Page 13 of The Charmer

“Do you really think I’m any good at all this art stuff?” Chelsea’s large hazel eyes radiated doubt and Ariel smiled, confident she could solve this problem easily.

Taking a seat next to the nineteen-year-old, she said, “Do you trust my judgement?”

“Yeah.”

“And you know how tough it is to get a showing in a gallery in Melbourne?”

The corners of Chelsea’s mouth turned upward. “Yeah.”

“Plus you know how busy I am, right?”

Chelsea grinned and sat up straighter. “Right.”

“You’re a smart girl. Do you think I would waste my time if I didn’t think you’re talented and inspired and are going to be the next big thing?”

“When you put it that way…” Chelsea plucked Ariel’s mug out of her hand, deposited it next to hers on the floor, and flung her arms around her. “You’re the best. Barb was so lucky to have someone like you take over from her.”

“I’m the lucky one,” Ariel murmured, blinking back sudden tears.

If only she could keep the likes of Cooper from taking away the only place she’d ever known as home, she’d be very lucky indeed.

Chapter Nine

“Where are we at with acquiring that gallery?”

Cooper refrained from glaring at his father, especially with a conference table full of developers, wishing his dad didn’t keep pushing so hard. He said he’d handle it.

Yeah, like you handled it last night?

Silently cursing, he shuffled the papers in front of him and faced the curious looks of the men who’d invested millions in the project so far. He’d give them what they wanted to hear before settling the deal one way or another.

“As you all know, Ariel Wallace isn’t keen on selling. However, I’ve met with her the last two days and I’m optimistic she’ll change her mind.”

She had to. He needed to escape this company and his father’s overbearing presence, like yesterday.

“What makes you think you’ll succeed where I didn’t?”

This time, Cooper couldn’t stop his swift glare of condemnation at his dad. Eric had taken professional jealousy to extremes in the past, but did he have to air his feelings in this forum?

Quelling his anger, Cooper addressed the table at large. “Eric, everyone here knows you’re a top negotiator, but I’ve established a rapport with Miss Wallace.”

Yeah, they’d grown real close if her shoving him out the door constituted camaraderie. “I’m confident that with a few more meetings, she’ll come to the party.”

His farewell party, that is.

The day she signed on the dotted line is the day he would be free. Free of his contract, free of Vance Corp, free of seeing the cold calculating edge in his father’s eyes every time he walked into the room.

“Good.” Eric barely inclined his head in Cooper’s direction before continuing. “I’ve sealed the deal on several properties around the block from the gallery and we need that piece of land ASAP.”

Eric tapped at a key on his computer and a giant screen lit up with a presentation behind him. “These are the preliminary plans, but once we secure the gallery, we can demolish it, along with the old houses behind, and create a six storey apartment block. With property prices continuing to increase in suburbs surrounding the CBD, that’s a killing for all of us.”

Eric stared at Cooper with contempt, as if saying, ‘and you want to leave all this behind? You think you can match me? Beat me at my own game?’

“Any questions?”

Cooper met his father’s gaze directly, knowing now wasn’t the time or place to ask ‘why did you change? Why the competitive jealousy? Will I ever make you proud?’

Instead, he settled for keeping the peace just like he had every day for the last eleven months since he’d graduated and signed on the dotted line with dear old Dad. Back then, he’d been full of ideals, full of enthusiasm, and his father’s lousy attitude had whittled it away to this: some stupid deal so he could back out of his legally binding contract.

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