Chapter Thirty-Four
Ella: The Exhibition
It was the evening of the exhibition, and I had nipped back home from the venue after giving the temps and assistants detailed instructions on exactly how the evening should be set up.
My red silk floor-length dress hung in my wardrobe, and after a quick bath, makeup and teasing my hair into an updo, I slipped it on.
The material felt cool and luxurious against my hot skin, as I examined myself in the mirror.
There was a split up the left side of the dress, which showed off my gold stiletto heels.
I felt amazing and took a few selfies, not knowing if it would be too much too soon to send one to Philip.
Would he think I was fishing for compliments?
I wondered. I decided not to send anything right now, but saved them in my camera roll just in case I had a champagne confidence later on.
I quickly took an Uber to the museum, keen to arrive first and ensure everything was going according to plan and the setup was precisely as I envisioned.
As the driver pulled up to the venue, I felt goosebumps travel down my arm.
The classically beautiful, old-style landmark was lit up in various colours from the outside, a red carpet was draped down the stone staircase, and an elegant sign outside read:
Alexander Cambi’s Royal Exhibit .
Perfect.
I headed inside and watched the decorators finish clearing the rooms. A neat, circular stage had been built in the centre of the grand hall, with chairs to the left for the violinists to play.
Alexander’s paintings were hung all around the room, allowing plenty of space for guests to walk around and admire his work.
We’d added a selfie wall with Alexander’s signature spraypainted on it for the influencers to maximise their socials.
A fun photo booth decorated with inflatable crowns and picture frames was also set up in the corner of the room, ensuring we hit every market, from influencers to art enthusiasts, who wanted to capture the moment.
A rush of sheer pride engulfed my body; it was everything I could have wished for and more.
I took out my phone and snapped a few photos capturing the setup for Philip, knowing that absolutely none of it would have been possible without him.
‘Ella!’ I heard a brisk voice call out. I turned to see Andrea standing with a BBC production team behind her.
I approached them with a smile and held out my hand. ‘Hi, I’m Ella! Great to meet you all.’
‘Glad to be here, love,’ a small Cockney man replied, taking me up on the handshake. ‘I’m Bill, the director for tonight’s documentary. I love what you’ve done with the venue. It’s, yeah .?.?.’ He glanced around. ‘Very regal!’
I grinned at his genuine appreciation. ‘Yes, it’s looking amazing. Thanks.’
Andrea nodded slowly, taking everything in. ‘Hmmm .?.?. I must say, it is very nice.’
‘So, we’re good to set up then?’ Bill asked. ‘We want a few shots of the guests arriving.’
‘Yes, of course. If you need anything, just ask one of us, and we’ll do whatever we can to help.’
‘Great, thanks, love.’ He nodded, then summoned the cameramen and lighting technicians to follow him in getting ready to film.
‘Well, well, well, you seem to have pulled this one off, Ella,’ Andrea murmured once we were alone.
I inhaled a deep breath, incredibly grateful for the compliment. ‘Thank you, Andrea.’
‘Let’s ensure it runs as regally as it looks, OK?’ she added.
I nodded. ‘Oh, it will!’
Half an hour later, the guests began arriving in the most stunning outfits.
Some of them were in gowns fit for the Oscars.
The servers handed them champagne flutes as they entered, and the lofty galleries echoed with the sound of their chatter as they mingled in the gorgeous venue.
The all-female group of violinists had begun playing pop songs, beautifully evoking the contrasting classical and modern-day fairytale theme I’d imagined.
I stood at the door, welcoming everyone and reminding them to post as many photos as they could throughout the evening with the hashtag AlexanderArtGlasgow.
I beamed as the attendees streamed in, from people in the media to cool art-school students and vloggers, all equally thrilled to spend a beautiful evening in a glamorous setting, admiring stunning contemporary artwork.
Suddenly, a glossy white Hummer limo pulled up outside, blasting the Spice Girls of all things.
I walked down a few stairs, wondering who the fuck was ruining my classy vibe, when Zola and Katy bounced out, waving their hands in the air.
I burst out laughing, shushing them to be quiet, but they giggled like drunken teenagers arriving for a prom.
Then, a group of tipsy, dressed-to-kill women followed them out.
I grinned instantly, recognising them from the gym: our Dicktionary Club recruits.
‘I thought these girls deserved a night of celebration after all the work they’ve put in for the past few weeks!’ Zola yelled as she approached me on the red carpet. ‘And we need to celebrate! Our website goes live tomorrow!’
