BLUNT TO THE CORE
“This was a huge mistake.” Maria thought.
She had not hated Reid more than she did at the moment, despite him barging into her house with a horde of strangers. Of all things he could do to make her miserable, he had sent her into the den of lions. Not just any lions, the ones that deemed themselves as royalty. Socialite that were money/power hungry, mostly born with silver spoons.
Maria stressed on the fact that she disliked being around too many people. Especially the caliber of people Reid had said they’d be socializing with.
She could not deny that the intimidation and social anxiety was the core reason Reid’s face looked delightful to smack.
The desire was to make money and not have to interact with many people. The interaction part of the business was Athina’s job. When she left, it fell solely on Maria’s shoulders and she flopped like a flip-flop.
Athina would have fit in like a glove as she had gotten familiar with half the people that were going to be present. Colton never failed to attend with his wife in his arm. Unfortunately, the early stages of pregnancy left Athina feeling too sick to leave the house.
Maria was sad her friend could not be a companion in the rather strange environment she headed towards. Maria always wanted to go home. She hated being around too many people, talk less of having conversations with them.
“I will do anything you want Reid, just let me go home.”
Reid could sense the stress in her voice and looked at her sympathetically.
“The night will be over before you know it and we’ll be home.” He assured and tapped her hands encouragingly.
Maria, who was staring out the car window, glanced at him. She noted how he said the word “home” like they were a couple living together.
The styling team had even mistaken them for one.
She couldn’t blame them, though. Reid had certainly outdone himself by hiring a styling team for her. The items he’d even picked were the shocking part. A black Versace dress that resembled a design meant for runway. It certainly cost a fortune, and she couldn’t believe she’d be wearing. It was giving Cinderella vibes with the gold jewelry pieces. The neckline of her dress dropped low to the top of her breasts, making the gold necklace stand out. Her silver hair was treated to perfection as it glistened, perfectly styled to her left shoulder.
The foreign look in Reid was hard to discern as he took in her transformation. Words even eluded him as he stuttered. The simple compliment, “You look stunning,” Left her breathless. Her excitement at his reaction quickly died as he thanked the team for making her presentable.
“As a business owner, how are you not used to things like this?”
Maria sighed. “How clear do I need to be? Athina did all the socializing to reel in investors and visitors.”
“Ahh, that explains why the business crumbled when she left.”
She turned her body to face him with a glare on her face. “It did not crumble. Struggling is a better word to describe it.”
“Well, it’s a good thing I came along to help your struggling business.”
Reid seemed to derive pleasure from getting a rise out of her. Harsh words or not, their banter was a thing to look forward but he would never admit it.
“And the more you mention it, it might tempt me to stab you in the eye,” she said with all seriousness.
Reid laughed, amused by her anger. They would have gone on longer, but the limo soon stopped in front of a building. Maria looked through the window at the mansion of a billionaire.
Reid had gotten out of the car to open the door for her, but she beat him to it. Maria was too stunned by the architectural design of the modern like castle and it took a while to notice a small group of paparazzi. She looked down at her feet and traced the red carpet up to the entrance.
It was her first red carpet, small or not. Maria lifted her dress so she could walk or perhaps run depending on how filled the house was. As if Reid could hear her thoughts, he was quickly by her side and looped their arms together. He tapped it gently to comfort her as he slowly led her up the stairs.
“Just smile and look straight,” He whispered.
Maria took in his side view as he led her into the building. Every time she looked at him longer than a minute, a cell in her brain never failed to remind her just how attractive he was. He hardly smiled genuinely, always looking like the perfect businessman. But when he did, oh boy!
The ground would sway beneath her feet at the glimpse of his wife smile. His entire face lit up as the high definition of his cheekbones stood out. And his eyes reflected a mirage of happy memories. A carefree side of him came out.
Two hefty security men standing at both sides of the wide glass double doors nodded at them and opened the doors. Classical music welcomed them as they stepped in, as well as the grand interior and the smell of…. Wealth.
It was now or never; she thought. A step further into the mansion and it would be too late to turn back.
