CHAPTER 105: DISGUISED DANGER

I tried my best to return her smile while thinking about what kind of trouble I had gotten myself into. It was already too late for me to tell Daniel that I didn’t want the painting, and it didn’t feel like the right timing for that either. I figured I would tell him later that there was no way I could accept such an expensive gift. I was well aware that he was trying his best to win me over, but that only meant it would be misleading and disadvantageous for me to accept his expensive gift.

“The painting will be available for us to see up close in the back room. Care to join me?” Daniel said as he offered me his arm invitingly.

“But...” I mumbled as my eyes glanced in the direction where Raphael had made his exit.

“Come along this way. I’m sure you’re very excited to see the painting up close. After all, you’re going to be its new and proud owner,” Daniel said as he pulled me after him.

I bit down on my lower lip as Daniel led me away while Raphael’s words of instructions rang in my ear. Although he told me to say in his sight, he was the on who ran off somewhere unknown without letting me know when exactly he was going to return. Thinking of that made me feel oddly irritated so I decided to turn my attention to Daniel instead for the time being.

...

“Are you sure this is the way?” I asked as I started feeling like we had gotten lost.

“Yes, just keep following me,” Daniel replied without hesitation.

After leaving the venue, it seemed like we had been walking for quite some time down a hallway that was quite dark. I had initially thought that the room backstage was supposed to be literally behind the stage where the auction had taken place. Apparently, that didn’t seem to be the case. The further we progressed along the hallway, the more uncomfortable I became, and my thoughts kept turning to Raphael.

“I think we should just head back. To be honest, I think the painting is very beautiful, and there’s no need for us to see it up close. After all, I guess I’ll be receiving it soon anyway,” I said as I tried to remain calm. Raphael’s instructions before he left rang loudly in my ear, and I had to admit I was doing a very poor job of following them.

“We’re almost there,” Daniel replied. At the same time, his grip tightened slightly around my wrist.

For a moment, I sensed that something was off, but just as I was about to yank my arm away from him, Daniel stopped in front of a door and turned to show me a friendly smile.

“We’ve arrived. The staff should be waiting for us inside with the painting,” Daniel announced casually. I watched with mixed feelings as he turned to open the door before ushering me inside. True to his word, the painting was displayed in the center of the room. However, we were the only ones there, and the staff was nowhere to be seen.

The room was dimly lit, with a spotlight softly illuminating the painting.

“Isn’t this such a beauty?” Daniel asked as he placed his hand at the small of my back and gently pushed me toward the painting. Seeing the painting up close truly added to its beauty, but I wasn’t in the mood to admire any art.

“Yes, I think this piece is truly beautiful. It’s a shame that I’m not knowledgeable about art, and this treasure might be completely wasted on me. I’m actually not sure if it’s such a good idea for me to accept such an expensive gift,” I told Daniel honestly as I tried to distance myself from him.

“Not at all. It’s such a shame that you think that way. A beauty such as yourself is truly suited to be the owner of such an amazing piece of art, and I would be extremely honored if you were to accept this gift from me,” Daniel said, beaming a smile at me. It was probably at that moment that I realized it was a bad idea to be alone with Daniel in a room so far away from other people.

“I think we should head back. Raphael must have returned by now, and I don’t want him to worry,” I said as I turned to head for the door.

“Wait,” Daniel called after me, and at that same moment, I felt his arm wrap around my waist to hold me back.

“What are you doing?” I asked, starting to panic. Instinctively, I began struggling to free myself from him. That was when I fully realized I had been such a fool for allowing him to lead me there and isolate me from everybody else.

“You don’t have to sound so scared of me. All I want to do is talk to you,” Daniel replied calmly.

“Then let’s quickly get it over with. I’m pretty sure Raphael is looking for me right now,” I said with a hint of warning in my tone. I had no idea what Raphael was up to, but I was very certain he wasn’t looking for me at that moment. I prayed silently that he would return and realize I had gone missing, and that he would come looking for me.

“What is it that you want to talk to me about?” I asked Daniel, without beating around the bush.

“I’m sorry for scaring you because that wasn’t my intention at all. I honestly wanted to purchase this painting for you and have you see it up close to admire its beauty,” Daniel began explaining calmly as he relaxed his hold around my body. I quickly took a step away from him to distance myself as I tried to take deep breaths.

“You mentioned that there was something you wanted to talk to me about?” I reminded him, urging him to get to the point. I was already certain that admiring the painting wasn’t anywhere close to the top of his list of what he wanted from me.

–To be continued...