Arriving back in my room, I presumed I'd be in for the night. I was preparing to take a shower and pick a place to order in for dinner when my phone began buzzing. I pulled it out, confused by the unfamiliar number that flashed across the screen, one that bore an area code I wasn't entirely familiar with. I almost didn't answer, until I realized that it might be the man from the party calling me, perhaps ready to give me more information that could help my sister.
"Genevieve Ramston," I answered, the hand not holding the phone grabbing a pen, ready to jot down anything I heard. I hadn't been ready to do that at four in the morning, but in the middle of the afternoon, my head was clearer, and I was ready to get as much information as I could from the mysterious mail.
"How do you feel about art shows?" A female voice asked, one I realized after a beat was Amanda's.
"How did you get my number?" I asked, surprised she had it at all. I had never offered it to her, and she never seemed to express any interest in having it.
"I asked Nolan for it, figured if you were sticking around I should have a way to contact you." That statement made me happy for some reason, the idea of my sister having my phone number a major step in my mind towards a somewhat normal relationship. As normal as a relationship with a girl who is your sister, pretending not to be your sister in order to get revenge on the people that betrayed your father could be, I guessed.
"Good idea. Umm, I've never been much of a collector. Alex is usually the one who attends art shows when necessary," Or rather Alex was the one who actually understood what was going on at art shows. Where we had both attended a liberal arts college, I had never paid attention in my art-focused classes the way Alex had. That, and Alex's mother had been a collector making him better at understanding the art world than I was. As it was, my only contribution art wise to the duplex we lived in had been a print of Van Gogh's 'Starry Night', a painting that had always fascinated me for some reason. That print currently hung in Jeremiah's room, as the interior designer my mother had gifted us as a wedding present stated that a print of Starry Night did not belong in any major room of a serious CEO and lawyer's home.
"Victoria Grayson is hosting a show tonight," I glanced at the bathroom door, realizing I wasn't going to get a relaxing night in.
"You want me to attend?" I asked, already knowing the answer was yes. My sister clearly wasn't calling just to see how I was doing.
"I think having you there would create some pressure on Victoria. Already, Conrad is cracking, I think Victoria needs to crack a little too," I ran a hand through my hair, trying to figure out exactly how I was going to get the Grayson matriarch to crack.
"Then a hammer I shall take. Will you be there?" I asked, heading towards the suitcase I had packed, trying to decide what I was going to wear. I knew enough about the Hamptons to know that recycling an outfit wasn't allowed, but I wasn't sure what art show attire in the Hampton's even consisted of.
"Yes. I need to see Daniel," She responded, which triggered a reminder in my mind.
"I saw him earlier." My sister didn't say anything, and the pause made me think she was waiting for me to continue. "He's at the South Fork, ran into him in the lobby." I said, feeling like I needed to explain myself.
"What did he want?" The tone I recognized immediately as one of curiosity, a far cry from the concerned tone most girls had when told their fiancé's were staying at a hotel rather than with them, I would know I'd heard it in my own voice everytime Alex and I had a fight.
"He wants Ainsley to invest in Voulez," I heard Amanda take in a breath at that, clearly surprised.
"Are you going to?" I shrugged before realizing Amanda couldn't see the motion.
"Don't know. It's not in our usual practice to invest. Plus, Pascal and I have an interesting relationship, one that requires me to ask his permission before I even dare attempt to invest." I explained. I wasn't even sure if I planned to call Pascal, or just let Daniel keep asking at this point.
"Ask Pascal to let you invest. If I'm going to take down the Grayson's, I need to have a way to pull the plug on Daniel's latest interest," I smiled, the sound of taking down the Grayson's just sounded so nice, no wonder my sister was so into it.
"As you wish. In the meantime, I need to find something to wear to the gallery opening tonight. Tell me, is a pant suit allowed at these kinds of things?" I could sense Amanda rolling her eyes, or maybe just hear it in her response.
"No. You'll need a dress, or at least a skirt." I gave out at annoyed huff as I stared at my suitcase. The bandage dress had been my only real dress, everything else being a mix of jeans, nice tops, and a few black pant combinations.
"Then I need to go shopping." I said, shutting my suitcase and grabbing my purse from where I had set it earlier. From my calculations, I had a few hours to find some new outfits, especially if I was going to be here longer than a week.
