Chapter 61: Chapter 61
One hundred and fifty million.
Her painting couldn’t hold its head high in front of this fat man. Are these people that blind, and is Ethan Sterling just as blind?
After a long time, the host finally found his voice and hesitantly spoke, "Ms. French Fry, if you’re unwilling to remove your mask, the procedures later..."
Even his voice was cautious, afraid of offending the future star of the art world.
"Is verifying identity on the spot the only way the Star Burning Cup’s gold award is authenticated?" Seraphina Redgrave asked in confusion, "What if someone cheated when submitting the work?"
The host was dumbfounded, "The Star Burning Cup brings both fame and fortune, who would be willing to be a secret agent for someone else?"
"There will always be some wealthy heiresses who want to gild their image," Seraphina Redgrave said in a calm tone.
Mia Redgrave, who was initially angry, suddenly broke into a cold sweat after hearing this, "Who are you implying?"
Could it be this dead fat man knows the illegitimacy of her painting?
"Miss Redgrave, I was just making a casual remark, why are you reacting ?"
Mia bit her lip, suppressing her urge to curse, staring intently at Seraphina, afraid she’d say something else displeasing.
"In that case, why don’t Ms. French Fry paint a small detail of ’Snow Woman’ here on the spot? That way, we can tell if you’re truly the artist."
An elder master displayed a benevolent smile, expressing how artists’ temperaments are often intense, but as long as the authenticity can be verified, what’s the harm if a face remains unseen?
The other masters had no objections and quickly expressed agreement.
Seraphina agreed without hesitation, turning to Mia just when she thought she’d dodged a bullet, "Why don’t you paint along with us, Miss Redgrave? After all, your painting is worth three million, give that businessman some peace of mind."
"What do you mean by that?" Mia’s expression was very unpleasant.
What is this wench up to?
Unexpectedly, the audience agreed with Seraphina Redgrave’s proposal, and even the businessman chimed in, "Miss Redgrave, why don’t you pick up the brush too? If nothing’s amiss, I’ll add another million."
It doesn’t matter how much you add.
The painting has nothing to do with her, and she can’t actually paint oil paintings.
Mia found herself unable to refuse Seraphina’s challenge and awkwardly looked towards the audience, only to see Jonathan Redgrave turning away.
Seeing the situation, Mia forced a smile, "I’ll prove myself."
The staff brought up a blank canvas and materials.
Seraphina sat down immediately, picking up a paintbrush.
"Sorry, I’d like to go to the restroom first."
Mia smiled gracefully. How could anyone disagree? She picked up her skirt and left the hall.
Seraphina watched Mia flee with a smile, then casually picked up the paintbrush, carefully adjusting the paint before starting to paint.
She wasn’t constrained by her disguise at all, each stroke was confident and agile, making people overlook her appearance.
Ethan Sterling watched the snow under the girl’s brush, his expression growing increasingly serious.
The snow from the night his sister left slowly appeared under the girl’s brush.
How can she paint such a snowy scene? ᴛʜɪs ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪs ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ʙʏ novel-fire.net
Each stroke struck at the core of his most painful memories.
Outside the hall, Mia left the competition venue, pulled aside by Jonathan Redgrave.
"Daddy, what do I do now? I can’t do it..."
As Mia spoke, tears were about to fall. If anything went wrong here, not to mention Ethan’s high regard for her, the negative comments online could destroy her.
"No, I can’t get caught now, this is the only way..."
Jonathan grabbed his daughter’s hand and slammed it against the wall, then mercilessly struck with his elbow.
A heartbreaking scream echoed in the hall.
Seraphina remained unfazed, quietly painting.
The staff, hearing the noise, rushed out to see Mia, pale and holding her hand, collapsed on the ground, her face streaming with tears.
Jonathan stood anxiously beside her, "Mona, what happened, how could you fall while walking?"
He intentionally tried to grab Mia’s hand, and she couldn’t help but cry, "It hurts!"
An injury from a fall?
The staff were at a loss, it was too coincidental to get injured just when she was supposed to paint on stage. But looking at her expression, she seemed genuinely in pain.
"Should we call an ambulance?" the staff asked.
"Since I’m here, I’ll wait until the competition ends," Mia said with a sullen look but insisted on attending the competition anyway.
There’s no use pretending to be strong if you haven’t won the gold award.
The staff internally complained but still took Mia back to the hall.
By this time, the masters had seen the results and were preparing for the award ceremony.
Mia’s eyes glared venomously at Seraphina, this wench, ugly and fat, obstructing her plans. If not for Ms. French Fry, she would have already won the gold award and wouldn’t be suffering this much.
Seraphina stood on the podium, looking at Mia’s angry face, happily humming a little tune.
The invited guests presenting the awards also wore proud expressions. This was a painting worth one hundred and fifty million, they were witnessing history and even becoming a part of it.
"Wait, I’d like to present the award to this young lady myself." A deep voice halted the steps of the award presenter.
What’s with all the fuss today, why is there such special interest in ’Snow Woman’?
With Ethan Sterling’s status, no one dared to protest even if the whole process was disrupted.
Ethan Sterling was bafflingly odd.
The host was stunned for a long time, only regaining sense when the organizer waved frantically from below, "Let’s welcome Mr. Ethan Sterling to present the gold award to the Star Burning Cup’s winner!"
The audience was stunned for a few seconds before clapping sensibly.
Seraphina watched Ethan Sterling leisurely stand up, straighten his suit, then walk upstage, his gaze fixed on her.
It felt as if he had already seen through her true appearance under the mask.
He was so imposing that Seraphina couldn’t help but hold her breath watching him.
Ethan walked slowly in front of her, eyes on hers, with a wave, and a ceremonial lady walked up on stage.
Ethan didn’t turn his head, casually taking the gold award beside him held up carefully.
Just hurry and end this, I’m begging you.
As Ethan got closer, Seraphina felt a bit flustered, her voice low, "Thank you, Young Master Sterling."
Ethan gently lifted his hand.
Seraphina, slightly annoyed, looked up, seeing Ethan leaning down, his gaze locked on hers, carrying an inexplicable smile in his eyes.
Ethan slowly approached, eyes dark and voice deep, whispering beside Seraphina’s ear, his breath sizzling enough to almost burn her.
"I will remember you."
To others, the atmosphere between them might seem intimate, but only Seraphina felt the cold sweat running down her back as Ethan uttered those words.