Page 48 of Frayed Bonds

Truth be told, it is taking everything in me not to fangirl alongside Adriano, but after hearing what happened with him, I figure holding in the excitement might be for the best.

Adriano is staring at me with wide eyes when my attention shifts back to him. “You got a date and a possible investor? You're on a roll, brother.

“Speaking of dates, where is yours?” I ask, looking around for the girl that was behind him.

“Probably trying to get up close and personal with a random A-lister,” he shrugs, not even stressing about the fact that she's missing from his side.

“Does Antonio know?”

I don't answer, instead my eyes travel over to her again. She truly is captivating, even in a room full of art. “No.”

“Are you going to tell him?”

I look over at my brother, trying to get a read on his feelings towards the situation but that's when I realise he's doing the same thing.

“No, it’s one date,” I shrug, and he nods.

No words, he just nods and stares ahead.

“So, tell me more about how you screamed like a fangirl.”

Chapter seventeen

Valerie

The dinner is filled with small talk at our table, charitable donations that could put all my debt to rest and a searing heat on my left thigh, where mine and Ambrose's leg touched for the entire meal.

Now I'm sitting bored out of my mind at the table. Ambrose and Adriano excused themselves to speak to a few investors, and after checking on me multiple times, and me reassuring him I was fine, Ambrose finally left me alone to focus on whatever they needed to discuss.

Adriano’s date, Gabriella, as I've learned in the last five minutes, is so deep into her phone, I’m worried she might get sucked into the matrix without even needing a pill.

I sigh, when I reassured Ambrose that I’d be fine I assumed the discussions would be light and short, but I was mistaken.

There's an entire museum, I’ll be damned if I’m going to sit here and stare at flowers, as beautiful as they are. I’m not that interested in them. I also have no interest in being an art piece myself just sitting here on display.

Weaving through the crowd, I make my way out of the exhibition space and down the hall to where things seem quieter and less...rich. Well, that's an understatement, since so many of the pieces in this museum are priceless.

I stroll down the hall until I can no longer hear the chatter of the dinner before picking a room and heading inside. A gasp immediately lodges itself in my throat, but I hold it in with the hopes of staying silent and not getting in trouble for sneaking around a museum.

The exhibition space I've entered has an entire wall lined with floor-to-ceiling windows that allow the white glow of the full moon to light up the otherwise dark space. Small floor lights are littered around, what appears to be some sort of moat, presumably to make sure no one falls in even after dark.

My heels click against the tiles, echoing as I walk to the centre of the room. The space must be part of an Egyptian wing in the museum; the walls are all covered with different kinds of hieroglyphics, along with small figures that I presume were placed in the tombs with the mummies for their rest in the afterlife.

I scoff to myself, wondering what treasures like this are doing so far from their home.

As I stroll around the exhibit, the details of the art pieces and treasures draw me in, telling me more and more of their story. The tale of a love story between a pharaoh and his queen. The details of their lives, and their fall from glory.

Seems like even the greatest of loves crash and burn at some point.

A light tap against the window makes me jump, and I quickly slide behind one of the large sarcophagi in the centre of the room. A chill shoots down my spine as my eyes dart between the large doorways of the room waiting to see a security guard enter, but nothing.

A sigh of relief leaves my body, the last thing I need is to get caught and then be banned from this place forever.

“You could give a burglar a run for their money with how sneaky you are,” a voice says from behind me.

Spinning around quickly causes my ankle to twist uncomfortably, and I nearly end up on my ass when a large hand shoots out and grabs my waist, stopping me before gravity can continue to embarrass me further.

“Okay, maybe I’m going to have to take that back,” Ambrose's voice comes out like velvet as he steadies me on my feet again. His eyes trace over me making sure I’m stable enough, but even then his hand doesn't leave my waist.

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