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Dear Miss Ava Fairchild,
I am contacting you today to request your professional appraisal services for a piece of art. I have recently acquired two impressionist paintings and wish to sell them. However, due to their historical nature, I am in need of further reference as to the appropriate buyer.
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I grinned. Maybe this was something that could take my mind off of Bastian.
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The pieces in question are one by Claude Monet, as well as a smaller piece by Berthe Morisot, both with photos attached. There are several museums and several other interested buyers, but due to a lack of time and knowledge I am unable to determine the best location for this artwork. As such, I am requesting your services.
It will take 6-8 weeks to meet with all the museums and possible buyers. All expenses, including airfare, food, and lodging in the various museum locals, is included, as well as payment for taking you away from your business.
Included is the list of museums and their locations. I understand that this is a large undertaking, one that will force you to learn about the museums wishing to purchase said piece as well as any collections it may join.
Please contact Charlotte Page with any questions. She will follow up with you at a later date to arrange your transportation to New York to view the pieces as well as your international itinerary.
Sincerely,
Sebastian Belrose
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My hands shook. I could barely hold the paper as I turned to the next page. A picture of Berthe Morisot's A Corner of the Rose Garden painting fluttered to floor followed by one of Monet's Water Lilies.
I went to my knees to retrieve it, staring at one of the most famous pictures in art history as well as the one Bastian had claimed as his favorite before looking at the list of potential buyers. The Louvre, Musée d'Orsay, the Marmottan-Monet Museum, and a whole page of others that I couldn't read because my eyes started to blur. I couldn't breathe. This was everything I had always dreamed of. This was the trip my mother and I had spent years hours upon hours dreaming of before she died, with more than we could have ever hoped to have seen.
And Bastian had just given it all to me with a billionaire's all-access pass. He had actually been paying attention to me that night I had told him about Paris. He had remembered.
“Ava?” Dad called, his chair creaking as he stood and then hurried over to where I sat on the floor. “Ava, are you all right?”
I handed him the letter, my mouth opening and closing like a fish and making about as much noise. Dad skimmed the letter, his eyes going bigger with every paragraph.
“Holy mother...” he finally whispered, handing the letter back to me. He grinned and started to laugh. I just sat, still in shock. “It's everything you and your mom used to talk about. You have to do it, Ava.”
I let out a sob and quickly covered my mouth. “Why would Bastian do something so wonderful for me? Why? I don't deserve someone like him.”
“Bullshit,” Dad contested, wrapping me up in his arms and hugging me tight. “You deserve someone who makes you happy.”
“But...” I couldn't wrap my head around it. Why would Bastian do this? I had hurt him. I had pushed him away because he deserved someone better than me, yet here he was, giving me the best gift I had ever received. He still cared about me.
“Aw, honey, that man obviously cares a great deal about you,” Dad cooed, as if reading my mind. “This would have taken some time to set up. There's a lot of names on this list that aren't easy to get private access too. He pulled some serious strings.”
“But why?”
Dad hugged me tighter. “If I had to guess, between this, the not-so-secret looks the two of you were passing back and forth before I left, and that the two of you spent a week alone in his mansion, I think he loves you.”
I had been hoping Dad hadn't caught on that much, but I was a grown woman. I hiccuped and wiped my nose. “But Dad, he's a billionaire. What do I have that a billionaire would want?”
He hugged me tighter. “Everything.
“What?” I sniffled.
“Everything.” Dad smiled at me, his green eyes full of love. “You are smart and beautiful. Even as a billionaire, he's still just a man. A man who obviously wants you to be happy.”
I looked at the letter. Bastian had gone above and beyond, giving me my heart's desire. And without asking for anything in return. Even far away, he was still making my world better.
“But...” My heart was thrilling and weeping at the same time. Bastian cared for me, but it wasn't asking me to be with him. He was still giving me what I had asked for, but giving me my dreams at the same time. It was a pure act of giving and expecting nothing in return. The only reason to send this letter was to make me happy. Even if I wasn't with him.
“Do you love him?” Dad asked, putting his hands on my shoulders and studying my face.
“I...” I closed my eyes and thought for a moment. The past few days had passed in a gray haze of unhappiness. Just thinking about him made color come back to my world. I nodded.
“I thought so,” Dad said quietly. He smiled. “I thought he might be the reason.”
“The reason?” I asked. “What do you mean?”
“The reason you've been a different person the past few days. You sounded so happy out on the island, happier than I've ever heard you, but you've just been fading since you came home.” He hugged me close. “A father can tell.”
“What do I do?” I whimpered. I wiped my eyes with my shirt sleeve and looked at Dad. “He doesn't exactly live just down the street. I can't just waltz on to the island and up to his house to tell him how I feel.”
“Why not?” Dad asked. “Go to the island and tell him you love him.”
“The auction is by invite only, and I made sure to get myself uninvited. I basically told him I never wanted to see him again.” I hung my head in shame. Without a ticket, I would be lucky to get past the security guards at the airport, let alone the ones at the mansion. I had a feeling Bastian would have far more security than just Elijah working for an event as big as this one.
“We'll come up with something,” Dad promised. “I want to see you happy. If I have to sell my car to buy you an invite, then I'll walk to the grocery store.”
“Thanks, Daddy,” I whispered. He hugged me closer.