32. Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Five
JULIAN
The gallery is packed; more so than I anticipated.
Andrea told me that Carter and Maisie posted about the event on their social media pages.
I despise social media. I don’t understand it and I don’t care for it much.
I have a team handling my pages and updating me occasionally, but that’s as far as my experience goes.
It blows my mind that this turnout is because of whatever our friends posted online.
The poor servers struggle to squeeze through the crowd with their trays of champagne.
I’ve reminded myself at least a dozen times to take it all in, but my mind keeps going on overdrive.
For my entire life, I wanted this, and I have it right here in front of me.
It should mean something more than checking off another task on my to-do list.
There’s a brokenness inside of me that makes me go numb when I know I should be happy.
Everything always feels like a cruel joke and no matter how hard I try to exist in the moment, there’s a voice inside my head that reminds me it’s all fleeting.
It’s all pointless in the hard ridges of my thoughts and it’s like I’m living in a constant battle to fight against it.
I’m a romantic who doesn’t believe in love for myself.
Yet, I can’t seem to stop myself from chasing it.
I’ve been greeted by countless people looking to donate, invest in, and sponsor the foundation. I recognize many of them as my regulars who visit often just to enjoy the art. I keep the mask up and my pleasantries intact, but really, I’m in need of a certain pair of green eyes to find mine.
As an introvert, I’m standing in a nightmare. I can’t help but feel like it’s not enough—like I’m missing something big, but sometimes it’s hard to decipher my anxiety and my logic.
Forcing myself to focus, I watch where patrons already begin to gather by tonight’s signature pieces.
Neither of them is any less dark than the last, but they’re my newest works.
The Missing Piece is of a young boy and girl broken apart like pieces of a dismantled puzzle as they try to help put each other back together.
Silver Spoons is of defeated children staring at their deformed reflections in shiny spoons.
The art critics are easy to spot. They study my pieces with pointy expressions and upturned noses while taking notes. By now, I’ve gotten plenty of misunderstood critiques, and I no longer take any of them to heart.
On instinct, I scan the crowd for auburn hair. Ten minutes ago, she went to the bathroom to help Abigail fix Lily’s hair because she liked the way Andrea wore hers better. It was a big compliment from a kid’s standpoint, and I can already tell Abby and Michael like her.
In truth, my sister likes anyone who makes me happy, and I can’t deny that’s exactly what Andrea makes me feel. There’s something so easy with her that I can’t quite put my finger on it.
The only thing I dislike is the word fake in front of our relationship. It’s begun to put a sour taste in my mouth every time I remember that her touches aren’t real. It’s only a show.
“These pastries are crack to my system right now,” Carter says, stuffing his face. Next to him, and holding the tray is Micheal, who nods in agreement .
“Did you guys steal a tray?” I ask, amused at their hums of acknowledgment. “Those are for my guests.”
Michael huffs. “What are we, chopped liver?”
Browsing the room, my eyes finally land on a familiar green, and I let out a breath of relief.
She beams at me as she makes her way over, looking beautiful beyond words.
She’s dressed in a creamy white Versace Medusa 95 draped satin gown.
Her hair is held in a low and loose braided bun with curled pieces framing her face.
I grit my teeth at the men attempting to stop her for a chat. I can tell she’s only being polite, but they can’t seem to tell the difference between niceties and willingness.
“Do you like my hair?” Lily asks as she approaches with a skip. I look over to find her turning around for me to see. Abigail and Andrea exchange smiles.
I nod, smiling at the fondness on her face. “Beautiful hair for a beautiful girl.”
She tosses me a crooked grin. “I told Andrea that she’ll have to show Mom how to do hair since she’s so bad at it.”
Taking the insult like a champ, Abby kisses the top of her daughter’s head. “You might want to grab one of those pastries before your father and Carter eat them all.”
She gasps in horror at the two men hunched over a tray. “You better share those!”
Only when Andrea’s standing in front of me and placing a kiss on my cheek, do I stop casting glares at the men ogling her.
“Miss me?” she teases, her lips warm against my skin.
Yes . “You look beautiful.”
She takes a step back and I see a light blush stain her cheeks. “Thank you.”
I look over her head and see the fuckers still casting casual glances her way. I slip my hand into hers and wrap my arm around her back, pulling her to me.
