3 purchased

3- Purchased

Alana

watched the negotiation being

discussed by Karla against the

gallery owner and admired at how

professional and sophisticated Karla

was.

The event had finished an hour ago,

her team had managed to sell all the

art pieces downstairs. To celebrate,

Jake and Pam had discussed going out

for drinks. However, Alana had to

decline as Karla had asked her to help

negotiate with the gallery owner about

re-selling her painting to the guy in

Armani. Her partners had left her with

regret on their faces, however, Alana

had encouraged them to go out and

enjoy in her place. She had bid them

adieu an hour ag0.

Upon discovering that Alana was the

painter of the piece he cherished, the

gallery owner was honoured to meet

the famous anonymous artist. He

chided himself for not recognising her

sooner and commented how it was

such a small world that she should

be the one to have curated this event.

After receiving the praise, Alana

had introduced him to Karla and

her boss and explained the current

predicament.

Because the gallery owner cherished

the painting, he initially refused to

sell it. Alana no longer held any legal

binding to the painting and so she

couldn't help them. However, Karla

was famous for being tenacious. She

would not leave until her boss got what

he wanted. And so, she had begun

negotiating with the gallery owner.

It has been twenty minutes, since

Alana left the main office to the

vending machine selling coffee. She

had excused herself from listening to

their tireless negotiation. She took her

time to go and get that coffee. Alana

was exhausted, for the last eighteen

hours since morning she'd been up and

down with attention to detail, trying to

organise this whole event. Placing the

art pieces in the correct order. Driving

to and fro, from her office to this

gallery. And finally, this whole evening.

She felt her muscles aching and being

in heels for the past three hours had

burned out her soles. She missed her

Vans, terribly.

Because there was no one else in the

building but security and the party

in the main office, Alana decided she

couldn't handle it anymore and got rid

of her heels. She was walking back to

the main gallery office, barefoot, with

coffee on one hand and heels danglinng

in the other, when she stopped

suddenly..

Standing outside the main office, his

tall masculine form leaning against

the wall with his eyes closed and his

fingers playing with the vial of his

necklace, was the guy-who's name

she should learn fast, since "guy in

Armani" was growing old.

"Coffee?" Alana announced her

presence as she stood in front of him,

the arm- in which her strapped heels

weren't dangling from-reached out to

hand him a plastic cup of coffee.

His eyes opened in slits and stared

down at her. As he studied her with

those intense golden eyes, they

lingered briefly on her bare feet. A

small ghostlike crinkle cracked his

frown. A hint of a smile flashed briefly

on his eyes. Although his face remained

expressionless, he seemed to be

amused by the fact she had ditched her

heels.

"No." He replied to her initial request.

Not even a thank you for offering.

Alana shrugged and brought the cup

to her lips, thinking one more cup

wouldn't kill her after this long night

she had. Although she would later

regret it-since caffeine could keep her

up all night. She decided she will be

fine, she had the whole weekend free

to recuperate from the long weekday

she had.

As she was mindlessly drinking her

coffee, too tired to notice the fact

that his watchful eyes were drilling

holes through her. His form suddenly

invaded her space as he took a step

toward her. Alana watched the whole

scene, transfixed, as if in slow motion,

as he simply grabbed the half-finished

cup in her hands.

The brief skin contact zapped an

electricity through her skin and

initiated a slow burning fire that

trembled throughout her body. Her

heart throbbed incessantly, butterflies

fluttering wildly in her stomach. The

heat encasing her all over was felt

mostly on her cheeks and ears.

He had simply snatched the cup from

her hands and downed the remaining

coffee as if he was taking a shot. All the

while his eyes never left her gaze. This

simple action shouldn't have flustered

her so much and yet Alana felt as if she

was malfunctioning both physically

and mentally.

No one, in the past twenty-one years

of her life, has affected as much as

this guy whose name she didn't even

know yet. She had just met the man

barely four hours ago and already she

was picturing herself naked under his

bed..doing all sorts of illicit activities.

The heat in her cheeks increased as she

pictured it.

Alana forcefully backed a step,

realising where her thoughts were

headed. Of course, she had no one to

blame but herself. She had depraved

herself from the opposite sex for this

long. And because of this, her body was

now reacting so violently against this

enigma of such an attractive man.

