"Oh, you're trying to be scheming?" Duke got to his feet and stood behind Rowan. Even if Rowan trembled at what could have been a violent exchange, Duke only wrapped his arms around Rowan's waist and placed his chin on the other's shoulder. He then whispered.
"Don't play games with me, Rowan. I'm a little obsessive. I don't like getting entertained and then left halfway." He pressed his lips on Rowan's neck. "I can smell something burning."
Burning? Rowan twitched and noticed that the seeds were indeed getting darker than they should be. He quickly pulled the pan away from the fire. "Ah, shit…!"
His shock and added strength to holding the pan made his body jerk. To compensate, his other hand jerked at the same degree as the first hand. However, he only had a wooden spoon in it—not a heavy frying pan. Needless to say, it smacked Duke right in the eye.
Rowan's eyes bulged at the accident and how Duke groaned at the hit. "Oh, my God! I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to hit you!"
"Liar…" Duke detached an arm from Rowan and consoled his right eye. He still laughed, however. "I'm mean? Rowan is meaner."
…
The scent of the air freshener was quite too strong when Duke first opened it. Rowan busied himself with his thoughts on it more than anything else. The car's interior was also very dark, aside from the streaks of green and red across it. Was it the current trend in the cars from the capital?
Duke was driving casually toward a place. He only glanced at Rowan just to see if the other was doing something strange again. Then again, the other guy had been obedient and reserved. There was no way Rowan would do something outrageous.
When they reached the special place, Rowan wondered why Duke took him to what seemed to be a rather shady building. He looked at the other man who only walked into it without a care. Rowan followed Duke and took in the views of the tall reception hall. It was dark and only dimly lit by a few balls of light. The floor was also reflective enough for him to see himself on it.
The decorations were composed of stone and wood carvings. However, Rowan could see how mediocre they were at a closer look. Was that why the hall was so dark? So, no one would notice that the décor was not of display or exhibition standard?
"Duke, you're early… if the appointment was tomorrow." The receptionist snorted at the arrival of the doctor. He then jerked a thumb toward a direction. "Client's already here. She's standing around with Sir Wellington and Reeva."
"That's strange. We're supposed to meet an hour later." Duke chuckled and checked the clock nearby. He was so sure he was an hour earlier than the supposed meeting. He then turned to Rowan. "Rowan, let's go. Hm, leave the sculptures alone."
Rowan didn't say anything and walked toward the direction Duke took. He followed behind the man through a side hall and saw the walkway of the gallery. Yes, Rowan was now very sure that they were in an art gallery that seemed to be hosting things done by non-artists. He wondered why they even bothered building an art gallery if they were not asking an artist to do the artworks.
At the end of the hallway, Rowan stopped upon seeing how Duke did so. The other man faced him, combed his hair, and smoothed his suit. Duke chuckled. "Please be more well-behaved inside, okay? I have no idea how many people would be after you if you said the wrong things."
"Okay. I won't talk unless asked. I won't tell a story, just answer enough." Rowan sighed. He recited quite a mantra he had when attending meetings as Scott's secretary.
"I'll just buy you ice cream or whatever you want to eat later." Duke laughed before knocking on the door. "We're here."
The door opened, and it was an exhibit hall where some more paintings were on display. Rowan didn't seem to recognize those as Duke's works… simply because they were levels better than what Duke could produce. Moreover, those were actually good enough to be on display.
Could it be that those paintings used to be drawn by a real artist? What happened to that person?
Rowan's gaze fell onto the center and saw a group of people crowding around an easel with a covered painting. The lady from yesterday was there, along with that short man Rowan met. There was another lady, but she was more focused on checking the ends of her hair.
Reeva stood with an old man with a slightly bent back, but he had a cane in his hand. Both of them were in respectable suits, and it looked strange to Rowan. He knew Reeva had a very rebellious look, but that slender man could actually turn into a gentleman. How wild.
"Hm, Duke, sorry." Another woman was there. She had a ruffled blouse and a tight cream skirt. Her blonde hair was pulled into a loose bun, and she had long acrylic nails. "Curator Schulz said the piece I asked for was greatly different from what I had in mind. However, it was worth the money I already gave. Shall we see it all together?"
"What kind of good thing can come from Duke's hands?" Trigger, the short man, scoffed at the side. However, his head was cupped by Locket. It even looked like she was warning him from talking again.
Reeva chuckled as he started unveiling the covered painting. "You won't be disappointed, Ms. Dolly."
That was his promise, but Gwen Dolly didn't take it to heart. She knew how talented these people were, but none of them had an affinity with the arts. It's just that when the cover was pulled off, her smile froze on her face. Everyone's expectant faces dropped as they saw the exquisite painting that Duke had delivered to them.
Gwen's eyes flickered before she looked at Duke again. "Duke, did you…? Wait, this isn't yours, right? I mean… there's no way."
"Is it beautiful?" Duke smiled and walked closer, leaving Rowan to stand where he did. "Didn't you ask for a haunting image?"
"Yes…" Gwen stared at the painting again. She asked for a painting in black and gray with a few accents of color. The painting was supposed to be a new addition to her display, just so people wouldn't think her business didn't boom despite the money pouring in and out of her pockets. It was also going to be a centerpiece that would deter people from looking at it.
That was what she asked for. However, what she got was the opposite.