Chapter 24
The naive part of me always thinks and hopes for the best when I should be preparing for the worst. After all, the quiet always comes before the storm. It can just brush against you or carry you so far you’ll spend a long time looking for your way back, perhaps never even finding it.
“Five thousand!”
“Five and a half!”
“Six thousand!”
“Six thousand, one! Six thousand, two! Six thousand, three! The Nightfall is sold to number forty-five for six thousand dollars!”
People applauded. The reaper and I didn’t applaud, we just watched the auction indifferently.
Many participants didn’t get a seat, so they filled the spot behind the last rows. We were sitting in row six out of thirty. The second hour of the auction was underway.
All of his anger completely disappeared. His sudden fits of impulsive violence scared me. I could never tell what he’d say or do the next moment. He’s like a labyrinth, you keep searching for the clues to find the exit, but you only end up more confused and lost until you hit a dead end.
“How many paintings do you want to buy?”
“One.”
“When are they going to bring it out?”
“Now.”
I turned my head to look at the stage. The painting was carefully placed on the wooden easel .
“The Dark Cloud?”
“Yes.”
Why did he tell Roosevelt to buy the painting if he wanted it for himself?
The canvas was large. It was an oil painting.
Various shades of blue dominated the composition.
The painting depicted an overcast, stormy sky that took up almost the entire canvas.
The sun could be seen behind the clouds.
Its pale-blue rays poked through the dark clouds.
A broken flock of birds could be seen flying on the left side of the painting.
Below was a green field with a dark outline of forest in the distance.
Just a regular painting. Nothing about it was noteworthy or memorable. The ones before it were a lot more beautiful and interesting to look at.
If I had as much money as them, I’d never blow it on a painting that bland.
“What do you think about when you look at this painting?”
“It’s boring. Nothing special. I wouldn’t have taken it even if they’d paid me to.”
Eric laughed so loudly the people in the front rows turned back to give him annoyed glares.
When he stopped laughing, he gave me a curious look, a smile still lingering on his face.
I frowned and looked away, turning back to look at the painting.
“What do you see when you look at it?”
“Hope.”
“Hope?”
“Why are you surprised?”
“Because you don’t need hope.”
“You’re right, I don’t. But it serves as a reminder of a lost friend who needed it so much.”
Did he actually care about other people? I’d never have guessed he was a sentimental type .
“Where are you going to put it?”
“Next to my bed. I want to look at it as I fall asleep and wake up.”
He rarely stayed the night in his room. He’d usually leave in the evening and come back in the morning. What was the meaning of this painting?
“Painting titled The Dark Cloud, artist unknown. The starting bid is fifty thousand dollars!”
How much?
My eyes nearly popped out when I heard the price.
Why was it so expensive?
“One hundred thousand!”
I turned to look at Eric to see if he was in his right mind, because the price he was offering clearly said otherwise.
The painting wasn’t worth fifty grand, one thousand would’ve been too generous for it.
“One hundred and fifty thousand!”
Roosevelt sat in the front row.
He turned to Eric, giving his crooked smile.
Eric didn’t smile back.
“Three hundred thousand!”
“Eight hundred thousand!”
“One million!”
I didn’t understand what game they were playing, but it looked utterly insane.
“Three million!”
“Ten million!”
“Ten million, one! Ten million, two!”
“Sixteen million!”
“Sixteen million, one! Sixteen million, two! Sixteen million, three! And the item is sold to number two!”
The room burst into applause .
Eric looked content, and I couldn’t understand, why. He told me how important this painting was to him mere moments ago, and now he sat there like this was exactly the plan.
The auction came to an end and everyone headed to the main hall.
The waiters carried around trays with glasses of champagne, offering drinks to everyone.
Eric led me to the refreshment table, took a glass of champagne and disappeared into the crowd without saying a word to me.
Looking at the abundance of snacks I realized that I wasn’t very hungry, and that I really needed a drink.
The moment I thought about it, a man with a short haircut and light stubble appeared next to me. He had light-blue eyes. Smiling, he passed me a glass of champagne.
I gave him a small smile and thanked the man.
We stood there silently, facing the dance-floor with our backs to the table.
“Are you enjoying yourself?”
I broke into a laugh that quickly died down.
The reaper forbade me to talk to anyone. But how was it possible? I wasn’t going to stand there silently like I was mute.
He looked at me quizzically.
“I don’t want to be here.”
“I understand.
August.”
He offered me his hand and I shook it.
“Zoe.”
“I’ve never seen you around here before.”
“And I have never been around before.”
Silence fell between us.
“How often do they hold these events?”
“Usually once every three month.”
“Did you come here with your girlfriend, too? ”
“No, I don’t have a girlfriend.”
He smirked as his gaze wandered wistfully.
He looked so calm and normal, the complete opposite of Eric.
“Why did your boyfriend leave you here?”
“I don’t know.”
“Had it been me, I’d never have left my girlfriend to stay here all alone.”
I got flustered and took a big sip of champagne.
“Did you take part in the auction?”
“Oh. No. I’m not a fan of art.”
“How do you prefer to spend your money?”
It took me a moment to realize how that sounded.
“I’m sorry. That was rude of me.”
He was smiling.
“Not at all. I like collecting rare things.”
My eyes were glued to Eric the second I saw him dancing with a tall brunette with long, flowing wavy hair. Her black satin low-cut dress hugged her body flawlessly. She was almost as tall as he was in her heels.
Who was she?
The way they looked at one another made me think they weren’t strangers. They looked so laid-back and carefree next to each other. Smiles never left their faces as they were chatting away merrily. They looked like a couple.
“You aren’t jealous, are you? He’s just asked her to dance.”
“No. He can dance with whomever he wants, we aren’t... we don’t get jealous.”
“Are you sure?”
August got closer and tilted his head to me.
“Because he’s looking at you right now, not her. And he definitely is jealous.”
I looked up from my glass and met Eric’s cold gaze glaring daggers at me .
My heart picked up the pace. He looked angry.
Did he see me talking to August?
I knocked back the glass, finishing the rest of my drink.
“I could make him get back here in a flash.”
I stepped away from him.
“No need.”
“I thought you wanted that.”
“No. I like your company.”
“The refreshments here are trash. The only redeeming thing about this party is loads of booze. And a good chat.”
I burst out laughing at his sudden confession.
“Do you want to dance?”
“No.”
Eric’s gruff and angry voice rang next to us.
The brunette was nowhere to be found. It’s like she disappeared into thin air.
“Glad to see you, Eric.”
“Can’t say the same.”
He roughly gripped my wrist and quickly dragged me outside.
“Goodbye, Zoe.”
He lifted his glass and drank it.
I could only nod my head goodbye.