Art exhibition

I wore a chic off-the-shoulder mini dress in the colors black and white. It had sleeves that widened at the wrists dramatically, and a bow detail in the centre that extended to the waist.

Most of the dress was white, except for the bow detail and around the off-shoulder piece. Those were black. I wore white stilettos to match the look and carried a white purse. I chose a bare neck, but I had on pearl earrings.

My hair was in a low bun to accentuate my bare back and neck.

“You look gorgeous,” May said. “But I wish you had let me style you.”

She was my best friend and the best stylist and designer I had ever met. She was the one I had assigned to Celeste so she could make a fashion statement and get people talking about her and Seth.

“I didn’t want to outdo the woman of the night,” I said to her.

We were at the art exhibition, and Seth had still not arrived with Celeste. I wasn’t looking forward to seeing him after the interaction we had. I didn’t know why I felt something so strong for him, and I wasn’t willing to explore it either.

He was a client and a man I wanted to suffer for his sins.

“I wonder where she is,” May commented. She was in a simple, backless silver dress with spaghetti straps. It reached her ankles, but it managed to make her look amazing.

“They’ll be here soon,” I said. “You look beautiful, May. Thank you for doing this for me.”

“I did it for the check,” she joked, and I smiled.

When Seth walked in with Celeste on his arm, all eyes were on them. Seth was in a black tux with a golden handkerchief and bow tie to match Celeste’s dress.

The cameras flashed on them so much that it was almost blinding. Celeste was in a floor-length black, white, and gold sculptural dress. It was straight off the runway, worn by none other than the highest-paid model, Kendall Hadid.

The bodice of the dress was asymmetrical, one side strapless, with the black fabric sculpted into a sharp, angled neckline. The skirt was made of white draped fabric, gathered in a way that resembled a classical Greek drapery.

What made the dress stand out was the gold embellishments, like the sculpted hands on the dress, one covering her breast, and the other around her waist. She also had a golden snake necklace and gold earrings.

Her hair was in an updo, and her makeup was flawless. She looked amazing.

“May, this look is going to be all over the blogs tomorrow,” I said with a smile on my face. This was why I trusted May to do her thing. She got Celeste ready, and she still had time to put together her own look.

The couple had already walked the carpet, and they were interacting with others. All eyes were on Celeste as I had wanted, and May was smiling as she stared at her work.

Since I wasn’t due to talk to the couple, I walked to the paintings and started staring. I was thinking of getting pieces of my own. I knew one of the artists featured in the exhibition, and he had a piece of me.

I wondered if people would notice. It was a black-and-white painting featuring my face only. It featured the left side of my face, and it was a close-up, showcasing my eyes and part of my hair.

It had no color, but it showcased so much emotion—emotion I no longer had. It was painted years ago, when we were in college. Back when I didn’t have the weight of the world and my family on my shoulders.

When he called me to ask whether he should feature the painting in the exhibition, I was a little skeptical. Nonetheless, I agreed.

“It’s an amazing painting,” someone said from behind me.

I knew just from his scent that it was Seth. I didn’t answer because part of me wanted to see if he would recognize that it was me in the painting.

“I see why companies flock to you for PR. People have been coming to me all night with business propositions.”

I hummed in response, still staring at the painting and wondering why a man who had everything could be so vile. He was born into money and set to take over his old-money family business, but he chose to make his own company and form his own path. It was why he had a terrible relationship with his parents.

But all that didn’t make him a good person. I knew all the terrible secrets he was hiding in his closet, and I was going to make sure he paid for each one.

“There you are,” Celeste said as she approached us and hooked her arm around Seth’s elbow. You could tell he didn’t like it, but he wasn’t going to shrug her off in public. “Thank you for putting together this look. Everyone will be talking about me tomorrow.”

“And no magazine will be able to take your name out of their mouth when I’m done with you,” I said to her, and she smiled gleefully.

She didn’t realize what I was saying to her without saying it. I was going to lift her up, and when she thought she couldn’t get any higher, I was going to drop her so far down that she would never be able to show her face again.

You know the saying, the higher you go, the harder you fall.

“Nikolai!” Celeste exclaimed as she looked behind me. I tensed a little, waiting for the man she had called out to appear.

He appeared next to me, his scent unnerving me, unlike Seth’s scent that drew me to him.

“What are you doing here?” Seth asked.

“I’m meeting a client here. I saw you two, and I thought I would come and say hi.” He said. “You look stunning, Celeste.”

I could feel the man’s eyes on me, so I tried to hide my nervousness. He was a little shocked when I turned and met his gaze with mine.

“Ivy Vale,” I introduced myself.

When I saw him, all I could hear was my sister screaming and crying, begging him to spare her. A fire like none before ignited inside me. Seeing him in pictures was one thing, but seeing him in person was an entirely different experience.

I felt anger bubble up inside me that I could barely contain. I wanted to kill him.

“Nikolai West.”

I knew who he was. He was a lawyer who had represented the worst of the worst. He was the best in the city. The way he was looking at me told me he could see something in me he didn’t trust.

But he wasn’t the person whose trust I wanted or needed. Seth was the link to Nikolai West, Asher Quinn, Michael Montgomery, and Beckett Matthews. Those were all men who would meet my wrath.

By the time I was done with all of them, they would quake at the sound of my name.

“Excuse me,” I excused myself and walked away before I lost my cool and lashed out. Seeing Nikolai had made me rethink if I was even ready for my quest for revenge. My heart was beating fast, and my palms were sweating. Nikolai was the worst in the pack. He was the evilest man I had ever seen in my lifetime.

May grabbed my hand, scaring me.

“Are you okay?” She asked. “You look pale.”

I forced a tight smile, ignoring how my insides were going wild. “I’m fine. Talk to me.”

“I wanted to tell you that your client has been looking at you all night. His fiancée is best dressed, and he can’t seem to take his eyes off you. He’s hot, too. One night with him would relax you. Too bad he's engaged.”

I laughed it off and looked behind, my eyes landing on Seth. He was already staring at me, and his gaze did the impossible. It calmed me. All that anger and nervousness and I felt from seeing Nikolai was gone.

It was time for phase two. By the time I was done with Seth, he wouldn’t be able to get his mind off of me.