Chapter 451
Patricia had barely glanced at Melissa’s gift before rejecting it. But now, as soon as Charlotte handed over her present, Patricia was all excitement, practically snatching it out of Hans’s hands to see what was inside. Her favoritism was obvious to
everyone.
Charlotte just gave a small nod. Moments later, Hans appeared with the beautifully wrapped package. Anne reached out, ready to help, but Patricia beat her to it, hugging the gift close like it was priceless.
“This one’s from Lottie. I want to open it myself,” she said, her voice bubbling with happiness.
“Of course,” Anne replied, stepping aside to help her with the wrapping.
Together, they peeled away the paper, revealing a delicate wooden box. Inside was a scroll painting in shades of gray and white, looking every bit like a piece of history.
A painting.
The guests immediately craned their necks, hungry for gossip. Melissa had just given Patricia a painting too, and not just any painting, but a famous masterpiece. No matter how talented this young woman was, there was no way her gift could outshine Melissa’s *Sunset*. Everyone knew the comparison would only end in embarrassment for her.
Melissa watched the scene unfold, a smirk tugging at her lips. The coincidence was almost too much. She thought, If Patricia didn’t even care for my *Sunset*, why would she care about this girl’s little gift? Judging by her looks, the best she could afford would be something worth a few hundred dollars.
Sensing a chance to stir things up, Dorothy, who had just been told off earlier, piped up loudly, “What a coincidence. Melissa’s gift was a painting too.”
Charlotte turned her head slowly. Dorothy, her makeup flawless, was staring at her with open disdain. Charlotte recognized her as Andrew’s mother. As for Melissa, Charlotte shot her a cool glance from beneath her hat, catching the way she was eyeing Anthony, and let a faint, icy smile curl her lips.
“And Melissa’s was a famous one Dorothy continued, her tone all innocent curiosity. “It was Halation’s *Sunset*. You’ve heard of it, right?”
Melissa stayed quiet, her eyes glinting with ridicule. She clearly thought, Does a country girl like her even know who Halation is?
Charlotte didn’t say a word. She couldn’t just say she’d heard of Halation. The truth was, she knew him better than anyone here could imagine.
The room fell silent, everyone waiting to see what she’d do next. Halation’s Sunset* was the crown jewel of the art world these days Charlotte had any sense, she’dğust back down and save herself the embarrassment of showing a painting no one cared about.
When Charlotte stayed quiet,
Kenneth’s face grew dark. He almost jumped to his feet. “Seriously? They think one lousy painting is enough to embarrass Lottie? I could have a Whole truckload delivered right now.”
Roger gave Kenneth a look, then said in a low voice, “Relax. Lottie’s not the type to
get taken advantage of.”
Kenneth grunted in agreement. After all, Anthony hadn’t said a word yet.
Patricia shot Dorothy a cold glare. “No one asked for your opinion,” she snapped, wishing she could just slap her Then she turned to Charlotte her voice turning gentle Lottie I’ll love anything you give me.
She nudged Anne. “Go ahead, open it for me.” Honestly, if Lottie had handed her a blank page, Patricia would have cherished it.
Anthony just watched quietly, a soft smile on his lips as he looked at Charlotte. So Halation, huh… If Charlotte wanted to play along, why not let her? Maybe she just needed to blow off some steam.
The ribbon came undone, and the scroll, nearly a meter long, unfurled for everyone to see. In the lower right corner was a title: *Sunset*.
Everyone in the room stared. Eyes widened. What was going on? How could there be two paintings of *Sunset* that looked exactly the same?