No One’s Pov

Vivien hurriedly arrived at the grand convention center where the author meeting was being held. Just as she had calculated, she was early.

The main entrance was heavily guarded. She noticed a few people walking back and forth, all wearing matching caps and jackets that clearly showed they were staff members.

Vivien hid behind a large pillar, scoping out the security. She clicked her tongue in frustration. Tsk, how should I get in now?

As she watched, she saw that security wasn’t just checking uniforms- they were scanning physical ID cards at a electronic gate before letting anyone pass. Slipping through the front doors was going to be impossible.

She waited outside for a bit, keeping her eyes peeled for an opportunity. Finally, she spotted a young man walking out of the restricted zone.

He wore the official staff jacket and was heading straight toward a nearby hallway leading to the staff changing rooms. Vivien wasted no time; she pulled her hood up and stealthily followed him inside.

The hallway was quiet and empty. The young man took off his staff jacket and set it down on a bench, placing his ID card right on top of it before stepping into one of the private stalls.

Seeing her chance, Vivien wasted no time sneaking in. Her fingers closed around the plastic ID card, but just as she pulled it into her hand, the stall door clicked open. The man walked out.

His eyes locked onto her, widening in shock. "You- who are you?! Wait, hey! Some- "

Before he could shout out for help and alert the entire security team, Vivien’s muscle memory kicked in. Step by step, she recalled how she used to take down those men of Elias. Moving with sudden speed, she stepped into his space and forcefully snapped her fingers against a specific pressure point on his neck.

With a soft groan, the man’s eyes rolled back, and he fainted right on the spot, slumping onto the bench.

Vivien caught him, letting out a ragged breath as she wiped a bead of sweat from her forehead. She looked down at her hands, a hug grin breaking across her face.

"Oh damn, it actually worked out!" she said proudly to herself, feeling like an absolute badass.

She didn’t waste another second. She quickly threw the staff jacket over her shoulders, tucked her hair under the official cap, and pinned the stolen ID card to her chest. Glancing in the mirror, she adjusted her thick glasses, took a deep breath, and walked out of the changing room, ready to finally see the face of the mysterious Elias.

Because she was already wearing a baggy hoodie and loose pants, the oversized staff jacket completely swallowed her figure. It was almost impossible for anyone to guess whether she was a man or a woman. With a black mask covering the lower half of her face she felt reasonably secure for now.

But the main challenge was actually getting through that gate.

Vivien took a deep breath and walked toward the main staff entrance. She reached her hand out, holding the stolen ID card up to the electronic scanner.

Beep.

Just as the light flashed green and she was about to step through, a hand suddenly reached toward her from behind. A guard had stepped right up to her.

Vivien’s heart started pounding loudly, Her muscles tensed, her mind instantly racing through backup plan - should I drop him like the guy in the changing room? No, there are too many cameras here!

But before the guard’s hand could firmly reach out to grab her shoulder, another staff member’s voice echoed from down the hall.

"Hey! Everything has already started in there, so hurry up! We need all hands on deck!"

Hearing this, the guard didn’t glance at Vivien any further. He simply gave her a slight push forward and said, "You heard him. Hurry up and finish all the work inside."

Vivien nodded frantically, keeping her head low. She quickly scanned the card one more time, pushed through the turnstile, and finally went in.

Once inside, she let out a shaky breath behind her mask and looked around. The massive auditorium was breathtaking. The stage was beautifully lit, rows of VIP seats were set up, and security was tightly patrolling. Everything was nearly done and ready for the grand event.

Vivien slipped into the shadows near the backstage curtain and looked down at her watch. It was now exactly time for the authors to arrive.

Right on cue, the double doors at the back of the backstage area opened. One by one, a lot of famous, high-profile authors began to arrive, escorted by personal managers and event coordinators. Some were older looking individuals, while others were young and trendy.

Vivien narrowed her eyes behind her glasses, her pulse quickening. She scanned the crowd of arriving guests anxiously. But how will I find out who is the one I’m looking for? She didn’t even know what the mysterious "Elias" looked like, and none of these authors were wearing name tags yet.

Vivien knew she couldn’t just stand there guessing, so she decided to casually ask one of the other staff members. Stepping up to a young woman holding a clipboard, Vivien pitched her voice as neutrally as possible. "Hey, um... do you know if the author E.V. arrived yet? Actually, I’m a big fan of his."

The woman looked up from her clipboard, sighing softly. She shook her head in disappointment. "Me too. But he’s not here yet. Apparently, he always arrives at the absolute last minute."

"Oh, okay. Thanks," Vivien replied, stepping back.