“What’s wrong?” she asks, no doubt spotting the glare plastered on my face. I wonder if she realizes how easily she relaxes into me.
“It distracts me when men talk to you,” I grumble.
She lifts an amused brow. “I can’t help it if they come up to me.”
“Are any of them bothering you?”
“Not at all. They’ve been perfectly ni—” She pauses at the look on my face. “Why do you look like that offends you?”
“Because now I don’t have a reason to punch them.”
She throws her head back with a laugh. Holy shit . I’ve never wanted to kiss someone this badly in my life. “Carter’s rubbing off on you.”
My face twists in distaste. “He is not.”
At the entrance, I spot Mr. Danielson and his posse of mutes. He walks into every room like he owns it. I wouldn’t have a problem with that if I didn’t happen to actually own any of them.
“That man gives me the heebie-jeebies,” Michael says with a dark look.
I sigh, nodding in agreement. The asshole’s eyes connect with mine and a shit-eating grin splits his face as he makes his way over. “Good thing it’s not his character I need. Just what’s in his bank account.”
“Mr. Havord,” Steve greets and offers his hand while Vincent and Reid close in behind him. “You’ve impressed me.”
After shaking his hand, I tuck both of mine into my pockets. “Have you given the foundation any more thought?”
His mouth pulls down into a careless frown as he shrugs. “What can I say, I’m a man who likes a fast return. Is that something you can guarantee? I’m a businessman, not a therapist.”
I keep my face and tone neutral, not wanting to give him any reason to view me as inferior to him.
He’s too thick in the head to see that I’m ten leagues up from him.
For some ungodly reason, my team thinks he’ll crack once he sees the foundation in action.
My hopes aren’t high. If it was up to me and the future of the foster care system wasn’t at stake, I’d have walked away from him a year ago.
It’s not hard to see he’s toying with me, and I hate having my time wasted. He thinks I’m no more than a boy in men’s clothing, but he’s the clown in a suit.
“If you’re concerned about getting a return, then I’m not sure you’ve researched the cause,” I state evenly.
“Eh.” He shrugs, not committing to a response.
A server walks by and his eyes drop to her ass.
My jaw clenches and I’m already planning to have a few words with the board.
I don’t want this slimy fucker anywhere near my foundation.
I could easily get him fired from his position at the company.
The dirt on him has to be deep, but again, Elise is pleading for patience.
He turns his beady eyes on Andrea, and his smile spreads wide. He eyes her like a predator does prey and my entire body tenses. Every promise I made to Elise is off the table the moment this asshole steps out of line with her.
“Well, aren’t you a dime? Your name is. . .” He trails off, baiting her.
Before I can introduce her, she does it herself. “Andrea, I’m Julian’s girlfriend,” she says as if she’s proud of this fact.
I put my arm around her waist to pull her to me again and do my best to not hold her too tightly. Mr. Danielson clocks the movement, and his eyes narrow just a hair, but you can’t miss it. Something tells me Andrea didn’t miss it either with the way her head tilts.
“About time you got yourself one of those. It’s wise to have a pretty lady on the arm of a businessman,” he tells me.
When his eyes float over her body, it takes all the willpower in the world to keep me from ripping off his eyelids.
“I’ve told him it’s always good to mix pleasure with business.
” No, he didn’t, but it’s clear he believes it.
“Maybe if you arrange a meeting with her there for me to look at, I’ll finally attend one.
” He threw his head back and laughed, Reid and Vincent joining him.
“Andrea’s not business,” I tell him sternly, trying to hold back the bite of malice in my voice. “Hey, you,” I call out to Vincent who openly gawks at my girlfriend with too many thoughts behind his eyes. “I’d stop staring at her like that lest you want me to blind you permanently.”
Mr. Danielson pats his friend on the shoulder.
“You heard him, eyes to yourself, Vin.” When he looks back at me, there’s an ease to his posture and I can already tell he’s preparing to cross a line.
“I have to admit, you’re a brave woman to attach yourself to a man with a criminal record a mile long. ”
“I think it’s brave to want to attach someone like you to the foundation,” Andrea bites back, her nose turned up dismissively.
The corner of my mouth twitches and I squeeze her hip in approval.
The negotiation contract states that I’m to behave, not her.
I try not to feel too smug about her coming to my defense, but damn if it doesn’t feel good.