Chapter 92: The Gamble
Viviana cleared her throat as if that would give her time to think. But Lionel’s round eyes were focused on her observing every twitch of her facial muscles and the little flicker of her eyes.
She knew... Lionel knows something.
Rather than getting stressed, she took in a deep breath to calm herself down. She cannot out her birthplace, but if it is out, she needs to know the intent of Lionel asking her about it. She cannot conclude that Lionel is out to get her.
But before she asked Lionel what he knew about her, with a slap on his thigh, Lionel laughed. And on his impeccably handsome face, kindness returned.
"I don’t know if you’ve been to Abenney. I just was there some years ago. In fact, at first, we were planning on shooting "Eternal Promise" at Abenney. But the fountain and a coastal town... somehow our producer didn’t like the idea, and so we had to change locations. You should visit Abenney, Bellissima. It’s so nice," Lionel leaned forward, resting his clasped hands on his knees.
Viviana’s heart skipped a beat. Lionel was smiling but his smile didn’t reach his eyes. He did not look menacing but more like he was deeply pondering something. And he was giving her an out from the topic by saying that she should visit there.
He means it deeply, she knew. But she didn’t have the guts to ask him what he knows anymore. She decided to take the choice for an out.
"Maybe I should," she smiled, putting her hands in her pockets. Her hands had gone cold. "By your description of Abenney, it does seem an apt location for this story."
She leaned at the back of her chair. She had lost her train of thoughts and she didn’t even remember where she left the story at. She did have a thought about whether she should continue the story or not. What if Lionel Waldorf has some nefarious reason behind his curiosity?
She bowed her head and wetted her lips.