Shadows Between Us (Stella and Sebastian) novel Chapter 235

Chapter 235

Jake pulled out two more paintings from his chest.

They were still warm from his body heat.

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Stella said, “I’ve got two more versions of Vigil of the Gilded Scarecrow here. I’d like Mr. Camden Cooper to help me authenticate them.”

With a loud rustle, Jake unfurled the canvases and laid them out neatly on the table alongside the one Camden had just verified as genuine.

Jake said, “Go on, check them out.”

He gestured to Camden with his palm up, then stood by the table with his arms crossed.

He looked just like a bouncer guarding the door.

Seeing three canvases of Vigil of the Gilded Scarecrows, the crowd was stunned.

Even the elders who’d been calmly sipping water were now too shocked to sit still.

Landen, sitting closest, turned to Stella in disbelief.

He thought, ‘Weren’t there only two on the island just now?

‘Where did the third one come from?

‘She couldn’t have just whipped this up right now, could she?

‘But the paper’s yellowed, edges rough and worn as only ancient canvases get. This is the real deal, no doubt, an old masterpiece.

‘Isn’t this just nuts?’

Camden blurted out, “No way! This can’t be real!”

Everyone else in the room was just as stunned.

Hudson and the others were escorted over by the guards. When they got a close look at the three paintings, practically clones of each other, they were totally stunned.

They’d already tossed out the one with five mistakes right off the bat, but those last two canvases, from the yellowed paper to the signatures and seals, matched the reference down to the tiniest detail.

The nosy crowd was on their tiptoes, craning their necks, desperate not to miss a second of this drama.

Linda gasped, “How is this even possible?”

Camden put his glasses back on, hunched over the table, scrutinizing the canvases. “Let me take a look,” he

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Chapter 235

said.

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Meanwhile, Stella was just playing with Eggie, not even glancing at anyone else. She looked so chill, like she was just hanging out in her own backyard.

Celia couldn’t take her eyes off Stella’s face. Her hands had been balled into fists this whole time, and she still hadn’t relaxed.

Her nails were digging so hard into her skin that she was actually bleeding.

This time, Camden spent twice as long examining the canvases as before. The longer he looked, the paler he got, cold sweat beading on his forehead. He even tossed his beloved cards aside without a second thought.

Camden blurted out, “Why? Why is this happening? How could this be real?”

He kept muttering under his breath, still in shock.

Jake couldn’t care less about Camden. He just grabbed a chair and dropped it behind Stella with a thud. “Ms. Carter, have a seat,” he said.

Stella dropped herself into the chair without a second thought, totally relaxed and not bothering with any formalities.

She sat there like a boss: chill, confident, and completely unfazed.

Her eyes were lowered, her pretty face perfectly calm, not even a flicker of emotion. It was like she was in her own world, totally untouchable, no matter what Camden said.

Linda couldn’t help but ask, “Mr. Cooper, any luck? Can you tell which one is real yet?”

She kept urging him on, her impatience written all over her face.

Finally, Camden looked up, peeled off his glasses, and let another long silence hang, just long enough to drive every hothead in the room crazy.

He pointed at the canvas on the left and said, “This one is a fake. There are three mistakes in it. The copyist probably left them on purpose so it could be distinguished from the genuine article.”

He was sure there were more than three, but with everyone breathing down his neck, he just didn’t have the time to dig deeper.

Stella just smiled, cool as ever, barely reacting to his words.

But when Camden saw that smile, he suddenly got it. “There are more than three mistakes, right?” he blurted.

Everyone just stared, totally speechless.

They thought, ‘Dude, aren’t you supposed to be the expert? Why are you asking her?”

Stella replied, “Yeah, there are actually five errors altogether.”

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Chapter 235

Camden finally caught on. “So, where are the other two?” he asked, not even embarrassed to ask.

Stella looked at Landen, the one sitting closest to Camden.

Landen pointed out the last two mistakes for Camden.

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Landen thought, ‘This is the fake we saw back on the island. Then what was that first one we had Camden authenticate?’

Camden exclaimed, “Figures!”

The onlookers thought, ‘Seriously? You’re supposed to be the art expert, and you’re asking a medicine seller to help you spot the mistakes? Don’t you feel embarrassed?’

Camden said, “Honestly, if the artist hadn’t deliberately left those five flaws, nobody on earth could tell the real one from a fake! In my whole life, I’ve only ever seen this level of skill from one person before.”

Landen leaned in and asked, “Who was it?”

Camden sighed and said, “Well, not that I’ve actually met them. Someone like me wouldn’t even get the chance. I’ve just seen their paintings, that’s all.”

Landen barely managed to hold back an eye roll. “So, who is it?” he asked again.

Camden said, “The world’s top copyist, restorer, and auctioneer-the legendary Moon.”

Allan looked up, surprised.

He’d obviously heard of Moon before.

Victor was still a bit confused. He asked, “So, is Moon really that insane?”

Camden said, “Insane’ doesn’t even scratch the surface when it comes to Moon. Moon is literally the only person on the planet who can copy and restore a piece so perfectly that it’s a 1:1 clone. No one can tell the fake from the real.”

Allan chimed in, “Totally untouchable!”

Landen looked genuinely confused. “So, is Moon a guy or a girl?”

Allan replied, “She’s a woman.”

Camden explained, “She’s got connections with every major auction house on the planet. Every few years, she’ll just drop by and help auction off some treasures, totally on her own terms. And if she’s in the room, not a single item starts below this number.”

He held up six fingers.

Landen blurted out, “6 million?”

Everyone else stood frozen in painfully awkward silence.

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