the store.

@the toni mahfud. She had tried so hard to get the enigmatic man she had just met out of her head, but unfortunately for the heiress, he wasn’t so easy to forget. It was a wonder how she maintained her poker face all throughout the wait, her focus flickering between the ongoing business deal and the transaction she had just made with a certain artist. Dannie had mindlessly walked around the gallery, noticing how people whispered about knowing her but didn’t pay them any attention in turn. She had business to attend to. From her peripheral vision, she noticed her bodyguard approach her, the imposing black-suit clad beef a force of power next to her as he leaned over, whispering in her ear. “The Yens are here,”he gruffly whispered. In the matter of seconds, her expression morphed into the one she usually reserved for the boardroom, cold and stern.

The next few minutes were a blur and soon enough, she was standing in front of a stubby man, a sight for sore eyes compared to the man she had just encountered. Her hand extended towards a briefcase in exchange for a piece of paper, her fingers gripping the cold metal handle tightly when the sound of sirens blared through the gallery. Muttering a barely audible curse, she jerked her hand back, the case back in her possession as all hell broke loose, the rest of the guests cowering in a corner at the sight of the police walking in. The chubby man fled, her bodyguards surrounding her casual self. curved into a charming smile at the sight of the deputy, her gaze still cold. “Deputy Chambers, nice to see you again,”she mused, voice a tad too sweet to be genuine as she placed the briefcase down on the floor, keeping her gaze on his. “Who dares disturb my business?”

@the dannie riel. As Toni went around his guests, he couldn't help thinking about the woman he previously have talked with— her last words marking a spot in his mind and making him itch to show her the difference between her ideology of men and him. A foolish little smile curved upon his lips as he made his way to another couple only to be stopped in a daze by his close friend. "Toni! I've been looking for you. I have some bad news. An illegal group of Mafioso broke into your gallery and apparently they'll be transactioning a deal later. What shall we do?" she whispered worriedly to the young man who then incredulously looked at her for a moment before he realized that she was serious. Not wasting a time, he gathered what else she knew before dispatching her to call the police. He was no vigilante but he was not sacrificing his gallery and its current guests for ignorance.

Making his way to the far end of his gallery where less people frequented at, he settled on hiding his body by a pillar. It would be better to catch them on act than risk letting them escape, he thought whilst his eyes were trained on the few suspicious men lurking in the area.

@the toni mahfud. “Depends on the woman,”she murmured, raising her shoulder in an almost coquettish shrug, implying that she didn’t mind, to put it in his words, “waste time”. She had always been told she needed to relax, find a hobby and simply unwind so perhaps this was the right way to do it. Perhaps, she chided her inner self, the one who was always a little too insecure for her liking. Besides, she still had to see if this stormy gazed stranger was as good as he claimed, even if proof of it was tainted all over the walls.

Her eyebrows raised on their own before she could realise, a brief chortle escaping her cushiony lips. “Maybe. Or maybe men are generally incapable of handling women,”she mused, watching as he pocketed the business card she’d handed him. opened to reply, but instead her eyes widened, taken aback at how free -audacious and bold- he was at approaching her. The small peck on her cheek left a heat in its wake, a rosy blush creeping up her mounds. Shivers ran down her spine, agape as she stared, unable to form words to retort his salacious whisper.

@the dannie riel. "In exchange for her time? I thought women would rather work on certainty than waste time," he answered with a shrug— implying that she got herself stuck in a lengthy, not to mention unfavorable, situation. Toni had a knack for art much more confidence but he had to admit even he would have troubles satisfying the woman's tastes because truth be told, his walls were already graced with the best of his recent collection.

Nevertheless, who's to say he couldn't try? Besides even though they got themselves an uncertain deal, he was more than enough content with it rather than nothing at all. "Perhaps you just haven't met a real man. Only boys break promises," he shrugged once again as he accepted her proffered card, giving the paper a scan before delicately stashing it in his pocket. "In any case, I'll do send you an email as soon as possible." Leaning in close, he surprisingly laid his tiers against her plump cheek for a moment before moving near her ear and whispering, "See you when I see you again then." After the small incident, he took a step backwards and shot her a wink before completely leaving to attend to other guests.

