Alexander and Elise dressed up to attend the cocktail party two days later. As it was a private party and
not opened to the media, it didn’t receive such huge publicity, and the guests could enter the manor
and look around at will after checking in at the entrance.
Regardless of the type of collector, they all had a certain amount of capital in their hands.
Judging from the manor and villa details, Elise could tell that Jonas’s net worth was not lower than the
Griffiths in their heyday, but he had always been low-key and was never interested in the rankings of
the rich. Hence, nobody knew how many assets he had under his name.
Holding Elise’s hand, Alexander followed the trail of the other guests. Finally, after they grabbed their
own glass of champagne, they reached the gallery where the paintings of various famous artists were
displayed.
The paintings were encased in glass on a special shelf, and every painting had unique security
equipment, which made it convenient for guests to admire the painting while preventing theft.
However, there was an obvious flaw with it; once someone broke the glass, the painting inside would
be easily damaged.
Elise stopped in front of the drawing, ‘Ink Peonies’, then looked at the other paintings around it and
realized they were masterpieces by renowned painters from the last century or famous pieces from
post-modern geniuses. For her first painting to be on display here, it could be considered as a very high
valuation of her work.
“Do you like it?”Alexander was already thinking of ways to persuade Jonas to let him have the painting
when he saw the smile on her face.
Elise shook her head with a smile. “I can’t see why this painting is so great. It’s better to just keep it for
people who understand it to admire it.”
Just then, a girl in a ball gown stepped out from behind her with her head tilted to the side. After she
had taken a good look at Elise’s face, she beamed in excitement. “It’s really you, Miss Beautiful!”
“You are…” Elise trailed off in confusion.
“It’s me!” She flashed Elise a captivating smile that showed off her white teeth and adorable little
canines. “Do you still remember that someone was chasing you in the mall, and I was the one who
helped you to escape?”
As the memories flooded back to her, Elise pointed a finger and asked tentatively, “You’re the girl at the
barbeque restaurant?”
“Yes, that’s me.” She bobbed her head and appeared a little embarrassed as she tucked away her
fringe behind her ear when it came loose. “I still haven’t had the barbeque until now.”
“I see. Are your friends really busy?” Elise asked softly.
The girl shook her head, pursed her lips, and said, “After I dropped out of school, I lost contact with my
classmates and friends, and there’s no one I can ask out to have a meal with.”
All of a sudden, Elise felt sorry for her, but she didn’t know how to comfort her.
Alexander read the situation and decided to let them have some time alone. “I saw a few people I
know, so I’m going over to say hi. Both of you have a good chat,” he said as he walked away.
After he left, the girl didn’t seem so reserved anymore, and she took a step closer to Elise, introducing
herself, “I’m Stephanie, and you’re Elise, aren’t you? Elise Sinclair, I’ve watched your variety show, and
I couldn’t even recognize you when you dressed up like that the other day. I’m so sorry about that.”
Elise pursed her lips into a smile and didn’t deny anything she said. Then, Stephanie continued
cautiously, “Miss Sinclair, may I add you on WhatsApp? I promise I won’t annoy you all the time.”
After all, Elise owed her a favor, so she didn’t turn her down and added her contact after taking out her
smartphone. Then, they started chatting about everything and anything.
From their conversation, Elise learned that Stephanie was an art student, and she majored in oil
painting, with a liking for Western culture. Just like Elise, she was here because of the invitation from
an art competition.
Half an hour later, they finished their champagne, and Stephanie stopped a waiter close to them. Then,
with Elise’s glass in her hand, she went over to him and exchanged it for two new drinks.
Tiana arrived late, but she immediately caught sight of Elise and Stephanie chatting away happily the
minute she walked into the gallery.
There were only that many people in the art industry of Tissote, with a lesser amount of socialites
within. But, as everyone knew, there were always pretty girls in the art field, so Stephanie had always
been Tiana’s biggest eyesore the whole time.
Furthermore, Elise had just snatched the title of ‘National Goddess’ from her—a title which she coveted
so much, and a sense of danger started to build up aggressively within her when she saw the both of
them hanging out together.
She looked around from a distance for a while, and while there were many people everywhere, she
slowly moved closer to them. Then, when she passed by Stephanie, she quickly reached out and gave
her a hard push.
Stephanie lost her balance and fell forward as she was caught off guard in stilettos.
Although Elise had quick reflexes and held her steady, Stephanie still bumped into the display case in
front of her. When she regained her balance again, the ‘Ink Peonies’ had fallen as well, and the glass
case was shattered into pieces with a few sharp shards of glass cutting through the painting instantly
under such a huge kinetic force.
“Are you alright?” All Elise was concerned about was whether Stephanie had sprained or bruised
herself.
“I’m alright.” Stephanie shook her head in frustration and muttered, “However, I’m afraid that… I’ve
ruined the painting.”
Elise took a quick glance at it on the floor and came to the decision that the painting was indeed utterly
ruined. However, she still said in an assuring tone, “It’s just a canvas. What’s more important is that
you’re alright.”
Stephanie sighed heavily and looked behind herself in confusion but saw nothing.
That’s weird, she thought. I clearly felt someone pushing me earlier.
“What’s wrong?” Elise asked, sensing something amiss.
Before Stephanie could say anything, the party host, Jonas Hymer, had rushed to the scene with a
group of close friends.
When he saw the mess on the floor, the knot between his brows tightened, and his expression turned
even more sullen.
At the same time, Alexander heard what happened and rushed to the scene as well. He walked to
Elise, then softly put his arm around her, giving her an assuring hug.
A long moment of silence washed over before Tiana popped out from a corner and walked forward with
a sorry look. She swept away the glass and then picked the drawing up with a regretful look. “This is
the best drawing by SQ so far. What a shame…”
The other guests also chipped in to express their regrets about the situation as well.
“SQ has the most potential to support the painting field within the country, and she only has a few
pieces of artwork. One destroyed makes it one less art piece in the world by SQ!”
“I remember when Mr. Hymer brought this painting back from an auction abroad, he spent almost ten
million on it. After these few years, the price must have doubled a few times. This is a huge loss
indeed!”
“What a shame for the painting!”
As Jonas listened to their comments, his face flushed with anger, and his expression was incredibly
nasty.
Stephanie stepped willingly forward as she knew she was in the wrong and apologized sincerely. “I’m
sorry, Mr. Hymer. I was the one who destroyed the painting accidentally. Once I’m back, I’ll definitely
ask my father to compensate according to the market price.”
“Compensate?” Jonas’ eyes were fierce and rounded as he glared at her. “How are you going to
compensate me? Maybe SQ is no longer living in this world, and their works are priceless. Do you think
you can pay for this and call it a day?!”
His attitude pissed off Elise very much, and just when she was about to help Stephanie out of the
situation, Alexander held her back and opened his mouth first.
“It’s fate that we’re able to attend your party, Mr. Hymer, and everything happens for a reason. So, why
don’t you take a step back and restrain your anger?”
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