Exquisite

The Big Bad Wolves Don't Scare Me

~Damen~

When we were kids, our mother would take us every day to the park at the end of our street in the evening to watch the sunset. We would sit on the grass, sandwiches clutched tightly in our sticky fingers as the sky changed colors from deep, soft orange to burning red before the light died out completely.

I blinked as I stared out of the glass windows of my office, tracing the last golden rays of the setting sun span into the room and paint the walls golden. It was one of the things I liked about being at work till late; I could catch a little slice of the sunset for myself.

A low buzz brought me out from my reverie and I picked up the telephone. "Yes?"

"Miss Vivienne is here to see you, Sir." My assistant sounded slightly apologetic because he knew this was a time when I preferred to be alone. "Would you like me to tell her you're busy?"

"No, send her in." I felt the beginning of a smile trace my lips. "Not that she'll listen to you even if try to stop her, Bruce." I could hear his quiet exhale of relief; he was terrified of Vivienne and her tantrums.

"Bruce is a prick."

My sister announced as she walked into the office with her trademark grin in place and paint splattered across her shirt. It used to be white; I couldn't name the color it was now.

"You trouble him way more than necessary, Viv." I shook my head at her as she sat cross-legged on the sofa, her bony knees sticking out from under her. "Why can't you let the poor kid be?"

Her eyes twinkled. "And where's the fun in that?" She chuckled before pulling out a box from her oversized bag. "Here's dinner; I also put in a cupcake in case you change your mind about your stupid obsession against sugar."

Before I could respond, there was a sharp knock on the glass door and Bruce peeked in. "Miss Vivienne? I got you some coffee - that is, if you want it." He stammered, the tips of his ears burning red.

"When will you stop calling me that? My brother is your boss, I'm not." Viv snorted but there was a subtle hint of color in her cheeks that hadn't been there before. "Anyway, come in. I won't bite -" She paused, a devilish glint dancing in her eyes.

"- not in front of Damen anyway." She winked and I looked at Bruce, almost amused by how he looked like he was about to faint. "I - I'm ... uh - excuse me," Putting the cup on the table, he stumbled out of the room as my sister dissolved into helpless laughter.

Cutting into the chicken, I raised an eyebrow at her. "If you like him so much, why do you have to torture him like this?" Understanding my sister wasn't easy; I sometimes doubted if she herself knew why she did the things she did.

Vivienne shrugged, her smile sliding off a little. "It's fun, isn't it?" Her eyes flitted from my table to the sofa and I knew she didn't want to talk about it.

"Did you see the news today?" I changed the topic very obviously, her eyes meeting mine with a grateful smile. "Why? Did something happen?"

Picking up the remote, I switched on the flat screen that almost covered the entire wall in front of us. "You tell me."

"As Everett Corporations overtakes its arch-rival Delta Industries and establishes itself on the top of the business pyramid of our country, it's impossible to ignore the shroud of mystery that surrounds their CEO, Damen Everett and his family."

A picture of me, Cassien and Viv flashed across the screen and my sister groaned. "I hate this picture so much; why can't they use one in which I don't look like a character from plants versus zombies?"