Twenty–Three
Alexander’s POV
It was finally the day of the exhibition and I cannot say I wasn’t excited even though I was also a little nervous. I knew that everything was in order because while I let Isabella do all the surface work, knowing she would hate for me to go around giving commands in her jurisdiction, I worked behind the scenes, giving the other commands and making sure everything fell into place.
Watching Isabella from afar though and keeping track of her process, I realized that she would have succeeded on her own and she had been capable of making everything work after all.
I brushed up on the names and faces of the important guests on my tablet as well as the names and works of the artists whose works were to be displayed. I had not yet seen Isabella’s but if it was all that was left to memorize, I’m sure I would do fine even if I learn it on the spot.
I also skimmed through the brief history of the gallery which was among the things I had been reading these past days in preparation for today.
I heard a knock at my door, forcing me to look up at the door with my brow raised. I told my secretary that I didn’t want to be disturbed for an hour. “Enter.”
The door opened slowly and my secretary peeked behind the door before entering, standing in front of my desk and bowing, “I’m sorry to disturb you, Alpha but something terrible has happened.”
000%
13:55
288 Vouchers
My ears perked up and my eyebrows rose high on my forehead, “What is it?”
“Miss Rossi’s painting has been destroyed and the security claims that the footage of the studio from the previous night is missing. She has called a meeting and is very angry as we speak.”
I was on my feet before she even finished and grabbed my suit jacket yet not bothering to wear it as I left the office. My secretary scurried after me and when she was out, I reached behind her and shut the door before making my way to the gallery.
Getting close, I immediately picked up her scent and somehow I managed to also pick up her anger as well as the hurt, confusion, and sadness she was feeling. My jaw hardened as I pushed open the door and located where they were all gathered and if the room was not already tense before, it was definitely tense now.
My eyes darted around the room, flicking over faces and expressions before they fell on Isabella’s. She looked defeated.
“Everybody, leave us,” I said and in a second the room emptied. Isabella glanced at me and turned walking away and towards where I realized was her office. I let her go before following her.
Her secretary was quivering as she stood to bow. I let out a sigh before going through Isabella’s already–opened door. She was standing at her window and looking out and remained that way even after I entered until I cleared my throat.
“What happened?”
Her eyes flicked up to me before they went back to the window, “It‘ s not like you haven’t already heard.” She said, her voice icy and at the same time weak. She didn’t say anything else and neither did I.
17.58%
13.55
288 iVouchers
I kept my gaze trained on her face and when I saw her bottom lip quiver, I stepped forward, stopping for a brief second when she raised her hand to me but ignored it the next second when a sob burst from her throat. I pulled her to me and she surprised me by not resisting.
“I spent an entire day on it.” She sobbed into my chest and my grip tightened instinctively around her while my other hand found her hair, stroking it softly, “What’s worse? I fell in love with it. I looked forward to seeing it today. I was proud of it.” She cried, speaking about her art as one would a person.
I said nothing, letting her cry, somehow knowing that me holding her like this and being so close to her will calm her down. I could feel her hurt so vividly like it was my own and I wanted nothing more than to end it.
“We’ll find whoever did this and the person would be given a fitting punishment,” I said, and when she withdrew from me I had to resist pulling her back to me and that was when something snapped in me.
I could not allow myself to tap into her vulnerability just because she was sad. Anyone could come in and see us like this and questions would be asked. I shouldn’t start something I’ll be unable to finish because I still did not trust her.
No matter how much I was drawn to her in this moment and no matter how much my heart ached to end her hurt, I could not compromise. I squared my jaw and looked away. When I looked back at her, my face was blank and void of any emotion.
“Well now that your painting is ruined, something has to be done about the exhibition.”
“The exhibition can carry on without my painting since that’s how it
13.55
must be.”
I shook my head, “No.”
“What?”
“People expect to see a painting from Isabella Rossi. Your name is already in the program. You have to have a painting.”
Something flashed in her eyes. She left the room and came back shortly with a large framed canvas in her hands. Placing it on her desk so it could stand, she showed it to me, “Can you see it? Can you see the painting? It is ruined Alexander, so what do you want me to do? Huh? Someone destroyed my painting and you do not want me to put any of my old works on the stand so pray to tell, what do I do?”
I stepped forward and bent slightly to look her in the eye, “I don’t give a damn about what you decide to do or don’t do but a painting with your signature will be on the stand with your name tag. I don’t know and neither do I care how you’re going to do it, Isabella. I’m not a bloody artist but your talent must be good for something, mustn’t it? Put it to good use then.”
Her face contorted in the highest form of rage I had ever witnessed from her. Her face was red and her eyes were narrowed, her forehead wrinkling in the process and I could see that her eyes had turned black. I knew that should she shift right in that moment, she wasn’t going to be a threat to me but I was still really curious as to whether she would actually get that mad and shift.
“How much more of a wicked, inconsiderate dick can you even be, huh? You bloody chameleon! I can’t believe…” She trailed off, her fingers getting lost inside her hair, messing it up.
Chameleon. I knew why she called me that and I had to tell myself
59015
13.55
that she was wrong. I had to force myself not to feel guilty about that.
She laughed bitterly, “I spent my whole day and most of my night painting this piece. I didn’t apply to have my painting showcased like the others did. You commanded me to paint something and on such short notice. As the commissioner of the work, you didn’t even say what you’d like to see. I wasn’t given a theme, I wasn’t given an idea. Finally, I came up with something that satisfied me and I poured my heart into painting it only to come this morning to find…” She trailed off, glancing at the painting, “To find my art destroyed. And all you have to say is that I do something about it and you don’t care how.”
Her eyes snapped up to mine with an angry and frustrated glare. “Tell me what to do, Alpha! Tell me please because the exhibition is in a couple of minutes and if you think I’m going to sit my ass down and paint up something new then you’re sorely mistaken. Hell, even though the exhibition was tonight or tomorrow, I would not make another one so do your worst because nothing you do would ever be able to top what you have already done to me.”
My jaw ticked at that statement. What on earth did she mean by that? What had I already done to her that was so terrible that I couldn’t do anything worse? Was she trying to turn the tables? It’s not like I had insulted her with anything that wasn’t the truth.
“You forget your position, Isabella,” I said coldly but she was undeterred. Straightening up, she looked me dead in the eyes,
“And you forget that yours isn’t to bully the members of your pack or perhaps you never knew in the first place.”
