Cat and Mouse game

Chapter Twelve

"Honey, you are here!" Liam exclaimed happily, throwing his arms around the man's neck. "I've just met another art enthusiast, and we got to talking about this painting."

Liam nodded, pointing at Elias. Santiago put his arm around Liam's waist in a possessive way and pulled him close. The agent did not hesitate and smiled brightly, bestowing his charm on the men.

"An art enthusiast, you say? Well, it's great to meet a like-minded person, who shares my interests!" Rhino slowly looked Elias up and down. It was a piercing, appraising look.

"I'm afraid I can't really call myself a like-minded person. Because... It's actually my first time seeing the work of this artist," Elias said, slowly running his hand through his hair.

Rhino took a quick glance at the painting in front of him.

"Hmm, Trudy Benson, right? I'm not a big fan of hers, although I've purchased some of her paintings that I like." The man paused for a moment, then returned his gaze to Elias and asked, "And what artists do you like?"

Earlier, Elias had wanted to tell Liam about it, answering his question. But it just slipped his mind when Vasquez appeared. He cleared his throat, struggling to think of any artist's name that he could mention in the current context. After all, this was his chance to catch Rhino's attention. To make him interested.

"Uh, I really enjoy Cy Gavin's art," Elias replied, as he finally remembered the name he had learned in the taxi.

"And you said you couldn't be called like-minded, huh!" Santiago said with a satisfied tone, as if he was giving Elias a compliment. "I am a great admirer of Cy Gavin's work too! You are definitely a man of good taste, I can safely say!"

"If you think so, then I'm very pleased to hear it," he smiled, pretending to be very flattered by Rhino's words.

"I wonder what your favorite painting of Gavin's is?" Santiago asked, continuing the conversation.

"I guess it's 'Study of a Sunset'. And there is another one of his paintings that I find beautiful, the one with a galaxy, in shades of blue. Unfortunately, I can't remember the exact title at the moment."

"I like those too!" the man exclaimed, getting more and more excited with each second. "By the way, the second one you mentioned doesn't have an official title. However, it is usually exhibited under the name 'Stars'."

"Ah, I see..." Elias pursed his lips together and nodded in appreciation for the man's 'illuminating' explanation.

"Darling, you see how great it is that we decided to meet up at the gallery today! Because of this, we were lucky to get to know a really interesting person who shares your passion for art. It's not every day that such an encounter happens!" Liam said with genuine delight.

With the memory of Liam's file in mind, Elias could tell for sure that this boy wasn't a bad person. He studied at the university and worked part-time as a model, and sometimes as an extra actor on movie sets. His only flaw was his frivolity. And to his misfortune, he had no idea what his lover's real business was. Probably, Liam was simply not interested in learning about where the money for his sponsorship came from.

"Let me to introduce myself," Rhino said suddenly. He looked into Elias's eyes and extended his hand, "My name is Santiago Vasquez. I am a businessman and a frequent visitor to this fine gallery."

Santiago's face broke into a slight smile. The man surely thought he looked charming, but in reality, his smile was full of hypocrisy and vulgarity.

"It's a pleasure to meet you! I am Mateo Torres."