Page 3 of Broken Pieces
I shrug. “Well, I’m still here if you need me, always.”
She nods with a knowing smile, then grabs her cup and takes a sip of her latte. “Now, tell me about the job offer? Are you taking it?”
I tense at the thought of it. “It wasn’t an actual job offer. He said he wanted to have a meeting with me,” I correct her.
She flips her hair back, rolling her eyes. “About the possibility of you working for him. Seriously, Ari, you need to give yourself more credit.”
I shrug off her comment. If there’s one thing about Sophia, the woman is brutally honest. I know Ishouldstart giving myself more credit. It doesn’t mean I can, though. Every time I have a shimmer of light, I can hear my mother in the back of my head.
Not talented enough.
Not good enough.
Simply not enough.
“I don’t think it’s a great idea to work for him.”
“And why not?” she challenges. “The money is good. He’s a huge deal in the art industry. What’s not to love?”
Heis what scares me the most.
With being known in the industry ever since I became a senior curator, offers pour in constantly, but I’ve never entertained any of them. That was until I received an email from the assistant of Damian Romano, one of the top businessmen in Chicago. Per Sophia, he’s one of the top bachelors in the city as well. I have no idea why this is relevant, but she insists that it is.
From what his assistant told me, he’s looking to upscale his gallery to a whole new level and they believe I’m the person for the job. The meeting’s tomorrow, and I’m still trying to keep my options open. With how trapped I’ve been feeling, I think a change of scenery may be what I’m looking for.
Or so I keep telling myself.
Everyone knows who Damian Romano is in the art industry—a self-made billionaire who worked his way to the top. Per Sophia, he owns multiple businesses, but his main thing is art. He’s a known art enthusiast who has the talent to pick up-and-coming artists, showcase them in his gallery, and help them become the next best thing.
While the change of scenery would be a welcome relief, the man is known for being difficult to work with. There are nothing but horror stories floating around about how egocentric and demanding he is. The art world is a small one, and with Damian Romano being one of the best in the business—known for his cutthroat strategies andseizing his opportunities to the max—people have things to say about him.
I give her a pointed look. “You know why. I’m not sure I even want it though. I had dinner with Alex yesterday and he insisted it wasn’t a good idea.”
Sophia rolls her eyes. “Well, Alex can kiss my ass.”
“Funny, I thought he already did,” I say, grinning.
Her shoulders shake with a laugh. “Oh my god, you’re impossible. But in all seriousness, I think it’s going to be fine. Don’t believe everything people say on social media.”
I hum, still unconvinced. “We’ll see.”
As I step into the gallery, Isabella greets me with a cross-armed stance and a disgruntled expression. “You're late,” she points out.
“Nice deductive skills, Sherlock,” I retort dryly. “One of my Zoom meetings ran long, but I'm here. Calm down.”
“If you weren't working since the crack of dawn and followed your calendar maybe, just maybe, you'd be on time for once,” Isabella responds with a hint of irritation.
Isabella has been my assistant for over two years now. It was initially meant to be a temporary job, but she has somehow stuck around, even though she literally has a Computer Science degree from MIT. The woman is crazy smart, but as grumpy as they come. I appreciate her as an assistant, but, fuck, she can be aggravating.
“Walk with me.”I sparred enough times with her already that I'm ready to let this one go. I walk pretty fast, but we’ve done this so many times she's already trained to keep up with me.
“Your meeting with Aria Petrov is this afternoon.”
Right.
I inherited this gallery three years ago when my father passed away. He and I shared a love for art, but that was the extent of our relationship. My father had always thought I was weak and too compassionate to make it in the real world. He had underestimated me, though. I took his lessons to heart, using his disapproval as fuel for my relentless ambition. Now, I stand at the pinnacle of success, a self-made billionaire who has taken my family's humble business to a whole new level. But I'm far from done. My vision for the Romano Empire is grand, and I intend to see it through no matter the cost.
This vision includes having the best, and Aria Petrov is precisely that. While I've never met her in person, the art industry is small enough that when someone makes an impression, it sticks. I learned of her successful career as a curator and the impact she made at The Institute in such a short period of time. It’s intriguing, really, and I’m more than looking forward to meeting her.
