Patricia shot Sylvie a cold, mocking look. “Really think you’re some kind of star, do you?”
Sylvie’s face froze.
She just didn’t get it.
Why was Patricia so determined to side with Elodie?
Sure, the venue belonged to Patricia, but they were the ones paying for today’s event.
Selma, having regained her composure, faced the row of cameras now trained on her and took a steadying breath. “This is all just a misunderstanding, Miss Aldridge. I’m afraid you aren’t aware of some old conflicts between Elodie and my family. I hope you won’t let yourself be led astray.”
Patricia gave a derisive laugh. “Let me ask you again: is ‘Extinction’ really your work?”
Selma met Elodie’s icy gaze, then glanced at Patricia’s half-amused, half-threatening smile. She had a bad feeling about this. She’d already admitted ‘Extinction’ was hers—there was no turning back now.
“What are you trying to say, Miss Aldridge?” Selma asked, her tone guarded.
Sylvie’s heart skipped a beat for no reason at all.
She instinctively glanced down at Jarrod, who sat calm and unflappable, his presence giving her a flicker of reassurance.
“That’s right, Miss Aldridge, shouldn’t there be more concrete evidence?” Grady chimed in, frowning. “After all, ‘Extinction’ is unsigned. You can’t just take Elodie’s word that it belonged to her mother.”
But most of the artists present kept silent.
They could see it for themselves:
The brushwork in ‘Extinction’ and ‘Delusion’—the difference in skill was like night and day.
Selma…wasn’t as simple as she appeared.
Meanwhile, several journalists caught every flicker of emotion on Selma’s face, their senses keen for a scandal.
Maurice leaned toward Jarrod. “What’s going on? Did Sylvie do something to get on Patricia’s bad side?”
Jarrod just stared ahead, silent.
Patricia could tell what everyone was thinking.
She let out a cold laugh. “Evidence? Of course, I have it.”
At that, another painting was carefully brought forward.
This time, everyone was extra cautious.
Elodie saw it first, surprise flickering in her eyes as she glanced at Patricia.
Patricia had somehow borrowed the upper half of her mother’s painting from the Fairview University School of Art’s private collection.
Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: How a Dying Woman Rewrote Her Epilogue
Hi, may I give a recommendation to add a story from Goodnovel? Author Elaine Cass with the title Revenge of The Broken Luna, I really want to read it. I hope you can put it in this website, thank you....