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.