@the toni mahfud. Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion, taken aback slightly by how surprised he was by her agreement to the proposition. In her defense, she had nothing to lose out of this and moreover, she had secretly been looking forward to seeing more of this stranger who had the talents to rival Monet. “Why? Can’t a woman get what she wants?”she asked, dropping the cheque in her hand back into her Birkin and straightened the lapels of her leather jacket, his tooth grin earning himself a small curve of her lips.

She had already begun dialing her phone, chocolate orbs trained on the screen of her smartphone as her fingers flew over the keyboard. “As a businesswoman, much less a woman at that, your words aren’t enough. A man’s promise never is,”she chuckled, shaking her head as she pressed send on her phone, pocketing the device as she focused back onto the storm-eyed stranger. “Email me your schedule, I’ll see when I’m free and let you know.” She nodded, bending forward to pick her little gold box of business cards, handing a onyx colored one to the man, her details enscribed in gold onto the paper.

@the dannie riel. Her quick roundabout of splayed emotions almost terrified Toni. It was not something uncommon yet when she did it, he swore she looked like a psycho for a moment. But he did try not to let out his fright appear on his contours, the least thing he wanted was to affront her besides her words caught his attention more and ultimately made him forgot of what he felt before.

"I— are you seriously agreeing to my proposition?" he inquired in disbelief, a deep chuckle rumbling its way out his mouth at the absurdity of the events. Well, it seems like he gained himself another muse after a long while— a month if he remembered correctly. Not wanting to seem like an overexcited fool, he simply expressed his delight with his toothy grin and closed fists which were somewhat stashed in his pockets. "Anyway, you can't take that back, I already heard it; but don't you think a lawyer is unnecessary? I am a man of my words just so you know then again, if it helps you sleep better, I'm fine with whatever day you want to arrange a meeting at."

@the toni mahfud. At the back of her mind, she knew it was an almost impossible request to grant, but the woman was a stubborn, audacious and wouldn’t rest till she had her way. Anyone would call her crazy for her bossy ways, but she believed that if no one could handle that, they weren’t worth her time nor glance. Let him consider this a test of sorts, she thought to herself as she shrugged, not backing down either. “Then they better give me my candy,”she mused, trace of mirth gone from her face. She was serious in this matter.

“You didn’t even hear the terms and conditions,” she snorted, rolling her eyes slightly. “I’ll give you as much time as you want.” She paused, thinking about his own rule for a moment. What could go wrong, anyways? Taking a deep breath, she nodded, nibbling on her lower lip as she agreed. “If this helps me get my one of a kind masterpiece, then yes. I agree to be your muse.” To the businesswoman, nothing could turn left but who knew what fate held.

Returning her expression to an open one, she blinked, orbs soft as she pulled her phone out of her back pocket. “I’ll call over my lawyer right away. This is a deal.”

@the dannie riel. Now that was one melodious laugh he marveled at. Who knew he'd be so smitten of a stranger that everything she did, even the simplest motion of her orbs running along the walls, could make him simper like a fool. Damn. He knew he should regain his composure but he decided to it all because he honestly couldn't help being infatuated with her. Well, the feeling was somewhat akin to all his first impressions of his muses back then anyway so he figured it could just be a one time thing— or so he convinced himself.

"That is like asking a candy in a machinery store," he replied at her audacious request. It delighted him to know she was a woman who knows what she want but that really was too much. Masterpieces aren't made in a night nor done in purpose. They are simply crafted by sheer luck and talent; and whilst he knew he got the latter covered, he knew not of his fortune. "It would take too long before I finish one. In fact, I am not even sure I'd be able to reach your standards no matter how confident I am in my art." However thinking about it, having her as a muse might ignite his luck and brighten his talent and so he continued, "Not unless you'd officially be my muse until the day comes I craft what you are looking for."

