Born For This

Chapter 008: The Final Straw

For a few seconds, nobody spoke.

Vivian remained frozen beside the open passenger door as she stared at the woman seated inside the vehicle. 

The shock she felt was so overwhelming that it felt as though somebody emptied her mind entirely.

No, not Dora Sinclair. 

Not the woman that made other elites in Florida straighten their backs just as the mention of her name.

She had just called the acting CEO of Transcorp a shameless homewrecker.

Her stomach dropped. She knew she had to say something...anything.

"Miss Sinclair..." she began weakly. 

Her confidence had vanished so completely she barely recognized her own voice.

"I think there's been a misunderstanding," she managed to add.

Dora regarded her quietly, only to smile afterward.

"A misunderstanding?" Dora repeated.

Vivian nodded immediately. "Yes. I–"

"Can I ask you a question?" Dora cut in smoothly.

Vivian stopped speaking immediately. In a weird way, she was grateful for the interruption.

"Is it a crime for a man to ask for a divorce?" Dora asked, tilting her head slightly.

Vivian's lips parted, but closed again. There was only one answer.

"No," she admitted.

Dora heaved a sigh. "Then I'm struggling to understand why you blocked my vehicle."

Heat instantly flushed into Vivian's face. And for the first time since she stormed out of her office, she was forced to look at the situation objectively.

She had chased Kyle, followed him across the city, blocked a car, and accused a well respected figure of sleeping with her husband.

To cap it all, she had done all of it based on a freaking handful of photographs.

The realization that she had acted very stupidly only made her chest tighten more.

Dora studied her for another moment before speaking again.

"You know," she said lightly, "if I happened to be someone else, I suspect this encounter would be quite uglier."

Vivian's throat tightened, and Dora's eyes flickered briefly toward the still-open passenger door before returning to her.

"In fact, I'm fairly certain you would've caused a very terrible scene by now."

Vivian took a step back, embarrassment flooding through her. The anger that had felt so righteous earlier was now becoming impossible to justify.

God. What had she done?

She was on the verge of losing one of the most important business connections her company possessed.

Regret sat heavily on her chest now. 

I shouldn't have come here, she thought. I should have questioned James before jumping into crazy conclusions.

The thought had barely crossed her mind when James himself appeared beside her.

Unable to see clearly into Dora's vehicle from where he stood, he frowned in confusion.

"Vivian?" he asked. "What's wrong? What are you just standing—"

"Shut your freaking mouth up," Vivian rebuked without turning to him.

James blinked. "What?"

"I said shut the hell up!" she repeated, now turning to him with widened eyes.

The surprise on James' face at this would've been amusing under totally different circumstances.

He stared at her, genuinely stunned. "Vivian, I was only–"

"You caused this," Vivian cut in, eyes blazing with anger. "You kept insisting that Kyle was cheating."

James frowned. "But I was trying to help–"

"And help you have!"

At that exact moment, Dora finally stepped out of the vehicle. The movement attracted attention from several officers positioned around the company's entrance.

The moment James saw her face fully, the color visibly drained from his face. 

"Oh my God," he muttered, eyes widening in disbelief. "Damn."

Dora walked up to Kyle. "I think we're reaching the point where I should call security."

Kyle rubbed his forehead. The whole situation was giving him a headache already.

"That's probably fair," he said.

"Probably?"

A small laugh escaped Dora.

Kyle sighed. Then he turned and began walking toward Vivian.

He stopped in front of her. "Look. You need to leave now."

Vivian's chest tightened and she looked away from him.

"I'm not," she said, forcing the words out. "I won't leave here without you."

Kyle held her gaze for a moment. Then he sighed.

"Vivian," he called tiredly. "Just look around you."

The words clearly caught Vivian off guard. She frowned but instinctively turned her head.

Several uniformed security officers stood near the entrance of the towering Transcorp building, their attention fixed entirely on her.

A few employees lingering near the revolving doors had also slowed their steps, their eyes drifting toward the confrontation.

Kyle took a step closer to her. "Leave now, Vivian. Please."

Vivian stared at him for a moment, a dozen responses fighting to escape her lips. Her hands curled into fists at her sides.

"You'll regret this, Kyle Morgan," she said in a near whisper. "You'll regret leaving me."

Without another word, she spun around and marched toward her car. The hills of her shoes struck the ground with angry, rapid clicks.

James immediately hurried after her. "Vivian, wait–"

She yanked the driver's door open.

James barely managed to reach the passenger side. "Vivian, I think we should–"

The engine roared to life.

His eyes widened. "Oh, come on!"

He managed to scramble inside. The moment he pulled the door shut, the vehicle zoomed forward.

The tires squealed briefly against the pavement before the car accelerated down the pathway leading away from the Transcorp headquarters.

Kyle watched the car disappear, his expression unreadable.

"I sincerely hope that doesn't happen again, Dora said as she stepped to him from behind. "I really do."

Kyle gave a tired chuckle, turning to face her. "So do I."

Dora studied him for a moment, the faint amusement in her eyes softening into something closer to sympathy.

Kyle had maintained great composure throughout the confrontation with Vivian, but she could imagine how hurt he felt at the moment.

Three years of marriage does not simply disappear because divorce papers had been signed. 

Her expression warmed.

She reached out and gave his shoulder a light tap.

"Come with me," she said. "Let's go in and give you some education."

Kyle chuckled. "Education? On what?"