Four Of A Kind Novel Chapter 86: [2.61] My Real Interview is Happening Over an Ap

Chapter 86: [2.61] My Real Interview is Happening Over an Appetizer

The silence stretched between us for a mont. Vivienne set her phone face-down on the table, which felt significant sohow. She never put her phone down.

Ever.

I took a sip of water. The glass was heavier than it needed to be. Probably crystal or sothing equally unnecessary.

"Can I ask you sothing?" I said.

Vivienne’s expression shifted. Not quite guarded, but close. Like a door that had been open now standing slightly ajar. Still accessible, but you’d have to make an effort to get through.

"You may ask," she said. "I reserve the right not to answer."

Fair enough.

"Why did you actually hire ?" I leaned back in my chair. The leather was soft enough that it didn’t creak. "And don’t say it’s because I interviewed well. We both know Harlow made that decision before I even showed up."

She studied

for a long mont. Her fingers traced the stem of her water glass in slow, deliberate circles. It was the first ti I’d seen her fidget. The movent was subtle, almost imperceptible, but it was there. A crack in the polish.

She was actually thinking instead of delivering a pre-programd response.

"Dr. Reyes recomnded you," she said finally. "She said you were intelligent, hardworking, and desperate enough that you wouldn’t quit over minor inconveniences."

"Wow. She really sold ."

"She also said you were raising your sister by yourself." Vivienne’s gaze stayed level. Clinical. Like she was reciting a report. "That you worked forty hours a week while maintaining a 3.94 GPA. That you were the kind of person who would do whatever it took to survive."

She paused. Her fingers stopped moving.

"I wanted soone like that," she said. "Soone who understood that work isn’t supposed to be comfortable or easy. Soone who wouldn’t fall apart when things got difficult."

I could read between the lines.

"You an soone who wouldn’t quit when Cassidy tried to make their life hell?"

The corner of her mouth twitched. Almost a smile.

"Among other things, yes."

Marco returned with our appetizers. So kind of seafood thing that looked like art on a plate. He set them down gently, asked if we needed anything else, and disappeared when Vivienne shook her head.

I picked up my fork. The food tasted expensive. I wasn’t sure how food could taste expensive, but sohow it did. Like every ingredient had been individually interviewed and only the most qualified ones made it onto the plate.

"Can I ask you sothing now?" Vivienne said.

"Sure."

"Why did you actually take this job?"

The answer was obvious. "Money."

"That’s the surface answer. I want the real one." She set her own fork down, folded her hands in front of her. "You could have found other work. Easier work. Work that didn’t involve managing four girls with enough collective dysfunction to fuel a reality TV series."

I set my fork down too. This felt like one of those conversations that could spiral into uncomfortable territory fast if I wasn’t careful with my words.

"My sister deserves better than what I can give her on my own," I said slowly. Testing each word before I committed to it. "She deserves to go to a good school. To have actual opportunities instead of just survival options. To not wake up in the middle of the night worried about whether we can afford groceries that week."

I t Vivienne’s gaze. Her purple eyes were focused on

with that sa evaluating intensity she’d used earlier.

"Ten thousand a month ans I can actually give her those things. So yeah. Money. But not for . Never for ."

Sothing in Vivienne’s expression softened. Just for a second. Then her mask slid back into place.

"That’s why Dr. Reyes recomnded you," she said quietly. "She knew you’d understand what it ans to sacrifice for soone else."

The weight of that statent settled between us.

We ate in silence for a while. The food was good. Really good. The kind of good that made

understand why people paid absurd amounts of money for things that weren’t strictly necessary for survival.

"Your sister," Vivienne said. "Iris. What’s she like?"

I hadn’t expected that question.

"She’s fourteen," I said. "Smarter than . Funnier than . Better at basically everything except making terrible life decisions."

"You make terrible life decisions?"

"I’m eating lunch with my boss in a VIP room we obtained through fraud. You tell ."

That almost-smile appeared again. "Fair point."

"She likes manga," I continued. "And ani. And giving

grief about literally everything I do. She’s the reason I’m still functional most days."

"That sounds exhausting."

"It is. But it’s good exhausting. The kind that ans sothing." I paused. "Do you have that with your sisters?"

Vivienne went very still. Her fork stopped halfway to her mouth.

"Sotis," she said carefully. "When they’re not driving

insane."

"Like yesterday? When Cassidy stord out of dinner?"

"That was Cassidy being Cassidy. She has feelings. She doesn’t know what to do with them. So she throws tantrums and expects everyone else to deal with the fallout."

"You went after her though," I pointed out. "All three of you. You could have let her deal with it herself, but you didn’t."

Vivienne set her fork down. "We’re sisters. That’s what we do."

"That’s not what all sisters do."

"Well." She picked up her water glass. "We’re not all sisters."

Marco returned to clear our appetizer plates and deliver the main courses. Mine was so kind of pasta with seafood that looked like it belonged in a museum instead of on my plate. Vivienne got fish with vegetables arranged in patterns that probably had nas I’d never heard of.

We ate quietly. The pasta was incredible. I tried not to think about how much it cost per bite.

"Can I ask you sothing else?" I said after a while.

Vivienne sighed. "You’re very curious today."

"You’re paying

to be here. Might as well make it interesting."

"Fine. Ask."

I chose my words carefully.

"Do you actually want to run Valentine Holdings? Or is that sothing you’re doing because everyone expects it?"