Restoring a Life After Seven Years of Wrong Love novel Chapter 60

Dressed in a sharp black suit with her hair pulled into a sleek, professional bun, the woman radiated the commanding presence of an absolute industry elite.

It was Eleanor Stern, the head restorer at Solstice Auctions. True to her reputation, she was notoriously strict when it came to restoration standards and absolutely despised nepotism.

She represented absolute, uncompromising fairness.

“Welcome, everyone. I am Eleanor Stern, and I will be serving as the head judge for today’s competition,” she announced, her eagle eyes sweeping the crowd. “You have until five o'clock this evening to complete your restorations. You are, of course, welcome to submit your finished work early.”

“On the tables in front of you, you will find the artwork assigned to you. It could be calligraphy, a landscape, a portrait, or a wildlife study. You will also find a card detailing the specific requirements for your assessment. Everyone has different restoration targets. I expect to see you all perform at your absolute best.”

“The competition begins now.”

Yvette looked down at her card. Her task was aqueous cleaning.

Lowering her gaze, she inspected the painting on her table. It was marred by wormholes, mold, severe creasing, and heavy staining.

Aqueous cleaning, as the name implied, meant washing the dirt and grime out of the paper without causing a single micro-tear to the original art.

She reached for a basin and flour from her supply rack, opting for a traditional dough-cleansing technique to safely lift the initial layers of surface dust.

Willow, on the other hand, had been assigned a landscape painting. Her task was to flawlessly color-match and fill in the faded sections.

The trick to color-filling was the mixing process. The new pigment had to be nearly identical to the original, yet just a microscopic fraction lighter so it blended seamlessly as it dried.

As for Matthew, it went without saying. This level of restoration was practically child’s play to him.

Time ticked away, minute by minute.

Eleanor paced the aisles of the venue, occasionally pausing to observe the competitors.

When she stopped beside Yvette, her eyes instantly lit up.

Although Yvette was using one of the most ancient, traditional washing methods, her technique was terrifyingly precise and masterful.

Willow happened to glance over just in time to catch this.

A sneer flashed across her eyes.

Yvette only had an undergraduate degree. A restoration of this difficulty was probably pushing her to her absolute limits.

But Willow was different. She held a doctorate from a top-tier international university. She already outranked Yvette on paper.

This time, she was absolutely going to break into the top three!

*If your technique is garbage, you still aren't passing the preliminaries!*

Half an hour later, Willow confidently handed in her own piece.

-

Later that evening, Yvette, Charlotte, and Matthew arrived at The Vervain, one of Kingsbrook’s most famous upscale restaurants.

“Dinner is on me tonight! An early celebration for you two,” Charlotte announced with a grand wave of her hand. “Order whatever you want.”

Matthew chuckled. “Well, if you insist, I won’t hold back.”

True to his word, he started tapping away at the tablet, adding dish after expensive dish. Charlotte gritted her teeth, trying to hide her internal wincing.

It looked like this meal was easily going to hit six figures.

Matthew handed the tablet over to Yvette. “Take a look. Anything else you want to add?”

Yvette took the tablet, only to realize that every single dish he had ordered was a favorite of hers or Charlotte’s.