatingly sweet fragrance.

This was completely unforgivable of Vivienne. His boss had literally traveled day and night just to see her, and here she was, messing around with some pretty boy. She was absolutely trampling all over his boss's heart!

This was an utter outrage!

Wesley looked at Alaric, buzzing with righteous fury. "Boss—"

Yell at her! Put her in her place! If he just swallowed this blatant disrespect, he was going to be a complete doormat for the rest of his life, suffering endlessly in the name of love!

Alaric cut him off without even batting an eyelash. "Shut up."

...

Fine! Suffer through the misery of love, you complete coward!

The living room was submerged in heavy, flickering shadows.

Alaric carried his glass over and sat directly across from Cyril. The soft glow of the candles drew a sharp dividing line down the middle of the coffee table, plunging one man into the light and the other into the dark.

Cyril was the first to speak. "Why didn't you let me know you were coming to Merriton City? Now I feel like a terrible host."