The Arrogant Artist : A Billionaire Boss Romance (International Bad Boys Set Book 2)

water.
I look at it as if it’s poison, but he shakes the bottle at me, and I take it. Unscrewing the lid, I throw back the clear liquid in one go.
“Louis, it’s been four months since Elisabeth left, you need to stop wallowing.” I glare at my brother. What would he know, he’s never been in love before. In fact, I know he has a different woman in his bed every week if not multiple. He has no idea what it’s like to be in love and then have it ripped away from you.
“Don’t you want to outsell that cocky son of a bitch?” He knows that statement will get a reaction from me.
“I am painting…” I wave my hand around my Parisian apartment where there are multiple unfinished masterpieces.
Daniel lets out a sigh and pinches the bridge of his nose before he speaks, “These paintings are…” he scrunches up his nose, “… not what your fans want.”
I stare at the paintings Daniel is pointing to and tell him, “I’m going in a new direction.”
Daniel rolls his eyes. “The color palette is interesting,” he says with a grimace. So what if it’s not my normal color palette. I’ve changed. Now I see the world in black, white, red, and gray. There’s no color left in my life anymore. It was all ripped away from me.
“This is me, Daniel.” His face softens a little. “If my fans don’t like this new direction I’m taking, then find new ones for me. It’s your job,” I yell at him.
“I guess I should be thankful you have painted anything at all while you’re stuck in some self-indulgent pity party for one.”
“Fuck you!” My anger bubbles to the surface again. “You have no idea what I have been through.”
“Yes, I do. I’ve been the one mopping up your fucking mess ever since you found out about Elisabeth and Yves.”
“Never mention their names again,” I hiss.
“You’re such a fucking pussy, Louis. So… this bitch broke your heart. She cheated on you with your protégé, and she wasn’t even sorry about it. Why the hell are you letting her hold this power over you? Huh?”
I’m stunned silent for a few moments, then my anger bubbles to the surface again. I jump up from my bed and rush at Daniel, pushing him up against the wall, but he doesn’t fight back.
“Go on, Louis. Hit me. Fucking hit me if it makes you feel any better.” He looks down at me, his chest heaving with adrenaline. “Go on,” he goads. I release my hands from his pristine suit that I have now crinkled. “Just what I thought. You’re a fucking pussy.”
I ignore his barb and make my way over to the kitchen, opening the refrigerator to pull out a mini bottle of vodka and knock it back.
“Why are you letting her destroy you?” My head hangs in shame at his words because I know he’s right. “She was a bitch, Louis.” I whip around and glare at him. “I never said anything to you when you were together…” His words hang in the air.
“What? Spit it out. Don’t stop now. I love this confession time.”
“Elisabeth propositioned me.” My eyes widen, my fingers clench against the marble island bench and turn white. “Not just once, Louis, many times.” My heart is beating wildly inside my chest as he continues, “She doesn’t like the word, no.”
If my brother fucked her, I don’t know what I’ll do.
“Did you…”
He looks at me, shocked. “Seriously? You seriously think I’d do that to you?”
I shrug because I don’t know anymore. I have no idea who I can trust when it comes to Elisabeth.
“Why do you think I stopped coming around during the holidays?”
Daniel always told me he was busy or was with a woman. Honestly, I thought we were growing apart.
“She wouldn’t leave me alone.” I should be surprised by Elisabeth’s antics, but I’m not. Not anymore. “So, why are you letting a woman like that steal anything more from you, Louis?”
I know he’s right, but I can’t stop it. I’m on this destructive path. The anger has taken hold of me like a monster on my back, one I can’t shake loose. Nor, for some reason, do I want to.
“This is me now, Daniel.” I point to the dark canvases around me.
Daniel nods, the fight leaving him. “These will sell. I don’t know if we’ll be able to make the millions you were making before, but it will be enough to make a decent living.”
It’s not like I’m crying poor, even though Elisabeth took half of everything from me. She took my home, my studios, and half my money. The real kicker was when she moved him into our home. He’s no longer living in the studio in the backyard. No. Now he’s the man of the house. My fucking house. The house that Elisabeth and I were going to bring up our children in. I guess I’m easily replaced.
“Louis, don’t you want to show her she picked the wrong guy.” I shrug. “Don’t you want her to realize that she gave up on you for some two-bit wannabe, Louis Marchant.” I look at the unfinished paintings hanging around my apartment and sigh, knowing he’s right. “There’s only one of you, and Yves is a cheap knock-off.”
I look up at my brother, and there’s fire in his eyes. He wants me to be the best I can be. My trouble is I don’t know what that is anymore. My muse has dried up and gone away, and I don’t know if I’m ever going to find her again.
“Just think about what I’ve said. Okay?” Daniel looks at me. “I’ll be back in a couple of days. I have some stuff to sort out back in London.”
I wave him goodbye and fall headfirst back onto my bed, where I’m going to stay for the foreseeable future.
I wake up to a woman’s screams, the bed moves and jolts beside me. I try and push