Chapter 6: Ugly Surprises

Finn didn’t mean for that question to sound the way it did.

He wasn’t really trying to meddle in her life, even though he was dying to know if she had someone.

But he was taken by surprise when Gwen said she left her modeling career, which was something she was really proud of in the past.

Was it possible that she gave everything up just because she had a son?

He could imagine how hard that could be, but if she had someone by her side, things could’ve been easier for Gwen.

“No, I didn’t have anyone. Just me and Cody,” she finally replied, after considering the true intention of that question.

“And what have you been doing then? I mean… Are you working?”

“I got a degree in Communications and have a few contracts as a spokesperson and marketing director. It pays the bills,” she concluded, shrugging her shoulders.

It was that independence that always made Finn look at her in a different way. Gwen knew what she wanted and didn’t want to depend on anyone to get it. She was her own owner.

She never tried to take advantage of his position and his money. Not even when he tried to help her by using his contacts to get her a nice contract with a bigger company.

She refused by saying that she wanted to get it because of her talent and capability, not because she was dating a billionaire.

But as Finn was reminded of all the good things he liked about her, something he didn’t expect happened.

He saw Gwen’s expression change immediately, as a newcomer approached their table.

But he didn’t need to look to see who it was; her voice was enough for him to recognize her. And by the look on Gwen’s face, he was right.

How could he be so unlucky?

“Finn, baby, I didn’t know you would be here. What a coincidence.” The clingy voice made him shiver.

“Vivienne,” he said with clenched teeth.

Gwen was still looking at the other woman with an odd expression, one he couldn’t interpret.

She didn’t seem pissed, but she wasn’t happy with her presence either.

“Aren’t you going to introduce me to your friend?” Vivienne asked, like she didn’t realize how unwelcome she was.

Finn finally looked at her, wishing that with his glance, she would notice how angered he was with her presence.

Vivienne was a beautiful woman, one that he would totally look for if he was looking for some company.

Since that wasn’t the situation - and he had been with Vivienne before when he reached his rock bottom and finally realized that Gwen was gone - Finn couldn’t stand her anymore.

But there wasn’t much he could do either. For business purposes, he couldn’t simply tell Vivienne to get lost. He had to be careful, to strategize, and his gentleman side also didn’t let him be a jerk like he wanted sometimes.

“I’m Vivienne, Finn’s fiancée,” she introduced herself, before he had the chance to do it.

He widened his eyes in shock.

So did Gwen's.

Of course, she was much more discrete than him, but he could tell that she was surprised by that statement.

“No, actually…” he started, but Gwen interrupted him.

“Oh, hi, Vivienne. I’m Gwen.”

Vivienne didn’t reply. Instead, she turned to look at Finn with inquisitive and angry eyes.

“So… Won’t you explain to me why you’re having dinner with a woman without telling me about it?”

Finn’s jaw almost dropped. What the hell was she trying to do?

He found jealousy and clinginess extremely unattractive traits, especially from someone like her.

If it was Gwen, he admitted that he might have liked it a little.

He liked when she acted jealous when other women stared at him every time they went out.

But Vivienne was entirely different.

“Vivienne, I’m having dinner, could you please excuse us?”

“Actually… I think I should go. It’s getting late and my son is waiting for me, so… Thank you for the invitation,” Gwen started, getting up from the chair, completely uncomfortable.

This made Finn’s anger towards Vivienne grow.

“Wait…” he said, tossing the napkin over the table and trying to follow Gwen.

But he had to pay the damn bill first. The waiter was already looking at the situation in wonder and probably asking himself if Finn would forget to pay. He was never coming back to that restaurant again. As he grabbed his wallet to pay, Gwen was out of his sight, and so was Vivienne.

Where the hell did they go?

Gwen could feel her legs trembling and her hands sweating. A scene from the past came back to haunt her as soon as she put her eyes on Vivienne.

She knew it wasn’t a good idea to meet Finn. Stephanie warned her. Her heart warned her. But she was stubborn and did it anyway. Now the night had ended with a terrible encounter and her heart broken again.

“Hey, you!” she heard a voice calling her as soon as she reached the sidewalk.

She turned to see that stunning woman with her long golden hair and pinky lips. Vivienne’s slight French accent only added to her sex appeal.

How could Gwen ever compete with her?

But Finn didn’t seem very interested in her when she showed up. He didn’t even look at her at first. On the contrary. Gwen could feel his eyes burning her skin, paying attention to her every move.

“You know, I never thought you’d show your face here again,” Vivienne stated with a disgusted look, looking at her as if Gwen was some sort of plague. “But since you did, I might warn you, stay away from Finn.”

“Or what? Are you threatening me?” Gwen asked, trying her best to sound fearless.

“Maybe I am. I’m his fiancée, and you’re what? An ex-girlfriend with some kid? Please, that’s so pathetic,” Vivienne sneered, making Gwen’s blood boil with anger.

“You seem pretty nervous. What? Afraid that you won’t be capable of holding your man?” Gwen provoked.

She wouldn’t go home feeling humiliated and weak like before. A few years before she was that woman, but she wasn’t anymore. Being a single mom taught her a lot, especially to stick up for herself.

Gwen could see Vivienne’s eyes tremble. She was infuriated.

Good.

“I remember you perfectly. I know how much you tried to break me and Finn apart. But don’t you think for a moment that I’m still that girl,” Gwen concluded, even though she didn’t really believe her words.

She knew Vivienne couldn’t do much to her, but she did have her secret fears. Fears that she had to remind herself of every time she put her eyes on Finn.