Chapter 10: You Fucking Idiot

Vivienne shivered. Her fingers trembled as she quickly dropped the necklace back where she found it, like it had burned her skin. André stood at the door, frozen in place, his eyes wide in shock. For a moment, neither of them spoke. Then Vivienne’s mind kicked into action, and she did the only thing she knew how to do when things went wrong. She lied. "I... I didn’t plan to steal it," she said quickly, her voice shaking. Her eyes welled up with tears that she forced to the surface. "I just wanted to touch it. I swear. It was just so beautiful and precious. I was just admiring it." Her voice cracked, and the tears finally fell. She wiped at them quickly with her sleeve, sniffing like a child caught doing something wrong. "I’ve never touched something so... precious before," she whispered. "So I just wanted to touch it. That’s all." It was a terrible lie. She had been caught red-handed, halfway through slipping the necklace into her clothes. Anyone with eyes could see what she had been about to do. But she bowed her head, wiped more tears, and whispered one last time, "I’m sorry, my Lord." Then she turned and rushed out of the study. She regretted everything. The moment she entered her room, she shut the door behind her and leaned against it, her heart pounding. She began pacing back and forth like a trapped animal. "Stupid, stupid, stupid," she muttered to herself, gripping her hair. "Vivienne, you fucking idiot. You just threw it all away. For a fucking trinket. You’re definitely getting fired." Her hands wouldn’t stop shaking. She had blown it. All because she couldn’t keep her greedy fingers off a shiny little trinket. She should have stayed focused. The job was simple. Find the golden horse. Nothing else mattered. But no. She just had to go for the necklace. Now she’d lose everything. The money. The safety. The roof over her head. Her golden horse. She sat down on the edge of the bed, pressing her palms into her eyes. Then came a knock. She jumped. Her breath hitched in her throat. Oh no. It’s her, she thought. Madame Lefevre. Come to fire me. She stood still, completely frozen, as if maybe if she didn’t move, the knocking would stop and go away. But then came the voice. "It’s me, Vivienne." Her heart skipped. She blinked. That voice... it wasn’t Lefevre. It was him. She slowly walked to the door and opened it. André. He stepped inside slowly, looking around her room. His eyes scanned the small, plain space. He looked... curious. Almost confused. Like he’d never seen anything like it before. Like a prince stepping into the home of a peasant. Vivienne stood still, her lips slightly parted. She couldn’t speak. Her mind was still in panic mode. He’s going to lecture me. Or worse, he’s here to fire me himself. But he didn’t do any of that. He turned to her, his voice soft. "Why did you leave so quickly? You didn’t do anything wrong." Vivienne blinked. What? He actually believed her? He kept speaking, calm and warm. "I wanted to show you my lens. I was only a little surprised to see that I left that necklace there." Vivienne was still frozen. Her mouth opened slightly, but no sound came out. Her brain was shouting, This man is unbelievably dumb. Then he stepped closer. Slowly. Carefully. Like she might bolt. He reached out and took her hand gently in his. "It’s okay," he said. "I believe you. I trust you. You’re a good person." Her chest tightened. No one had ever said that to her. Not like that. His eyes were so clear. So open. There wasn’t even a trace of suspicion in them. "It must’ve been hard for you growing up," he added, still holding her hand. "But I just wanted to say... You deserve every beautiful thing." Her eyes widened. He smiled at her, soft and kind. The kind of smile that could melt through stone. And before she could even react, he reached into his coat pocket. He pulled out the necklace. The same one she had tried to steal. He placed it in her hands. "I want you to have it." Vivienne stared at it. The cold metal sat in her palm like a weight. Heavy. Not because of its size. But because of what it meant. She looked up at him, her lips trembling. "Why?" she whispered. André tilted his head. "Because you’re kind. And beautiful. And special. And I want you to have something that reminds you of that."