Alana licked her dry lips before

swallowing deeply. When she looked

up to face him, there was a stunned

: C.expressIon on hIs face. Another

difference from the glaring mask that

was his usual expression. His eyes

were glazed over, the golden colour

intense as he watched her lips as if in a

transfixed frozen spell.

Alana inhaled sharply, that look in his

face was something else erntirely...and

yet there was something familiar

about it. She couldn't distinguish it

yet, exactly where she'd witnessed it

before. But the strong feeling of deja vu

was constant the more she was in his

company.

She cleared her throat loudly and

looked away quickly, frowning to

herself.

"Um..any luck in there?" She cocked

her head toward the main office, where

Karla and the owner of the gallery

were still in deep discussion.

He shrugged. "He's still adamant

on keeping it...despite the price I'm

offering."

"You know...If you want the painting

so much, I can repaint it for you."

Alana offered randomly. She quickly

reprimanded herself for offering such

a ridiculous thing. She blamed her

flustered and muddled mind.

"The original had many mistakes..." she

tried to look for the excuse why she

was offering this. "... The woman in the

painting wasn't even meant to look like

that-"

He frowned as he moved closer toward

her, his eyebrows quirking up in

question.

"Um..." Alana began sweating under his

looming gaze. Her heart in her throat

as she stuttered. "...W-well...more

beautiful than that, more colourful"

"Hmm." He cut her off, the gold

in his eyes intensifying. "..On

mercenary ground you're absolutely

right...although the painting is a

likeness-she is more beautiful than

that painting." He agreed nodding and

then realising her words, he looked

again with his famous frown.

How would you know what she looks

like?" He asked her asked accusingly.

Alana was about to reply him that

she had seen her in dreams when she

realised something

"Wait...why do you speak of the

painting as if the woman actually

exists? It is just a painting based on an

imagination, after all." She questioned

With a suspicious frown replacing her

neutral expression.

He paled suddenly and this time the

frown was directed to himself. He

looked on the floor deeply as if he was

racking for an excuse.

"You said earlier... that a viewer can

feel a connection with a painting...I!

connect her with someone I used to

know, a long time ago." He told her

looking at her, however, this time

without that intimidating scowl on his

face.

Alana believed him instantly. She

didn't know why but the words he

spoke were the most sentimental shee

had ever heard.

What would you know? There was

someone in his heart. The man was

capable offeelings.

***

"You're probably wondering, how

I came to be Secretary for such a

wealthy man... " Karla spoke to her.

They stood outside the gallery in the

parking lot, specifically outside a

black Bentley Mulsaane in which said

wealthy man" was Sitting at the back,

in his lap her art piece now wrapped

securely. It was an hour after Karla had

successful won over the gallery owner

into finally selling her painting.

When she had asked Karla what price

she settled with gallery owner, Alana

had almost fainted when her friend

casually said, £300,000. That price was

six times the total amount she had

received from all her "other worldly

beings" collection. If she had known

that her painting would be so precious

to someone willing to buy it for that

ridiculous amount, Alana wouldn't

have sold it in the first place.

Alana had wondered, exactly the

identity of the guy in Armani? And

how her friend had ended up working

for him. Karla then explained to her

that he owned several businesses and

owned some lands around the world.

Basically, why she could have easily

negotiated to a million pounds if the

gallery owner hadn't easily relented.

A million pounds?!

"Yes." Alana withdrew from her reverie

and replied to Karla's initial question

of how she had come to know such a

wealthy man.

"He saved me..." Karla told her. "...I

was in the lowest point of my life...he

housed me and gave me a job. He's

been my rock this far and I owe him

my life."

"Owe him your life? Karla, why does

it sound like you're saying you made

a deal with a devil." Alana laughed

jokingly.

However, Karla didn't seem to enjoy

the joke as she blinked in shock at

Alana's statement for a while. Then

Karla's eyes crinkled in a knowing

secretive smile before she said, "You

just don't understand love, Alana."

"I may have yet to experience it, but

just a reminder that you preached to

me four years ago the same philosophy

and yet you're not with Finn anymore."

Alana reminded her.

Karla flinched once again at the

mention of Finn. Her expression was as

if she ate something bitter.

