Chapter 13 Adesua Ridley #2
The journalist, intrigued, scratched at his paper fast with notes.
“Oh, Ann . . . Ann Lowe, yes, I heard of her recently in Metropolitan Musings. Very interesting. We shall keep her name in mind for future reference.”
Women like Adesua and Ann only knew of a world where they were known as mere shadows in the background. She knew that the shadows deserved a moment of light like this.
Questions were being thrown left and right, all very pleasant. This was her time to leave gracefully as the rest of her siblings walked inside the theater to give her a solo moment. That was, until a pesky voice came through the crowd.
“What’s going on in Harlem, Mrs. Adesua? I heard of trouble with the School of Music and Arts?”
Her face went as pale as the moonlight in her painting. It couldn’t be him. She couldn’t make out the face through the crowd. Adesua felt her heart thump so loudly she feared everyone could see through the facade she was putting up. She feared that it was Dale—alive again.
“We at The Manhattan Herald have heard about the money issues the Ridleys may be facing after making hefty donations. Is this true, Mrs. Adesua?”
This made her thoughts unsettled. She sighed in relief as she came to her senses that maybe this was a cruel joke from Dale’s daunting spirit, revealing someone who mimicked him to spark fear.
Surely it was a ridiculous thought, but she knew if anyone would torment them in the afterlife it would be him.
Adesua looked at him and smiled before walking into the opera house.
There was no answer that would satisfy them.
So why waste her breath? Adesua had come to the conclusion they had made up their minds about her a long time ago. She might as well look good.
She sat in her plush red velvet box seat and finally exhaled.
Although Adesua missed the attention for doing something worthwhile, it drained her like no other.
The Grant family, on the opposite end, gave curt waves as the lights dimmed and the curtains drew open.
Joseph gripped her hand when she got comfortable.
Adesua wanted nothing more than to be away from him.
He hadn’t handled anything like he’d promised.
There would be consequences for that. Rather than getting herself riled up, she focused on the dancers prancing in formation for the opening sequence.
During intermission, Adesua barely nibbled the hors d’oeuvres, completely losing her appetite once again.
Joseph pulled her aside, noticing how bothered she was.
“Honey, I didn’t want to ruin your night at the ballet, and honestly it’s just never a good time to say anything to you.”
She rolled her eyes out of instinct but then caught herself. Him making it about himself on her night was so predictable. This time was especially off-limits.
“Look, Dale was onto you, not just about the music school but also other things with the mayor, politicians. He was in the middle of a story that went through everything the rich do at these outlandish fundraising parties, and you were a part of it, Adesua.”
Adesua stood her ground. “I expect the reporters to tell lies and laugh in my face, but you . . . you have clearly fooled me.”
She rushed over to her sisters, who were standing near the entry, clearly ready to go back in. Then suddenly, two elderly couples side-eyed them, and it certainly wasn’t a pleasant look.
One lady prodded her husband. “I swear, they just let anyone in the ballet these days. It’s a shame, really.”
Her husband looked back at Kavita and Adesua. “Indeed, dear.”
Kavita was up in arms at hearing the disgusting insult.
“What’s a shame is that they let a haggard witch and her pompous troll in here.”
Adesua stepped in between them, trying to calm Kavita, but Amelia wanted to join in on the fun.
“Kavi, the only person here tonight who was cordially invited is our sister Adesua. So, of course, they have their breeches twisted because they don’t have one ounce of her grace,” she said with a smug look toward the couples.
The couples rushed out quickly. This caused the girls to burst out in a roar of laughter.
Adesua looked at her sisters. “You know, I must be doing something really right if they have to spew hate like that.”
Kavita grabbed Adesua’s hand, then got Amelia’s, and they walked back into the ballet with Joseph nowhere to be seen.
The rest of the show was nothing short of stunning.
Wei glanced at Adesua to see if she was okay after noticing that Joseph’s chair was still empty.
Before she could nod, the ballet was over.
When the doors opened, a series of sighs and gasps could be heard around the front entrance.
Adesua was happy that her artwork was finally getting recognition.
She didn’t realize it would make people so vocal.
She was excited to see her nuanced portraits of a dance trio in different shades of black and white doing jetés and arabesques and looking as if they were dancing through gold and crimson paint.
Adesua’s smiled dropped when she saw the painting she had worked so hard on.
Red lipstick had been drawn over her painting, spelling out one word and one word only:
Killers.