"Landon." A voice echoed in his head.
"Landon?" The effervescent tone was gone as Marcus quirked an eyebrow at him in concern.
No answer was given still, but he did raise his head up to him.
Marcus knew something was wrong, not from his silence but the look in his eyes… the very same one he had that night.
Marcus had gotten jumped by a group of thugs on his way home, they shared an apartment at the time and were still in business school.
The attackers stole his wallet, his watch and tuned him up a bit. Landon felt responsible but Marcus never understood why, it was around that time he started to become distant.
His father's death had sent him down a dark path but that incident was the reason why he had no meaningful connections and why he stays away from family. He was responsible.
His clouded mind contemplated telling Marcus what was going on.
His relationship with Katherine was far more complicated than just her brother's bestfriend, he cared for her deeply and would do anything to protect her.
"You alright?" Marcus asked even though he didn't expect to be told the truth. It was no secret to him that Landon hid things well beyond his stoic expressions.
That's why he was quite surprised to hear him say, "No."
Landon slid his phone across Marcus's glass table, he took it and inspected it carefully.
"Shit." He gritted his teeth as his momentary shock spiralled into rage. "We're gonna find this son of a bitch and I swear to god I'll kill him." He slammed his fist on the table.
"He's already dead." Landon said which served only to confuse him.
"What?" His face held a puzzled expression.
Landon explained to him all that's happened since he got the call from Camile.
"So the boyfriend made a copy and gave it to someone in case anything happened to him and now that idiot wants a quick payout." Marcus surmised quickly. "We just have to find whoever that is."
"Why me though?" Landon wondered and Marcus replied instantly.
"What the hell kinda question is that. You're probably the richest fucker I know."
"Not many people know that, and how did he even get my phone number anyway?" Marcus finally understood the point of the question.
After the news of his father's embezzlement schemes and gambling problems hit the tabloids, Caleb was removed as CEO and his granfather pushed him and Lucia out of the company.
Caleb killed himself before he could be convicted, leaving them with nothing but the house. Lucia had to earn her place back in the company but that didn't happen until much later.
However, they never stopped being wealthy. In fact they got wealthier after Caleb died and that's because Landon stepped up and decided to put his ingenuity to good use.
The Archer name however, was never restored because Landon never flaunted his wealth. His life is so private, people hardly remembers he exists or how much he's truly worth.
Marcus assumed he simply didn't want the want the attention of the government on some of his businesses and it was a convenient way to manipulate taxes so he keeps everything quiet by not running any of his companies himself.
"Your mother probably would've called by now if she got the text too." Marcus points out and Landon nods in agreement.
"Then this isn't about money, someone's using Katherine to get to me." Landon ran his hand through his hair in frustration. His personality was often seen as either callous or nonchalant by most people, but he cared deeply for his family.
"Is this some form of revenge or leverage against you?" Marcus asked in annoyance.
"Both." It slowly began to make sense in Landon's mind, the pieces started to come together.
"How many enemies do you got? let's start crossing them off one by one." Marcus suggested and Landon shook his head in refusal.
"Too many." His answer sent a chill across the room. "But none of them petty enough to do this."
He worked with dangerous people who aren't afraid to kill whoever gets in their way. This simply weren't the kind to go through these means to achieve their ends.
"The boyfriend sold it to someone when he was still alive, someone who wanted leverage, but not on me, on my mother." Landon got up from the chair and started to walk around the extravagant office space.
"Then why didn't they send it to her instead?" Marcus was more confused now than he was a few minutes ago.
"He doesn't want the leverage anymore, now he wants vengeance." Landon looked out the window, taking in the view of the skyline. "Because he suddenly has it out for me and would do anything to stick it to me."
"You know who it is." Marcus voice had a hint of excitement in it as he realised that Landon had finally figured it out.
****
It was by all means a lovely evening, the gallery had an excellent turnout and the guests all seemed to have a delightful time not only enjoying the art, but by getting to see the artist as well.
Katherine was immensely moved by their admiration and for the first time since the incident, she truly didn't think of herself as the worst person in the world.
If she hadn't spent the whole night subtly looking out for Landon to walk in, she could've enjoyed it a bit more.
The gallery was still open and there were a few people around, including Camile who was chatting with the owner.
Katherine sat idly by the huge glass window, holding a glass of champagne when a man walked up to her, with a glass in his hand too.
"I hear you're the one to thank for this incredible showing." His hand gestured to some of the paintings on a wall of the superbly lit gallery. He had a French accent and a smooth smile made more memorable by his moustache. "No one told me you looked this ravishing however."
"If you're looking for the owner, he's that way." She replied with a smile of her own, as she used her glass to subtly point towards the direction of the man talking to Camile.
"I have been here so many times and I have never seen a more exciting collection than yours." He spoke confidently and his eyes looked passionate like he genuinely meant it.
"That means a lot to me, thank you Mr…?"
"Renald." He responded keenly and she gave him a nod.
"Well it's a pleasure to meet you Mr. Renald." She stood up to be more polite and he held his hand out for hers, he smoothly kissed her hand right after she put it in his.
"The pleasure is all mine and please, no Mr, just Renald." His gaze was soft but heavy at the same time and Katherine felt something she wasn't quite ready to feel. A wave of guilt hit her and in that moment, all she could do was fight the urge to not walk away in tears.
Renald noticed as she became a little shook up, but didn't know what was wrong. "Are you okay miss?" His voice brimmed with concern.
"Yeah, I'm… Fine." She brushed it off.
"I'll leave you to enjoy your evening then. But if you want to pick this up some other time, maybe get a drink, just give me a call." He handed his card out to her and she stared at it hesitantly for a long second, before deciding to take it from the man with a forced smile.
"Have a good night miss…?"
"Katherine." A voice from behind Renald spoke, he wasn't quite sure if the person was answering the question he asked so he spurned around to see a taller figure.
"And you are?" Renald asked defensively, in a harsh tone because the person rudely butted into their conversation and looked at him as if it was something he'd rather not be doing.
"Her brother." Landon replied with a small grin and stood still, waiting for the man to be gone.
"Landon, I thought you weren't gonna come." A small sense of elation engulfed her as she spoke and he smiled at her sweetly.
Renald was undeniably relieved by the fact that the man standing before him and Katherine was her brother and quietly stepped aside.
"I told you I'd be here." He inched closer to her and placed two light kisses on her cheeks.
"You still haven't ceased the constant tardiness." She teased him with a playful punch on his arm and he exaggerated the effect.
"You didn't have to scare him off you know." She said, referring to Renald who was no longer anywhere in sight.
"You didn't seem to be enjoying the company." He wrapped his arm around her shoulder protectively and held her close as they started to slowly make their way around the gallery.
"It wasn't his fault." A small frown appeared on her face and Landon understood she was still taking her boyfriend's death pretty hard, it had only been a couple days after all.
He pulled her even closer and kissed the top of her head. He wanted to say something, anything to make her feel even a tiny bit better but the words didn't come.
Instead he stopped to look at the painting, stopping her too. It was one of hers "You're stronger than every single one of us." His eyes didn't leave the painting as he spoke and Katherine saw the look in his eyes come alive.
"I'm glad you like it." She said teasingly and he let out a light chuckle.
"I love it." She smiled genuinely at his response and she realised how much she missed her brother. His persistent absence in her life, left a hole in her she never quite realised was there. Until now.
"That makes me so happy Landon." She placed her hand on his shoulder gently. "But you know what would make me even happier?" She asked wantingly.
"Name it." He said with determination.
"Forgive her." Her eyes fell to Camile who was but a few meters away, busy examining a painting by herself.