BLEND IN OR BE BLENDED
Myth fascinated Maria. She spent her teenage years reading and learning about all kinds. The intrigue she held of it was a serious case, as it made her wonder if magic existed.
Maria questioned whatever she did not understand. One could even call it an obsession, which she held for myths. It was a phase she soon outgrew and found something else that became her passion and led her to be the woman she was.
Given her current situation, magic had to be real.
She wouldn’t even question it as long as it came to her rescue. The only thing that could save her was magic. There seemed to be no way out from the deep grave of humiliation she had dug herself in.
The only way out was for the ground to open up and swallow her.
Or perhaps swallow someone else, thus giving her enough time to dash for the door.
How did she not realize it? She asked herself. The painting the British lady had asked her opinion had a cursive signature on the edge. So did the portrait of the billionaire.
Maria paid no attention to it and she had landed herself in deep waters. Reid must have noticed the faraway look in her eyes or her stunned expression as he pinched her waist to snap back go reality.
“This lovely lady beside me is my partner, Maria. The Mastermind behind Soul&taste, our restaurant business.”
Reid gave her far too much credit than she could accept as he introduced her. Maria smiled and avoid the piercing gaze of the British lady. George Pierre’s face appeared to be more easy to focus on, with his charming smile that was absent from his portrait.
“Maria, meet Mr. George Pierre and his beautiful wife, Genevieve Pierre,” Reid introduced.
“I’ve heard wonderful things about you, Miss. It’s great to finally put a face to the name.” He stretched forth his hand to shake her.
George Pierre wasn’t a tall man, but he had an imposing figure with a commanding aura. Aside from the fact that he looked smitten by the woman in his arms, he seemed friendly.
Maria shook his hand and kissed her knuckles lightly, like a perfect gentleman, before releasing it.
“You flatter me, sir. You have a beautiful home, by the way.” Maria blushed, gesturing to the environment.
His smile grew wider. “My wife deserves all the credit. I know nothing about decorating. You like the paintings?”
Maria went pale at his question. “Yes, I did, and I hated most of the ones I took my time to look at.”
She had clearly called his wife talentless. She compared her to her sibling in elementary school.
What more could she have said and they would be thrown out like thieves?.
Before she could open her mouth to reply to George’s question, the British lady piped in.
“Ms. Maria was quite taken with your portrait. She’s probably the only one who stopped for over ten seconds to inspect it.”
Maria gawked at the woman, wondering why she said that. She had expected her to reveal the stupid things she said and expressed how insulting her words were. Maria was lost trying to figure out what the woman’s motives were.
Genevieve Pierre was smiling kindly at her, and it eased her worries. Though she couldn’t help but wonder if it was fake. A ruse to have her loose guard, and when she least expected it, things would fall apart. They would lose the investment deal, the expansion plan could be ruined, and her life would be over. Reid would hate her and regret bringing her to the party. She could already imagine the disappointed look on his face.
“I’m not exactly good with art, but your portrait is outstanding.” She laughed nervously.
“I’m glad you like it.” The man was obviously proud of his wife’s works and did not hesitate to show it. Or even express it. The room they were in spoke for itself.
The man adored his beautiful wife so much that he dedicated a ballroom to her paintings and photograph. One could see the love he had for her in his eyes and vice versa. The only other people she’d seen like this were her parents and her best friend. Maria was surrounded by people in love. She loved to see them happy and bask in the warmth of their partners. Deep down, she craved that feeling. But she would not admit it.
“Reid here has told me all about your restaurant expansion plans, and I like them. I’ve always wanted to dabble in the hospitality business, so I guess this is it,” He chuckled. “Since the first time me and my wife visited the restaurant, we always go back whenever we’re in town. The service and food were marvelous.”
Maria’s eyes bulged, and she sputtered, “Wait, you’ve been to my restaurant?”
George nodded, and so did his wife, with a smile. “I believe the last time we were there was last year in August. Now that it’s going to be closer, expect to see us every week.”
Maria laughed along with the man. She could not believe it. How did she not know that the billionaire had been to her restaurant? Perhaps they came under a disguise. Low-key so they could avoid unwanted attention. To be given a stellar review by someone like George Pierre made Maria feel on top of the world.
The short story of their experience had Maria plotting ideas for the new restaurant. It had to be better. It had to fit according to the taste of the wealthy. But without their investment, the light of her ideas dwindled.
The couple soon excused themselves to go greet other guests. George mentioned that he’d love to Reid and Maria over for dinner sometime soon before he left with his wife.
Maria let out a huge breath, as if she’d been holding it forever. How she kept herself from falling apart was a feat. She fanned herself with her fingers and muttered, “Fuck,” continuously under her breath.
“Why do you look like you’re about to faint?” Reid asked worriedly, his eyebrows narrowed at her reactions. He had noticed how fidgety she had been since he arrived with George. He had simply ruled it as her being nervous. Reid also wondered how she had run into Genevieve and what they had been talking about.
“What’s wrong?” Reid asked again, and this time, Maria’s eyes met his.
“I fucked up. I fucked up big time!” She murmured, biting down on her bottom lip and gripping her dress.
“What do you mean? Did something happen?” Reid was getting worried. Drop of sweats trickled down her face making her makeup slightly ruin on her forehead. The air in the room was freezing, that Reid could feel the chill despite his jacket. He knew something serious must bother her to sweating in such an atmosphere.
