You Never Know [JIKOOK]

30. Bloom

Nathalie looked at Vincent who was entering the apartment and just walked towards the living area while using or more like texting someone over the phone. He didn't even notice Nathalie sitting on the dining table.

"You seem rather pleased," Nathalie's first word for his boyfriend when Vincent finally came home after his meeting Mr.Wang at the club. She observed, her voice dripping with sarcasm as she rolled her eyes.

Vincent turned to look at her when he was already on his way towards living area of the apartment, his smile not faltering. He hadn't noticed Nathalie in the dining area earlier. "Can't I be?" He retorted, his voice light as he moved towards the living area, his phone in hand.

Nathalie watched him suspiciously, an ice bag pressed against at the corner of her bruised lip. She followed him into the living room, her curiosity piqued. "What happened at the club?" She inquired, her gaze flickering to his split lip. "And what happened to your lip-"

Vincent cut her off, his gaze remaining glued to his phone screen. "Nothing. Nothing happened," he responded dismissively, his fingers swiftly typing out a message.

Nathalie looked at him in surprise. Had he really not noticed her bruised lip? Annoyance bubbled up within her. "Did you manage to charm any of the flirty girls at the club?" She asked, her tone laced with sarcasm. She watched as Vincent's smile widened at something on his phone.

Vincent finally looked up from his phone, his eyes meeting Nathalie's. "There's noth- wait, what happened to your bottom lip?" He asked, surprise evident in his voice as he noticed the bruise on Nathalie's lip for the first time.

Nathalie rolled her eyes in exasperation. "I'm surprised you didn't notice it sooner," she retorted sarcastically. "Jungkook slapped me."

"What?! What happened?" Vincent asked, his shock evident. He moved to sit beside her, his eyes inspecting her bruised lip.

Nathalie sighed, weariness seeping into her voice. "I tried to seduce him. I was sitting on his lap, telling him how sexy he was, and then he slapped me. Hard."

Vincent let out a sigh of disappointment. "Why do you keep trying to seduce him when you know he can't stand you?"

Nathalie furrowed her eyebrows, her voice rising in defense. "I'm trying to make him like me again so I can get more money out of him again! You should be grateful that I'm helping with your debt!" She crossed her arms over her chest defiantly.

Vincent stood abruptly, his anger flaring. "Don't act like you're not benefiting from that money!" He exclaimed, pointing an accusing finger at Nathalie. "If we're talking about debts, 75% of OUR debt is yours! It's because of your damn addiction to the casino!" Vincent accused, his voice filled with frustration and resentment.

Nathalie refused to accept the blame, her pride getting the better of her. She didn't want anyone insulting her choices and desires. Without warning, she stood up too and slapped Vincent hard across the face, the sound echoing through the room.

Vincent's head snapped to the side from the impact, his hand instinctively reaching to his burning cheek. He glared at Nathalie, a mixture of anger and hurt in his eyes. He wanted to retaliate, to slap her back, but he knew it would only escalate the situation further. Without uttering a word, he grabbed his car key from the coffee table and stormed toward the front door.

"Hey! Where do you think you're going? We're not finished!" Nathalie yelled, her annoyance evident as she watched her boyfriend leave without a word.

Vincent didn't look back or respond. He slammed the door shut behind him, the sound reverberating through the empty space. His mind was filled with a mix of anger, frustration, and a sense of liberation.