More Than A Business Deal

I was having an amazing time in Paris, and I was determined to let it last. I graduated from the university three months ago, and this was my well-deserved break from spending four years studying business administration instead of Art.

Dad has tried to get me to come back home multiple times in the last year, but I refused. I slaved my way through university and graduated Valedictorian, so I was going to be selfish with this vacation.

But on the other hand, could I call it a vacation if I had spent my last three months in Paris in the comfort of my hotel room?

I went sightseeing and did a lot of shopping in the first few weeks I came here, but I got bored quickly, and I didn’t have any friends to bring with me.

I didn’t do friendships. There was a lot of dramatics and baggage involved that I would rather not deal with, and I had yet to meet someone who genuinely liked me and wasn’t after me because of what they could get from my father.

Today, however, was going to be a different day from the last few since I planned to attend an exhibition that was held not too far from the hotel I was staying at.

For someone who had been here for a little over three months, I didn’t know shit about this place. All I did was spend time on my balcony people-watching while sipping my coffee, and I’m sure the people who could see me would think I was obnoxious.

I took one final look at the scenery in front of me before heading back inside the room and jumping on the soft bed that bounced with my action, making me chuckle.

From the corner of my eye, I saw my phone light go off, and I picked it up to see I had a missed call from Duke, our butler.

“Not today, Duke”, I muttered to the phone, “I’m not going to listen to you try to convince me that I should come home again. I’ll come home when I am ready”

I dropped the phone on the bed and decided to get ready since I had just an hour left before the exhibition started.

It was a small exhibition, so I decided to wear a simple yellow dress. I had a small debate on whether I should go with my phone before I decided to leave it behind since no one called me except Duke and my dad.

The exhibition venue was supposed to be close by, but when I arrived, it had already started, and the sun had gone down.

As soon as I stepped foot in the gallery, I was blown off my feet by the amazing art pieces. They were magnificent, and I was hit with instant regret that I didn’t take my phone to capture them.

I was so engrossed in the pieces that I walked into someone’s back who had been talking to another man.

“I’m sorry”, I apologised, flustered, before rushing away from the scene.

“Mr Hayland, are you okay?”

Atticus Hayland? What was such a powerful man doing at a small exhibition like this?

I shook the thought off my head when I saw a piece that took my breath away.

Before me was a woman who was smiling so wide even though her lips had been sewn shut. I couldn’t imagine how painful that must be, but there she was, staring at me with eyes glittering with excitement as tears streamed down her cheeks.

A beautiful contrast that had my heart racing and clenching painfully.

My fingers ached with the desire to draw something so mesmerising one day.

It was late before I decided to go back to the hotel. I was the last person to leave the venue because I couldn’t bear to part with the pieces before me. They were so stunning I wanted them engraved into my brain.

I took a cab on the way back, and I was thankful I took my purse because I had decided to walk to the venue, which was why I arrived late.

It felt like my phone was glaring at me when I entered the hotel room, so I went to pick it up but frowned when I saw it was dead.

“That’s why you look so grumpy”, I scoffed, then plugged it in while I went to the bathroom to shower after I ordered room service because I was starving.

After my shower, the room service arrived, and I went to remove my phone from charging so I could call Duke back. He would be worried, and I had promised to at least call him once a day.

When my phone came on, I was stunned to see I had over fifty missed calls from both Duke and the house number.

“What the fuck” I whispered. Even though Duke loved to call me when he got worried after I didn’t call or reply, he had never given me so many missed calls.