Page 134 of Promise Not to Fall for the Rich & Famous

“Boh!” Mom did one of her worried groans. “What didtheysay?”

“I excused myself after that.”

“What?Vivia…”

“I had to. I was getting all flush-faced—you know how I get. I just needed a minute to think this through.”

“I think…” her mom came, pausing to whisper something to one of the twins. Something about turning off the timer. They’d probably already baked a batch of cookies. Her mother sighed into the phone before continuing. “You already know what I think, Vivia.”

Yes, she did. “Everyone deserves a shot at redemption.” Viv agreed. It was why she did what she did. Granted, there were people whose true colors were just as they seemed; when that happened, Viv spokethattruth at the very same volume.Interviewee beware.

“Un minuto,” her mom said next.

Viv could tell she’d set the phone down to attend to the twins. She let out a sigh of her own. She knew what she had to do. She did, but that didn’t mean it would be easy.

Viv leaned her head back on the door and glanced up at the tiny chandelier in the stall. So out of place, really. Something so fancy hovering over a woman’s toilet. A small laugh slipped from her lips as she recalled the cruel words of Sylvia Sampson. The professor had asked about the influence of wealth in social circles.

“It doesn’t matter what decade it is or how progressive our nation becomes—money matters.” She glared at Viv from across the classroom. She’d openly despised her once she found out she and Duke were an item.

“The lower class might be able to play with the big boys for a while,” Sylvia continued, “but eventually, they’ll be replaced with someone more…suitable.”

Viv had raised her hand next. “I disagree.”

“Why’s that?” the professor asked.

“She’s speaking for an entire social class based on her own narrow, biased perspective.”

“History backs me up,” Sylvia spat.

“And it disproves you too,” Viv assured.

“That it does,” the professor agreed. He posed a different question then, but Viv hadn’t shifted so easily. She’d seen the way Sylvia sought Duke out at social events; she had her eyes on him.

When Viv left the classroom that day, Sylvia caught up with her just past the doorway. “Enjoy your time with Duke while it lasts. He’s just using you. In the end, he’ll end up with someone like me. Just watch and see.”

Boy, had Sylvia gone the extra mile to prove her point.

“Vivia?” her mom asked.

“I’m here,” she replied. “Just…sometimes I still feel like I’m in a place that I don’t belong.”

“Not all that glitters is gold,mia cara. You know that. You have the gift of perception. It’s why you’ve accomplished so much. Why you never believed anyone was better than you simply because they had more money in their bank account.”

Viv nodded. Despite the setbacks in her sophomore year, she’d finished school strong and pursued her dream. She’d made a name for herself too. One she wasn’t about to sully by rejecting an interview with one of the nation’s hottest bachelors.

She sucked in a deep breath. “I’m going to go back in there,” Viv announced. “I’ll call you when I’m done.”

“Okay, hon,speriamo bene.” The expression alone caused an image to drift to her mind, one of Mom crossing her fingers for good luck. “Wait,” she added. “What are you going to tell them?”

Determination rushed through, planting a hot streak of adrenaline through her core. Viv sniffed, nodded, and inhaled with a new burst of confidence. “I’m going to tell them yes, I’ll take the job.”

CHAPTER 5

“What if she doesn’t show?” Duke asked as he looked out the window of his private jet.

“She’ll show,” Perry assured through the line. “She’s a professional. You think she’s going to toss her whole career over an ex-boyfriend?Please.”

Duke wasn’t sure if he was more relieved or offended at the comment.