Never Late, Never Away (Vivian and Finnick)
Chapter 9

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"We've found some clues," Finnick stated simply.

"That's great!" Another grin appeared on Stiles' face. "And here I was, wondering how you were going to repay her for what she had done. I had hoped that you would offer yourself up to her, but it turns out that you've already given yourself to another woman."

Finnick completely ignored his friend's shameless teasing.

Stiles pouted a little, seeing as he was unable to get a rise out of the other man. Then, his gaze shifted to Finnick's wheelchair as his eyes gleamed. "Finnick, have you told your wife about your legs yet?" Finnick, who had been scrolling through the finance department reports, stopped moving his mouse.

A few beats later, he muttered, "No."

Stiles furrowed his brows. "Finnick, it's not that I want to be a nag, but it really doesn't matter what reason you've married her for. Since you're already husband and wife, are you sure that you still want to keep the truth from her? Maybe..."

Here he paused for several seconds, debating on whether or not he should continue. At long last, he gritted his teeth and forged on, "Maybe you should try to accept your new wife. You can't always live in the shadows of the past."

He was all too familiar with Finnick's personality. Although Finnick had insisted that the only reason that he had married the woman was to deal with his grandfather, there was no way that he would accept marriage and living together with her, unless he had truly liked her.

Finnick did not speak. A short while later, he was done reading through the reports. Only then did he respond in a soft voice.

"I can't forget about her."

Stiles was rather stunned.

He took a closer look at Finnick's face, noticing the calm indifference on it. Pity flashed in his eyes.

The car accident that had happened ten years ago was a nightmare for everyone.

Everybody thought that Finnick had lost the use of his legs in that car crash.

It turned out that they were all wrong.

What Finnick had lost in that car crash was not his legs. Rather, it was his heart.

When Vivian returned home after work, Molly and Liam came into the living room with their luggage.

"Molly, Liam, what are you..."

"Mrs. Norton, our son is getting married tomorrow, so we're going to his wedding!" Liam clarified with a delighted grin.

"Really? Congratulations! How many days will you be gone for?"

"The wedding will take place here in Sunshine City, so we'll be back tomorrow night." Molly smiled pleasantly. However, a worried expression crossed her face when she turned to look at Finnick. "However, with nobody at home, Mr. Norton would have no one to prepare breakfast for him."

Vivian was speechless.

Is this how the rich live? It's merely breakfast! Do they really need to hire someone to specifically cook for them?

"It's fine." Finnick's deep voice interrupted her thoughts. "Vivian, you know how to cook, right?"

"Huh?" was her eloquent response. Locking gazes with his dark orbs, she stuttered out, "I-I do..."

Then, remembering the hearty breakfast that Molly had cooked in the morning, she could not help but add, "Just a little..."

There was a brief flicker of amusement in Finnick's eyes before it was gone.

"That's enough then," he intoned.

The next morning.

Vivian woke up an hour earlier than normal to labor over breakfast.

She was just about to head upstairs to call Finnick down when he had appeared out of the elevator.

"Do you have batteries?"

Bewildered at the question, it took her a moment to realize that he was holding an electric shaver in his hands.

Taking the shaver from him, she checked the battery slot. "You need a button cell for this. Are there any in the house?"

"No."

She eyed the stubble lining his jaw, confirming that he really did need a shave. "Are there any supermarkets or convenience stores nearby?"

"No."

Exasperated, she pressed, "There's nothing around here?"

He shook his head.

Vivian could have wept at the way that these rich people had lived.

"Now what shall we do?" she huffed in frustration. "Maybe you could get that assistant of yours to buy one and bring it over?"

"He's already on his way here. I have a very important meeting later that I can't afford to be late to." Finnick's brows furrowed and he added, "I asked Liam and he'd said that he has a new razor. However, it's not electric so I don't really know how to use it."

She stared at him for a while until it clicked in her brain. She soon understood the reason that he was here. He had wanted her to help him shave!

"Where is it?" She could not help but replace him rather adorable at the moment. Pursing her lips, she continued, "I know how to use one and I can do it for you.”

"It's in the storage closet."

Rummaging around in the aforementioned closet, it did not take her long to replace the razor. It was a traditional razor, the kind that had needed to be used together with shaving foam. She slathered a thick layer of foam on his jaw before she began to carefully shave his stubble.

Their faces were so close to one another that her breaths had puffed against his cheeks lightly.

All Finnick had to do was lift his gaze a little and he would be able to get an up-close look at her face. He could even see the tiny hairs on her smooth, pale skin. They reminded him of peach fuzz.

As though she had sensed his gaze, her already tensed nerves tightened further. "What's wrong? Did I nick you?"

"No." His voice was as cold as ever. "I was just thinking about how much you're really acting like my wife right now."

Taken aback by his statement, Vivian's cheeks warmed in a blush.

We are husband and wife, yet he used the word "acting like." Does this mean that, like me, he feels that this abrupt marriage of ours is too surreal?

"Alright, I'm done." In little to no time at all, she was finished. Wiping away the remaining foam, she eyed her handiwork and smiled. "I've done a good job." "Thank you," he murmured before wheeling over to the dining table to eat.

Due to their earlier intimate actions, breakfast was a rather awkward ordeal. Vivian had even forgotten to ask him if he was satisfied with her cooking.

Noah arrived soon after they had finished eating. Since Finnick was in a hurry today, he would not be able to drop her off at the subway station. Hence, Vivian called a taxi to take her directly to the magazine company.

The moment she stepped inside, she discovered that the pleasant atmosphere from yesterday was gone. In its place was a tense and nervous air. Grabbing Sarah's arm, she whispered, "Did something happen?"

"Vivian, didn't you read your email this morning?" Sarah's eyes were wide as she answered. "Yesterday, someone bought over our company! All the higher-ups have been switched out!"

Vivian was dumbfounded at the news.

Their magazine company was not very big, but it had still been around for quite a while. Why would it suddenly be sold off?

She did not get a chance to reply as there was a disturbance near the doors.

"He's coming! The new Chief Editor is coming!"

Glancing over, she saw a tall figure striding into the company, with a cluster of people following behind him.

When she got a closer look at the man's face, she felt as though a bucket of ice-cold water had been dumped over her head. Her blood froze in her veins.