The Bellaham Exhibition
1188 Words
“Today, we’ll be working on an event. I finally got to talk to Mr. Bold about the Bellaham exhibition happening this week. Bella and Claudia, you’re with me. We’ll be going in my car so please go and prepare……”
While Peyton continued with the meeting, Claudia and Bella left the conference room. While Claudia grinned like she had just won the lottery, which she might’ve, Bella released a long sigh.
“What’s your problem now?”
“It’s THE Bellaham Exhibition! How can you not be nervous?”
“Why would I be nervous? This isn’t my first time.”
“Right. World-famous art writer, Claudeen.”
“And don’t you forget it” Claudia winked, walking away like she was floating. Bella shook her head, a tiny smile occupying her lips. By the time Peyton finished with the meeting, they were ready to go. They went with two other writers whose projects they were handling. Dana was one of them and the other was a reserved young man who was one of their top writers.
He kept his head lowered the entire time but even if he raised it, his long bangs covered his eyes. He wore plain clothes too, which was inappropriate for one of the biggest events of the year. Claudia raised the issue immediately but was reassured by Peyton before it became a bigger issue.
“Are you excited? I couldn’t sleep when I heard I was going” Dana said, her body shaking from side to side. Just her energy made Bella dizzy.
“I just heard this morning so I’m more nervous than excited. Ouuu my stomach. Can I bail?”
“Don’t you dare! We are going to the exhibition together.”
Bella directed her gaze to the three who were still settling the wardrobe issue. Peyton suddenly directed his gaze to her.
“Are you alright, Bella? You look a bit pale.”
“I’m fine. Just a bit nervous.”
“Don’t worry about it. I’m sure you’ll do just fine. You’re one of our best after all” he smiled brightly. It was like the sun, blinding them all.
“Stop smiling like that Peyton. You’ll make me fall in love with you” Dana whined, bouncing up to him to pull his cheeks.
“It’s against company policy,” Peyton chuckled.
“You did that on purpose, didn’t you?” she pouted. He smiled and turned his attention to Bella once more. His eyes softened and he mouthed words to her.
[Tell me if you want out]
[I’m fine, thank you]
They finally settled the wardrobe issue. Peyton provided outfits for all of them according to the dress code of the event. They were dressed in all-black outfits, black gowns for the ladies and black suits for the men. This was the dress code for the press. The dresses gifted by Peyton cost more than a few thousand dollars, something that all of them knew very well but as usual, Peyton smiled and told them to not worry about it.
Instead of his usual Maybach, he drove them all in a Sienna. He was completely cool about the entire thing, making Dana swoon and whisper all sorts of compliments to her for the entire ride. Dana didn’t see it but Bella noticed the tips of Peyton’s ears becoming red.
The Bellaham Museum of Arts was a historical building that carried on a long tradition of holding only the best art pieces made by geniuses in it. It was a popular tourist attraction but it was expensive to get in, nearly 400 dollars for a tour in a few hours. Tourists were only allowed on the first floor as well as the other ordinary people who could afford to go there.
The building had two floors, the top floor being reserved for only the affluent. The only time the top floor was open to the public, and strictly by invitation, was the Bellaham Exhibition where the artworks of the new age geniuses were displayed and placed in the hall of fame.
Incidentally, the new director of the Bellaham Museum of Arts was Rhea Jones. When she became the director, the prestige of the already prestigious Museum increased, reaching every corner of the world. As compared to the past, the number of foreign guests had more than tripled and some of the artworks have been auctioned for millions of dollars, those authorized by the artists.
“I can’t believe I’m finally here!” Dana squealed as they walked to the entrance of the Museum. The welcome staff gave her a condescending look as they accepted their invitation. When they saw what was written on the invitation, they scoffed and allowed them to enter.
“What’s wrong with them?” Dana frowned.
“Maybe you should’ve kept your excitement to a minimum. You’re making Peyton look bad” Claudia retorted.
“Let’s not, Claudia” Peyton intervened. The two stopped arguing but glared at each other. Dana held on to Bella’s arm and pulled her along to the front. Peyton, who was leading them, sighed while Claudia clicked her tongue from behind. Lagging far behind was Wallace, their other writer.
As they walked to the stairs, she had a feeling that something would go wrong. She turned to see what was going on with Wallace and that’s when it happened.
BAM!
It was the sound of two people colliding and hitting the floor. Bella ran there without a thought, helping the woman Wallace collided with while Claudia helped Wallace up.
“I am so, so, so sorry about this” Bella rambled off as she tried to clean the woman’s dress. She froze when she noticed the dress the woman was wearing and the frosty glare she received when she touched it.
“Let go of me,” The woman said in a cold voice and Bella immediately stepped away. With one last glare, she was gone with the black-haired man that stood behind her. Bella shook on the spot when she came to full terms of who exactly it was she had touched.
“Bella, are you alright?” Peyton asked, wariness in his voice.
“T-T-That was Rhea Jones” was all she said.
“Yup that was her alright and she seemed pretty mad” Peyton replied carelessly. Bella grabbed onto his sleeve as she became dizzy once more.
“Let’s go rest and take a breather. This might’ve been too overwhelming for our introverts” Peyton offered with his blinding smile. It was effective, sadly.
“Will we get kicked out since this i***t bumped into the director?” Claudia asked, directly another glare at Wallace. He flinched and walked slower.
“Rhea’s not that close-minded. She decided not to pursue the matter.”
“How are you sure?”
“It’s just a probability,” Peyton shrugged.
“Peyton, I swear-!”
“I’ll get us drinks. Dana, can you come with me?”
“Sure.”
The two walked away while Claudia muttered harsh words under her breath, all directed at Peyton.
- Writer
