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Note: This chapter is *super* long but I felt like it was better to keep it together instead of splitting it up. Sorry in advance 😅

chapter thirty five
florence thompson
song: put your head on my shoulder - paul anka

The ride to the event was filled with an uncomfortable silence, which I believe is mostly due to the fact that Darby was sitting right up front, pretending as if he couldn't hear a word of what we were saying in the back of the car.

"Who was that?" Vincent asked, pulling my attention to him where he was sat next to me, his gaze already on me when I turned to him.

"Aria, one of my best friends," I explained, watching him closely for any type of reaction. "She's actually Brandon Smith's...."

"SB?" He asked after his eyes lit up with realization.

"SB?" I repeated, completely lost.

A chuckle resonated deep in his throat. "Sugar baby," he clarified.

"Oh, yes. She's his...SB," I said reluctantly, the abbreviation feeling just about as icky as the full word when it rolled off my tongue.

He nodded wordlessly. "She seems lovely."

I smiled in return, letting our conversation lull and the silence linger for a few moments. As I sat with my thoughts and the sound of the radio, my run-in with Sebastian came to mind, his passing comment of Julia assisting him with a charity event this week.

I gnawed the skin on my lip, thinking it over for a fleeting moment before opening my mouth.

"I ran into Sebastian Vanderbilt yesterday," I mumbled, glancing to him to gauge his reaction.

His mismatched eyes widened momentarily before his expression fell back into a passive state.

"Oh really? Did he have any news about your application?" He asked, watching me closely as I was him.

"He didn't mention it, but he did mention something about going to a charity event." I dropped the information, letting it simmer for a beat. "Is he going to be there tonight?"

The thought of my potential boss being at an event that I'm attending with my freaking sugar daddy seems a little unprofessional if you ask me. Granted, I understand that they know one another due to the fact of the subtle hints here and there and not to mention the referral Vincent put in for me.

"He may be, but I doubt we'll see him. A lot of people go to this event," he informed me, running a hand over the stubble that was cast across his angular jaw.

My eyes lingered on his sharp jaw for a beat too long before they drifted back up to his mesmerizing eyes.

For a second, deep in my chest, there was an ache at the realization that I would never have him. He wasn't looking for something with commitment, he was looking for women to shower with gifts in return for sex or something less.

For even less time I hated that that wasn't what I wanted, that I couldn't just abandon all that I wanted from a relationship and let him wrap me up into his world of uncertainty and lack of feelings. A world where I was allowed to be attracted to him, but never enough to have any real feelings that would just muddle everything together.

I wondered why I even wanted him when I knew he was busy with other women, something that most definitely shouldn't bother me but undoubtedly did.

I broke my gaze, turning away from him and down to the floor in front of me. I let my gaze rest on the shoes that I was wearing, trying my best to ease my racing thoughts that really did nothing beneficial for my bubbling nerves.

Within fifteen minutes we arrived at a ridiculously beautiful building, it looked almost like an old cathedral from the outside, but much larger. It was a large tan building that had too many floors for me to even guess, two rectangular fountains sat on each side of the stairs that led to the entrance.

People were bustling outside, some of the most famous names arriving in the most pristine gowns and suits. Women's hair was either done up immaculately or styled down, most of the men's hair was gelled back neatly.

I glanced to Vincent, looking over his natural looking hair that curled slightly, hanging over his forehead. For some reason, I appreciated his natural hair much more than when it was gelled.

"Are you ready?" Vincent asked, a small smile tugging at his lips as he caught me staring at him.

I glanced back at all the people who were climbing the stairs as we approached where Darby was going to drop us, my heart thudding erratically in my chest.

I swallowed hard, looking back to Vincent who was already looking at me. "As ready as I'll ever be."

His smile grew bigger as we pulled up in front of the stairs. I thanked God at that moment that there weren't any paparazzi, knowing full well that the last thing I wanted to reminisce on was the deep shade of red my cheeks were currently.

