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Chapter seventeen

Ha.. Easy was an understatement, Crystal thought. She had managed to leave the house completely unnoticed. She'd even called an uber and waited as she got ready.

According to what she'd read online, the dress code was black and white. She had the perfect outfit. A tight mid-thigh length white dress with lace sleeves and a glimmering belt.

She matched it with some silver jewelry and applied subtle makeup before she hurriedly curled her hair.

Choosing a matching pair of shoes was her best part. She finally decided to go with a pair of Louis Vuitton heels. The straps matched both the dress and the purse she picked on her way out.

Neither the guards nor the officers assigned to watch over the house stopped her. Probably because they were too engrossed in a poker game.

How lucky was she.

And Nick was-... No! , there wasn't going to be any of that tonight. Absolutely no thoughts about Nick!

Who cared if he was the most magnificent being there was... Or if he made her forget herself... Or if he had the ability to make her forget how to breathe by simply being around.....Or if- Crap! She was doing it again.

But that was the last time she was thinking about him tonight.

She got into the uber and after giving the driver the directions, she out on her earphones and listened to some music. At one time she even imagined seeing him on the path. Which proved just how not okay she really was.

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Nick ran into the house and went straight upstairs.

Something wasn't right. He could feel it in his gut. Her scent seemed to be everywhere. That fresh nature based scent that reminded him of a flower garden.

And that meant that she had left her room. But why?

He decided to check, just to be sure. He got to her door and turned the knob, then he peered inside.

No one.

He went in, looked around , called out her name but there was still no response.

He dashed out of there and checked every room in the damn house. And it wasn't until one of the staff told him she'd seen Crystal leave that he stopped searching.

"She was all dressed up, like she was going on some kind of date, " the maid said.

Rage was not a strong enough word. He tried calling her on her phone but there was no answer. So he went back to her room. Where on earth had she does to? Her life was in danger and he would not be able to forgive himself if anything happened to her.

Blowing out a breath, he looked around her room. It looked different in the light. Painted a royal blue, with a carpet in a lighter shade. A closet on one side and on the other was a chaise lounge right next to the window. And next to that was a foot which led to the balcony.

He pictured her standing there on a night when the sky was full of stars. Looking up at them....Brilliant! Now he was turning into a poet.

He went through her things, trying to find something... ..anything that could give him a clue. Then his gaze then fell on her laptop which was currently on her dressing table. It was on from what he could tell.

He instantly went over and studied it.

'Paragon Annual Artgalla ' What the fuck?

He memorised the address and hurried to his room. Then he changed into a black T-shirt and jeans along with a pair of combat boots and left.

He would find her, and after making sure she was okay, he'd make sure she never did anything like that again!

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Crystal enjoyed the scenery. The galla was more than she had expected. Occupying two floors with nothing but the finest pieces of art she'd ever seen. She had gone to several exhibits in London and now she recalled just how great the experience made her feel.

The two floors were connected by a spiral staircase, so you could go up and still have a perfect view of what was going on beneath.

She took a glass of champagne from one of the waiters roaming around and elegantly held it in her hand. In places like these one had to be careful. She had a reputation, so every action she took was calculated.

She minded her posture, her walk and her facial expressions when she looked at both the people and the art.

A particular piece held her attention. She stopped to observe it .There was a no touching policy, so she let her eyes take in the lovely image of a waterfall at dawn.

"Magnificent, isn't it? " she heard someone ask. She turned to her right to find a rather familiar distinguished looking guy standing beside her. His eyes fixed on the painting.

"Yes, it's lovely, " she answered and he smiled. It was a cultured smile, wasn't forced, just came automatically.The chandelier did wonders to his brown hair, making it gleam almost golden in parts where the light caught it.

With his black tailored suit and crisp white shirt, he fit in this place.

"Do you paint? "he asked. He had a British accent, making him sound surprisingly charming.

"A little, I'm not a pro or anything, " she said with a shrug.

The guy chuckled and shook his head.

"Don't be modest, you have the hands of an artist, " his smile actually reached his eyes.

"What are you? Some kind of fortune teller? " She joked.

A studying gaze that sharpened all the lines of his face. He had a perfect bone structure, blue grey eyes and a surprisingly glowing skin tone.

"Not really. But considering that you ARE admiring my piece of work, I'm pretty sure I know what I'm saying, " he said.

Crystals brows rose in shock.

"I'm Gabriel Germaine by the way, pleasure to make your acquaintance, " he extended his hand to greet her.

Jesus! she couldn't believe it. Gabriel Germaine was the head of the Paragon Artgalla as well as the best artist in the state. The guy had won awards for his work. She couldn't believe she hadn't recognized him. Now she knew why he looked so familiar. Not only was he an artist but he also had several businesses in and out of the State.

Plus he had a very famous reputation as a... how did the tabloids put it ' Bachelor Billionaire Playboy ',yeah....that was it.

She shook his hand " Crystal Lockwood and the pleasure is all mine, " she said and he directed her to another masterpiece. To a normal person it was just splashes of colour. But to an artists eyes, it was so much more. A story. A history. A lesson.

" She looked at the bottom corner where two interlocking G's had been signed.

"Are all the paintings in here yours? "

"No... just the best of them are, " he replied jokingly and she shook her head.

" Well it's truly amazing, " she then said and he turned to her for a brief second.

"I believe that the principles of true art is not to fascinate, but to evoke, " he said his focus on the painting.

"Wow.. that's deep, "

"It should be. I researched it on the internet, " he casually replied, a smile creeping into his handsome features. She laughed, the first time she'd done so in such a long time.

" So Crystal, any relation to Lucas Lockwood? " he then asked. Of course he knew her dad.

" Yeah, He's my dad. You know him? "

" We've met a few times. Actually it was only because we happen to share a common ally. Miguel Diaz, "

Jeez, Miguel really did have friends in high places.

"Oh yeah, he's my childhood friend. He was actually the one that gave me his invitation, "

" Really now? "

She nodded.

"He even asked me to say hi to you, "

Apparently, he and Miguel had been friends for a few years now. And Miguel was even his lawyer.

" Heard that he's soon going to be a father, "

" He is, "

"Well, I'm sure he'll do a great job at it. He's a nice person. "

That they agreed on, as well as a lot of other things. He reminded her of Miguel in a lot if ways. Only he looked more intense, as if everything he did was done with a passion. And then there was also the whole him being a player and all. Something Miguel was definitely not.

They talked for a while. He was a smooth talker and really great company. Although she was pretty sure his intentions weren't too noble. And that assumption had nothing to do with how openly he flirted with and commented her. Or how his eyes seemed to roam her form as they walked.

" How often do you paint? " he asked and she was about to answer when they heard some noises. A sort of commotion.

"What on earth is going on down there? " Gabriel asked as he went down the stairs with Crystal following closely behind him.

Everyone had turned towards the exit.

And there Nick stood ,two guards on the floor behind him.

Crystal gasped, how had he known?

She was not going to let this happen. She also deserved to do the things that made her happy.

Gabriel walked towards him but Nicks eyes were, as always, fixed on her. And he looked furious. How ironic considering she was the one being denied her freedom.

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