Aurora had left her breakfast half-eaten after her argument with Logan. She remained in the care room for the rest of the day, even after Sophia declared her stable. Adam stayed with her, though Aurora seemed lost in her thoughts most of the time.
The one time she remembered he was in the room, she invited him to cuddle with her on the window seat and spoke to him briefly.
"Micino, you understand why I did what I did, don't you?"
When silence met her question, she continued. "I would do the same and more to protect you, my love." She said, holding him tighter.
He knew she meant it; Aurora valued her promises. He had come to learn that about her from the promises she made to him and others over the last two weeks.
"I know, Mom. But Dad's right. I don't think Sammy wants to be away from her parents."
A defeated sigh escaped her lips. "Even though they hurt her? Even though her mother is mean to her?"
"I know she doesn't like those things, but I don't think she hates her parents for it."
"They will keep hurting her."
This time, Adam squeezed his mother tightly. "Maybe...she will want to leave them if you adopt her."
"I can't adopt her, micino." She said softly.
"Why not? You're already going to adopt me."
Aurora smiled sadly at him. "You're different."
172Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpkpk5ejLpE
Adam watched as Logan paced the foyer anxiously. Logan had avoided Aurora after breakfast, even going so far as to get ready an hour before her. Now he kept stealing glances at the staircase as he paced the open area. When Aurora finally appeared, he stopped pacing and watched as she approached him.
Logan picked up her hand and kissed it. "I'm sorry for losing my temper with you."
Aurora shook her head. "I thought about what you said. Maybe I did rush into action without thinking about Samantha's feelings."
Aurora gently brushed her fingers against her husband's lips. She cast a sad look at Adam before turning back to Logan. "I know you and Carl are close. I'll try to make it up to him. I'm sorry I put you in a difficult position."
"You meant well." Logan said, taking her hand and placing it over his heart. "Do you still have plans for Nikolaev?"
She nodded. "Because of me, everything fell apart. It will be a fresh start for us."
Adam smiled as he watched his parents reconcile; their disagreements made him uneasy. The boy let out a sigh of relief as the tension building in his chest evaporated.
"Now that you two have kissed and made up, can we go?" Sophia asked indifferently.
"No need to be jealous, Sophia. You and Michael will—"
"Ssshh," Aurora hissed, pinching Logan's arm, panic etched on her face.
"I see my personal affairs make it into your pillow talk." Sophia glared angrily at Aurora.
"Sorry." Aurora shouted apologetically after Sophia as she stormed out of the house.
The ride to the gallery was uncomfortable. Sophia, obviously very upset, drove fast and recklessly. She took corners at speeds that made the family slide in their seats and braked suddenly a few times, causing them to jerk forward. From her demeanour, Adam noted to never to talk about any Michael in front of her. He wondered whether Sophia's Michael was their driver.
Like the previous day, the gallery was packed full of guests. While yesterday was a closed event, today the exhibition was semi-open. The invited guests had gathered at the gallery for a cocktail party, just like yesterday. However, today they were allowed to place bids on select pieces.
Adam watched the auction with amusement. It started out civilly at first, as adults raised their hands in the air in quick succession. Gradually, some of them started shouting and waving cheques as they tried to outbid the competition.
A grumpy old woman glared at everyone who raised the bid on a painting she wanted. The two paintings she wanted the most were won by Nikolaev. She was so furious the second time that Aurora and Rochelle had to pull her aside and try to placate her. Eventually, the woman calmed down and seemed the happiest at the end of the auction, despite not winning any bids.
Following the auction, many of the invited guests took their leave, and the exhibit was opened to the public. People began pouring through the doors; the security and Rochelle's assistants limited the number of people coming into the gallery to avoid overcrowding.
172Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzqfClSPPS2
"You'll do fine." Aurora said reassuringly as she fixed Logan's jacket. "Adam and I are with you, right, micino?"
Adam smiled mischievously. "I don't know, Mom; Dad looks like he's about to run away. Are we helping him with Nikolaev, or are we helping him runaway?"
