Chapter 52
Serena
Chloe burst out laughing—that full-body, can't-breathe kind of laugh that made her wine slosh dangerously in her glass.
"Oh my God!" She was actually wiping tears from her eyes. "Listen to yourself! 'The anticipation is half the fun'? 'A goal that's too easy isn't worth having'?" She gestured wildly with her wine glass. "You sound like some kind of predator stalking prey. Don't tell me your next move is to sleep with him and ghost him!"
"What? No!" But I was laughing too now, the tension from earlier finally breaking. "Are you insane? Have you seen him? That face? Those shoulders? That whole Greek-god-carved-from-marble situation he has going on?" I shook my head emphatically. "If I sleep with Lance Lawson, I'm absolutely keeping him. You don't throw away that kind of quality."
"Okay, that's fair." Chloe settled back down, her expression turning more serious. "But Serena, real talk for a second. I know you're having fun with this whole seduction plan, but..." She bit her lip. "The Lawson family isn't like other rich families. They're old money. Traditional. Arthur Lawson especially—he's all about bloodlines and social standing and making sure the family name stays pristine."
She leaned forward, her voice dropping. "Even if you manage to seduce Lance, even if he falls completely head-over-heels for you—and I'm not saying he won't, because you're amazing—getting him into bed is one thing. Getting him to introduce you to his grandfather as anything more than a casual fling? That's going to be exponentially harder."
"I know." I stared at my wine glass, watching the liquid swirl. "Arthur sounds like a nightmare. And then there's the whole awkward fact that my ex-boyfriend is Lance's nephew, which is going to make family dinners real fun."
"Exactly." Chloe's expression was sympathetic. "I'm not trying to discourage you. I just want you to go into this with your eyes open. The Lawsons aren't people you casually date. They're—"
"A dynasty. I get it." I looked up, meeting her eyes with a confidence I wasn't entirely sure I felt. "But here's the thing, Chloe. When I decide I want something? When I really, truly commit to getting it?" I smiled, sharp and determined. "God himself couldn't stop me. And right now, I want Lance Lawson."
I picked up my phone again, scrolling through my calendar. "Arthur's birthday gala is in less than two weeks. That's my shot. That's where I prove I'm not just some nobody he's sleeping with—I'm someone who belongs in his world."
"Okay, but how?" Chloe tilted her head. "You can't just walk in there and expect everyone to accept you. Arthur Lawson has probably already picked out Lance's future wife from some approved list of socialites."
"Which is why I'm going to bring him a gift he can't refuse." I set down my wine glass, my mind already racing through possibilities. "Something that proves I understand their world. That I have value beyond just being pretty or well-connected."
Chloe's eyes lit up with understanding. "You're going to use your art expertise."
"Exactly." I pulled up a search on my phone. "I heard Arthur Lawson is obsessed with Napoleon. Specifically, he has nearly complete collection from the coronation series. Do you know anything about that?"
"Oh God, everyone knows about that." Chloe laughed. "Arthur has been hunting for pieces from that series for decades. He's got everything except—" She paused, her expression shifting. "Wait. You don't mean the final piece?"
"The Coronation Moment: Final Study." I nodded. "The completed preparatory study that was supposedly destroyed during the war. If it still existed, it would be priceless."
"It doesn't exist," Chloe said flatly. "That painting is gone. Arthur's been looking for forty years."
"I know." I pulled up an auction listing on my phone, turning the screen toward her. "But tomorrow, Christie's is auctioning the preliminary sketch. The Coronation Moment: First Study. And if the final study is truly gone..." I let the implication hang.
Chloe's eyes widened as understanding dawned. "Then the first study becomes irreplaceable. The only surviving preparatory work for one of the most iconic paintings in history."
"Exactly." I smiled. "And for Arthur Lawson, who's spent four decades trying to complete his collection? That's not just a gift. That's a holy grail."
"Serena." Chloe grabbed my arm, her expression torn between excitement and concern. "Do you have any idea how much that's going to cost? Christie's estimates alone will be—"
"I'll figure it out." I waved off her concern, my mind already spinning through financing options. Eleanor's ten million dollar loan. My own savings. Maybe I could—
"You're insane," Chloe said, but she was grinning now. "Completely, beautifully insane."
"Probably." I picked up my wine glass in a mock toast. "But when I walk into that gala with the one thing Arthur Lawson has been hunting for forty years? When I hand him the key to completing his collection?"
I took a sip, savoring the moment. "Every other gift is going to look like garbage. And Lance?"
I smiled. "Lance is going to realize I'm not some nobody he picked up in a bar. I'm the woman who just became his grandfather's favorite person."
Chloe clinked her glass against mine. "I'm coming with you tomorrow. This auction I have to see."
"Deal." I glanced at my phone one more time, at those three question marks still sitting unanswered in my messages.