The Perfect Sin

prologue

𝙊𝙉𝙀 𝙔𝙀𝘼𝙍 𝘼𝙂𝙊

𝗟 𝗨 𝗟 𝗔

I rush down the stairs to the subway, manoeuvring around the heavy crowds of people as quickly as I can.

New York is a beautiful city, but holy crap is it ridiculously busy. All the time.

"Excuse me!" I exclaim as I continue squeezing past person after person, reaching the end and rushing round the corner to the next set of stairs.

I seriously don't have the stamina for this shit.

Clutching my purse tightly, I pace down the final flight, holding my breath when I feel a side stitch coming on. Pressing my hand against my hip, I skip the final step, running onto the platform.

The sound of a train departing steals my attention and my eyes widen as I catch a glimpse of it driving away. Shit.

I release a deep sigh, trying to catch my breath as I stand on the platform, watching my train disappear down the tracks.

Feeling various eyes on me, I look at them, giving a what the hell do you want stare, before turning around and running a hand through my long blonde hair.

Relying on public transport all the time can be a real pain in the ass.

It's my own fault though, I should've taken my driving lessons when I had the chance, but I guess I was so occupied with college that I convinced myself I didn't have the time for anything else.

Making my way down to the other end of the platform, I glance up at the small screen to check what time the next train arrives, knowing they usually run every five minutes or so.

The weather at this time of year isn't exactly the warmest. January temperatures can be a real bitch, and they're even worse when you have to stand among the freezing cold walls of a New York subway at six o'clock in the fricking evening.

Fisting my hand into the inside pocket of my jacket, I take out the small invitation leaflet I received in the mail the other week. When I initially enrolled in college to study photography, it was always my goal to achieve the best I could.

After graduating with honours and one hundred and twenty credits, I decided I was going to try my hand in starting up my own photography business. Freelancing is something I've often looked into while studying, but I never truly believed it could be possible.

Until now.

I couldn't believe my luck when I opened the invitation for tonight in the mail. Gallery by Giorgio is one of the most popular art galleries in the city of New York.

They're hosting one of the biggest exhibitions tonight and I received an invite for it. Me. Little ol' Lula Evenden who literally finished college a mere two months ago.

Apparently my work during my studies caught the attention of a few dealers and other associates in the photography field, and the owners of Gallery by Giorgio wanted me to come down and be a part of the event.

Countless VIP's and other business people will be attending tonight, in the hopes of viewing and potentially bidding on some of the finest pieces of art you can get your hands on.