Reject My Alpha President (Iris and Arthur)

"Hello!" I say cheerfully to a woman who's passing by. "Can I interest you in a-"

The woman ignores me, her heels clicking as she hurries past.

I sigh, but shake it off and turn to the next person. "Can I interest you in a Flora original? Just three hundred dollars!"

The man, wearing a leather jacket and jeans, stops and raises an eyebrow. "Three hundred dollars? For that?"

"It's a Flora original," I reply with a smile.

"Who the hell is Flora?"

"She's an up and coming artist. She had an exhibition recently at Marsiel Gallery."

"Where?"

"Nevermind..."

And so it goes for the next hour and a half. If anyone stops to look, it's fleeting and often filled with rude comments. Hardly anyone knows who 'Flora' is, and if they do, they think I'm a poser trying to pawn off a fake.

I'm about to give up when a young, slender woman with bright auburn hair and a wealthy air about her stops. "T give you one-fifty," she says by way of greeting. She's holding the cash in her hand already, and practically waves it in my face.

I hesitate, chewing my lip. That's half of what I was hoping to get, and even three hundred Ordan dollars is dirt cheap for a painting of this size.

But I'm desperate. So I accept the cash with a nod and hand her the painting. She struts off without even saying ' thank you'.

I sigh and sink down onto a nearby bench, counting the cash. It's all there, I suppose, but I'll need to produce twice as many paintings at this rate if I'm going to earn the same amount I was hoping for. And that's just to be able to afford the legal consultation at Brooks & Lee.

"Iris?"

The sound of a familiar voice has me looking up. The curator from Marsiel, Alice, is standing there with a cup of coffee in hand. She glances at me, then the cash in my hands, and the woman walking away with the painting.

"Alice," I say, quickly shoving the money in my pocket. "Fancy seeing you here."

"I thought you went back to Bo'Arrocan," she says.

I swallow. "I... was going to," I reply. "But something happened, and now I'm staying here for the time being."

She nods toward the woman with the painting. "Selling paintings on the street?" "Strapped for cash," I admit sheepishly, running my hand over my braid.

Alice stares at me for a moment almost incredulously before she takes a seat next to me. "Why didn't you contact me? I could help you sell some art if you're really in that much of a bind."

My eyes widen slightly. "I... I guess I thought I burned my bridges. Because of the contract and everything."

"Burned your bridges?" Alice giggles and shakes her head. "Iris, I love your work. I'd be willing to help you,

contract or no contract."

"Really?" I ask, my eyebrows shooting up.

Alice nods excitedly. "Yes! How long are you staying in Ordan?"

“Um..... I'm not really sure," I admit. "As of right now... indefinitely."

To my surprise, Alice looks unfazed. She stands, glancing at her watch. "I have to run, but tell you what-if you can produce five new pieces by that art opening we're holding in a little under two weeks, you can hang your art in the space."noveldrama

"But I can't afford hanging fees," I say softly.

"Forget the fees. If you sell anything, I'll just take a commission. You can keep the rest."

"Really?" I ask.

She nods and grins. "Really. Just have the work ready by then. And make sure it's better than the mud waffles."

I can't help but laugh, despite everything. "I will," I say, shaking Alice's hand.

"Thank you, Alice, You have no idea how much this means to me."

"It means a lot to Marsiel Gallery, too," she replies. "Your work really helped us, Alice; that lecture you gave brought a lot of business. Who knows-maybe we can work something out without your 'mysterious patron“.”

With that, Alice leaves, flashing me a wink over her shoulder. I blush a little, touched by her help. I don't feel like I deserve it, but it's a relief to know that I've got something to look forward to that doesn't involve Arthur or selling my art on the street. Even if it means I have to wait an extra two weeks before I can get legal help.

I hurry home after that, excited to get to work on my next five paintings. According

to Cliff, Miles is upstairs with Arthur when I arrive. But Cliff's face is a little tense for some reason.

When I get upstairs, I realize why: Selina is here.

But it's not just that. The painting I sold in the park is leaning against the wall, and Selina is smirking at me.