"Don't worry, it's just a bunch of uppity people who pretend to be nice. They won't bother you," he whispered as if it was a secret, winking at me quickly before his door was opened by a man in a black suit who nodded respectively at Vincent who tugged at the lapels of his suit jacket, straightening it out.

I smiled softly as his door shut, watching him as he rounded the car. He made it to my side in a timely manner, stopping the gentleman who was about to open my door and pulling it open himself.

As the door opened, he ushered me out with a hand, that handsome smile still on his lips as he looked at me. I shook my head softly, holding my gown that he'd picked for me and stepping out onto the red fabric that was laid on the ground.

He shut the door behind me before grabbing my hand with his own, his other hand resting on my waist from behind me as he dipped his head down to my ear.

"I don't know if I told you, but you look absolutely beautiful Florence," he mumbled against my ear, his voice raspier than usual.

He knew full well he'd already told me, he was just being playful and I can't say I didn't appreciate it.

Shivers danced up my spine, a small secretive smile making its way onto my lips.

With that, he released me before grasping my right hand with his left and guiding me around the car and to the stairs where everyone was currently entering the building.

We climbed the stairs, Vincent exchanging polite nods and smiles with passing guests who looked at me questioningly. It was unnerving how out of place I felt in that moment, my body feeling as if it was on fire, my heart thudding loudly in my chest.

I wished for a fleeting moment that I'd said no to Vincent's proposal. The most expensive thing I own is currently on my body and it only fell into my hands within the past five hours, not to mention it's a gift from the man who literally asked me to come.

My cheeks flushed with the thought.

Before I knew it we were entering the large building, walking straight into a large, fancy dining hall it seemed. There were small circular tables with white table clothes placed all around the room, some people already seated and drinking out of their champagne flutes.

Soft classical music played over the speakers as all the extravagant people buzzed around the room, big grins on their faces and posh attitudes to match.

"What did I get myself into?" I mumbled barely above a whisper, glancing nervously around the room.

Suddenly watching Jane The Virgin in PJ's at home seemed much more inviting than being stood here in this moment.

"It'll be okay, I promise," Vincent whispered in my ear, jumping me momentarily as I hadn't noticed him leaning down to me.

I glanced up to him, my blue eyes meeting his own as he smiled reassuringly at me, squeezing my hand.

I nodded, capturing my bottom lip between my teeth.

With that Vincent tugged me into the room with him, seeming as if he was going to find our table before a man in a similar looking suit with dirty blonde hair stopped him.

"Vincent, great to see you!" He exclaimed, a handsome smile on his face as he stepped in front of us.

Vincent stepped back, furrowing his brows momentarily before realization washed over his features.

"Oh, yes! Brian, right?" Vincent asked, staying polite as ever even though he seemed to forget who he was for a moment.

"Yeah, yeah, that's me!" The boy grinned. He seemed to be around my age, young and boyish. "Hey listen, I just wanted to thank you for Candy. She is seriously the best thing that's ever happened to me, I can't thank you enough, man."

I felt my brows furrow as I listen to the boy drone on. At first I'd thought he was talking about the sweet treats you buy at the store but as he gave it a pronoun, I quickly realized it was a girl he was speaking of.

Vincent nodded quickly.

"Of course, my pleasure. Nice to see you again, hopefully we'll see you around." Vincent firmly nodded with a tight smile on his lips, making my stomach drop because I knew in that moment he was avoiding whatever that boy was talking about as he sidestepped him.

We continued further through the dining hall for a few more moments before I could open my mouth to ask about what had just happened.

"What as that about?" I whispered to Vincent whose face was tinted a slight shade of pink, his jaw set.

Before he could open his mouth, if he even planned to, a voice called out his name.

"Vincent De Bellis, is that you?" A deep, older voice called from the right of us, effectively stopping us in our tracks.

Vincent's hand squeezed my own tighter, something I wouldn't have noticed if I wasn't paying attention.

"The one and only." Vincent grinned as if he hadn't just been weird approximately three seconds ago.

"Vincent, my boy, how've you been?" The old man asked with delight in his eyes as he approached us.