"Finn was just a trial run, a first love

that should have never happened...My

boss is..he's different, I feel safer

with him, stronger and challenged. I

always want to prove myself worthy

of him. He deserves that much from

me at least." Karla told Alana with an

adamant determination.

Alana frowned,very much confused

by Karla's words. She felt it right

then there, the way her friend's face

changed whenever she mentioned

Finn. And this high appraisal for her

boss who's name she didn't even know.

Karla was hiding something...and

Alana felt that something was very

important.

"Prove yourself?" She asked Karla.

"Karla if a man doesn't see and

appreciate you a as woman you

already are, then I say he doesn't

deserve you."

"I feel opposite with, Lylas. I feel like

I'm the one who doesn't deserve him."

"Lylas? Is that his name?" Alana asked,

feeling a sort of accomplishment for

finally getting a name out of tonight

strange and yet thrilling encounter.

Karla looked at the car, a guilt

expression blanking her face when

she bit her lips. Alana looked inside

the car and saw the ice-like coldness

emitting from Karla's boss. The glower

on his eyes was deadly and Alana felt a

sudden nervousness.

"I shouldn't have slipped...you weren't

supposed to know his name." Karla

muttered as she returned her gaze to0

Alana.

Alana's eyes bulged, suddenly

frightened. "Why?"

"Only a few know his real name.I'm

going to pay for that?"

"Karla are you in trouble." Alana

couldn't pinpoint it what is was exactly.

However, she felt so worried for Karla.

The way she spoke was different from

the vibrant liveliness she had depicted

earlier. Whether it was the three

years of maturing and growing apart,

however Alana felt the distance from

Karla. Although she was standing in

right next her, Karla had the look of

another world about her.

Karla laughed suddenly, startling

Alana out of her reverie. "I'm not in

trouble..!'m just not going receive my

bonus for this month that's all."

"Just because you revealed his namne

to me? Why? Is he some sort of spy

agent or something?" Alana laughed

nervously, her eyes darting to man

in question in the car. He was simply

leaning back in his seat, with his eyes

closed and one of his hand tight on her

painting. The other hand played with

the vial pendant neckless around his

neck.

Karla shook her head. "Here..." Karla

suddenly handed Alana a business

card. "..listen we are not staying for

long in London-"

"You're not staying?" Alana asked

feeling like she was losing Karla all

over again.

"I can't stay in London, Holland is

home to me now. His main base

company is in Holland, it's there where

I usually work."

Alana looked at the business card

Karla had given her. The words "Salyl"

were written on it, with such intricate

calligraphy design. Simply and yet so

elegant, it made her want to know the

artist immediately. On the back of the

card were contact details and a mobile

number for the secretary of the CEO of

Salyl.

It took a while of wondering why the

company was called this ways until

she realised 'Salyl' was spelt 'Lylas'

backward. How fitting.

"Call me, okav." Karla implored Alana.

"...we can have a fun day like old times,

I want to see you before I leave."

She then hugged Alana tightly before

getting into the passenger seat of the

Mulsanne and telling the driver their

next location. Alana watched, still

transfixed by the whole ordeal as the

car pulled away from the driveway.

Karla waved goodbye at her and at

the back, her boss, Lylas, had his eyes

still tautly closed. His posture was

indifferent and uncaring to the artist of

the painting he held--as if for dear life

-in his right hand.

Alana squeezed the business

card tightly, feeling a shadow of

disappointment enter her heart. She

recalled the intense encounter she had

with him earlier outside the gallery

office.

Was she the only one that felt it? The

palpable spark between them. That

feeling of familiarity, as if the universe

had meant for her to meet him at

that right moment. Maybe she was

going over her head and overthinking

something that wasn't meant to be.

Because that man in that car regarded

her indifferently.

She would never meet him again.

Alana resolved she should be happy to

be free from exerting feelings where

they weren't meant to be. Thinking

back to Karla's words and the appraisal

she had for him, Alana knew her

friend was deeply in love with her

boss. If it was this way, then Alana

should wish her friend all the luck

with him. She shouldn't be feeling the

disappointment that she was feeling

now.

Alana sighed as she shoved the

business card deep in her purse and

then walked back to where her fiat 500

was parked.