"Go ahead, laugh, mister."
Aurora hugged Adam, pressing her forehead against his. "I've missed this playful side of you."
"You said I could be me tonight."
"Yes, I think we have a better chance of winning Nikolaev over if we just be genuine."
Logan patted Adam's head as he stepped closer to his wife and son. "Why do you say that?"
"The Bellis' tried to approach him earlier, but he ignored them."
Logan scoffed and shook his head. "So be ourselves?"
"Yes."
172Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKBSPq2B1X8
The Jordahl family walked among the guests slowly; they were headed directly for Oleg Nikolaev, but they mingled occasionally with other guests as they zigzagged their way forward.
"Here she is." Rochelle said excitedly, indicating to Aurora.
Rochelle stepped towards Aurora and took her hand as she led her to the Russian. "Mr. Nikolaev, this is Mrs. Jordahl, my patroness."
Nikolaev shook Aurora's hand firmly, the gesture catching her off guard as she shot him a bewildered look, which quickly gave way to a smile. Nikolaev's accent was almost perfectly English, although he did speak distinctively slower. The two exchanged greetings, and Rochelle went on to explain that Nikolaev not only won two paintings in the auction but also bought several more from the charity list.
When Aurora complimented his preference of art, Nikolaev laughed boisterously, "You also have excellent taste as a patron, Mrs. Jordahl."
"Thank you. Though, as a family, I think we all appreciate Rochelle's work." She turned to Logan and Adam with her hand stretched out, inviting them closer. "My husband was behind the building's architecture. And our son has also taken a liking to painting; he will start an apprenticeship with Rochelle once he improves."
"Oh? Mr. Jordahl." Nikolaev stretched out his hand and shook Logan's. "The layout of the ground floor works well for the gallery displays. Not only that, the roof design and upper floor layout invite more natural light in. You do indeed have an eye for art."
"I had to do my best to win my wife over." Logan said, affectionately looking at Aurora.
Aurora blushed and turned away from Logan with a soft chuckle. Nikolaev gave a slight nod at the couple as he sipped his drink.
"And you, young man, are trying your hand at the art as well. What are your thoughts?"
Adam looked at Rochelle and smiled widely. "Ms. Arnaud is really passionate about art; you can see it in her work. Her paintings feel alive, like you're in the moment. Like, you get a different feeling from every painting; they're not just paint on canvas."
Adam's statements had genuinely surprised his parents and Rochelle as they stared at the boy with raised brows and mouths agape. Nikolaev, in turn, chuckled and nodded at the boy. "You are observant, boy. You are lucky to have such patrons, Ms. Arnaud."
"Indeed, I am."
The adults continued talking, leaving Adam feeling left out. The boy quietly retreated to his mother's side. He glanced around the gallery several times, watching the visitors come in and circle around them before leaving. He started to feel lost standing behind his parents. Aurora usually kept a hand on him, but all of her focus was on Nikolaev and Logan's interactions.
Despite the good start at the beginning, Logan was struggling to keep the conversation going with the Russian. Aurora had to step in a few times when he couldn't answer or redirect the conversation to topics favourable to him. Adam was aware of his parents unease and desperation.
"Hey Mr. Nikolaev, are you part of the mafia?" The boy chimed in excitedly when the conversation reached an awkward pause.
Nikolaev's eyes twitched as he looked at the boy and his parents. Logan, Aurora, and Rochelle were visibly shaken by Adam's question.
"Adam!" Logan softly admonished.
"Life is not like the drama of the TV." Nikolaev said with a chuckle.
"So you're not?" The boy asked dejectedly.
"No, I was in the military and share a brotherhood with my old comrades. But no mafia."
Adam opened his mouth to speak again, but Aurora's quiet, stern tone stopped him.
"Piccolo."
The boy met his mother's stare and understood that he'd crossed a line. "Sorry," he apologised with his head down.
"It's alright." Nikolaev reassured. He turned to Adam's parents. "Children will be curious; as parents, we can only watch over them. My own visits here are due to my children's curiosity."172Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqSCE9IeZme
