Chapter 37 Sabrina Sells Paintings
I headed out to the ballroom. Whatever Nicholas personally called me about had to be good.
When I arrived, a tall figure was waiting by the entrance. The cigarette in his hand got snuffed out the second he spotted me. He tossed the butt in a nearby trash can.
"You made it."
"So what's this big show?" I asked.
Nicholas chuckled and pulled out a little white rabbit mask, handing it over. Then he grabbed a fox mask for himself and put it on.
I raised an eyebrow. A masquerade ball? Interesting.
He led me up to the second floor first. From up here, you could see everything—the dance floor below was packed with people of all types spinning around in each other's arms.
I wasn't into the entertainment industry, but I recognized plenty of A-list celebrities down there. Couldn't quite believe my eyes.
"Nicholas, what kind of party is this?"
His lips pressed into a thin line. "Pretty low-class social mixer."
Worried I didn't get it, he added, "Lots of singers and actors need backing to make it big. Investors are key. This party? It's where everyone hunts for what they want."
Put more bluntly, this was a power-for-sex marketplace. Everyone here had an agenda. Rich businessmen and their spoiled kids wanted arm candy. Meanwhile, those picture-perfect stars had to grovel at their feet.
I nodded slowly, processing.
"Look over there." Nicholas suddenly pointed. I followed his gaze.
A familiar silhouette caught my eye. The woman had her side to me. When the colored lights swept over her face, I could make out a small cat mask.
I studied her carefully. Then it clicked.
I whipped around to stare at Nicholas in disbelief. "Sabrina?"
He nodded slightly. "The people I had watching the Rosewood family reported she came here. So I followed. Looks like Sabrina brought some paintings with her."
His tone stayed calm, but my eyes went wide. I stared at Sabrina like a hawk.
Sure, celebrities came here for connections and opportunities. But why would Sabrina try to sell paintings at a place like this? Was she planning to hook some rich guys first, then use their networks to move the artwork?
I shared my theory with Nicholas. He smiled. "Catherine, parties like this get called 'Art Paradise' on the outside."
I blinked, confused. I rolled those words around in my mouth for a moment. Art?
My whole body tensed. "So you're saying it's not just celebrities? Anyone connected to art can come here?"
"Exactly. If your talents are appealing enough, you can trade them for whatever you want."
That sounded pretty exaggerated. But coming from Nicholas, it carried weight somehow.
He took my hand. "Want to get a closer look?"
His warm palm sent heat radiating through my whole body. My instinct was to pull away.
Nicholas turned to look at me seriously. "Catherine, I can't stand the thought of other people eyeing you like that."
Way too direct. I glanced down at the chaotic scene on the dance floor and moved closer to him instead. Without Nicholas's protection, I'd probably get harassed. I came to watch Sabrina's drama unfold, not to make things worse for myself.
Nicholas started pulling me toward the stairs.
"Hold on." I met his confused look, pulled out my phone, opened the camera, zoomed in, and waited for the perfect moment when the lights hit just right.
Click.
My finger and my heart pressed the shutter at the same time.
When I checked the photo, I was pretty surprised. Nicholas leaned in to look too.
In the shot, some guy had gotten really close to Sabrina. His hand was shamelessly planted on her thigh. And Sabrina, wearing that little cat mask, was holding up a painting to show him. The frame was cut off, but I could vaguely tell it was one of Michael's pieces.
"Nice shot," Nicholas commented with a half-smile.
My lips curved up too. An evil thought popped into my head. What would Sabrina's reaction be if she saw this photo? Selling paintings by playing dirty—wonder how Michael would feel about that?
Nicholas squeezed my hand. "Come on. Let's hear her sales pitch."
I nodded obediently. I knew Nicholas wasn't the type to chase drama for fun. He just wanted to take me to watch Sabrina humiliate herself.
We casually positioned ourselves near Sabrina, close enough to hear their conversation clearly.
The man's voice was greasy as hell. "Baby, how much to get your contact info?"
Sabrina's posture went all coy. "Sir, I'm here to sell my art~"
I felt nauseous. What part of Sabrina's body was producing that sickeningly sweet voice?
"I know that, babe. Just want your info so when you finish new pieces, I can be first in line to buy them."
"Well, first you need to buy this one I've got."
"No problem. One million. That work?"
"Sir, this painting took me a whole week! My hands are still sore."
The man naturally grabbed her hand, rubbing it slowly. "Aww, breaks my heart, sweetheart. One point five million."
Sabrina knew when to quit while she was ahead. She gradually pulled her hand back. "How are you paying?"
The guy's smile was lecherous, but he still transferred her the money.
After conning that one, Sabrina excused herself to the restroom. I thought she was leaving, but Nicholas gestured for me to stay patient.
Before long, that guy had found himself a new "baby." And Sabrina came back with another painting, targeted a different mark, used the same script and tactics.
Watching it all made me feel cold inside. To survive, she really would stop at nothing. She was willing to come to places like this and let creepy old men grope her.
I felt a weird sort of respect for Sabrina's determination.
"Let's go," Nicholas said, seeing I'd lost interest. He led me out.
We got in Nicholas's car. After the cold air hit me for a while, I finally snapped out of everything I'd just witnessed.
Drunken decadence. Everyone taking what they needed. In my past life, I'd spent most of my time either at the Rosewood house or in hospitals. I'd been completely clueless about the outside world. What I'd just seen left quite an impact.
Nicholas looked concerned. "Catherine, did that freak you out?"
"No. I'm just fascinated." How had Sabrina, pampered since childhood by four doting brothers, even learned about places like this?
My mind raced. Sabrina was way more complicated than I'd given her credit for.
"What are you planning to do with that photo?" Nicholas's question interrupted my thoughts.
Right. I still had that photo. I pulled out my phone, found Sabrina's contact, and smoothly hit send.
"Show it to the star of the show, obviously."
The answer came out without thinking. Then I realized that might've sounded bad. I carefully glanced at Nicholas, trying to read his expression. Weirdly, the gesture didn't feel awkward at all.
"Nicholas... do you think I'm a terrible person?"