‘Ssh!’ I chuckled, noticing the camera crew capturing Glasgow’s finest women. I approached the gym girls, who looked gorgeous in their huge over-the-top gowns. ‘I’m so glad you girls came. Thank you for everything! Without you guys, this website would never have gotten off the ground.’
They gushed their pleasure at being there, hugging me all at once.
‘We loved your reviews, too, Ella! Zo gave us secret advance access today, and we have been in hysterics at some of your quotes.’
I blushed, thinking of how angry I had been at Sir Spunksalott and actually wanting to forget half of the things I’d written.
I spotted Natasha and hugged her. ‘And how are you feeling now?’
She blushed, looking a little embarrassed from her gym breakdown that day.
‘I’m good. Well, getting there. I have good days and bad days,’ she said with a sniff.
‘But I’m sure ready to guzzle some of that champagne tonight!
’ She pointed to the top of the stair where a server was handing out the glasses.
‘Well, let’s head in, and we can get stuck in together!’ I laughed.
‘Let’s celebrate!’ one of them called out loudly, followed by woo-hoos and cheers.
The girls giggled and chattered up the steps towards the exhibition, while Zola, Katy and I followed behind.
‘You look unreal tonight, babe.’ Zola pursed out her lips.
‘Eh, so the fuck do you two! Like what?’ I squeezed both of their hands.
Zola was wearing a golden halterneck maxidress, which showed off her incredible hourglass figure, while Katy had opted for a white sequined puffball minidress. Both of them looked insane.
Andrea flagged me down as we entered the exhibition, and I excused myself from my friends and headed over.
‘Alexander is upstairs. He wants you to make a speech to introduce him before he appears,’ she said, raising her brow as if in judgement at his dramatics.
‘I can do that, sure. I’ll message him to see if he’s ready.’
I took my phone out of my bag while Andrea sipped her champagne. ‘It’s jam-packed. I didn’t anticipate this turnout,’ she mused. ‘Especially for some garish paintings!’
I laughed, sending a message to Alexander.
Let me know when you are ready to enter, and I’ll make an introduction. The crowd is huge! Ella x
‘And not to mention the camera crew – this really is exceptional PR for the company,’ Andrea added.
I smiled back. I didn’t know if it was the expensive bubbles or the event itself, but this was the most conversation I’d had out of her since I joined Smart Reputations.
‘Yeah, it’s turned out better than even I expected,’ I said, gazing around at it all.
‘Better than anyone expected, trust me!’ she scoffed. ‘And to think, I had spoken to HR about a fast-track route to terminate your contract! Huh.’
My face fell as I turned to her, but she was wholly distracted by the crowds of people and hum of activity as she slurped her glass of bubbles.
‘Oh, Lenny, darling! Wonderful to see you!’ she suddenly gushed and darted away to schmooze over some high-up politician.
I felt my phone vibrate in my hand and glanced down.
Philip: Red is certainly your colour! Xxxxx
I glanced around the crowds of people. How did he know? Was he here? No, surely not. He was in Berlin. Maybe he’d seen a post on social media. Everyone did have their cameras out, and I could have easily been snapped in the background.
‘And you smell just as wonderful as you look,’ a deep voice whispered from behind me.
I span around in shock.
‘You’re .?.?. here!’ I gasped.
‘You didn’t really think I’d miss your big night, did you?’ he replied, leaning in for a kiss on the cheek. He was pristine in a black suit with a white shirt, smelling as masculine as ever.
‘I’m sorry .?.?. I don’t know what to say.’ I tried not to simper. ‘What happened to Berlin?’
His dark eyes lingered over my body. ‘I cut it short.’ He leaned in, kissing me again. I blushed. ‘This place is looking sensational! Do you do freelance work by chance?’ He grinned, buttering me up.
‘I’m so happy you’re here!’ And the funny thing was, I felt so ecstatic to see him that I suddenly didn’t care what Andrea said or did, I was just glad to be near this man.
My phone buzzed again in my hand:
Alexander: I’m ready.
‘OK, I have to go and introduce Alexander. Zola and Katy are around somewhere, but I need to get going.’ I beamed at him, leaning forward to kiss his lips. I couldn’t believe this man had jumped back on a plane to be here for me.
‘Yes, go! I’m quite content where I am.’ He squeezed both my arms and leaned in for another kiss, then I stepped through the crowd and made my way to the stage.
As I gazed out over the crowd, the bright lights from the documentary crew caused me to squint. My eyes needed to adjust a little. I picked up the microphone just as the musicians were playing the final notes of their song.