"I'm so tired of performing, of being Vivien Hart, CEO, instead of just Viven. " "So, stop performing. At least when you're here with me. " I don't know how. Then learn. We'll figure it out together. They moved to the living room, careful not to wake Sophie, and sat on the floor with their backs against the couch.
Viven leaned her head on Ethan's shoulder, and he wrapped his arm around her. "Tell me about your day," she said. "The real stuff, not the sanitized version. " So, he did. Told her about the van with the mysterious rattle that turned out to be a loose heat shield. About Marcus accidentally ordering the wrong brake pads and having to rush order replacements.
About the customer who tried to argue that oil changes were a scam invented by mechanics to steal money. "What did you tell him? " Vivian asked. "That he was welcome to never change his oil and see what happens. He changed his mind real fast. " She laughed and it sounded lighter than earlier. "I wish I could do that.
Just tell board members they're being idiots and watch them backtrack. You're the CEO. You can do whatever you want. " That's not how it works. Why not? What are they going to do?
Fire you. You own controlling interest? They could make things difficult. Orchestrate a vote of no confidence. Leak things to the press.
So let them. You built this company into what it is. If they don't see that, they're the idiots, not you. Viven sat up, looking at him with something like wonder. You actually believe that?
Of course I do. You're brilliant. You took over a company at 23 and turned it into an empire. That's not luck. That's skill or obsession.
Same thing sometimes. She kissed him soft and slow, and Ethan tasted pad tie and possibility. When they pulled apart, Sophie was still asleep on the couch, completely oblivious to the adult conversations happening 3 ft away. Stay tonight, Vivien said. Both of you.
I have a guest room Sophie can use. I want to wake up and have breakfast with you. I want normal just for one morning. Okay. They carried Sophie to the guest room, which was as sterile as the rest of the apartment, but at least had a comfortable bed, and tucked her in.
She mumbled something about penguins, and rolled over without waking. In Vivian's bedroom, they changed into comfortable clothes and climbed into bed. No dramatic declarations, no passionate scene, straight out of a movie. Just two people exhausted from their respective days, finding comfort in being close. Ethan.
Vivian's voice was quiet in the darkness. Yeah. What if the board votes against the expansion? What if I fail? Then you fail and you figure out the next move.
That's what you do. You make it sound so simple. It is simple. Failing isn't the end of the world. It's just information.
You adjust and try something different. She was quiet for a moment. Is that what you did when your shop was failing? I didn't have a choice. I had Sophie depending on me.
I couldn't afford to give up. But you wanted to. It wasn't a question. Ethan stared at the ceiling, feeling the weight of her understanding. Yeah, he admitted.