After the party, Emily managed to get Queena's number. She had planned to start hanging out with Queena to get closer to her.
With Yulia's help, it didn't take long for Emily to make Queena fall in her trap.
Queena quickly changed her clothes after lunch and headed downstairs. She saw that Melinda was sitting in the living room, reading a book.
"Mrs. Lin is coming here today. I'm leaving now because I've got important work to do. Make her feel at home and don't cause any trouble."
Although Queena despised Melinda, she couldn't deny that she was the smartest of them all. However, Yulia's constant mind games made her believe that Melinda was devising cunning plans against her.
"I know, Mom. Don't worry, I'll take care. Have a good time."
Melinda closed the book and smiled. She wondered why Queena was leaving the house when her friend was going to meet her at home but she didn't dare to ask her.
Once Queena left, Melinda asked Gavin to tell her about Mrs. Lin, her likes and dislikes. She wanted to well-prepared to receive her.
Emily had invited Queena to an art exhibition that was held by a young, popular painter.
Yulia had informed Emily about Queena's love for painting and calligraphy. Therefore, Emily decided to bring her here.
"This young man has done a pretty good job,"
Queena said, arching an eyebrow in appreciation. She went in circles and inspected all the paintings.
The paintings were beautiful with hidden meanings that only people who truly loved art could decipher. Whereas, in the layman's eyes, they were just pieces of art with beautiful strokes. Queena could understand the meanings and couldn't take her eyes off the paintings. Emily couldn't understand anything and decided to break the silence.
"Aunt Queena, I remember that you were good at painting and calligraphy. I used to admire all your works. They were out of the world,"
Emily said, looking at the majestic piece of art before her. It was a painting of a serene landscape. The vivid red figure in the corner seemed to lure the attention of the viewers.
"Oh, I draw pictures and write calligraphy just to pass the time. My work is nothing compared to the paintings of this artist,"
Queena said, shaking her head with disappointment. Emily's eyes were gleaming with excitement. "Well, I don't know if I'm lucky enough to see your work." She pouted.
"I'll ask the driver to pick you up tomorrow. You can come to my house and take a look at my artworks."
Queena shrugged casually. They strolled across the art gallery before leaving. The next day, Queena kept up her promise and arranged the driver to pick Emily up.
Queena's paintings were in the drawing-room of the Gu's mansion. She had always been fond of art and calligraphy, and therefore, the walls were covered with her works.
Although Emily didn't know much about art, she could tell that Queena wasn't as good as the painter was.
"Oh my God! Aunt Queena, your paintings are simply fantastic. I can see that you've paid attention to every stroke. They are very realistic and when I look at the paintings, I feel like I'm in these picturesque places, admiring their beauty."
Emily was an eloquent flatterer and Queena fell for her words.
"Really?"
she asked, her face beaming with joy. Queena couldn't believe Emily's words but she was excited to hear someone praise her and recognize her talent.
"Yes, of course. Although I don't know much about art, I can still tell whether it's good or bad, and you've done a brilliant job."
Emily smiled. She was afraid that Queena would see through her lies and continued to praise her further to gain her trust.
"Aunt Queena, you need to trust your skills. You're gifted and I think you should conduct an exhibition,"
Emily said sincerely. Queena was tempted. She had always wanted to exhibit her artworks but she was skeptical about her talent. She felt that she wasn't good enough and didn't want to make a fool of herself.
Emily's words encouraged Queena to reclaim her passion. Her wavering mind firmly rested on the idea of holding an art exhibition.
At dinner, Queena announced that she was going to conduct an art exhibition. Everyone fell silent and looked at her in shock. They didn't know what to say.
"You want to hold an art exhibition?"
Nelson put down his chopsticks and looked at her in confusion. He wondered how she had come up with such a lame idea.
"Yes, I want to hold a painting and calligraphy exhibition."
"Bullshit!"
Nelson bellowed. Everyone's eyes widened and Melinda almost choked on her food. Queena's face fell, her cheeks turned red with embarrassment.
"You're just an amateur. You're not talented enough to hold an exhibition. Your painting and calligraphy have no artistic value."
Queena's face turned pale. Melinda felt sorry for her and opened her mouth to say something but Jonas put a shrimp ball into her mouth.
"Dad, are you telling me that I shouldn't hold an exhibition?" she croaked.
Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: Ex husband's Plea for Forgiveness