The Collector | 18+

【24】Beautiful Sight

He didn't reply right away, and I wondered if I'd been too candid. But it probably wasn't news to him. I'd made my interest in him as clear as he'd made his in me. It turned out I wasn't that interesting, though, since it had only been fleeting for him. Thinking of it allowed me to remember why I ought to hold a grudge in this situation. I refused to be someone's plaything, an airheaded idiot who'd let a man toy with her in such a careless manner.

"I'm sorry I couldn't make it Saturday." I could hear that he meant it, traces of guilt lacing his apologetic tone. But that wasn't enough to dupe me, to gain my forgiveness.

I turned to him, meeting his eyes before he turned to the road again. "It's not that you couldn't make it—I'm not unreasonable, I get that things can happen and get in the way. The problem is that it 'slipped your mind,' that you had hours to warn me, and you didn't bother to do it. The problem is that you didn't even apologize afterward, not an explanation, not a text, not even a 'sorry.'"

"I'm apologizing now," he said after a moment.

"But it's too late. I know my worth, Mr. Westergaard, and I won't beg for scraps of attention or crumbs of affection. Whatever this was we were doing, that unspoken game that was going on, I'm done playing."

"Are you forfeiting, then?"

"You're the one who didn't understand the rules. The game was over the moment you treated me like trash."

"It wasn't my intention." There was no doubt that he was remorseful, so that helped with the rancor I felt. But the outcome was still the same.

"Better luck next time," I replied. Then, before he could get the wrong idea, I hurriedly added, "With another woman. Hopefully one that's more patient and forgiving than I am."

The rain outside had temporarily stopped, so between that and the electric engine, the silence that followed was thick and charged with uneasy tension. Part of me was glad that I'd gotten the opportunity to make things very clear between us, even before we'd reached his place. But I usually wasn't a vindictive person, so it felt wrong to be so harsh in my words, so resolute in my decision. It was for the best, though.

"I'm sorry I hurt you, Mila. I didn't realize my lack of consideration would be so hard on you."

"I'm not hurt," I lied, too prideful to admit it. "I just don't like feeling like an idiot. You blew it, yes, but it was stupid of me to expect too much. That's all in the past now. My visit here will remain strictly professional, and I hope you can respect that."

"It's fine by me."

It shouldn't have hurt, and I shouldn't have let it hurt, but there I was, sensing a twinge of pain in my chest. Maybe I wouldn't need to call Gigi after all. Not when he was perfectly fine keeping his distance from me.

"How far is the estate?" I asked, wondering how long I'd have to sit in this oppressing atmosphere.

"An hour and a half from the airport, two hours from Trondheim."

I nodded silently, turning to my window. Barely twenty minutes had passed since we'd left the airport; which meant the worst had yet to come. Well, as Gigi had said, it was big girl's pants time.

I'd worked too hard for my career to risk compromising it all by acting unprofessionally. No way I'd be a bitch to one of the museum's biggest donors and get fired. It didn't matter if he'd started it first.

Compared to him, I had a lot more to lose.

***

Despite my high expectations, the Westergaard estate was even bigger than I'd anticipated. After we passed the secured gate, which was a good fifteen minutes off the main road, we drove uphill for ages, on a well-maintained path bordered by pine trees. The sun had already set, and the last of the daylight was slipping away, the sky rapidly fading into night. So, when the dense forest cleared, it was the lights inside that allowed me to spot the house for the first time. If that could even be called a house...