Restoring a Life After Seven Years of Wrong Love novel Chapter 30

The next day.

When Yvette arrived at the Azure Atelier, Quade was already standing at the large red lacquered table, painstakingly trying to peel the backing off a painting he had started the day before.

She stood quietly beside him, observing. Quade noticed her but didn't say a word.

As a junior, her main job right now was to watch and learn.

Removing the backing from an antique scroll was an agonizingly tedious process that demanded near-superhuman patience.

A painting was essentially a piece of fabric. Over decades or centuries, that fabric would succumb to mold, decay, and structural failure.

A restorer had to fix all of those issues without causing even a microscopic tear in the original artwork.

The canvases were typically made of silk or specialized paper. The older the piece, the more brittle it became. Some were so degraded that a slightly heavy breath could turn them to dust.

The difficulty was immense.

Quade stared intensely at the section in front of him, fine beads of sweat breaking out across his forehead.

“Mind if I give it a try?” Yvette asked softly.

Hearing her voice, Quade froze.

Matthew’s absolute guarantee of her skills echoed in his mind.

“No,” Quade rejected her flat out. “This piece is worth three million. Can you afford to pay for it if you ruin it?”

“If I make even a millimeter of a mistake, I will cover the full cost,” Yvette promised.

Seeing the unwavering confidence in her eyes, Quade stopped arguing.

He had warned her. If she wanted to play with fire, that was on her.

Whatever happened to this painting now would have nothing to do with him.

With that thought, he stepped back and offered her his tools.

Yvette stepped up to the table. She leaned over the artwork, her breathing instantly slowing to a deliberate, measured rhythm.

Fifteen minutes later.

The exact section that had been giving Quade a migraine was flawlessly peeled away.

“You...” Quade was too stunned to formulate a sentence.

She only had a bachelor’s degree. How on earth did she possess such masterful technique?

Just watching her fluid, practiced movements, he knew instantly that her skills far surpassed his own.

She absolutely deserved the title of Senior Restorer.

Mr. Sutton really hadn't been exaggerating.

“I owe you an apology for yesterday,” Quade said, his tone heavy with genuine remorse. “I saw how close you and Mr. Sutton were, and I assumed you slept your way into the job.”

“It’s fine,” Yvette replied, genuinely surprised he was admitting fault so quickly. “The Azure Atelier needs people like you—people who aren't afraid to stand up to management.”

“I’m going to Mr. Sutton right now to admit I was wrong and demand he reinstate your Senior title.”

“Don't do that. If I get promoted to Senior today, the rest of the team will just assume I bought you off. They won't respect the work.”

Yvette shook her head.

Quade rubbed the back of his neck, realizing he hadn't thought about the office politics of it all.

“Then... you can take the lead on this piece today.”

Yvette carefully accepted the delicate tools he offered. “Alright.”

The two of them settled into a quiet, focused rhythm.

She had tied her hair up into a messy bun, a few stray strands framing her luminous face.

When Quade walked in, he stopped and stared at the scene.

It was still their lunch hour; she really didn't need to push herself this hard.

Being a restorer sounded glamorous on paper, but the reality was brutal on the body. Spending hours hunched over a table meant almost everyone in the industry suffered from chronic back and neck pain.

—

Outside, a sleek black Maybach pulled up to the entrance of the Azure Atelier.

Jabez stepped out of the back seat. He walked around to the other side and opened the door, placing a protective hand over the doorframe.

Willow stepped out gracefully, immediately looping her arm through Jabez’s with practiced ease.

Matthew and Charlotte, having been notified by the receptionist, walked out to the front doors to meet them.

“Mr. Shelby. Ms. Huxley,” Matthew greeted them with a flawless, professional smile.

Jabez’s expression remained cool and detached. “Mr. Sutton. Ms. Clark.”

“I didn't expect to see you here, Mr. Shelby,” Charlotte drawled, a tight, artificial smile on her face. “You two certainly are... inseparable.”

Willow’s brow furrowed slightly.

Why did that sound like an insult?

*No, that's impossible,* she thought. *This is the first time I’ve ever met Ms. Clark. She has no reason to be hostile toward me.*

“This is Ms. Clark, the co-owner of the Azure Atelier,” Matthew introduced.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Clark,” Willow said, extending her hand with a sweet smile.

Knowing it was bad for business to slap a smiling face, Charlotte gave her a brief, entirely unenthusiastic handshake.