The first thing that came to Reid’s mind was maybe she was having her period unexpectedly. He did not want to assume and embarrass her further, so he asked again what the problem was.
“Can we leave now?” She replied.
Reid did not hesitate as he took her hand in his and headed for the door. He called his driver to meet them at the door with the car. By the time they were out of the mansion, his chauffeur, John, was already waiting for them with the backseat door open.
Reid searched for face wipes and tissues after they settled in the car and drove out of the estate. He found some face wipes at the edge of the backseat and gave it to Maria. She looked like she needed them, and she did.
Maria wiped her foreheads before saying anything. “I did not know who she was,” she said in a tiny voice.
“Who? Genevieve?” Reid asked, and she nodded.
Maria found it difficult to construct a proper sentence for how to break down what had transpired.
“She approached me and asked my opinion of her paintings. I did not realize who she was and was too honest and blunt with my opinion. I’m sure she hates me and I won’t blame you if you did, too.”
A good scolding was what she expected, not a burst of laughter from Reid. He seemed to be amused by her panicked state.
“I see that mouth of yours has finally put you in trouble.” Reid was at the receiving end of the heat of her blunt tongue every time they encountered.
Though he was hardly offended. He had at least thought she’d be more careful when speaking to strangers. Especially the ones that looked like Genevieve.
Maria ignores his statement and said, “She’s probably going to say something to her husband and he’d lose interest in investing. Oh, gosh!”
Reid considered allowing her to wallow in misery.
She should think that she had ruined their choices and hold the guilt. It would be a rather interesting show, but as she continued to hyperventilate, he assured her that no harm was done.
“What do you mean by that?” She asked.
Reid did not want to go into details about how close he was to Genevieve Pierre. It was only going to bring up questions he had no answers to.
“Genevieve is not the type to take offence at her paintings being criticized. Especially not someone like you who knows nothing about it.”
Genevieve was a down-to-earth person, and that was the vibe Maria had gotten. She simply worried because it could have been a façade to let down her defense and speak without caution.
“So she’s not offended?”
“Of course not. If she were, you would have been able to tell right away.”
“Oh, I guess that makes sense.” Maria sighed. At their first meeting, she could easily read the expressions on her face. She did not seem like one that could hide their feelings or thought. Educated or not in the art sector, one could see how the artworks by her were very expressive. Even the messy painting that Maria had disagreed with portrayed what she wanted. A true messy painting like she had intended.
They soon arrived at the parking garage and both exited the car. Maria was still deep in thoughts as she walked mindlessly into the elevator, and Reid followed behind her.
“As long as Genevieve doesn’t reach out to you in a few days, things are fine,” He said and clicked on her apartment floor’s button.
She peered at him. “And what if she reaches out?” Her voice was wobbly as she huffed.
A devilish grin appeared on Reid’s face as he said, “You’re in deep trouble.” His tone was slow and deep, sending a shiver down her spines.
Maria scowled at him as it clicked that he was just pulling her legs. She had spent enough time in his presence and had to get away from him. The elevator came to a stop and opened.
“Goodnight!” Reid waved as she stepped out of the elevator.
She responded by giving him the middle finger till the elevator doors closed. Maria certainly deserved a pat on the back. Or better still, a medal for surviving the night in the presence of many people and hours with Reid.
**
Maria woke up the next morning feeling sore all over her body. It was past 10am by the time she got out of bed with little choice. Her doorbell kept ringing, and she grumbled out of bed to give the intruder a piece of her mind. The only person she knew that would annoy her this way was none other than Reid Martakis. He was a royal pain in the ass and it was about time she pulled his ears.
She marched to the door with no regard for her nightwear, which was a flimsy short and baggy sweatshirt. A hair was a complete mess resembling a bird’s nest. One would think she had a brawl with monkeys.
Maria cleared her sleepy eyes and forced her door open in annoyance. She had not even bothered to check the hole in the door to see who it was.
“You have ten seconds to tell me why you’re banging my door this early before I castrate you,” she said lowly and looked up at the intruder.
The sleep in her eyes vanished, her eyes bulged, and mouth hung open. The person looked nothing like Reid. It had to be a nightmare; She thought. That was the only logical explanation. How could the last person she’d expected to show up? And after what Reid had said, she visibly shuddered.
The beautiful woman smiled and spoke in her lovely British accent. “I’m sorry to have disturbed your sleep.”
Maria cleared her throat. “It’s alright. I should actually be up by now.” She smiled nervously and shifted back. If only she had woken up a few minutes earlier, she would have brushed her teeth and looked presentable, at least.
There she was, killing the billionaire’s wife with bad breath and serving a horrifying morning look.
“Is it alright if I come in?” Genevieve asked and Maria screamed no.
Her eyes were alert as her body covered the doorway. Genevieve was startled by her response by quickly masked her expression with an amiable smile.
Maria laughed nervously and quickly corrected herself. “I meant to say, my place is in a really awful shape. I just moved in.”
Genevieve, still maintaining her smile, nodded in understanding. “That’s fine. Then how about you join me for brunch?” The tone of her question simply left no room for refusal.
She was smiling, yet her eyes were hard. Maria remembered the words of Reid in the elevator. It wasn’t hard to figure out she was really in a deep mess. What was she going to do?