Emma Lockwood waited for the cleaners to arrive. It didn't take long before they hauled out quite a few paintings.
The exquisite frames on every piece highlighted just how cherished these works had once been.
But now, they were tossed onto the ground like garbage.
Carter Harrington lowered his gaze, sweeping his eyes over the canvases before turning to Emma. "I'll keep an eye on things here. Didn't you need to find Travis? Go ahead, don't keep him waiting."
Emma had zero desire to look at Tristan Lockwood for a second longer. She gave a brisk nod and walked away.
Chase and the bodyguards followed closely behind her. Carter waited until they were far out of earshot before reaching down to pick up the painting closest to him.
It was a portrait of a happy, harmonious family of five. Emma looked like a pampered princess, entirely surrounded by her loving family.
"The construction site is full of people demanding money," Tristan said out of nowhere.
Carter replied smoothly, "I'll have my people pack up these paintings and take them away. There's no need to mention it to her."
Hearing this, Tristan felt a sudden, inexplicable wave of relief.
Seeing these paintings tossed aside brought back memories of their youth, and a strange reluctance to lose them completely had gripped his chest.
After Carter spoke, he pulled out a standalone pencil sketch from a corner. It wasn't framed; it looked as if it had been carefully tucked away somewhere.
He didn't unfold it until he was leaving.
The person in the sketch was Percy Harrington.
"Boss, she and Percy were engaged since they were kids. It's not entirely surprising that she would draw him," Jeff offered, trying to be comforting.
Carter sighed heavily, carefully folding the sketch back up and tucking it away.
Of course he wasn't surprised.
He was just envious.
He envied the fact that Percy actually shared a romantic history with her. Even if their past had been tangled in family interests, there had at least been genuine feelings between them.
Unlike the two of them. They only had a transactional alliance, devoid of any real affection.
Meanwhile, Emma arrived at the construction site. It was indeed packed with people aggressively demanding compensation.
"Ms. Lockwood, why are you here in person? Mr. Reynolds said to have you wait for him outside," the project manager of Reynolds Real Estate said as he rushed over to manage the chaos. Since the incident had made the news, it required an executive presence to handle the fallout.


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