He was wearing a charcoal suit, standing out slightly from the other men here. His graying hair was gelled back neatly, exposing his receding hairline. He had blue eyes and wrinkles that littered his face, his past smiles and deepened expressions no longer escaping him.

"I've been good, Theo, just quite busy lately. How about you, old timer?" Vincent responded, seeming genuinely interested in the man's response.

I wondered idly if it was a craft he'd perfected over his years in the business industry or if he truly was interested.

Theo chuckled a hearty chuckle that came from his belly, his face lighting up with amusement at Vincent's words.

"I've been good, I've been good." He nodded, the ghost of a smile still lined his lips. His gaze wandered over to me where I was stood next to Vincent and immediately my heart began to beat a little faster. "And who is this lady, may I ask?"

I was quite okay with going unnoticed this far in, and honestly, recognition wasn't anything I wanted in this setting where I felt like the black sheep of the herd.

"This is Florence, she's accompanying me tonight," Vincent answered, glancing down to me with a certain look in his eyes.

Theo nodded, drinking in the information before speaking again.

"What happened to Julia, lovers quarrel?" Theo teased, chuckling at his own joke.

My cheeks flushed as I swallowed hard. Julia Kline's face flashed through my mind, making my heart sink further in my chest.

You shouldn't care, my subconscious reminded me.

I released a strangled breath, knowing full well that my subconscious was right. I'm not in any position to envy another woman who is maybe closer to this man who could very well not have any feelings for me.

But on the other hand, I had thought that Julia was also a sugar baby. It had never occurred to me that maybe there could be more there. Other than that phone call I'd overheard, of course.

Vincent's face fell for a split second before he readjusted his expression into a more pleasant one, releasing a brief chuckle that for some reason made the dull ache in my chest all that more blinding.

"Oh no, nothing of the sort. We should get seated, but it was nice seeing you again, Theodore," Vincent's voice remained calm and even, polite as always.

My hand in his suddenly felt very unwelcome and I subtly tugged it out of his grasp, flatting my dress. Vincent glanced at me momentarily but I pretended to not notice as I watched Theodore.

"Always a pleasure running into you. You two enjoy your evening." He smiled warmly, but there was an underlying feeling of something more sour that I couldn't quite place my finger on.

Vincent nodded respectively before placing his hand on the small of my back and guiding me towards a nearby table where our names were printed on small cards placed in front of certain seats.

I felt relief wash over me slightly when his touch was gone, the opposite of how it usually is, as he pulled out my chair for me and then sat down next to me.

"I'm sorry about that, Julia-,"

Before he had the chance to finish his sentence, I interrupted him in hopes to save our night from the moodiness that I felt brewing.

"It's fine," I rushed, meeting his mismatched gaze quickly. "You don't have to explain yourself to me, Vincent," I mumbled, shifting slightly in my seat.

I moved my gaze back up to his again after I had looked down to the table cloth. He had a look of pain almost before he released a sigh, shaking his head softly.

"You're too good, Florence," he uttered, making my cheeks flush obviously since they are traitors.

I pushed a forced smile onto my lips, moving my attention down to my hands in my lap.

I have two choices. I can let this disheartening feeling eat me alive and ruin my night, or I can push it aside, accept that I don't have any place to feel upset, and at least get an enjoyable night out of the deal. With a deep sigh, I chose the latter.

"Thank you for my dress," I commented spontaneously, looking up at him where he was leaning back in his seat.

A small smile lined his pink lips as he stared at me.

"You're welcome, Florence. Thank you for looking so beautiful in it." He grinned, making me shake my head with a chuckle.

I glanced around the room, looking at all the people in the most expensive clothing I've ever seen. They were clad in the most luxurious jewelry and watches, making my small jewelry collection at home look like costume jewelry.

"You never mentioned your life was this extravagant, Mr. De Bellis," I teased, turning back to Vincent who was already looking at me.

He snorted.

"It's not that extravagant."

My eyes bulged at his words. I looked at the lady walking by in what could easily pass for Saint Laurent before glancing back to him with more emphasis.

