Chapter 296: ~ 295
Chapter 295
~Clinton~
The city of Paris was absolutely breathtaking at night. The soft, golden lights of the Eiffel Tower were so beautiful . Annie and I had traveled across the world for this massive international art gala, and standing here in the grand ballroom, I felt like I was living inside a beautiful dream.
But as gorgeous as the city was, nothing compared to the woman standing right next to me.
I looked over at Annie, she looked like an absolute goddess. For tonight’s event, she had chosen a midnight-blue silk gown that draped flawlessly over her frame.
Her dark hair was packed up into an elegant, soft undo, leaving a few loose curls to frame her glowing face. She wore minimal jewelry, just a pair of diamond drop earrings I had gifted her, because her natural beauty didn’t need any help. Every single man and woman in that ballroom had turned their head to look at her when we walked in. She was stunning.
The tension in the air grew thick as the announcer finally took the stage to declare the grand prize winner of the international photography exhibition. Annie tightly clutched my hand, her fingers cold and trembling slightly against my palm. I squeezed back, silently offering her all my strength.
"And the grand prize goes to..." the announcer’s voice boomed over the speakers.
They called out another artist’s name, a well-known painter from Italy. For a split second, my heart sank for her. But the sadness didn’t even have time to land before the announcer smiled warmly and spoke into the microphone again.
"And achieving the prestigious position of first runner-up, with her breathtaking, emotional photographic series... Annie!"
The entire ballroom erupted into loud, roaring applause. Annie gasped, her hands flying to her mouth as her eyes widened in pure, shock. She hadn’t won the top title, but being the first runner-up on a global stage like this was an extraordinary achievement. And the prize was staggering: a massive five million dollars to fund her artistic journey.
I let out a triumphant shout, wrapping my arms tightly around her waist and spinning her around slightly right there on the polished marble floor. "I am so proud of you, baby!" I yelled over the clapping crowd. "You did it!"
She was beaming, her eyes bright with tears of joy as she walked up to the stage to accept her beautiful award and the ceremonial prize certificate. Watching her stand beneath those bright stage lights, confident and celebrated by the entire art world, made my chest swell with a fierce, burning pride.
After she stepped down from the stage, a crowd of admirers instantly swarmed around us, offering congratulations and clinking champagne glasses. But amidst the sea of glamorous, younger guests, a distinguished, elderly couple slowly made their way toward us. The man wore a sharp, classic black tuxedo, and the woman was wrapped in a beautiful, elegant lace shawl. They both had kind, gentle faces, though their eyes held a soft, lingering sadness.
They stopped right in front of Annie, and the elderly woman reached out, her hand trembling slightly as she gently touched Annie’s arm.
"Excuse me, young lady," the woman said, her voice smooth, cultured, and incredibly warm. "We just had to come over and speak with you. We spent nearly an hour staring at your featured photograph tonight."
Annie gave them a warm, respectful smile. "Thank you so much. I’m glad it resonated with you."
The elderly man nodded, his expression deeply sincere. "Resonated is an understatement, my dear. You see, the young man in your photograph... the way you captured the light, the emotion, the raw hope in his eyes... it reminded us so vividly of our own late son. He passed away a few years ago, but he shared that exact same spirit, that same passion for life."
The woman wiped a stray tear from her cheek, her smile turning incredibly tender. "Your art brought our boy back to us tonight, if only for a fleeting moment. It is rare to find an artist who can capture human emotion so deeply. We heard that you are looking to expand your work, and we want to help you do that. We have decided that we would love to completely invest in your personal art studio. We want to fund your future projects so the world can see more of your vision."
Annie’s breath caught completely in her throat. Her jaw dropped slightly, her eyes darting between the elderly couple and me. A five-million-dollar prize was already life-changing, but having wealthy, passionate global investors offer to back her entire art studio was an absolute dream come true. It meant total creative freedom for the rest of her career.
"Oh my goodness," Annie breathed, her voice thick with overwhelming gratitude. "I... I don’t even know what to say. Thank you so much. That is more than I could ever dream of."
We spent the next twenty minutes talking with the lovely couple, exchanging contact details and discussing her creative ideas. By the time they walked away, Annie was practically vibrating with excitement. She was so happy, her laughter ringing out like music through the grand ballroom.
An hour later, the gala finally came to an end. We took a quiet, romantic taxi ride back to our luxury Parisian hotel. The excitement of the night hadn’t faded at all. The moment I closed the heavy wooden door of our hotel suite behind us, Annie kicked off her high heels with a loud sigh of relief and began twirling around the room, clutching her award tightly against her chest.
"Five million dollars, Clinton!" she squealed, her face flushed and beautiful in the dim, warm lighting of the room. "And a fully funded studio! I can’t believe this is real. I feel like I’m going to wake up at any second."
I smiled, leaning my back against the closed door. I slowly loosened my silk bowtie, pulling it down and undoing the top two buttons of my dress shirt. I watched her move around the room, the midnight-blue silk of her dress swirling around her ankles, looking more desirable than anything I had ever seen.
I took a few slow, deliberate steps toward her, closing the distance between us until I was standing right in her path. I reached out, my large hand gently catching her waist to stop her from twirling.
I leaned down close, my breath brushing against the sensitive skin of her ear. "You know..." I murmured, lowering my voice into a deeply seductive, naughty rumble, "I can think of the absolute best way for us to celebrate a historic win like this."
Annie froze, her eyes snapping up to look at mine. She saw the dark, playful gleam in my gaze, and she immediately knew exactly where my mind was heading.
She let out a soft laugh, playfully shoving my chest with her free hand. "Clinton! Get your mind out of the gutter!"
I burst into a loud, booming laugh, my arms instantly wrapping around her waist and pulling her body flush against mine. She was smiling up at me, her cheeks rosy and her lips parted, looking incredibly playful.
"What?" I chuckled, my eyes locking onto her lips as I squeezed her tight. "I’m just talking about showing my beautiful, successful woman exactly how much I worship her. Is that a crime?"
"You are shameless," she teased, though she didn’t try to pull away from my embrace. Instead, she rested her hands against my shoulders, her eyes full of a deep, unyielding affection.
I looked down at her beautiful face, the laughter fading from my chest, replaced by a massive wave of pure, overwhelming love. I ran my thumb gently over her cheekbone, marveling at how incredibly lucky I was. She was brilliant, she was talented, she was fierce, and she was entirely mine.
"I love you, Annie," I whispered fiercely, my voice dropping all the playfulness, leaving nothing but absolute sincerity. "You deserve all of this. Every single bit of it."
"I love you too, Clinton," she replied softly, leaning into my touch.
I pulled her closer and bent my head down, kissing her deeply. Holding her in my arms, I knew I was looking at my entire future. My wife to be.