The Arrogant Artist : A Billionaire Boss Romance (International Bad Boys Set Book 2), стр. 71
“Bonsoir, I’m Louis Marchant, Emily’s partner. And you are?” He holds out his hand to Toby.
“I’m Toby, an old friend from London wanting to say congratulations.” Louis knows exactly who he is, and I know it. They shake hands briskly.
“That’s nice. Can you believe she sold out of all her paintings? That’s over a million dollars in sales in only a few hours.”
What did Louis just say? No! Really?
I’ll ask if he’s serious once he’s finished marking his territory, which I’m more than happy to allow.
“That’s truly incredible, Emily. I always knew you would do something with your art,” Toby adds.
“That’s strange because she said she hadn’t painted anything in the last five years because her last partner hated it. How bad is that? To stifle such a creative genius!” Louis stares at him.
Toby stays quiet.
“I guess it just takes the right man, mon coeur.” Louis nuzzles into me again, and I love the feeling.
“Yeah, I guess it does.”
I try to hide my laughter but just smile.
“Well, I should let you get back to your party. I just wanted to say hi and congratulations. You look good, Emmy.”
I give Toby a smile, but that’s it. Plus, Louis has a tight hold on me, and I know he’s not going to let go anytime soon. So, even though I wouldn’t want to hug Toby goodbye, I can’t even if I wanted to.
“Stay in touch,” Toby adds.
“She won’t. She’ll be really busy… with me,” Louis replies.
Toby frowns and rushes away. I turn in Louis’ arms and look up at him. He has the biggest smirk on his face, raises an eyebrow, and asks, “Too much?”
“Never.”
“Good because what I really wanted to do was punch him in the face, but I didn’t think that would be appropriate tonight.”
“I love you, Louis Marchant.”
“I love you, too, Emily Chapman.”
44
Louis
Two months later
Emily and I have been living in London for the past couple of months since coming back from New York. Daniel has let us stay with him while we settled on a new townhouse. Emily has turned into the new ‘it’ artist. Actually, we’re the ‘it’ couple of the art scene.
The demands for more shows around the world has been overwhelming, plus the media attention surrounding us and our love story is kind of intense. Daniel’s received a ridiculous amount of branding deals for us, for companies that have nothing to do with art but who want us because we look good together.
We haven’t been so keen, but the money they are offering is becoming irresistible. So far, we have stayed strong to our ideals but not sure how long it’s going to last.
Emily thinks if we take all these deals, we could donate the money to good causes, and I like that idea. We’re making more than we need from our art, so we might as well try to make a difference in the world. That’s the huge difference between Elisabeth and Emily. Emily wants to do good with the money while Elisabeth just wanted it all for herself.
Speaking of Elisabeth, apparently, she’s disappeared off the radar, and no one knows where she is. Her last post on social media was about her staying in Russia with friends, and that’s the last we’ve heard from her. I don’t wish her harm, so I hope wherever she is, she’s okay.
Yves, well, he’s skipped town. He left France and is on the run. To say I wasn’t surprised was an understatement. I knew when they let him out on bail he’d bolt, and that’s exactly what he did. I just hope wherever he is, he’s rotting in some cesspit of hell. I’m not going to dwell on that scumbag because Emily and I are going strong.
I just hope today goes well.
Daniel and I told Emily that we had found her mother while we had everyone over for dinner one night. I thought if we told her in front of her friends that they could help her work through her feelings on the issue.
Emily surprised me yet again when she said she wanted to meet her and that she didn’t care if she never wanted to see her mother again after her first visit. Emily told me she’d had enough time over the years not to focus on her mother, and that she needed to move on with her future, our future, and it didn’t matter if that included her mother or not.
But I know Eloise wants a future with Emily. I’ve also told her that I already know her mother, and that fact really surprised her. I filled her in on how she’s the wife of Victor, my mentor, which, of course, she remembered that Elisabeth was one of his mistresses. She got angry over that fact for a while that her mother was being cheated on, but then I explained the situation to her just like Eloise had to me. She didn’t understand or like it, but as she said, it’s her mother’s life, and she can live it any way she wants.
“Do you think they’re going to like me?” Emily asks me nervously as her hand is wrapped in mine while we drive to their home.
“I know they will.”
She stares out the car window at the passing farms. “What happens if I get angry at her?”
“Then, you get angry. You’re allowed to. She hasn’t been in your life for years, well, most of it. You’re allowed to ask questions. You’re allowed to be mad and angry for all those lost years, but I know Eloise, and she’s wonderful. Honestly, I think you’re going to love her.”
Emily nods and goes quiet again. “It’s weird that you know them.”
“Yeah, it is.” I chuckle.
“I think fate had some kind of weird plan for us. That it may have been inevitable we would meet.”
“I think you’re right. That you would have found your mother, met her, fallen in love with her. They would probably have thrown a party and invited me, and I