✓ 𝙨𝙝𝙖𝙙𝙤𝙬𝙨 & 𝙨𝙞𝙡𝙠 ━━ Harry Styles

o6. chapter six

( o6. the art of deception )

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NIALL CHECKED his watch for the third time in ten minutes. 1:45 PM. The small gallery on King Street was exactly the kind of place Valentina would love—all clean lines and natural light, intimate enough to feel personal but professional enough to be proper.

He'd arrived early to sweep the space. Old habits. Two of Victoria's men lingered across the street, pretending to read newspapers like something out of a bad spy novel. They'd followed Valentina from the moment she'd left Blackwood Tower. The Crown's watchdogs, doing their job.

His phone buzzed. Harry.

Everything set?

Niall typed back: All clear. Meeting in 15.

Remember: we need to know everything about Crawford Estate. What she's seen, what she's painted. Get close.

Get close. As if it was that simple. As if he hadn't spent half the night thinking about her laugh, the way she moved when she danced, how her eyes lit up talking about her art.

Focus.

He checked his reflection in the gallery window. Casual but expensive clothes, nothing too sharp. He needed to look different from the usual trust fund boys who chased her. More genuine. More...

"You're early."

Niall turned. Valentina stood in the doorway, backlit by afternoon sun. She wore a simple white dress that made her look younger, more vulnerable. A portfolio case hung from one shoulder.

"Eager to see your work." He smiled, the practiced charm sliding into place. "Been thinking about it since last night."

A faint blush colored her cheeks. "It's nothing special..."

"I doubt that." He held the door. "Show me?"

The gallery was empty except for a bored-looking assistant who barely glanced up from her phone. Valentina led him to a quiet corner where several canvases leaned against the wall.

"These are my most recent ones," she said, carefully pulling out the first painting. "The city at night series."

Niall had prepared himself to pretend interest. He hadn't prepared for actual talent. The paintings were stunning—London transformed into something darker, more magical. Each one captured a secret moment, a hidden view of the city few ever saw.

"These are..." He stopped, genuinely surprised. "Valentina, these are incredible."

She looked up sharply, probably checking for insincerity. Finding none, her whole face transformed with a smile that made his chest tight.

"Really? I mean, they're just studies really, but there's something about the way the light hits the buildings at night, how everything becomes both sharper and softer somehow..."

She kept talking, animated in a way he hadn't seen before. Niall found himself actually listening, actually caring about the difference between cerulean and ultramarine, how she layered colors to create depth.

Then she pulled out the Crawford Estate painting.

"This is my latest," she said. "There's just something about that place..."

Niall studied the canvas carefully. The angle, the details... she'd been closer than they'd thought. Much closer.

"When did you paint this?"

"Just finished it this morning actually. Couldn't sleep after..." She bit her lip. "After the club."

His hand found hers before he could stop himself. "I couldn't sleep either."

Bad move. Dangerous move. But her skin was soft under his fingers and when she looked up at him with those eyes...

Focus. The mission. The plan.

"Tell me about this view," he said, forcing himself back on track. "How did you find it?"

"I like exploring." She shrugged. "Victoria would kill me if she knew how many 'dangerous' places I go to paint. But sometimes the best art comes from pushing boundaries, you know?"

Niall's phone buzzed in his pocket. He ignored it.

"The way you've captured the water," he said instead. "It's like you can see every secret reflected in it."

"That's exactly what I was trying to show!" She stepped closer, pointing out details. "See how the lights fragment here? And this shadow in the window..."

His phone buzzed again. Harry would be getting impatient.

"Have dinner with me," he said suddenly.

Valentina hesitated. "I shouldn't..."

"Why not?"

"My sister..."

"Isn't here." He touched her cheek lightly. "Just dinner. Tonight. Let me see more of how you see the world."

She smiled, and something in his chest twisted. "Okay."

"Perfect." He gestured to the paintings. "Now show me more?"

An hour later, Niall sat in the back of a sleek black car, sending his report to Harry:

Crawford Estate painting confirms she had access to east side. Multiple visits. Detailed knowledge of grounds. Dinner tonight - will get more.

The reply came instantly: Well done. Don't forget what she is. Means to an end.

Niall looked at his hand, still feeling the warmth of her skin. Means to an end. Right.

He closed his eyes, remembering her smile, her passion, her trust.

Harry was right.

He knew exactly how this would end.

With broken wings and shattered hearts.

And he'd have no one to blame but himself.

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