[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-four-of-a-kind":3,"chapter-four-of-a-kind-four-of-a-kind-chapter-109":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","Four Of A Kind",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},1529803,1985,"Chapter 109: [3.11] My Boss, Her Seating Chart, and a Question of Maids","four-of-a-kind-chapter-109",109,"\u003Cp>I walked through the dark hallway toward Vivienne’s study, still replaying the strange conversation with Sabrina in my mind. The Valentine manor at night was a different creature entirely – the pristine white halls bathed in shadow, the distant tick of clocks marking seconds that felt like hours, the weight of old money watching from countless portrait frames.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What was I even doing here? My life used to be simple: wake up, commute, work, sleep, repeat. Now I had four identical girls playing mind games that would make chess grandmasters dizzy. And one of them had kissed me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I’d been kissed before, obviously. I’m eighteen, not dead. But there’s something uniquely troublesome about being kissed by a girl who could be one of four people.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My knuckles rapped against Vivienne’s door before I could spiral further into that particular mental labyrinth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Enter,\" came her voice from within, sounding... different. Less commanding than usual.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I pushed the door open and stopped dead in my tracks.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Vivienne Valentine sat at her desk, but this wasn’t the Vivienne I knew. The perfectly buttoned blazer was gone. The immaculate ponytail had been loosened. And most shocking of all, she wore what appeared to be silk pajamas – burgundy, like the ones from the mansion steps – with the top two buttons undone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I immediately cataloged this as highly suspicious behavior. Vivienne Valentine does not do \"casual.\" She doesn’t even do \"business casual.\" She exists in a perpetual state of formal perfection, as if a photographer from Vogue might leap out at any moment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You requested my presence?\" I managed, keeping my voice carefully neutral.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yes,\" she said, then cleared her throat. \"Yes. Please close the door behind you.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I did as instructed, noticing a folder on the corner of her desk. Probably the work Harlow had mentioned earlier.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I need your input on the Lumière launch party next week,\" she said, gesturing to the chair across from her desk. \"Mother has... delegated certain decisions to me.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I sat down, trying not to stare at the exposed skin of her collarbone or the way her wine-red hair fell softly around her shoulders instead of being pulled back in its usual severe style.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I assumed your mother would handle major brand partnerships personally.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"She did. She does.\" Vivienne’s fingers tapped a nervous rhythm on her desk – another unprecedented behavior. \"We had a meeting before she left. She informed me that since I negotiated the initial terms, I would be responsible for the launch execution.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"That seems like a vote of confidence.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Or a trap,\" Vivienne muttered, then looked up sharply as if surprised she’d spoken aloud. \"In any case, I need to review the guest list and seating arrangements.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She pushed a tablet toward me, our fingers brushing momentarily. I noticed her hand was cool to the touch.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Are you feeling alright?\" I asked before I could stop myself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Vivienne’s purple eyes widened slightly. \"Why would you ask that?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You seem...\" I gestured vaguely at her entire situation, \"not yourself.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I’m perfectly fine,\" she said automatically, then sighed. \"It’s been a long day. Mother can be... demanding.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That might have been the most personal thing Vivienne had ever shared with me. I suddenly felt like I was handling a rare, potentially explosive artifact.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Do you want to talk about it?\" I offered, already knowing the answer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Absolutely not.\" She straightened her posture, some of her usual authority returning. \"We have work to do.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I nodded and looked down at the tablet, scrolling through the guest list. Fashion editors, influencers, retail buyers, and various Valentine Holdings executives filled the page.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"This seems comprehensive,\" I said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Too comprehensive,\" Vivienne murmured. \"Mother insists on inviting the Chanel team even though they’re direct competitors. She says it creates ’valuable tension.’\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I raised an eyebrow. \"Your mother enjoys playing with fire.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"She enjoys winning,\" Vivienne corrected, leaning forward slightly. The movement caused her pajama top to gape just a bit more, revealing the soft curve where neck meets shoulder. I quickly returned my attention to the tablet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The seating chart is where I need your input,\" she continued, seemingly unaware of my momentary distraction. \"Mother seated the Vogue editor next to the Net-a-Porter buyer, but they had a falling out at Paris Fashion Week last year.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"How would you know that?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I make it my business to know everything about everyone who matters.\" She said it without a hint of irony, her tone as settled and factual as if she were reading a line from a spreadsheet. \"The problem is, moving the Vogue editor creates a cascade. I’d have to reseat half the table to compensate.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I studied the chart, scrolling through the names, tracing the invisible web of grudges and alliances she’d already mapped in her head. It took me about thirty seconds.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Put the Vogue editor here,\" I said, tapping a position near the centre. \"Next to the Lumière CEO. They’re in talks about a collaboration, right? Give them something to focus on besides each other’s enemies.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Vivienne tilted her head, considering. \"That could work. But then the WWD reporter would be too close to our head of product development, who has a tendency to reveal too much after a glass of champagne.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Move the reporter here, next to your PR director. She can keep an eye on him.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A small smile played at the corner of Vivienne’s lips. \"Clever.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>We spent the next twenty minutes rearranging the seating chart, solving what amounted to a complex puzzle of egos, industry rivalries, and strategic business opportunities. Vivienne gradually relaxed as we worked, her shoulders losing their rigid tension.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"That should address the major conflicts,\" she said finally, saving the changes. \"Thank you for your assistance.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It’s literally my job,\" I reminded her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yes, but you’re good at it.\" She looked up at me, her expression unusually soft. \"You understand people.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Coming from Vivienne Valentine, this was practically a sonnet dedicated to my brilliance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Speaking of understanding people,\" I said, spotting an opportunity, \"I wanted to talk to you about the Halloween festival.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Vivienne’s expression immediately sharpened. \"What about it?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I think you should let Cassidy and Harlow go forward with their maid café idea.\"\u003C\u002Fp>",1035,"2026-06-06T06:03:59.990Z",1,"novelbin.me","2bb24f5717f1bddad61975fba1aa821e3618d624b28a4dbebcf7ad82f9493839","four-of-a-kind-chapter-110","four-of-a-kind-chapter-108",251,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Ffour-of-a-kind-cover.jpg"]