Chapter 4 4

"Do not ask me that, they must have seen the security cameras and saw us taking Darien. We will go to damn jail for the theft of one of the most important historical arts in the world, and now we know that its intellectual author is the Greek goddess Hera."

The phone, which had stopped ringing, started again.

"Answer it," Charlotte says.

"No," Eva hands the phone to Charlotte.

"Answer, Eva. You're in charge of the museum."

"But the idea of stealing him was yours."

"I did it for you."

"I know, but..." Despite Charlotte snatching the phone and answering the call, putting it on speaker. "Speak," she whispers under her breath.

"Will, my friend, what's happening?"

"I'm sorry to bother you on your day off, Miss Goldberg, but there has been a robbery at the museum."

"What? How is that possible?"

"That's what we want to know. The police are already here, and we need you to come and give a statement."

"What was stolen, Will?"

"The naked man from the painting."

"What do the security cameras say?"

"That's the strangest part, Miss Goldberg. At that moment, the cameras failed."

Evangeline and Charlotte exchange puzzled looks.

"Okay, I'll come over. Hang up."

"Is it serious that he disappeared?" Darien inquires curiously.

"Currently, art is considered the best way to read all of human history through texts and artworks, and you, my dear friend, are the most famous anonymous work of art in all your... splendor," Charlotte responds, alluding to his now not-so-nakedness.

"I know I said I was going to the museum, but we can't," Eva interjects.

"Why?" Charlotte asks.

"We can't leave Darien alone. He doesn't know this new world."

"You're right," Charlotte grimaces, but soon her face changes. "Darien, you can put on that shirt," she points to the shirt lying on the floor.

Darien takes it and tries to put his right arm through, but it barely fits. He tries with his other arm, but it's futile.

"It's like seeing Hulk, but without the green," Charlotte teases.

"Who is Hulk?" Darien asks curiously.

"He's a superhero," Charlotte responds.

"Char, he can't go out like this on the street."

None of the three in the room said a word. First, because Darien was unfamiliar with this new world and didn't know how it worked, although he saw everything evolving as he moved through time. It was hard for him to believe that he was still alive after nearly 3,000 years.

"I got it!" Charlotte exclaims. "Down the street, there's a second-hand store where we can buy him some things to get by. It'll help us out of a jam."

"God, you're the best friend in the world," Eva says, taking Charlotte's cheeks and planting a kiss on her forehead. "And now that we've solved all this and Darien has told us his version of every... wait a moment." Evangeline had a feeling that told her the whole story wasn't complete. "You told us that you could only see through the painting."

"Yes," Darien nods.

"How is it that you speak our language?"

"I don't know, I just understand you," he shrugs.

"Eva, go change. I'll prepare something for breakfast," Charlotte advises. "Are you hungry?" she asks Darien.

"Very much."

"Then it's settled. I'll prepare breakfast."

"Thank you," Evangeline says.

Evangeline went back to her room, this time with the purpose of putting on her elegant work clothes. While she took a shower, she still couldn't fully grasp what was happening in her life right now. If someone had told her that this would happen, she would have laughed out loud. But now she had Darien from Macedonia in her apartment, only partially dressed.

She quickly dressed up in a suit, corrected some imperfections on her face with makeup, applied a light pink lipstick, and headed to the kitchen where her friend and the love of her life were waiting.

"Finally, you're out. I'm going to take a shower too. I left your pancakes with bacon there," Charlotte says when she sees Evangeline arrive. "I'll borrow some of your dresses."

"That's fine," Evangeline shrugs.

"You have no idea how much I love you," Charlotte says before leaving, leaving Darien and her friend alone.

"Evangeline," when Darien pronounced her name, he did it in such a way that it sounded like a melody. It sounded damn perfect on his lips. "Since I first saw you, I wanted to know your name, and you are one of the most beautiful women I have ever seen."

Darien gets up from the stool where he was sitting and slowly approaches Evangeline, like a lion hunting its prey. She had to lift her gaze to see him clearly. The Greek commander raised his hand and caressed the girl's cheek, and immediately her whole body tingled.

"I... I..." the words couldn't come out of her mouth due to nervousness.

"It's not necessary for you to say anything," he smiles. "Just seeing you makes my day a little better."

"Does going out make your life a little better?"

"I don't know, because something is wrong, but being able to touch you is definitely the best thing that has happened to me."

Evangeline could feel her cheeks warming up, and in her head, she screamed, "Why hadn't this man come out of the painting before!"

"You should eat a little. Your cheeks turned red, and I don't want you to get sick," he takes her hand and guides her to the stool next to him. "I've never tasted anything like what your friend prepared."

"And did you like it?" she asks curiously.

"Of course, I had never eaten something so delicious in my life, especially after years without food or water."

"It must have been very difficult for you to live inside a painting."

"At first, it was very difficult because I was in animal skin, I screamed to be heard, but it was useless."

"Then how did you end up in a painting?"

"I wish I could answer that, but I don't know how the painting ended. I told you before that all I remember is seeing women with elaborate hairstyles." His mouth twisted in dissatisfaction with the mental gaps he had. "But it's better to start eating," he rolls the breakfast plate towards Evangeline and watches her take a bite of bacon.

"Can I ask you something?" Evangeline had many questions that no professor could answer when she was studying her career.

"Whatever you want," he looks at her intently.

"Were you in the Trojan War?"

"No, that happened long before I was born, but I grew up listening to Aristotle talking about Homer and the Iliad."

"Aristotle!" Evangeline is impressed.

"Do you know him?" Darien furrows his brow.

"Of course, he is one of the greatest philosophers in all of human history. But before him, there were Thales of Miletus, Pythagoras, Plato, Socrates, among others. Thanks to

all their studies on mathematics and the human being..."

"Aristotle was always wise, but I didn't think he would go so far."

"Well, we study Aristotle in school."

"What a surprise, I definitely need to study this new world," he smiles.

"We're ready, my dear cherubs. Let's go downstairs to buy some clothes for the man from the painting."

Charlotte appears with one of Evangeline's dresses.

"What did you do while I was gone?" Charlotte wiggles her eyebrows mischievously.

"Darien met Aristotle in person," Evangeline replies.

"Really?" Charlotte looks surprised.

"I don't understand why you're both so surprised."

"Friend, just having you here still keeps us in shock," the blonde reminds him. "And of course, knowing history, where I studied every aspect of the past, about people who are already underground and known only through sculptures and imaginary images of painters, having you describe Aristotle is gratifying, just like Alexander the Great."

"So, everyone passed into history, except..." Darien lowers his gaze. "me."

"Darien, you did pass into history," Evangeline takes his hand to offer him support.

"But not for my accomplishments, but for being naked."

"Friend, we do know about your accomplishments. Magno took care of telling us about you, even searched for you when you disappeared with Bastian de Tarcia."

"Bastian..." he whispers. "He was my best friend."

"He had a tragic ending," Charlotte blurts out, but her best friend gives her a reproachful look.

"Guys, we better go downstairs and solve this immediately. We can talk about the past and the present later, but for now, we're involved in a robbery."

"You're right, let's go downstairs and solve this."