Page 90 of How to Get Even

She huffed out a low laugh. ‘It’s not ideal,’ she admitted with a shrug of her shoulder. ‘But…’

His gaze darkened. ‘But we need it because of my reputation and the impact that’s had on the gallery.’

‘No, I didn’t… I didn’t mean it like that,’ she said, genuinely. ‘I was going to say, that they’ll get over it. Someone will do something else and it will draw their attention, and this won’t matter one bit. It’s how it all works.’

‘And you don’t mind that it’s like that?’ he asked, as they moved side by side towards the room where the items up for auction were on display.

Chase tried to ignore the way that being so close to her made him so…aware.

‘It’s the way it works. It isn’t about whether I mind or not,’ she said in a way that made Chase angry.

The way Bella simply accepted things infuriated him and confounded him at the same time. But what really bothered him was that it was his fault. They wouldn’t have even needed to be here had he not, however many years ago, picked a fight with a journalist he knew was simply looking to make his name by being ruthlessly bombastic and careless of the careers he’d wrecked along the way.

That he’d brought her back here, to be the focus of gossip and whispers, made him distinctly uncomfortable.

‘We should go,’ he said, causing her to spin around to confront him.

‘Absolutelynot,’ she hissed. ‘We are here to do a job. This is part of that job. Nayak is contributing to the silent auction and has paid for the dinner. We will both represent the gallery perfectly, do you hear me?’

‘Yes, ma’am.’

‘Don’t call me ma’am,’ she whisper-hissed, but her eyes softened, making her look a little less ‘murdery’ than she had been before, so he followed her towards the room where the auction items were.

It almost looked like a mini gallery with items displayed on a plinth, or on the wall. Experiences had photographs and booklets, pieces of art were framed, there was jewellery, pieces of famous clothing, all donated by some of the wealthiest people in America, about to be bought by the wealthiest people in America, to raise money for the poorest.

Tej had given him strict orders to bid on as many things as possible and although Chase had money, serious and well-earned money from his art, the wealth here was inconceivable. Bella moved through the items as if she was supposed be here, but he felt that he still had paint and oil stuck beneath his fingernails.

Bella cast him a look from a few feet away where she was looking at one of the items.

‘What’s wrong?’

He tried to shake it off, because Bella was right; they were here to do a job, they were here to represent Nayak, to represent Tej. Chase could handle it. For tonight.

He scanned donations that must have cost an eye-watering amount, and he realised he didn’t know what they’d put up for auction. He wandered towards Bella who was looking at a Rodin, when it caught his eye. A projection on the large white wall, acting like a canvas, of the front of Nayak New York.

He watched as the fancy video walked the viewer through the gallery. Images of some of their artwork already secured for the opening was shown in glimpses. A voice-over invited the watcher to bid on ‘An Evening at the Nayak’, where the winner would get an evening that started with cocktails and an exclusive one-on-one tour of each piece in the gallery with each piece’s artist, followed by a Michelin-star dinner,inthe gallery, and a weekend stay at the penthouse of Nayak Apartments, New York and…

The buzzing in Chase’s ears drowned out the rest. He was furious.

‘What is this?’

Bella looked at him nervously. ‘I know you’re angry?—’

‘Angry?’ he demanded, struggling to keep his voice down. ‘I will not have my artists prostituting themselves in this way.’

Lightning flashed in Bella’s gaze. ‘Prostituting?’

‘They should not have to perform for these people,’ he insisted. ‘That is not their responsibility.’

Bella reared her head back as if he’d lashed out and shook her head. ‘They wanted to do this. They were genuinely happy to help raise money,’ she informed him. ‘And while I understand where you’re coming from, not everyone is as hostile towards people with money as you are.’

He clenched his teeth together. ‘That’s not what this is about.’

‘Really? Then would you feel the same way if the person who won the bid wasnotrich? Wouldthatbe okay? For an artist to spend one-on-one time exploring the meaning behind their artwork?’

‘I would absolutely be okay with that, because they don’t get to have access to that any time they like, whereas these people click their fingers?—’

‘I will grant you that there are some people here like that, but not everyone. And your only criteria for disliking them is that they could afford to be here. Not because you know them, or are familiar with their work, or how hard they work to help others.’

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