Chapter 69

Victor was correct. The first event we attended was an opening at the most prestigious art gallery in the city.

I always enjoyed seeing paintings and sculptures on public display in the city. So I was looking forward to it.

It was definitely not a jeans and T-shirt kind of event, so I wore an outfit from my closet that Jennifer had bought when I first moved into Alex‘s mansion.

The teal jumpsuit with rhinestone accents around the collar fit me perfectly. Paired with rhinestone studded kitten-heel sandals, Jennifer said I looked perfect.

The way Victor looked at me when he picked me up confirmed her opinion.

“That looks very nice on you,” he said. “And I like the way your hair is arranged to one side. You look very chic.”

“Thank you, Victor,” I said. “I hope my wardrobe holds out through the blitz of social engagements in the coming weeks.”

“It’s a good excuse to go shopping,” he teased. “You haven’t put much of a dent in your debit card balance yet.”

We arrived at the gallery and joined the crowd examining various paintings. I took Victor’s arm as we strolled among the artwork.

Playing art enthusiasts must be a popular Alpha pastime. I saw many of the same people who were at my ball.

Victor knew about art and appreciated the paintings more than most. He made me see the paintings differently than I had before.

It was amazing how they affected me in different ways and how each one evoked different emotions.

Some stunned me with their beauty, while others elicited fear or loneliness.

He explained some of the different types of painting styles and how this artist was famous for the Anamorphosis style.

It was fascinating when Victor explained how the artist used subtle changes of color tone to blend away sharp edges and create a balance between light and shadows.

“This artist also uses a faster drying oil that makes the colors more vibrant,” Victor explained when I stopped to examine a painting of a lake below a mountain.”

“This one is beautiful,” I said. “I could look at the details of this painting for hours and not be bored.”

“That’s a sign of a good painting,” Victor said. “They make you want to see more.”

I leaned over the velvet rope to examine a small sailboat floating on the water in the painting. I was delighted to spot small figures on the boat deck that I hadn’t noticed before.

Suddenly I was jostled and almost fell over one of the brass stanchions that held up the rope.

I turned to see a fortyish-looking male giving me a dirty look. “Watch where you’re going,” he said.

“I was just standing here looking at the painting,” I said without thinking. I was as confused as I sounded.

“You should stay out of the way,” he snapped before hurrying away.

“Another entitled Alpha,” I mumbled. They even mistreat each other.

“Are you okay, Daisy?” Victor asked. Do you want me to follow him and set him straight?”

I shook my head. “It’s not worth causing a scene over, but thank you.” I smiled. “Let’s see what other gorgeous paintings there are here.”

Victor patted my hand that I tucked into his arm again. “I’m glad you’re enjoying yourself. I was hoping you wouldn’t be bored.”

I gave him a grin. “Nope, not bored at all.”

“Then let’s see what masterpieces are on the other side of the room.”

We examined three more paintings before a business associate of Victor’s stopped us.

He smiled and nodded at me before speaking to Victor. “Can we talk somewhere private for a few moments, Victor? There is a glitch with the Halverson deal.”

“Of course,” he told the man. “Daisy, will you be alright for a few minutes?”

“Yes,” I said. “I’m thirsty, so I think I’ll go to the lobby and get a drink.”

Victor handed me a few bills. “Get me something too, and I’ll find you in the lobby in a few minutes.”

The lobby was luxurious, with high ceilings, red velvet wallpaper, and crystal chandeliers.

There were plush, red velvet couches and chairs scattered along the walls. It would be a nice place to sit with our drinks, so I got into one of the two lines for refreshments.

While examining the menu board to decide what drinks to get, a female a few years older than me pushed into line ahead of me.

Should I let it go? It was just a line for a drink.

“These Alphas are rude,” Diana said. “I can tell you’re not enjoying being among them, and I don’t blame you. I would rather be running through the woods.”

“I was enjoying the paintings,” I told her. “But you’re right about the Alphas. Many of them don’t possess the manners that they preach to others about having.”

While I was standing in line, I looked around me at some of the gorgeous artwork that was on display in the lobby from past shows.

A lovely statue of the Moon Goddess caught my attention near a group of older females standing in a circle talking.

One of them, who was wearing a costly dress, attempted to put her wallet back into her designer purse and dropped the wallet on the floor.

I waited a minute, but she didn’t notice she had dropped it.

So I left the line, went over to her, and picked her wallet up from the floor. But none of the women acknowledged me as I stood there waiting to hand the woman her wallet.

“Excuse me,” I said.

Several of the women looked at me as if they had caught me eavesdropping and then turned back to their conversation.

“Excuse me, please,” I said louder.

But they continue to ignore me.

“You need to get louder,” Diana advised. “You are trying to do one of them a favor. They have no right to act like this toward you.”

“And Victor will be back soon, and I’m not even in line for our drinks,” I added.

“You left the line to help one of them,” Diana said. “Just tap the owner of the wallet on the shoulder.”

I did as Diana said and was immediately sorry.

“Young woman, can’t you see we are talking,” the wallet owner snapped. “What do you want?”

I immediately got flustered. “I …I saw you… you drop this.” I held out the wallet to her.

“Thank you,” she said and took the wallet from my hand. She immediately went back to talking to her friends.

I felt Diana’s anger. “That was uncalled for,” Diana told me. “You shouldn’t let her get away with being rude to you. Say something to her, Daisy.”

Again, Diana made me feel more brave than I am. I pushed in sideways between her and another woman.

“Excuse me again, ma’am,” I said. “But how you acted toward me when I was simply trying to do a good deed was uncalled for.”

With a hand on my upper arm, she turned us both away from her friends to address me.

“Why do you think you have the right to advise any of us, your elders, on manners? Would you speak to your grandparents this way?”

“No, I'm sorry,” I murmured and walked away. I leaned against the wall as my legs began to shake.

She was right. I had been out of line. I should have just held the wallet up until she noticed it in my hand.

There were rules in our society that everyone followed. One of those was to respect your elders.

Diana whispered an apology for the bad advice, and I felt my face turn hot and red. It was a mistake I wouldn’t repeat.

I didn’t want Victor to know what I had done. He would be very disappointed in me. I didn’t even want to think about what I’d done, yet talk about it.

That’s when I saw him emerge from the crowd on the gallery floor. He wore a smile as he approached me.

“Did you get your drink?” he asked.

I shook my head. “No, and I would rather go somewhere else to get a drink or maybe just go home,” I said.

“What’s the matter, sweetheart?” he asked.

I couldn’t tell him the truth. What I had done was wrong, but fortunately, few people had seen it, and no one I knew was in the group of women.

“I’m getting a bad headache,” I said, which was partially the truth. My head was starting to hurt. “I need to get away from this crowd.”

Victor offered me his arm. “Then let’s take you home.”