It Seems Like The Infamous Trash Can is Right Here! - Chapter 76
Vivian picked up a glass of champagne and scanned the ballroom.
Unlike other venues where chandeliers scattered dazzling light, Ortatum’s ballroom was dim, almost shadowy.
It had to be—the eerie masks and hidden identities required an atmosphere where the darkness concealed more than it revealed.
She had only agreed to attend because Dantère had pestered her endlessly, but masquerade balls really weren’t to her taste.
‘What’s the point of all this whispered nonsense while hiding behind masks?’
If someone could grope chests and grab at skirts while showing their face and stating their name outright, then maybe she’d be impressed. Otherwise, they were just cowards hiding behind disguises.
Vivian took a slow sip of the sweet, shimmering drink and glanced at the man approaching her—a figure in a crow mask.
Since Dantère was the host of the ball, he had to step away now and then, leaving Vivian alone. And the moment she was alone, persistent men always came swarming.
They were curious about the woman Dantère Ortatum had brought as his partner.
And, of course, they wanted her for themselves.
As if spending a single, lucky night with her would elevate them to his level.
Most of them lurked hesitantly, circling the room before mustering up the courage to approach. But this man was different.
The crow-masked figure strode toward her without a moment’s hesitation, as if even the presence of Dantère himself wouldn’t have stopped him.
When the distance between them had nearly vanished, Vivian realized who the man was.
Halid Calitas.
There was no doubt he was her fiancé.
Someone who detested these depraved gatherings as much as she did. The only reason he would have stepped foot in this place was because of her.
Otherwise, there was no way he would attend a masquerade ball only to completely ignore everything around him.
‘How troublesome.’
Vivian scanned the ballroom with an expression caught between a smile and a grimace. She needed to locate Dantère.
But, unfortunately, the extravagant peacock mask was nowhere in sight.
Even in this dimly lit hall, he was a man who commanded attention wherever he went.
It seemed Dantère had left the ballroom.
‘Well, there’s no helping it.’
Once again, she would have to deal with Halid herself.
Though, perhaps that was preferable to wasting time with cowardly men who lurked behind masks, driven only by shallow lust.
The moment Halid reached her, he fixed her with a menacing glare.
“You think my words are a joke?”
Vivian tilted her head as if she didn’t understand.
“You ignored my warning and stepped foot in this place?”
“Why? I was simply invited by a friend.”
“A friend? Do you really think that man could ever be your friend? Or do you not know what he really is—a bastard who cares only about chasing between a woman’s legs?”
Of course she knew. Vivian had both eyes and ears, after all.
But just as Dantère had his own impure motives, so did she.
That was why she pretended not to know.
“If you insist, then let me show you exactly what’s waiting for you.”
When Halid seized her wrist and started pulling her away, Vivian offered no resistance. The longer they argued in the ballroom, the more attention they would attract.
Halid pushed her onto the terrace, yanking the curtains closed and shutting the door behind them.
All around, other terraces were already occupied—men and women entwined in the heat of the night, lost in their own pleasures.
The melody flowing from the ballroom drowned out any sounds, but their silhouettes, shifting and writhing against the shadows, were unmistakable.
“Vivian. Look at me.”
Halid grasped her chin roughly.
“You forced me to come all the way here—take responsibility for that.”
His whisper was low, teeth clenched, as he tilted his head as if to kiss her.
But Vivian didn’t close her eyes.
As expected, his lips never aimed for her own.
Instead, they found her neck, biting down to leave unmistakable marks of ownership.
“Ah…”
A sharp sting shot through her skin as she instinctively tilted her head back with a soft breath.
And in that fleeting moment, Vivian caught sight of a carriage pulling up to the entrance of the Ortatum estate.
A carriage Lionel favored, second only to the one reserved for the head of the family.
