Melody Anne's Billionaire Universe: Devoured (Kindle Worlds Novella) by Marian Tee Page A

there wasn’t. She was just having trouble holding back her tears, but other than that, it was fine. After the humiliation the receptionist had subjected Vivian to, the fact that someone thought her job made her a princess like Cinderella sounded like music to her ears, or like a fairytale coming true.
    One of the doors at the end of the hallway opened. “Papa, Vivi, let’s eat!”
    Luca raised a brow. “Shall we?”
    She nodded.
    Inside the dining room, which was as breathtakingly luxurious as the rest of the house, Vivian found herself sandwiched between father and daughter. Luca was at the head of the table, she was on his right, and next to her was Eula. Just looking at the girl made her heart squeeze, and knowing that the girl – for whatever reason – had chosen her over the others, had actually wanted Vivian to be her mother, made her feel sort of warm, funny, and ticklish inside. It was almost like she was a kid again, and she already knew what Santa was about to give her. The only thing left to do was to wait for the moment she could hold Santa’s gift in her hands.
    “Do you want soup, Vivi?” Eula was on her knees in her seat.
    “Y-yes, please.”
    Eula filled the ladle with frowning concentration, but when she poured the soup into Vivian’s bowl, some of it still spilled on her lap, and Eula stiffened in realization.
    “S-sorry, Vivi.” Eula looked like she was about to cry of shame.
    Knowing she had to act very fast, she said, “It’s okay.” After patting her pants dry with the napkin, she told the little girl in a confidential whisper, “Do you know, Cinderella did the same thing, too, with her mother?”
    Eula gasped. “She did?”
    “Uh huh, and I did so, too, with my own mother. And you told me I’m like Cinderella, right?”
    Eula nodded.
    “So do you know what this means?”
    Eula shook her head.
    “You did something only princesses could do!” She clapped her hands. “Yay!”
    Caught up in Vivian’s excitement, Eula dropped the ladle back into the bowl and clapped her hands as well. “Yay!”
    Eula was much more relaxed afterwards, and dinner with the Valencias proved to be the most delicious and fun affair she had for ages. Following dinner, they went to the private living room, where Eula flawlessly played several nursery tunes.
    “Has she been taking lessons?” Vivian asked, even more impressed now.
    Luca nodded. “At her insistence, too.”
    “She plays wonderfully.”
    “Thank you.”
    And then it was time for Eula to wash up and change for bed, where she insisted on Vivian’s company instead of her father’s. Vivian was also the one who tucked her into bed, and although her eyes were already drooping sleepily, Eula said, “I want you to tell me a bedtime story. Please?”
    “Of course.”
    “The pink book please.”
    “Umm, okay, give me a moment…” Rising to her feet, she searched for the shelves in Eula’s bedroom for a pink book and found it tucked behind all the others bearing the same logo.
    LV.
    Did that mean LV also had a publishing house?
    Going back to Eula’s side, she showed the book to the little girl. “Did I get it right?”
    Eula nodded.
    Vivian opened the book, and the first thing that caught her eye was the title page. Had she really read this right? Clearing her throat, she said, “The Story of Eula’s Lost Mother.”
    Eula nodded again.
     
    Once upon a time,
    In a far away land,
    There lived a king and a queen, who had a baby girl.
    The girl’s name was Eula.
    They were once very happy,
    But then one day, lightning struck and thunder roared.
    Flash! Boom!
    And the queen became scared.
    She ran and ran,
    Past the forest,
    Over the mountain,
    And finally she dived into the ocean.
    Down, down she went---
    Until one day, she turned into a squid.
     
    Vivian paused. “Maybe this is wrong. Maybe the queen turned into a mermaid.”
    Eula shook her head. “Nope. I also asked Papa if the queen can turn into a mermaid, and he told me this is