@the toni mahfud. “All artists are insane,”she snorted as she repeated his words, breaking into laughter soon after. She did agree; anyone who rejected the amount of money she so readily gave was absolutely not okay in the head. Artistic talents apart, of course because this man’s skills weren’t something ordinary.

Chewing on her plump lower lip, she let her gaze trail over the gallery as he pointed at the art figures, fingers distractingly tracing the sharp edges of the cheque she still held. Normally, being offered “anything” would be appealing to anyone with taste, especially when it came to such fine talent. But Dannie was a peculiar woman, and a headstrong one at that. Shaking her head, unintentionally causing her ashy blonde locks to fly around, she turned to the man, mouth pressed into a luscious moue. “No. I want a customized masterpiece.”

@the dannie riel. A laugh almost shot out his mouth when he saw the priceless expression on her visage. Perhaps he did the right thing of rejecting the cheque if that meant seeing such an adorable sight, but he wouldn't tell her that so as not to offend her. It seems that she was the type who'd hate to be called cute more than ugly though that didn't mean he would refrain himself from calling her that next time she elicit such a reaction from him.

"Maybe I'm just insane. I suppose you hear that all artists are somewhat messed up," he quipped as a smile slowly curved on his lips along hers. Now, if someone told him that he was so wrong for rejecting a million dollars, he'd shove them the image of her precious smile and ask if that was worth more than petty (or maybe not so petty) cash. "I offered you any piece so I guess you could choose anything you want," he answered as he pointed out at the art figures by the entrance wall down the farthest one.

@the toni mahfud. His silence almost annoyed her, hadn’t it been for the fact that he didn’t back down from her challenge. Dannie knew how to read people, given her careful nature and this man was everything she didn’t expect. She didn’t know what to make of it. Deciding to go with the flow for now, she raised her eyebrows back at him, amused and blown away by how someone -anyone- would reject the money she had so willingly blown for his art. She knew people who would literally kill to be recognized by her.

Huffing, she glanced at the cheque, an incredulous look on her pretty face. “Who in their sane minds would reject a million dollar cheque?” She mused out loud, unable to hide her inner thoughts. His next words earned him a scoff which soon turned into a small smile at how smooth the line was. “Then a dime and a somewhat promise of me as your muse is what you will get. But what do I get in turn?”

@the dannie riel. Try. If it was any more possible his smirk could extend, it would have but then his face had constricted it to a humored yet coquettish smirk. Her short response and enigmatic orbs certainly had an effect on him, but he was not one to back down from challenges especially with someone he was so infatuated with from the very first impression. Toni purposely remained mute for a moment as he inquisitively waited what would come out of her succeeding actions. With the extended cheque in front him, his eyes subtly grew wide at the numbers written on the paper.

"Your proposed worth is highly impractical. I believe this piece does not correlate much with it," he politely mused as he rejected to receive the note in her hand. Perhaps, he was the one who was highly impractical because who in the right mind would reject great numbers to be placed in his bank account, but he was no leech to do that low of an act. "Besides I'd accept a dime and your agreement to be my muse for a sketch as suffice payment for any piece you wanted in here to be honest."

@the toni mahfud. Her eyebrows raised a fraction at the chuckled that slipped past of those succulent lips of his, a brief thought about him ridiculing her crossing her mind. Deciding to feed his ego just a little, she lifted her right shoulder in a coquettish shrug, mouth curving upwards in a mysterious smirk as she accepted his challenge. Let’s see how long he lasts. “Try.” Came the simple order, her dark orbs raking over his built self quite shamelessly.

With her pearly whites grazing her lower lip, a habit she had of doing whenever she was pensive, she ripped her eyes away from the man, nodding briefly towards the painting she had just been admiring a second ago. “So you’re the artist,” she mused, smirk still intact as she raised the check that was in her hands, handing it to the man. “Then I believe this is yours.”

