Secretly Mine
Chapter 187: Event Prep (1) [Christian POV]

Chapter 187: Event Prep (1) [Christian POV]

I glanced down at the painting that was gently resting on top of my desk with wide eyes.

"Leslie painted this?" I asked softly, too afraid to touch the painting in case I ruined something.

"Yep! I’m positive. I was lucky that one of my old buddies works at the venue where the gallery was hosted. He confirmed that L.L. Lewis’s apprentice painted the painting and even pointed her out in the crowd for me," said Zach proudly.

I didn’t reply right away. Instead, I studied the whimsical scene in front of me. I held so much of Leslie’s bright personality that I had no doubt in my mind that it was her painting.

"So the mysterious L.L. Lewis has been Lucas this whole time..." I said quietly, piecing things together.

"It seems that Miss Moresi has been apprenticing under him for a while now. But I must say, it seems like there’s something more going on. The way he looks at her is unmistakable; he’s into her."

My hands balled into fists. Those weren’t the words I wanted to hear, even though I had already suspected this myself.

"How’s the other task I gave you going?" I asked him to prevent him from talking more about Lucas and Leslie.

"Oh, the special ink for the invitation? It’s actually going better than I originally thought. I reached out to a company that specializes in specialty inks, and they said that it was possible to recreate the effect you described to me."

I nodded, "Good. Please keep me informed. There are only a few days left until the secret auction event. I can’t miss this no matter what."

Zach’s phone rang the next moment. He pulled it out of his pocket, "Well, speak of the devil. It’s from the ink company."

"Go, see what they need. This invitation is very important to me," I said, dismissing him.

Zach gave me a small wave goodbye and walked out of my office as he answered the call. I turned my attention back to the painting in front of me.

"It’s beautiful," I whispered.

My eyes wandered from corner to corner, not missing out on a single brush stroke. It was so full of life that I had a hard time looking away.

I glanced around my office, wondering where I should hang it up.

No. Hanging it in the office won’t do it justice. This needs to be hung on its own gallery wall.

Thankfully, my house had a dedicated space for high-end art.

I’ll have to tell Jonathan to rearrange all of the current paintings and make room for this one.

I also made a mental note to put away all of the L.L. Lewis paintings I had collected over the years. Knowing the man’s true identity put a sour taste in my mouth, and his paintings immediately lost their luster.

After a few more minutes of admiring Leslie’s work, I gently put the painting away, placing it back in the crate it arrived in. There was a lot that I needed to get done before the auction event that was going to happen in just a few days’ time.

I grabbed my keys and made my way down to my car. The next thing I needed to secure was a proper outfit. If I didn’t look the part, I would easily stick out like a sore thumb, giving myself away.

Masquerade-type items weren’t something that I could just walk into the mall and buy. And the ones that I could find would be of cheap quality inside party stores.

It took me a few hours of research to find a boutique shop in the neighboring city that sold high-quality, custom-tailored items. Though I wasn’t thrilled about having to go there, I had little choice in the matter if I wanted to successfully infiltrate the event.

-

Three hours later, I finally arrived at the center of the neighboring city. I used to come here often in the early days of starting my company, but it’s been a while since I’ve been here.

My GPS brought me to a street in the center of the city, to a small shop that looked like a high-end tailoring shop.

This must be the place.

I parked the car and entered the shop. As soon as I stepped inside, it felt like I was transported to the past. Textiles and wooden mannequins lined the walls while suits, dresses, and hats hung from the displays.

There was a heavy scent of leather that added to the old-time charm.

I walked over to the counter and rang the bell. A moment later, an elderly man walked out of the back room.

"Oh, welcome! How can I help you today?" he asked with a small smile.

I took a step forward and nodded, "I called yesterday to ask about masquerade items. Could you show me what you have?"

Something flashed through the man’s eyes, "Ah, yes. Certainly. Please follow me to the back, I don’t keep those items out in the front."

He motioned for me to walk behind the counter and through the door he came from. "The stock is a little low right now because I’ve had a lot of clients come by these past few days," he said as he led me down a set of stairs.

I raised my eyebrow at the information.

Do all of the people attending come here to shop for the event?

The moment I stepped into the room, I was shocked. This showroom was even better looking than the main showroom upstairs. Across from me was an entire wall of intricate masks, for both males and females.

Each mask had a varying degree of coverage, but most of them were large enough to cover most of the facial features.

There were other items such as canes, top hats, and even women’s jewelry.

"It’s all handcrafted. I can guarantee it’s quality," the man said proudly.

I walked forward, taking a look around. "Do you have a set that you would recommend for me?"

If the others shopped here, the shopkeeper should know what the styles and trends were, saving me the trouble.

He glanced at me, studying my features before nodding. "I think this would suit you based on your facial shape. You have good features, so this mask would elevate your elegance."

I looked at the mask he pointed to. It was all black, made from a combination of leather and velvet. The shape was rather interesting, while it covered both eyes, it exposed one of my cheeks while hiding the other.

This should hide my identity pretty well.