Silence fills the room for a couple of seconds. I’m thinking of a reason to divert his attention.
“The painting!” I cry. “Uh... the girl in the painting, she’s beautiful. Who is she?” I ask, then swallow hard, praying he won’t remember what I’ve just said.
How can I be so stupid? One doesn’t make comments expressing admiration for such a dangerous person. How could I even say those words so quickly? All I wanted was to know why he was hiding from the world when he had nothing to be ashamed of.
His expression is annoyed. He stares at me with a questioning look, then takes a deep breath.
“I could fire you right away for being too nosy. You’d better be thankful that the information you have won’t make you a jobless newbie.”
Wow! I exclaim mentally. Am I supposed to thank him then? It was
