Episode 5

If this is the beginning, I don't want to imagine the rest.

Vivian

"Miss," I hear the receptionist call, drying my tears and walking towards her.

"Yes, tell me?" I question, furrowing my brow and looking around. There's no way I can afford a night here; it's obvious from miles away that it costs an arm and a leg. Going back home is not an option either; I don't want to hear my mother lecturing me.

"No, thank you," I say. "Sorry for the inconvenience," I apologize, and she nods, smiling.

I leave the hotel and to my surprise, the limousine is still parked on the curb. I walk towards the driver who is standing outside the car.

"I thought you had already left," I comment, trying to smile.

"I was going to, but when I saw Miss Donovan getting out of a taxi, I figured young Johnson was up to something stupid," the man comments.

The driver's name is Maximo Gomez, he's around 50 years old, and as far as I know, he has been working for the Johnsons for 25 years. So, it's normal for him to be aware of all the details happening in this family.

"Where do you want me to take you?" he asks, opening the limousine's door.

"To a cheaper hotel," I comment. He nods, I smile, and I get into the car.

Half an hour later, I enter the hotel room, undress quickly, and step into the shower. Everything that happened today plays in my mind, and I start crying again.

Today was supposed to be a beautiful day for me. I was supposed to be with Tomas right now, not alone in a hotel room crying while he enjoys our wedding night with another woman.

If this is the beginning of my life with Tomas, I don't want to imagine what the rest will be like. But I've already done this, and all I can ask for is that things get better.

The next day, I wake up to the sound of my cellphone. I reach out and take it from the nightstand, looking at who's calling. When I see it's Mrs. Carroll, the idea of not answering vanishes. I sit abruptly on the bed and slide my finger on the screen.

"Hello, good morning, Mrs. Carroll," I greet.

"Good morning, dear. I'm going to ask you to leave the formalities behind and call me Grandma from now on," she says.

"Alright, um... Grandma?" I say, feeling somewhat uncomfortable.

"I need you to come to the Johnson mansion immediately. I have something to give you," she announces.

"Alright, I'll take a shower and head over there."

"Good, I've already informed Maximo to pick you up. He should be there in fifteen minutes. I've also talked to that foolish grandson of mine," she comments, and I swallow hard. I suppose she must already know what happened thanks to Maximo.

"O-Okay," I say.

"See you soon, dear," she says, ending the call. I leave the phone on the bed and sigh. What does Mrs. Carroll want?

Thirty minutes later, I enter the Johnson mansion where the housekeeper greets me.

"Good morning, Maria," I greet the woman, and she smiles at me.

"Good morning, Miss... Uh, sorry, Mrs. Vivian," she says, furrowing her brow.

"Oh God, don't call me that, it makes me feel old!" I tell her, smiling. "Just call me Vivian."

"I can't do that! You are now Mr. Johnson's wife," she says.

"Alright, then call me Young Vivian or something, but don't call me Mrs." She smiles and nods.

"Alright, Young Vivian, Mrs. Carroll is waiting for you in her office," she informs me, and I nod.

I go directly to where Maria indicated that Mrs. Carroll was, and upon reaching the place, I knock on the door.

"Come in," her voice is heard.

I open the door and see that besides Mrs. Carroll, Tomas and his parents are also in the room.

"Good morning," I greet and enter the room.

"Good morning," Tomas' parents greet.

"Good morning, daughter, take a seat," Mrs. Carroll instructs me, and I do as she says, smiling apologetically. I look at Tomas, but he completely ignores me.

Mrs. Carroll looks at him annoyed, but she doesn't say anything, just shakes her head.

"In the end, I'll be brief because I have a meeting at the office in forty minutes," he comments. "I called you here to give you this," he says and extends a manila envelope. Seeing that Tomas doesn't take it, I do.

"What is it?" I inquire curiously.

"Open it, dear," encourages me. I do as she asks and take out some papers from the envelope. Upon briefly reading them, I understand they are about a house.

"It's a house," I mutter, the woman smiles.

"That's right, like 'marry and settle down,' this is my gift to you," she comments.

"We are gifting you all the furniture, decorations, and everything necessary for you to begin your married life. The house is already set, all that's left is for you to move in," Mrs. Jennifer speaks now.

"It's best if you do it soon, so you can start getting used to your new life," advises Mr. Tom.

"Is that all?" Tomas questions.

"Yes, son," his grandmother responds.

"Very well," he says, stands up, and leaves the place. I swallow the lump that formed in my throat and lower my gaze.

"Don't worry, dear, you'll see that everything will change in a few weeks," assures Mrs. Caroll.

Tomas' parents remain silent; I suppose they don't think the same.

