Chapter 7

• Vivienne Sinclair
• Next morning
• I woke up with my body aching, and my eyes still heavy from lack of sleep... Well, all thanks to Noah. That jerk kept me up on my toes almost all night.
• I couldn't sleep comfortably, knowing he was under the same roof as me. Talk about trauma from the past... Yeah, I didn't want to wake up this morning to the same news as eight years ago.
• I might actually kill him for real this time.
• My phone screen lit up with a text.
• 'Hockey training by 8am. Be in the ice rink by 7am'
• My pupils dilated. Fuck! It was already 6:30am.
• Holy shit! I can't be late on my first day.
• I stood and dashed into the bathroom to have a quick bath, but the moment the hot water touched my body, I screamed subconsciously and jumped back into the room.
• The next second, Noah dashed in, as if he was ready to attack whoever was making me scream.
• "What happened? Are you okay?" He closed the distance between us, holding my shoulders worriedly, but the moment his eyes dropped to my body, they widened.
• I gasped loudly. Fuck! I'm naked!
• I pushed him away roughly and ran back into the bathroom, covering my butt with my palm, slamming the door behind me once I was in the bathroom.
• Ugh! Fucking hell! My life keeps getting worse by the day.
• I just hope the hot water doesn't cause any damage to my skin.
• My body burned hot with pain, but I ignored it and went ahead to bathe.
• ****
• 'Your fashion sense is weird'
• That jerk's voice echoed in my head as I walked past the mirror and caught my reflection.
• Seriously? No one has ever said that crap to me before.
• But wait... was I badly dressed? No way! I made sure I selected one of my best dresses.
• Well, let's see what he has to say about this... A white baggy polo with blue stripes, a pair of white loose gym sweatpants, and a pair of blue trainers shoes to compliment it.
• I'm going to throw him a punch in the gut if he finds fault in this dress again.
• "Right... one more thing." I muttered, then threw my hair up in a tight ponytail before stepping out.
• I met Noah at the staircase, and we both paused.
• My cheeks burned hot with embarrassment about what happened a moment ago, but I composed myself, maintaining a straight face.
• "I was coming to call you."
• "Why?"
• "I wanted to drive you to the training centre."
• I scoffed. The nerve of him!
• "Thank you, I'll take a cab." Then I walked past him, and he followed me to the living room.
• "Vivianne..." my skin tingled with both disgust and pleasure as he held me, bringing me to an abrupt halt.
• "What did I say about keeping your distance?" I yanked his hand off, turning to shoot him a glare.
• "Don't touch me! Don't ever try that! Don't!"
• His eyes flickered with hurt, but fuck him and his emotions! I don't give a shit.
• Without another second, I stepped out of the house and into the quiet street.
• I boarded a cab to the training centre.
• "Ms. V. You're here." Coach B smiled as soon I stepped into the building.
• "Hmm. Good morning, coach. I'm sorry I'm late." I smiled apologetically.
• "Yeah, it's fine. You should check the players' equipment in the locker room and make sure they're in good shape..." he paused and threw a car to me.
• "Here's the keys."
• "Alright. I'll get to work now."
• "Good luck on your first day, and you can always call me if you need my help."
• I nodded before heading to the locker room.
• My breath caught the moment I stepped into the locker room.
• I'd imagined just a normal messed up locker room, but this was rather a standard locker room... Everything was neatly arranged. The jerseys in rows hanging beneath glowing nameplates.
• My eyes darted to the metallic logo above my head on the ceiling, and my jaw almost reached the ground. There was only one word I could think of... perfection.
• Realising that I didn't have much time, I quickly swung into action, checking each player's sticks, their skate blades, and their sticks.
• Once I confirmed everything was in perfect shape, I sighed. My work here is done.
• As I took a short note on my work tablet, I heard footsteps behind me, and I turned swiftly, my stomach twisted with anger at the person that welcomed me... Mark.
• He frowned, obviously not pleased to see me.
• "What are you doing here?" His voice was sharp and firm, enough to make anyone feel intimidated... Anyone, but Vivianne.
• Silly question. Isn't this what hockey trainers do every morning? Maybe he's dumb.
• 'Pull yourself together, Vivianne. You can't allow him ruin your mood'
• "Hey! You're here..." I wore a smile that barely reached my eyes. "I'm just doing my job here. Where are the others?"
• He scoffed, closing the distance between us. "Who do you think you are?"
• Me? Your nemesis, dumbhead.
• "I don't understand." I drawled, still wearing my smile like a mask because if it should drop, I'd probably lose it.
• "Do you think you can last here?" He leaned close, our faces just an inch apart. I could feel his stinky breath on my face.
• 'Oh, please, Vivianne. His breath is not stinky... Well, since his personality stinks, we can as well leave it to that'.
• God, please, help me calm down. I don't want to slap this bastard.
• I chuckled dryly, taking a step back.
• "I don't know what you're talking about, Mark, and I don't think I'm interested... Do you think you can shift back a bit?"
• He gritted his teeth, his eyes burning with fury, as if I'd just bruised his ego... I bet I did.
• Who told him he could mess around with people just because his dad is one of the shareholders of the company. Ugh! I wish I could teach him a lesson.
• "You..." He reached for my neck, maybe to grab it.
• I was already calculating the slap I'd give him the moment his hand touches me, but before it could, a familiar voice cut in.
• "What do you think you are doing, Mark?" That was Noah.
• He glared hard at me, tightening his fingers in front of me.
• "Consider yourself lucky today." He muttered before straightening up.
• No, mate. You consider yourself lucky, because you would've seen stars if I had given you the slap I was preparing for you.
• "Stay the hell away from her, Mark." Noah gritted out as he glared at him.
• Mark shot me one last glare before stepping out of the locker room, and Noah hurried up to me, holding my shoulders.
• Pain shot through me, and I winced.
• "Did he hurt you?"
• "No, he didn't. It's the burn from earlier." I replied, but in my head.
• I quietly shrugged his hands off and shot him a glare. "That was not necessary. I can take care of myself."
• But deep inside me, I couldn't deny the excitement I felt when he stood up for me just now.
• "Again, keep your fucking distance. Don't push me." Then I stepped out of the locker room, but paused as I was welcomed by Scott.
• Not now, please...