“I won’t even introduce you to over five people.”
“Was me even coming necessary?” She whined.
“Of course. We’re partners.”
“I should have probably explained to you. Being behind the scenes is what I like to do. I have no desire to be seen.”
“Well, to be heard, you have to be seen.”
She disagreed with him but didn’t say any more.
The 60th birthday party was certainly on the next level. The guests flittering about were immaculately dressed in the finest and expensive clothing. If she had picked something from her wardrobe, she would have stuck out in the crowd like a sore thumb.
Maria’s palms were sweaty that she struggled to hold on to her small clutch purse. At the sight of a waiter passing by with a tray of drinks, she quickly snatched one and gulped the entire contents. The cool air of the ambience was of no help as sweat trickled down her back.
“You good? You look like you’re about to faint.” Reid spoke into her ear as he moved her to a secluded part of the house.
“You did not say there were going to be this many people,” she said exasperatedly.
“It’s George’s 60th birthday. What did you expect? ten people.”
“Well, certainly not..” She looked around at the guests. They were too many to count. The mansion, as big as it was, was practically full.
“Over a thousand guests.”
“You exaggerate.” Reid sighed and shook his head. “Maria, you need to look at the bigger picture. We’re building a franchise here which is going to cost us a fortune, and we need all the help we can get.”
Maria wasn’t completely lost in his theory. She knew how business worked. Reid was loaded like everyone in the room, but to build the sort of thing he had in mind, he needed investors and supporters that would flood the restaurant once they launched it.
Though the restaurant back home was a small business, she still had four investors at the startup. Until her previous manager stole funds and left the business hanging dry. The investors pulled out as there was little hope of the business reviving to its old grace.
They needed to make use of the opportunity George had given them by inviting them to his exclusive party. They needed investors, supporters, and had to build a clientele. Maria was overwhelmed, but she knew the importance it held for her business to grow.
She was in doubt. Reid seemed to have created an entire plan she did not fully agree with. The word franchise was much more than she imagined or planned for. It seemed to be all coming so fast; she was losing track and did not feel ready to take on that much responsibility.
“Okay, let’s do this,” she said reluctantly and took a deep breath.
An encouraging smile grew on Reid’s face. “That’s the spirit! I promise not to leave your side.” He took her arms in his, ready to introduce her to people.
Before Maria could say Jack Robinson, Reid had broken his promise. He abandoned her in the sea of sharks, where she struggled to swim. The two of them had not even walked for long when Reid spotted an acquaintance and left her side to greet him.
It was an excellent opportunity to remove herself and find a much more secluded place to stay. After about four glasses of champagne, she found the perfect spot. She had gone through many rooms and taken many turns before discovering a secluded ballroom. The area was quiet, a few people moving about checking the art pieces on the walls. The four walls of the room had a variety of paintings and photographs.
To have such a large room dedicated to art, George must be a lover of art. Or perhaps someone close to him owned them in pieces. It was like stepping into a different realm. The white wall, bright lights and colorful, diverse painting created a cool and welcoming ambience.
Maria knew nothing about art, yet she walked around the room like the rest of them present, as if she had a clue on why the paintings fascinated them. They were just colors merged well; she concluded.
Of all the art pieces she checked out, there was only one that had her attention. Not in a good way, but confusing. One look at the painting and it did not fit the room. She frowned as she studied the bright rainbow colors that formed patterns.
What was the artist thinking?
“It’s a rather beautiful piece, don’t you think?” A silvery British accent invaded Maria’s thoughts.
She glanced at the slim form standing by her right. The woman’s eyes were fixated on the same painting she was staring at with a complex expression. Maria wasn’t an excellent judge of character, but she could sense right away what kind of woman she was.
“I can’t say. I particularly do not find it appealing,” she spoke bluntly.
“Why so?”
The woman was tall with a curvy build. She clearly hit the gym regularly, or just had good genes. A beautiful face with little to no make-up and a bow full lip. The lady had the looks of a celebrity with her perfectly symmetrical face and body. Her hair was fiery red. It wasn’t her actual hair color, yet it fitted her. Maria couldn’t imagine any other color suiting her. The lady was very attractive, and it intimidated Maria.