He let out a deep chuckle, bowing his head momentarily.

"I'm sorry, please do tell me, the girl who gets excited to shop at Marshall's sales instead of their clearance section on a good pay day, how this is not extravagant?" I propped my head up on my fist, looking at him expectantly.

A smile lined my lips as I watched him, clearly amused by this conversation and his blindness to the situation.

"Okay, okay, maybe you're a little right. But it really isn't as grand as it looks." He shrugged, reaching for his glass of champagne and taking a sip.

I released a sigh, shaking my head at him.

"I shop at discount stores and check the local supermarkets sale flyer every Sunday to see what is on sale before shopping that week. When I travel, I stay at motels because that's what I can afford. I feel blessed when I can afford to eat out at Wendy's, or have a little extra spending cash to go shopping with my friends. But yes, please do continue about how un-extravagant this all is?" I joked, grinning broadly at him as I motioned around the room.

Vincent's thought process was absolutely lost on me, making me wildly confused and honestly amused.

"Is it ridiculous of me to say I kind of wish I could experience that?" He mumbled lowly, glancing from the table to me with a slightly amused glint in his beautiful eyes.

I raised my brows in astonishment, shaking my head with an absentminded smile on my lips.

"Absolutely crazy." I grinned at him as a comical idea came to mind. "Maybe we should go sale shopping, stay in a crappy motel and eat crappy food. See how much you actually like it?" I teased, straightening my spine and sitting up further in my seat.

His expression brightened far too much for the premise of the idea.

"I believe you have yourself a deal, Miss Thompson." He grinned cheekily, flashing his perfectly straight teeth.

"Are you kidding me?" I laughed, quite astonished at his quick acceptance of the idea.

He shook his head, wavy hair moving with the motion. "I'm definitely not."

We stared at each other for a long moment, both grinning widely at one another. Everyone around us seemed to fade away, his blue and brown eyes the only things that I could focus on in that moment other than the giddy feeling in my stomach.

"Ladies and gentlemen, thank you so much for coming out to join us today. If you could go ahead and take your seats so we can begin the auction, that would be spectacular!" A middle-aged man was at the front of the room, dressed as nicely as everyone else, with a microphone and note in his hand. His grin was hard to miss even from all the way back here.

The commotion in the room died down as everyone found their seats.

Vincent glanced at me one last time before turning his attention to the man at the front of the room. He tugged at the lapels of his jacket, straightening his spine as he waited for the man to speak again.

"To start off the evening, we've decided to begin with the auction. Now, ladies and gentlemen, you all know how this works but incase you don't, let me explain it before we begin-,"

In the middle of his sentence, my attention fell on a table a little ways to the left of ours, my heart immediately dropping to my stomach.

There sat Julia Kline, blonde hair curled and pinned back as she was rocking a burgundy dress with a matching lip. The sight of her made my stomach ache, and I swallowed hard as I watched her smile broadly and clap with everyone else when the man was done speaking.

By the time the auction started, all I could focus on was the fact that she was here and only a few tables away from us. If Vincent had noticed her, he hadn't showed it yet.

Through the entirety of the bidding, everything seemed to muffle out and I was left with my circling thoughts and the idea of ditching the event and blaming it on the stomach flu. Unfortunately for me though, my more rational side got the better of me.

I absentmindedly payed attention to the people raising paddles, forced smiles on their lips. When someone would win, the man would excitedly shove a finger into the air, declaring the news but all I could focus on was his motions, no words seeming to come out of his mouth.

After a few more minutes I felt a hand on my shoulder, effectively snapping me out of the weird daze I'd been in. I whipped my head to where the hand had come from, a little surprised.

Vincent eyed me worriedly, brows furrowed.

"Are you alright?" He asked, cocking his head slightly as he gazed over my face for any signs.

I nodded quickly, attempting to hide any trace of the off feeling I had felt before with a tight smile that surely didn't reach my eyes.

His mismatched eyes fell behind me for a moment, his face falling for a split second before he glanced back at me, fully composed.

"Hey, I have to go

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