Pampered by my Billionaire CEO Husband

The confidence and certainty in my voice must have gotten everyone’s attention as they were all now looking right at me, waiting for me to utter the next few words. I could see the excitement and anticipation swimming in their eyes while some simply looked confused and puzzled.

Chatter and buzz filled the air as everyone began to whisper among themselves and speculate what was going to happen next. A smirk morphed itself onto my lips and my eyes gleamed with determination from before.

"As you can see, my painting is badly destroyed out of rage," I began and watched as people nodded, some even showing sympathy. "But, that’s not the end of it," I declared and Xavier pulled me aside and murmured next to my ear.

"Aurelia, what are you going to do?" He questioned, his voice laced with a hint of curiosity and confusion as a puzzled look was etched onto his face.

I glanced over at him for a second, "You’ll find out," I said as my lips cracked a smile and my dark eyes twinkled with amusement. I turned back to face the crowd that surrounded us. "I am going to fix this painting right here in front of all of you in an hour," I declared with certainty and from the corner of my eyes, I watched as a proud smile appeared on his face.

A rippled of chatter and whispers spread through the crowd once again, drifting from one person to another as excitement and anticipation lingered in the air.

"What? Is she really going to do it?" One questioned with wide eyes. "That painting is absolutely destroyed! It would be a miracle if she could save it."

"Exactly! It would be crazy if she could fix it in days, weeks or even months... much less in an hour."

I didn’t let their doubts get to me, instead the smile on my face grew wider and I was determined to prove them wrong. This was my chance to shine and make it right as an aspiring artist, in hopes that someone would notice my efforts and that it would finally pay off after so many years.

This was going to be my break-through.

I turned to find myself locked eyes with Xavier.

"What do you need?" He asked.

"Paint, glue and brushes. Anything you can find here."

He flashed me a charming smile. "You got it."

It didn’t take long before he appeared with all the things I had just asked for. Placing it neatly on the tiny table placed beside the easel we found from the storage room behind the exhibition hall. I stood up from my seat and planted a kiss on his cheek, mumbling a soft ’thank you’ before I settled back down with a serious look etched onto my face.

One of the workers who offered to keep time stood beside me. "Mrs Holt, your one hour begins now."

I quickly picked up the paint brush and began filling up the gaps and paint that were scrapped off after what Estella had done. My brows were knitted together with immense concentration as I continued to paint without caring that everyone’s eyes were now fixed on me.

Picking up the broken pieces that were once lying on the ground, I slowly pieced them back together carefully, leaving some gaps between the pieces, causing some people to raise their brows in confusion.

"Why would she..."

"What is she doing...?" Another questioned.

Soon, whispers began to rise from the crowd once again but I continued what I was doing until I heard the count down.

"And 3... 2...1. Time’s up, Mrs Holt."

I gazed at my work with a smile lingering on my lips as a wave of satisfaction washed over me. I gently set my brush and glue back down on the table and looked up to meet the judgemental yet curious stares.

"You didn’t fix it at all, it’s still broken!" One pointed out loudly.

I smiled. "It is broken isn’t it?" I repeated calmly. "That’s exactly what I wanted it to be."

Murmurs continued to fill the air and confusion was evident on their faces.

"Look closely. I fixed the painting. The background, it’s perfect. The sun still shines brightly down onto the flower field. The people and children are still laughing and playing in the grass," I paused as silence lapsed among us all. "I didn’t piece everything back together perfectly like it used to be because I realised something. The world may look perfect but it was all just a facade."

I went on to explain. "The world is breaking apart. For many reasons. The wars, climate change, acceptance of others and so much more. We need to do something about it before it’s all too late. And that was why I didn’t fix it all up, I wanted to reflect this in my art."

Gasps of awe and admiration rose from the crowd, as people began to clap softly at first before it erupted into a full applause. I was now grinning from ear to ear as I gazed into the crowd. Everyone else blurred into the background and I locked eyes with Xavier who was looking at me with a proud look on his face and a huge smile that graced his lips.

It was at this moment when a familiar voice sliced through the air, breaking me out of my little reverie.

"Aurelia!" My name left the person’s lips and my eyes were busy scanning the crowd, looking for a familiar face. Then it finally landed on Natalie who was standing among the crowd, was she here the entire time?

"Mrs Lloyd...?" I muttered under my breath, a look of surprise crossed my face as we locked eyes from a distance. "What are you doing... here...?"

"I came down to check out the art exhibition after I heard about it. I’m so proud of you, I love your work," she complimented with a smile lingering on her lips as she stepped forward to get closer to me. "Can I purchase it from you?"

I blinked a couple of times as my mind tried to register the words that just left her lips. "You what?" I finally blurted out. "You want to purchase my work? Are you serious?"

She let a laugh slip through the gaps of her fingers. "Yeah, of course I am serious."

Before I could say another word, another voice reached my ears.

"You should be happy that someone appreciates your work, it’s not easy to find people like this these days." My eyes found the older woman standing among the crowd, dressed elegantly in a dark blue long dress and her light blonde hair pulled back neatly into a sleek bun. I watched as her lips curved upwards into a demure smile. "I admire what you just did right there. I work for Artistry Atelier, and I would like to invite you to an interview, what do you say?"

***

That was how I found myself sitting in a chair in one of those dressing rooms, getting ready to go on stage for my live interview.

"All done," the hair and makeup artist who was helping me said with a cheery smile on her face.

I let a smile fall on my lips, "Thank you, Carina."

It was at this moment when Xavier came up from behind. He leaned in closer to murmur next to my ear, "Hi, my gorgeous girlfriend," he greeted me with a smile on his lips and sneaked a kiss on my cheek, making the smile on my face grow wider.

I turned around to face him. "Hey, babe."

"How are you feeling?"

"To be honest... nervous," I confessed as my heart raced inside my chest. "I mean, it is my first time appearing on live television in front of a crowd, what if I mess up? What if I embarrass myself somehow?"

He let a low chuckle emerge from his throat as he placed his hand on my head and looked down at me with a comforting smile etched onto his face. "You will be fine, Aurelia," he reassured me in his soft and gentle tone. "I will be out there, among the audience, in the first row. I’m so proud of you. You deserve this, and so much more."

I smiled, "Thank you."

I felt a tap on my shoulder and an unfamiliar voice interrupted us. "Aurelia Wilder, get ready to go on stage in 5 minutes."

"Right, okay. I’m coming," I said as I hopped off the chair and gave Xavier a quick kiss on the lips, before I followed behind the lady.

"I will see you outside," he mouthed.

Before I knew it, I was up on the stage in front of about at least a hundred people or so. I masked my nervousness with a smile and when I locked eyes with Xavier in the sea of people, I felt myself relax a little, while still keeping my posture.

"Aurelia Wilder!" My name left the lips of the host, her voice laced with a hint of excitement. "We saw what you did at the art exhibition yesterday, and we were impressed. Could you tell us more and walk us through your thought process?"

I smiled, but just as I opened my mouth and was about to say something, a loud voice interrupted me, piercing through the air.

"Aurelia, you should be ashamed of yourself!"