@the dannie riel. It became a wonder for Toni how such a woman of fine quality was allowed to exist in a finite and flawed world. She was much too ethereal to grace mere mortals— a literal blessing to the eyes indeed. Even for a man like him who had seen multitudes of great art, there was nothing comparable to her frame. As the seconds ticked by, his confidence started to build back up and soon enough he was running on his usual character albeit he had to admit he was still (yet barely) cautious of his actions around her.

A small chuckle made its way out his lips upon her words, hugely admiring her assertive nature. Not many women were alike her. Even when he had dated ‘bad girls’ before, none were up to her standards— elegant and poised yet enveloped with danger. “I would but sketches are more of my forte. Maybe if you’d allow me, I could call you up to be the subject of my art,” he said with a subtle challenging smirk on his lips whilst he tilted his head to the side, waiting for her response.

@the toni mahfud. For a brief moment, she thought that maybe the million dollar check she had just written wasn’t enough for the beauty on the walls but her train of thought came to a halting stop when a raspy voice rang from her side. In a flash, she dropped her hand, fingers tightening a tad over the crisp paper. Dannie turned around sharply, perfectly plucked eyebrow arched, blonde locks flying around from the motion like liquid, only to tumble in waves down her shoulders and back when she came face to face with the stranger who spoke.

The first thing the heiress noticed were his eyes, how they were not blue nor grey but a perfect blend of both that looked like the sky on an impending storm framed by sooty lashes that fluttered when he blinked. Her attention soon moved to his mouth, the sheepish grin on his luscious lips somewhat strange yet fitting. Raising her gaze, she met his stormy blues with dark orbs, chin tilted in an almost haughty manner. “Then shouldn’t you be taking a picture? It lasts longer that way, don’t you think?”

@the dannie riel. Toni was never one of those haughty men because he honestly just possess a good amount of confidence equivalent to his art quality (or he so believes), but he had to say that it was rare to sight a foreign masterpiece amidst his art. In one way or another, his artistry led him to the said gem— each step he took making him more entranced than before. It was something he had never felt before, even to the best of his previous muses, but he heed his unknown butterflies no longer when he was merely a step away from her. Yes, her, because the masterpiece he was talking about was in the form of a goddess.

Facing his canvass by the wall, he took the few moments to compose himself as he did not want to make a fool out of himself. If she were any other woman, he would have already talked to her and swept her off her feet but there was something about her that screamed regality and enigmatic that made him act more cautious(?). Toni turned to look at her in an attempt to start a convesation but it ended up in an outright staring session that lasted for god knows how long until he cleared his throat to compose himself once again. "Sorry for staring, I just find you more worthy to gaze at than the pitiful art that crawled this gallery," he said without much thought, a small sheepish smile lingering on his lips.

@the toni mahfud. Her heeled toes tapped in an almost tuneless yet calm rhythm against the concrete floor of the art gallery, her head tilted pensively to the side as she scrutinized the masterpiece that hung on the wall in front of her through narrowed chocolate orbs. She didn’t know much about art but she knew beauty when she saw it.

Dannie Riel was clad in an almost see-through shirt that had been tucked in the front waistband of her dark jeans that clung to her curvaceous body. She didn’t look like she was about to commit a serious crime in a place least expected but then again, she took pride in her duality. Who would expect it? Exhaling, she grazed her plump lower lip in contemplation as she made her decision, pulling out her checkbook and ink pen from the Birkin that sat uncared for by her feet. The logo of her empire was dark and a stark contrast against the eggshell colored paper, her cursive handwriting scrawled on the line right above the area where she had scribbled a large sum of money.

“A million dollars,” she muttered under her breath as she tore the check carefully from its bindings, tossing the book back into her bag and peered at the paper in hand. “Small price for beauty.”