"I'll tell Maximo to take you to your mother's house so you can gather all your things," he informs, and I nod.

"Thank you," I say and stand up. "If that's all, I'll take my leave."

The three of them nod, and I exit the place.

Three hours later, Mr. Maximo stops the Mercedes Benz in front of a beautiful house with a modern structure. At first glance, you can tell it is of medium size, well, when compared to the Jhonson mansion. It's a two-story building with a lovely entrance featuring a terrace and plants.

Maximo gets out of the car and opens the door.

"Thank you," I say, giving him a smile. He nods and walks towards the trunk of the vehicle, where he opens it and takes out my suitcases.

I look back at the house and sigh. I walk up the steps and reach the door, which is already open, and a woman in her thirties or forties is waiting for me. She is dressed in a service uniform, so I assume she is the employee.

"Good afternoon, Mrs. Johnson, welcome," she greets me, and I can't help but frown upon hearing "Mrs."

"Good afternoon, uh..." I pause as I don't know her name.

"Carmen, Mrs. My name is Carmen Cruz."

"Nice to meet you, Carmen. I would appreciate it if you don't call me 'Mrs.' Please call me Vivian or Miss Vivian, but under no circumstances 'Mrs.'", I request. She looks surprised but quickly regains her composure.

"As you wish, Miss... Vivian."

"Very well, thank you," I smile kindly to let her know that I am not a conceited person or anything like that. "I suppose Mrs. Caroll hired you?" I ask as I enter the house. "Wow, it's a bit bigger than I thought!" I whisper under my breath.

"Yes, Miss Vivian. Mrs. Caroll hired me," the woman replies. At that moment, Maximo enters with the first suitcase.

"Which is the master bedroom?" I question, and the woman walks ahead of me.

"Please follow me," she says, and I do as instructed. We pass through the house's lobby and come across a wooden staircase. We climb it, and the woman stops in front of the first room on our right.

"It's here," she comments, then takes the doorknob and opens it. I step inside and find myself facing a small hallway. To my right, there is a door that I assume leads to the bathroom, and to my left, a long wall painted in cream or peach color, with two floating shelves and a 55-inch plasma TV. At the back, there is an enormous wall-to-wall window. In front of me, there is a wall adorned with a painting, behind which I suppose the wardrobe is located. I walk further inside and come across a king-size bed with earth-colored sheets, several cushions and pillows, and a piece of furniture at its foot, right in front of the TV. There are two bedside tables, one on each side of the bed, and to my right, I can see the doors leading to the wardrobe.

"It's really lovely," I comment.

"Yes, and it's the largest room in the house, as expected," Carmen informs me, and I nod. At that moment, someone knocks on the door, and we both turn to look at Maximo.

"Permission to enter," he says.

"Come in," I reply, and he places the two suitcases in the room before leaning slightly forward.

"If you don't need me anymore, Miss Vivian, I'll leave," he says.

"Yes, Maximo, thank you for your help, and please thank Mrs. Caroll," I say. He nods and turns around.

"Do you want me to unpack and organize your clothes...?" Carmen starts to ask.

"Oh, Carmen, just call me Vivian and leave the formalities. Please," I request, and she uncomfortably smiles.

"No, I can do that," she says.

"Very well, as you wish, but remember, no 'Mrs.'", I warn. "Yes, I think I will need help to arrange my things," I say and sigh.

"Very well."

It's been five days since I moved into this house, which I was supposed to share with Tomas. But until today, he hasn't come, he's not with the Johnsons as Jeimy previously told me, so it's obvious where he is.

This is definitely not a good start.

I sigh and look at my phone. The idea of calling him crosses my mind, but I muster all the willpower I have not to do it.

I grab the TV remote and turn it on to watch a movie and distract myself, but then my phone rings, and for a moment, I get excited, thinking it's him. Unfortunately, it's not, and my mood plummets once again. Despite everything, I answer the call.

"Good afternoon," I reply, feeling down.

"Is this Miss Vivian Smith Laurent?" a woman asks from the other side of the line.

"Yes, speaking."

"Good afternoon, miss. We're calling from Salvatierra Industries to inform you that you passed the interview and have been accepted into our internship program." the woman informs, and I literally jump out of bed with excitement.

Finally, something good is happening to me!

"Great." I say, trying to hide my excitement.

"We need you to come to the office tomorrow at 9:00 AM on the 20th floor to sign the internship contract and to provide you with the tasks to be performed."

"Yes, I'll be punctual."

"Very well, see you tomorrow." the woman says goodbye.

"See you tomorrow." the call ends and now I truly jump with joy because I have managed to get an internship at Salvatierra Industries.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you. Finally, something good!"

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