Patrick didn’t just like the sound of this. He thought of developing with some excuse in order that he may slip away, however Aleksander was smiling at him with that white-toothed sneer, and Patrick knew strolling away would depend as dropping.

“And why is that?”

“Effectively, I’ve heard by the grapevine {that a} sure portray is lacking. Aurora, was it?”

“Who did you hear that from?” Patrick knew that the assistants and lower-level workers tended to gossip, so he wasn’t shocked that the data had gotten out. Nonetheless, he was greater than a bit of irritated with whoever had spilled his private enterprise to his rival.

Aleksander waved a hand dismissively. “I’ve my sources. It doesn’t matter.”

Patrick made a psychological observe to research the doable leak. He didn’t suspect Owen, however maybe he’d delegated the monitoring of Aurora to considered one of his workers and the worker had handed the data on.

“Effectively, at all times beautiful chatting with you,” Patrick stated insincerely. “However as you’ve so astutely identified, Aurora is lacking, and I wouldn’t very like to speak about it.”

“Oh, comprehensible, in fact, previous boy.” Even from presumptuous Aleksander, the “previous boy” was a bit of an excessive amount of. Solely Patrick’s dignity stored him from rolling his eyes.

“Anyway, I see Ruben and I’d higher go converse with him.”

“Effectively, take pleasure in your night. Though I suppose it’ll fall a bit of wanting our final gala collectively once you had that fairly woman in your arm. What was her identify? Emily?”

“Emma,” Patrick corrected by his enamel.

“Proper, Emma. No matter occurred to her, anyway? She doesn’t appear to be working for you anymore.”

“She moved on to different employment,” Patrick stated shortly. He very a lot didn’t wish to get into it with Aleksander, of all individuals.

“Effectively, I’m positive she’s lacking the perks of this job. Attending galas with the boss and all that.”

“I’m positive she’s wonderful. I’d higher be going.”

Though he knew strolling away now was most likely a foul thought, Patrick couldn’t take one other second of speaking about Emma. In some way, Aleksander knew simply push his buttons. And he was well-informed. He had details about the stolen portray and about Emma.

The stolen portray. And Emma.

Items of the puzzle began to click on into place. Emma had put messages into the portray to point out that she cared about Patrick and that she was unhappy. Aleksander knew that the portray was stolen and that Emma was gone. Patrick had questioned if Emma had been pressured into stealing Aurora, and now he knew that she had been. And that Aleksander was the one behind every little thing.

Extra items fell into place. Patrick remembered how Aleksander had pulled Emma off to bounce with him and the way uncomfortable she’d appeared. Clearly, she wouldn’t have labored with him by her personal selection. He remembered the teardrop within the portray. He remembered how real she’d appeared with him and the way actual her affection had appeared. All of it made sense.

All of this was Aleksander’s fault.

Patrick couldn’t imagine it had taken him so lengthy to determine this out. It had been months.

In fact, there was nonetheless an opportunity that Emma had been coerced into stealing the portray, however she had solely used Patrick to get it. She may not really feel the identical manner about him that he felt about her. However Patrick remembered how she’d checked out him with these large brown eyes and the way she’d melted into him after they’d kissed, and he was positive that she felt no less than some fraction of how he felt.

Patrick made a break for the door. He now not cared in regards to the outcomes of the silent public sale or about “successful” his dialog with Aleksander. He had just one purpose now: to seek out Emma and see if there was nonetheless an opportunity for them.

When he was virtually on the door, Aleksander stepped into his path.

“Leaving so quickly?”

“Keep away from me,” Patrick replied. “I do know we’ve developed a sure rapport over time, however that’s over. I do know what you probably did.”

The final sound Patrick heard as he pushed by the gallery’s doorways and out into the cool early spring day was the sound of Aleksander laughing. It solely confirmed what Patrick already knew.

It was late, however he nonetheless headed straight for the workplace. He’d tried to seek out Emma himself, again when she first disappeared, however had had no success. Fortunately, he wasn’t the one one that may attempt. Patrick had a workers of fantastic investigators who labored on his investments in varied capacities. He made a gathering with all of them for very first thing the following morning. Then, simply to be protected, he positioned calls to some companies he’d labored with previously on particular points and requested them to ship their finest detectives as effectively.

Patrick was going to seek out Emma. He needed to.

That evening was one of many longest of his life. Patrick spent a bit of extra time within the workplace compiling every little thing he knew about Emma, from the pseudonym she’d given him to the small print she’d let slip about her previous. Then he went house, the place he struggled to sleep. The considered seeing her once more was all-consuming. He may solely hope that she was as as he was in giving their relationship an actual attempt. He didn’t know what might need occurred in the previous couple of months, although. Possibly Emma had moved on. Even when Patrick hadn’t.

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