Chapter 193: Saturday IV

Chapter 193: Chapter 193: Saturday IV

Damian had been waiting for Vivienne.

He had arrived early enough that he could have gone inside the Ashford Foundation several minutes ago, but he remained near the entrance instead.

He wanted to see her arrive.

More importantly, he wanted to be the one who approached her.

He spotted Vivienne a few minutes later.

She was walking with Claire, Amelia, and Eleanor, still smiling from whatever they had been discussing.

Damian’s attention settled on her immediately.

She looked beautiful.

She always did.

But today, he noticed every detail.

Her golden hair fell neatly over her shoulders. Her dress was simple enough for fieldwork, yet somehow she still looked elegant in it.

And she was smiling.

Damian felt something warm settle in his chest.

He should approach her.

That was the point.

He had spent the entire morning preparing himself for this.

He had chosen his clothes carefully.

He had fixed his hair twice.

He had stood in front of the mirror long enough to question his own sanity.

Now he simply had to walk over.

Easy.

He waited.

Vivienne and her friends reached the courtyard.

For a few moments, Damian watched them talk.

Then Claire, Amelia, and Eleanor began separating toward their respective groups.

This was his chance.

Damian took a step forward.

Then stopped.

Vivienne had taken out her phone.

She looked at the screen.

Smiled.

And started typing.

Christopher.

He didn’t need to see the name.

For one brief moment, irritation tightened in his chest.

So she was texting Christopher again.

Fine.

It didn’t matter.

Not yet.

Christopher wasn’t her boyfriend.

Vivienne wasn’t his.

And Damian had no intention of standing aside while she slowly fell for another man.

He had a goal today.

He was going to make her notice him.

Make her see him differently.

Not as the dependable friend.

Not merely as the gentleman who happened to be there.

As a man.

A man who wanted her.

He drew a slow breath.

Adjusted his sleeve once.

Then walked toward her.

He approached from the side, close enough that she would notice him.

"Vivienne."

She looked up.

Damian smiled.

"Good morning."

He looked directly at her when he said it.

Not the polite smile she had seen countless times.

His most charming one.

The one Julian had told him to use.

Vivienne blinked.

"Oh."

Her gaze lingered on his face.

"Damian."

There was something different.

She couldn’t immediately tell what.

Damian noticed the hesitation.

Good.

She had noticed.

At least something was working.

He stepped closer.

Then, before she could say anything else, his hand reached for the strap of her bag.

"I’ll take this."

Vivienne looked down at his hand.

"You don’t have to."

"I know."

He slipped the strap from her shoulder.

"I’ll carry it."

She stared at him for another second.

Then shrugged.

"All right."

Damian turned toward the entrance.

His heart was beating far too fast.

He had done it.

That was all.

He had simply smiled at her and taken her bag.

Why did it feel like he’d just survived an interrogation?

He walked ahead.

Too quickly.

Three steps.

Four.

Then he realized what he was doing.

Right.

The point wasn’t to walk away with her bag.

The point was to walk with her.

He stopped and looked over his shoulder.

Vivienne was still several steps behind him.

He waited.

"Come on."

She caught up.

This time, Damian adjusted his pace to hers.

And when she reached him, he stepped a little closer.

Not enough to crowd her.

Just enough that their shoulders were nearly aligned.

He wanted her to notice.

He wanted her to wonder.

He wanted her to feel that something about him was different today.

Vivienne glanced sideways at him.

There was definitely something different about him today.

She studied him again.

His hair.

His clothes.

His posture.

Everything looked unusually deliberate.

Finally, she smiled.

"You look different today."

Damian’s heart jumped.

She noticed.

He kept his expression calm.

"Do I?"

"Yes."

She looked him over again.

Vivienne studied him with open curiosity.

He looked particularly good today.

His dark hair was neatly styled, the slight wave at the front carefully arranged rather than left to its usual effortless mess. He wore a fitted pale blue Oxford shirt with the sleeves buttoned neatly at his wrists, the fabric following the broad line of his shoulders without looking overly formal. Dark trousers completed the look.

"You look very..."

She searched for the word.

"Sharp."

His lips curved.

"Is that a compliment?"

"Of course."

She laughed softly.

"Do you have somewhere to be later?"

Damian glanced at her.

"No."

Vivienne tilted her head.

"You don’t?"

"No."

He paused.

Then, because this was exactly what he had been told to do—

"I just felt like looking good today."

Vivienne blinked.

"Oh."

She wasn’t quite sure what to make of that.

Then she smiled.

"Do you have a date?"

Damian nearly lost his composure.

A date?

Technically...

Could he consider this a date?

He had arrived early specifically to see her.

He had dressed carefully because he wanted her to notice him.

He was carrying her bag.

He was walking beside her.

If he wanted to...

Yes.

He could consider it one.

"Perhaps."

Vivienne’s eyes widened slightly.

"Oh."

Then her expression brightened with genuine curiosity.

"Who’s the lucky girl?"

Damian’s heart sank.

You.

The answer rose instantly.

He wanted to say it.

But not yet.

Not when she was already interested in Christopher.

He couldn’t afford to put everything on the table before she even understood what he was trying to show her.

He gave a small laugh.

"No."

Vivienne frowned.

"No?"

"It isn’t like that."

"Then what is it?"

"Nothing."

He looked ahead.

"Just forget I said anything."

Vivienne laughed.

"You’re being mysterious."

"I’m not."

"You are."

Damian smiled faintly.

"Perhaps."

She shook her head.

He glanced at her again.

She was still smiling.

At least she was enjoying herself.

And she hadn’t pulled away.

That was something.

More importantly—

She had noticed him.

They continued toward the conference room.

Damian made no effort to increase the distance between them.

When someone passed too closely from the opposite direction, he shifted slightly, putting himself between the stranger and Vivienne before they continued.

It was a small thing.

But deliberate.

He was beginning to understand what Julian meant.

He didn’t need to overwhelm her.

He simply needed to stop behaving as though every sign of attraction had to be hidden.

They reached the conference room.

Damian stepped ahead and opened the door.

He turned toward her.

"After you."

Vivienne paused.

She looked at him for a moment.

Again, that strange feeling.

"Thank you."

She stepped inside.

Their group was already gathered around the table.

Peter looked up.

"Morning."

"Good morning," Vivienne replied.

She moved toward her usual seat.

Damian followed.

He pulled it out.

Vivienne looked at him.

He gave her a perfectly innocent smile.

She sat down.

Damian took the chair beside her.

Then, instead of leaving the usual polite space between their chairs, he quietly pulled his a little closer

Not too close, but enough that their shoulders were within easy reach of each other.

He placed her bag beside his chair.

Then opened the folder in front of him.

--

Tbc