Restoring a Life After Seven Years of Wrong Love novel Chapter 75

The atmosphere briefly dipped, turning somewhat solemn.

"Professor Winston, do you still have any of that premium vintage left?" Matthew asked, a bright smile breaking the tension. "I'll have to swing by your place and have a taste."

"Oh, please! A 'taste'?" Professor Winston playfully glared at him. "You're a downright bandit. Every time you come over, you drink me under the table and rob my wine cellar blind on your way out. You are officially banned!"

"Pfft." Yvette couldn't hold back a genuine laugh.

Professor Winston's greatest passion was collecting rare alcohol. He had an entire room dedicated to his collection, housing hundreds of exclusive bottles.

Seeing Yvette laugh, a soft, fond smile touched Matthew's lips.

The three of them ate and chatted, the atmosphere warm and relaxed.

The dinner finally wrapped up around ten o'clock.

They walked out together, Professor Winston flanked by Matthew and Yvette.

Stepping outside for some fresh air, Willow Huxley saw them and immediately scowled.

Of course she recognized Professor Winston. He was a prominent director at the national museum and a heavyweight in the industry.

It made perfect sense for Matthew to know him, given that Matthew's father, Crispin Sutton, was Winston's former classmate.

But seeing Yvette chatting so casually and warmly with him made Willow's blood boil.

If it weren't for Matthew dragging her along, an insignificant intern from the Azure Atelier like Yvette would never even get within breathing distance of a VIP like Professor Winston!

He was only being nice to her because of Matthew's status.

An idea sparked in Willow's mind. She turned around, discreetly held up her phone, and snapped a few carefully angled photos.

-

"Hello, this is a representative from Solstice Auctions. Am I speaking with Yvette Yeats?"

"Speaking. How can I help you?" Yvette asked, setting down her tweezers with a confused frown.

"An issue has been raised regarding your semi-final submission. We require you to come down to Solstice Auctions at eight o'clock tomorrow morning."

"Understood."

"We received an anonymous tip accusing you of bribing one of our judges. Do you care to explain?" Eleanor said, tossing a stack of printed photos onto the desk.

Stunned, Yvette leaned forward and picked them up.

One was taken at the end of the hotel corridor. She was standing very close to Professor Winston, looking as though they were having a covert, illicit conversation.

The other photos were taken outside The Vervain, showing her smiling as she walked him out.

Strangely, Matthew was completely cropped out of the restaurant photos.

Yvette set the pictures down, her expression open and honest. "The hotel photo was taken when I went out to throw away my dinner. I happened to bump into Professor Winston—we are acquainted, yes, but we only exchanged a few casual pleasantries."

"As for the photos at The Vervain, we hadn't seen each other in a while and decided to grab dinner. Another friend was with us the entire time. There was absolutely no bribery involved."

Eleanor's face remained stony. She clearly wasn't buying it.

"Your explanation lacks credibility. It doesn't convince me, nor does it prove your innocence."

"Solstice Auctions has a zero-tolerance policy for foul play. Do you have any actual proof?"