Chapter 85 - Exhibition Event

Bryan went to his secret room where all the things that should have been Semesta's were still stored. He looked at an article he had found on the Internet, a short piece about Angeline, or Ellie, who had become a famous artist and was now exhibiting in New York. For three years, Bryan had been secretly following Angeline's news, albeit discreetly. He was very pleased to learn how successful and fantastic Angeline had become. "Angeline, you're really amazing now. You no longer need to make strange deals with strangers. You're more successful now. What about Semesta? I'm sure he's grown up well and healthy, right? I think you can raise him with love. I wish I could meet him just once, but I guess that's not possible, is it?" Bryan picked up a small toy trumpet that was supposed to be Semesta's toy and blew into it. Obviously, Bryan couldn't get away from Angeline and Semesta. He always enjoyed his lonely nights filled with memories of Semesta and Angeline. The next day, Bryan arrived at a hotel looking handsome and radiant. He went straight to the front desk. "I booked a room in this hotel. Can you give me my key?" "Sure, just a moment," the receptionist replied, checking the records and confirming Bryan's statement. "Here is your room number and key," she said, handing over the room number and key card. Bryan noticed that his room number was 2009. "But I booked room 2006. Why did I get 2009 instead?" Bryan protested, slightly annoyed. "Oh, I'm sorry, but room 2006 is already booked." "Never mind." Bryan reluctantly accepted, although he was a bit irritated. In the meantime room 2006 belonged to Angeline. Angeline tried to change the number 6 on her room door, but it wouldn't change to 9. "I hope everything goes smoothly this time," Angeline said as she entered her room to prepare for her event. The next moment Bryan arrived and looked at the door of his room which had the number 2009 on it. Bryan decided to go to his room immediately. In her room, Angeline called the babysitter who was taking care of Jason in her apartment. "Nanny, how is Jason? Has he eaten?" "Yes, ma'am, Jason ate with gusto and is currently playing with foam balls in the bathroom." "Don't let him play in the water too long, Nanny. Jason catches colds easily." "All right, ma'am. I'll give Jason a bath in a minute." "Put plenty of baby oil on him and give him some milk to keep him from catching a cold. I may not be home for a few days, so if anything happens, call me." "Understood, ma'am. You don't have to worry about Jason, I'll take good care of him." "Okay then, don't forget to give him vitamins and lots of fruit. Avoid giving him chocolate and candy. He gets toothache from eating too much candy." Angeline ended the call and lay down on the bed, smiling as she missed her beloved son. Today was the official opening of Ellie's first exhibition in New York. To ensure the success of the event, they began with a ribbon-cutting ceremony. Angeline, or Ellie, Alex and several other dignitaries were ready to cut the ribbon. After the ribbon was cut, applause broke out and Angeline looked happy. Alex was smiling too, enjoying Angeline's happiness. Now it was the journalists' turn to interview Ellie. "What message does Ellie want to convey through Ellie's paintings?" "At least when you look at my work, especially for women who are hurt and in pain, I want to make them smile with happiness. I want to continue to paint happy, confident, and loved women." Alex watched from a distance. "Was there a significant turning point in Ellie's life, becoming a painter at a relatively late age?" "Well, there was a time when I was experiencing sadness, and someone advised me to start painting when I was feeling down. Painting really helped heal my wounds. In his hotel room, Bryan felt conflicted. He was torn between wanting to attend Angeline's art show and fearing that she might recognize him. He paced his room, trying to decide what to do. "Should I go? Why shouldn't I? You'll just enjoy the paintings. Yes, I should go," Bryan said to himself and nodded in agreement. But then he changed his mind. "What if I run into Angeline? What would I say?" Bryan turned to look at himself in the mirror and burst out laughing. "Well, if you happen to run into Angeline, you'll greet her. You'll say it's been a long time and express how happy you are to see her again." But then Bryan turned around and went into deep thought, as if he was pondering the situation. Finally, he sighed and resigned himself to the fact that it might be better if he just went home. Bryan grabbed his suit and suitcase and left the room. But Bryan had actually decided to go to Ellie's, also known as Angeline's, exhibition. He looked at himself in the rearview mirror of the car. "Am I sure I can handle this gracefully if I actually go there? But I have to try." With an unusual attitude, Bryan sneaked inside. He put on sunglasses and walked behind other attendees, even covering his face with his hand to avoid being recognized. Afterwards, Bryan did a somersault and managed to get close to a congratulatory flower arrangement for Ellie. It turned out that the flowers were from Alex with a message that read, "Ellie's forever fan, Alex. Seeing Alex's name on the arrangement annoyed Bryan a bit. He went behind a wall and called John. "Can you send the biggest bouquet of flowers here?" Bryan asked. "What?" "Send me the biggest bouquet of flowers right now!" Bryan ordered and hung up. True to Bryan's request, even though John was quite puzzled, he finally sent the biggest bouquet of flowers, surpassing the one Alex had brought, with a message that read, "Number 1 fan, anytime, anywhere. "Mr. President, I sent the bouquet. Can you meet them in front of the building?" John called to Bryan, who had already rushed to the front of the building, startling the delivery man. "Is this for me?" Bryan asked, and the delivery man nodded slightly. Bryan quickly paid the delivery man, who promptly left. "Wow, John is really amazing; he's really reliable." Bryan looked satisfied as he looked at his much larger bouquet with more extravagant words. He then lifted the bouquet and walked to the front of the room, near the entrance, leaving the other guests a little confused. "I'm not only the number one fan, I'm also the first one."