Chapter 32 She Wants to Ruin Stargaze Gallery and Autumn!
For the next two days, Rachel didn't get a call from Maeve. She felt a bit let down, but she wasn't devastated.
It made sense that Maeve didn't trust her.
The day before the 6th, Rachel and the Stargaze Gallery management team did a thorough inspection of all four exhibition areas and the storage room.
Early the next morning, she got to Stargaze Gallery and held a staff meeting on the second floor.
The exhibition would run for seven days.
The first day was expected to draw a big crowd because Autumn would be there only for the first day. There would also be media coverage and another renowned art professor, Cressida Hamilton, would attend.
Cressida had a mentor-like relationship with Autumn. She had publicly expressed her desire to take Autumn as a student, admiring her unique style.
This was Rachel's first time managing such a major art exhibition on her own. She felt both nervous and excited, her nerves on edge, not daring to relax for a moment.
Her main concern was safety.
After giving some instructions, she dismissed everyone to get to work.
The exhibition opened at 9:30 AM, and Autumn arrived at Stargaze Gallery at 8:30 AM.
She wore a black dress with a red coat over it, looking both elegant and striking.
"Who's this stunning lady?" Rachel teased.
Autumn raised an eyebrow. "Had breakfast yet?"
Rachel nodded. "Yeah, I did. You probably didn't."
Autumn wasn't a breakfast person; she usually just had a cup of coffee in the morning.
Autumn smiled, glancing around. "Everything running smoothly?"
"Smoothly. I'll call the media to check when they'll get here."
Rachel had been busy since she arrived at Stargaze Gallery.
It was going to be a long day.
After making four or five calls to confirm details, she asked, "When's Ms. Hamilton arriving?"
"Around ten. She got to Dawnlight City yesterday. I offered her to stay at my place, but she insisted on a hotel."
"Should we pick her up?"
"No need. She's perfectly capable and has an assistant with her. Her daughter's here too."
Rachel nodded. Just as she was about to take a sip of water, her phone buzzed with a message notification.
She paused, picked up her phone, and read the message: [Danger! The screws on the acrylic panel in the third row of Section C have been loosened by Nancy. At 10:27, it will fall and injure Cressida, sending her to the ICU. This will be caught by the media and become a trending topic, completely ruining Stargaze Gallery and Autumn's future!]
The cup slipped from her hand.
A chilling fear surged from her feet to her head.
Complete ruin!
Nancy wanted to destroy Stargaze Gallery and Autumn!
"Rachel, what's wrong?"
Autumn, sitting on the sofa, was startled by the falling cup. Seeing Rachel's shocked and distressed expression, she quickly got up and helped her away from the broken glass.
"What's wrong? Rachel, don't freak out, I'm here." Autumn tried to comfort her.
Rachel slowly regained her composure. Seeing the genuine concern in Autumn's eyes, she tried to speak but couldn't make a sound.
For Rachel, Autumn was more than a friend. She was like family.
And Stargaze Gallery held immense significance for her. It was founded by her mother, Joan, and represented her hopes and dreams.
She couldn't let Nancy destroy them!
Absolutely not!
Rachel rushed out of the office, took the elevator to the first floor, and headed to Section C. Autumn followed, asking twice what was going on, but Rachel didn't respond.
It wasn't that she didn't want to speak; it felt like her throat was stuffed with cotton, making it hard to breathe.
Section C featured acrylic panels creating a layered spatial effect, perfectly complementing Autumn's style.
The large acrylic panels numbered twelve, with twenty-eight paintings, some double-sided projections. Smaller panels formed forty-two artistic shapes.
Anyone entering would be awed by the design.
Stargaze Gallery had two curation teams, each with five members.
Section C wasn't Nancy's A team but the B team.
They had checked everything the night before, and there were cameras everywhere. Rachel couldn't understand how Nancy managed to sabotage it.
But with the exhibition about to start, she had no time to ponder. She had to find the loosened panel quickly.
The third row.
The acrylic panels were irregular, with several third rows. She had to check each one.
"Ms. Davis."
Staff members nodded as she passed.
Rachel ignored them, continuing her search.
Everyone exchanged puzzled looks.
Nancy, noticing the commotion from afar, felt a pang of unease. She hurried over, a guilty and panicked expression flashing across her face. She grabbed Rachel's arm. "Rachel, there's an issue with the lighting in Section B. Can you check it out?"
Rachel frowned, her anger burning away any rationality. Her cold, piercing gaze fixed on Nancy.
Her usually gentle voice was now icy. "If there's a problem, call the technician! Get out of my way!"