Maria thought of her words clearly before speaking. The last thing she wanted was to appear dumb or uneducated on art.
“What I see is a mixture of brash rainbow colors that were handed over to a three-year-old. It looks like a mess, but it clearly isn’t, since it’s on the wall. I’m sure it must have cost a fortune, though.” Maria took a sip out of the glass in her hand and glanced at the woman.
The woman’s blue eyes were fixated on her with a small smile on her lips.
“I see. You’re not an art lover.” She stated with a smile in her voice.
Maria nodded. “I know nothing of art and it makes me terrible for judging the artists’ work.”
“Critics are allowed, and I’m sure you’re not the first person to tell the artist that.” She turned to the painting back and ran her manicured finger over the lines.
“As an art lover, what I do is to look beyond the mess. Let’s be realistic. The world is not a perfect place. So why should every artist piece be perfect? The pressure on a creative to produce better works can be pretty daunting. To sum up; what if the messy artwork was a messy artwork?”
Her argument made sense. Maria had listened attentively, paying careful attention to the painting. The bold colors, the lines, the way the light reflected on it. The worth of the art was clear.
But….
“I still don’t get it. Sorry.” Her expression was apologetic as she looked back at the British lady.
The woman only laughed and nodded. “That’s alright. Not every human understands math.”
“Now that I’m good at,” Maria uttered comically. She added, “How come you’re so familiar with art? You seem to like it, yet your face says otherwise.” Maria’s tone was inquisitive as she quirked an eyebrow.
The British lady chuckled and glanced at Maria. “I grew up around art. I eventually had to understand it and fell in love with it. My face is the opposite because I have to be around this many people.”
A simple statement had never made Maria feel connected to a person like she did at the moment.
“That was exactly what was going through my head when you caught my eyes slandering this lovely painting.”
The woman giggled at her excitement.
“Are you averse to photography as well?” She asked in a much easier tone.
“Not that I’m aware of.” Maria shook her head.
The woman pulled her hand gently and took her to another section of the mansion. There on the wall was a massive black-and-white picture of the host.
“That is one massive picture.” Maria blurted out as she observed it.
The woman loved her honesty and carefree attitude, making her smile fondly.
“What do you think?”
Maria was skeptical. She wondered why this strange woman who she liked felt the need to sort out her opinion on their host’s photograph.
“I think…” She hesitated, looking back and forth from the picture to the woman.
“I think it’s honest,” she said in one breath.
The woman clearly wasn’t expecting her response as her eyebrows knitted. “Honest?”
“Yeah. It, uh, shows Mr. Pierre for exactly who he is.”
Maria had never even met George Pierre, so it seemed wrong of her to judge the photograph just based on the photographer’s work.
The woman moved her eyes from Maria back to the picture. She looked about ready to ask her to elaborate, but she was interrupted.
“Darling! I’ve been looking all over for you,” a deep hoarse voice said from behind Maria.
She noticed the faint smile on the woman’s face as she looked over her shoulder. Curious, she turned to glimpse at the person who had spoken and found the host, George Pierre and Reid, walking towards them.
They arrived in front of them and Mr. Pierre kissed the woman on the lips. Maria’s face was pure shock mixed with horror. She quickly fixed it and looked at Reid for help. Reid, who was surprised to see Maria had made a friend, failed to recognize the confused look on her face. He just labeled it as she being nervous about meeting Mr. Pierre.
“Mrs. Pierre, lovely to see you as always,” Reid said. He hugged the British lady and kissed her on both cheeks.
“Hello Reid, it’s good to see you, too. Not good that you haven’t chosen between Genevieve or aunt.” The woman who Maria had been talking to for the last thirty minutes spoke casually to Reid.
What the hell had she done? Maria asked herself as she gawked at the lady, her husband, and Reid.
Astounded was the perfect word to describe Maria’s present state.