บททั้งหมดของ The Art of Loving A Criminal : บทที่ 1 - บทที่ 10

I pushed open the brown wooden door and stepped into my studio, a sense of excitement rushed all over my body as I was eager to start work on the next painting. I shut the door right after me with my left hand while holding a cup of coffee on my right. Setting the cup of my coffee down on the table filled with different sketches of paintings, paint brushes, and some disorganized books about painting, I reached out my handbag and hung it on the bag holder by the wall. A number of finished paintings lay on the wall by the floor and a couple more hung on the wall. A few were finished, a few unfinished and a few were client's orders to be picked up. I always made my paintings from scratch and my mind and never copied anyone’s work no matter the amount a client was willing to pay. I pulled off my trench coat, leaving my black shirt and a pair of deep blue jeans on a pair of boots on and pulled a stool closer to an empty canvas I had already set and sat. I took a sip of the coffee and pi

The room became awfully quiet after Julian left. Sixty days, I had sixty days to replicate a painting I barely remembered and also not figuring out why Julian wanted me to do so but I knew there was something more to this task. I stood from my stool, paced the room for a while and coming back to the spot I stood from, I stared at the canvas again as though that would tell me the true reason why I was here. I was still fixated on the canvas when I heard a footstep approach the door. The door creaked open and I made a swift turn to the door to see who it was.It wasn't Julian.A young girl of about eighteen years of age entered, dressed in a plain black dress. She had her face down and clenched to the tray of food she had brought in as she closed the door. “Julian said you should eat,” she said in a low voice.“Is she a staff or his woman? No, I'm sure Julian wouldn't let his woman do such basic chore and plus she seems pretty young to be here in the first place,”“Hmm thanks,” I mut

It's been two weeks now and sleep didn’t come easily, my mind always raced at the thought of what Marcus said and also what Julian said—the deadline pressing down on me. 60 days, much less now. I kept turning from the right to the left side of the bed, the clock ticking steadily, more as a reminder of time slipping through my fingers. I suddenly threw off the covers and stood from my bed, pacing the room like a restless prisoner—maybe that’s what I was. Imprisoned to this painting, to Julian, to whatever game was unfolding before me. I grabbed my sketch pad from the table filled with different paint brushes, color palette, oil paints and normal paints and started drawing, trying to replicate the original Elysium with the vague memory I had. Halfway through the sketches, there was a soft knock on the door, I paused with my pencil mid stroke as the door gradually opened. The same young girl stepped in, standing in the doorway her expression remained still and unreadable. “Mr Julia

Marcus walked down the dim lit hallway carefully, his eyes searching all over the place to see if he was noticed. Obvious to him, a fellow colleague on the security team had been watching him. He saw him entering and exiting the room as he trailed Marcus' movement with curiosity in his eyes until Marcus was out of the hallway. He brought out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, picked out one and lit it up to smoke. He suddenly had a mischievous grin after he took a puff of his cigarette and carefully followed Marcus to wherever he was going. Marcus, oblivious of being followed by Sammy, walked into the supply room because that was the only place without a cctv as it was empty. Bringing out his phone from his chest pocket, he quickly made a call to a man named Marve. “Hey Marve, huhh there might be a little bit of a problem with Lexi but-but not to worry, I’ve got things under control,” he said, his words fidgeting. “And what’s this problem?” Marve asked over the phone. Ma

The head of security hurried over to the east wing as soon as he got radioed. On getting to the inventory room, he met with the staff who radioed him looking distressed and out of place. “What is the issue here?” the head security asked. “Sammy was supposed to come do the inventory a couple of hours ago but he's been nowhere to be found,” he said frantically. “Well did you radio him or check the quarters?” the head security asked. “I did sir but there was no response, he wasn't found in the quarters either,” he answered. The head security took a few steps back, brought out his phone and made a call. “I am heading to the media room now, pull up the CCTV for me,” the head security said. He turned to the other guy who was still looking around with his flashlight. “Look around, see if you can find anything,” the head security said before leaving for the media room. The head security and other team members finally got to the media room and gathered around the bank of monitor