She waited for a few more minutes, her eyes glued to the backstage entrance. Soon, a few more authors arrived, but to her frustration, they were all wearing masks and hats, completely concealing their identities to avoid the growing crowd. Outside the curtains, the doors had finally opened to the public. The readers started to gather in massive waves, and the sheer rush of the crowd began spilling over into the backstage corridors.

Staff members were running around, pushing past each other to set up the final book stacks. In the middle of the chaos, someone accidentally shoved Vivien hard from behind. Lost in her thoughts, her foot slipped, and she lost her balance.

She braced herself to hit the hard floor, but before she could fall, a strong, firm grip caught her by the waist, pulling her upright.

Instantly, a rich, expensive men’s cologne filled her nostrils.

"Be careful," a stern, deep voice reached her ear.

The sound made her stop in her track. It felt incredibly familiar. Vivien hurriedly looked up, her breath catching in her throat as she tried to see his face.

The moment her eyes met his, her heart completely stopped.

The man holding her was tall, dressed in a black coat. His face was covered by a black mask, and he was wearing a pair of stylish glasses, but she could feel the intense energy radiating off him. His piercing, dark eyes were looking deep down at her, as if he could see right through her disguise, her mask, and her soul.

There was a dangerous glint in his gaze.

"Elias..." she whispered, the name slipping past her lips before she could stop herself.

The man in front of her froze. His eyes shook slightly, flashing with a sudden surge of excitement and amusement. He recognized her. He knew exactly who she was.

Before either of them could say another word, a frantic manager rushed over, grabbing the man’s arm. "There you are! The media is waiting, we need to get you to the main stage right now!"

The manager quickly dragged him away toward the stage curtains. But right before he disappeared into the blinding lights of the auditorium, Elias stopped. He paused, turning his head back to look straight at Vivien through the bustling crowd.

Slowly, he reached up and lowered his glasses just an inch down his nose, locking his piercing eyes onto hers one last time.

Then, he winked at her, a mocking smirk visible even beneath the edge of his mask, before vanishing onto the stage.

Before Vivien could even think about following him, a loud, echoing screech rang out through the backstage corridor!

"Youuu!!! Over there! Guard, catch her!"

Vivien whipped her head around, her stomach dropping. Standing at the end of the hallway, rubbing a nasty red bruise on his neck, was the exact same staff member she had knocked out in the changing room. He was furious, his finger pointing directly at her.

Shit! she cursed under her breath.

Without wasting a single second, she bolted. The moment she ran, three burly security guards immediately started chasing after her.

Out on the main stage, Elias was sitting at a table, elegantly signing copies of his bestselling novel. Cameras were flashing, and fans were cheering, but his focus wasn’t on the books at all.

His sharp eyes were locked onto the edge of the crowd, tracking the baggy-clothed figure running for her life. His lips curved up into a amused smile under his mask. She always tries to outsmart everyone, he thought. Or at least, she tries to.

Meanwhile, Vivien dove straight into the sea of screaming readers in the auditorium, using the massive crowd as a shield. The guards were losing her in the chaos. Dang it, I ain’t leaving this place without seeing his face! she hissed to herself, stubborn to the bone.

Realizing she was too visible on her feet, she dropped to her hands and knees, attempting to sneakily crawl from one row of seats to another through the maze of people’s legs.

Suddenly, a pair of long legs and expensive shoes stepped directly into her path, blocking her completely.

Vivien froze. Slowly, her eyes followed the long legs up, past a designer suit, all the way to the face of the man staring dead down at her. Her heart completely stopped.

"Dominic...?!" her mind screamed.

Her eyes widened. Terrified, she let out a tiny, muffled squeak, scrambled backward like a panicked crab, and blurted out a raspy, "Sorry!" before turning around and sprinting in the opposite direction, praying to whatever deity was listening that he hadn’t realized it was her.

WHAT THE HECK WAS HE DOING HERE?! SHOULDN’T HE BE MEETING HIS MOTHER!!

she screamed internally, her heart shaking as she dodged through the crowd. WHAT IF HE RECOGNIZED ME?! I AM SO DEAD!!! The memory of her dramatic Fake coughs from just an hour ago flashed in her mind. If he caught her, he wouldn’t just fire her- he’d probably skin her alive!

Back in the aisle, Dominic’s icy gaze followed the small figure running away like a startled rabbit. His jaw tightened.

He hadn’t just arrived. He had been standing in the Hallway for a while. He had seen everything He had seen the way that author had caught her by the waist. He had seen the way they looked at each other, and he had definitely seen that arrogant bastard wink at her.

A burning wave of pure jealousy flared hot in Dominic’s chest, making his breath hitch. He didn’t know who this "Aurthor" was, but the way the man looked at Vivien made him want to tear the man apart.

Turning his head slightly, Dominic looked at his assistant standing ri

ght behind him.

"Give me every single piece of information about him," Dominic commanded.

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TO BE CONTINUED