“Ouch!” Vivian yelled instinctively.
“Are you alright, miss?” The man responsible for the cause of Vivian’s headache asked nervously.
His mind couldn’t quite comprehend what had happened. Brushing off the possibility that the woman might have thrown herself at him purposely to gather his attention, he helped her steady herself gentlemanly nevertheless.
The man studied Vivian carefully. The way her eyes sparkled warmly in contrast to her elegant dress desired him to look closer. The only thing that seemed off about the beautiful lady was the way her eyes darted around skittishly.
“I’m fine… I’m fine. So sorry for knocking into you.” As Vivian leveled her gaze with the man, she fell into a daze.
How charming.
The man in front of her had all the perfect features that anyone could dream of. His nose was straight and finely shaped, and his lips were thin but rather elegant. The way his bright eyes adorned with long eyelashes shone was extremely captivating.
Vivian couldn’t help but feel a little self-conscious in front of the man with ethereal looks.
The man watched with curiosity as she gaped at him with the weirdest expression he had ever seen. It was a combination of awe and amusement.
What a funny expression. I wonder what is on her mind?
“Miss, are you sure you’re alright?” The man asked carefully.
Finally aware that she had been looking at him like an idiot, Vivian grinned sheepishly and answered, “I’m fine. It was nothing.”
The man looked relieved. “Are you here for the auction as well?”
“Yes!” Vivian beamed. “I reckon that you’re here for that too?”
“Yes.” Sensing that Vivian was about to fall into a trance again, he quickly reminded her, “You seemed to be in a hurry a minute ago. Is there a problem?”
Vivian gave herself a mental slap. Damn it! How can I be distracted by a handsome guy and forget about my amulet?
She found it strange to be attracted to the man before her because she wasn’t the type of woman to swoon over good-looking men. For some reason, she felt strangely familiar to the man standing before her.
“Oh, yes! There’s something that I need to do. Thank you for reminding me!” Vivian replied hastily in an attempt to conceal her thoughts. “Please excuse me.”
No sooner as she stepped forward, she felt her stilettos slipping beneath her as she hadn’t really gotten used to wearing high-heels. Uh-oh.
Vivian yelped in fright as she lost her balance. Just as she thought that she was going to make a fool of herself in front of the public, Finnick rushed to her aid in his wheelchair at top speed and saved her from the embarrassment.
Phew… that was close!
Vivian felt her heart pounding rapidly against her ribcage. Grateful that Finnick saved her again, she whispered a “thank you” to him.
However, Finnick didn’t appear to hear her. Vivian turned around and noticed that he was staring daggers at the man whom she previously bumped into.
Instead of greeting one another, the two men remained glaring at each other after a long time. Guessing that they must have some bad blood between them in the past, Vivian asked warily, “Do you know each other?”
Only then did Finnick look away.
The man could see that Vivian and Finnick knew each other well, but he couldn’t make out whether they were on good terms or not. Eventually, he broke the silence. “It’s been a long time, Finnick. What a small world.”
Finnick didn’t respond.
The way he lamented “what a small world” implied his reluctance of meeting Finnick. Is he one of Finnor Group’s business rivals? Vivian felt perplexed because the handsome man before her didn’t look vicious in the least.
Ignoring Finnick’s aloofness, he stretched a friendly hand out to Vivian. “Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Benedict. May I know yours?”
Benedict. Vivian couldn’t help admiring his looks again.
Vivian took his hand and shook it gently. “Hello, Benedict. I’m Vivian, Finnick’s…”
Vivian was interrupted by Finnick’s abrupt cough before she could finish. “Alright, we should make a move. I believe the auction is going to start anytime now.”
Vivian gave Benedict a polite smile and waved goodbye to him.
