“This is nonsense. Timothy Houghton’s work is full of power and positivity, how could it be as terrible as you say?” River stood up and scolded loudly.
“Timothy Houghton is the most prestigious contemporary painter. You are slandering his art just to create buzz and gain attention. It’s unforgivable!”
“Ms. Sharp, this place has taste. If you don’t understand art, please leave instead of talking nonsense.”
“These two are really weird! They always do things differently from others. It’s an insult to Timothy Houghton that someone who knows nothing about art sits in the central seat!”
Everyone expressed their dissatisfaction with Rose’s words; Timothy Houghton was their idol, and they would never allow anyone to defame him.
Lilia shook her head and sighed, “Ms. Sharp, you came here just for show-off purposes. A chicken entering a phoenix group will still remain a chicken.”
“Just because you paid for the front-row seat doesn’t mean people will look up to you! You’re just a clown!”
Flynn frowned heavily and turned his head towards Rose, “Tell me your thoughts.”
Rose didn’t care about what others thought of her; she calmly said, “When Timothy Houghton painted this piece, he must have gone through something significant that affected his mentality greatly.”
“The lines in the painting are filled with violence, revengeful feelings, and intense hatred towards something or someone.”
“That’s why I couldn’t find any beauty in it. All I saw was murderous intent.”
Flynn was surprised when he heard this part.
When he first entered prison, the person bribed by Tessa tried to assassinate him, almost taking his life. In the end, Kevin saved him.
At first, Flynn didn’t know that the assassination was related to Tessa.
Seven years ago, one day, Flynn accidentally learned the truth, and a tremendous hatred grew in his heart. When he splashed ink to paint, he infused the murderous intent into the painting.
Rose could see all these emotions from those strokes alone – she understood him better than anyone else!
“To be honest,” Flynn nodded in agreement, “I also think this painting isn’t good at all. It’s not successful enough even though it carries Timothy Houghton’s name.”
Alfie who had been observing them quietly took down the artwork upon hearing Flynn’s comment.
“Ms. Hussain, I know you like collecting, so I specially bought a painting for you. Take a look, do you like it?”
While the exhibition staff was preparing for the next piece, River opened the scroll he brought and introduced it to Lilia, “This is Gideon Prince’s ‘Mountain Villa’, it’s very old and highly collectible!”
The scroll slowly unfurled, revealing a majestic landscape painting.
The surrounding crowd exclaimed in awe, convinced that it was an authentic piece.
While congratulating Lilia on obtaining a work by a famous artist, the others couldn’t help but exchange some snide remarks.
“See that? Ms. Hussain has people fawning over her wherever she goes. That’s what fame and power look like. That’s what being part of a wealthy family means! Unlike some people who just throw money around to show off without actually knowing anything!”
“Rose buys her way into positions like those Instagram models who rent sports cars for photo shoots. People who don’t know any better might praise her for it, but those in the know will only mock her vanity!”
“Ms. Sharp used to be such a level-headed person before getting involved with this guy. Ever since then, she can’t seem to think straight anymore. She’s done so many foolish things just to oppose Ms. Hussain!”
Lilia was very satisfied after hearing these comments and nodded approvingly.
“I’ll accept the Stewart family’s goodwill gesture and make sure to take care of business with you in the future. Mr. Stewart, you’ve been very thoughtful.”
“Thank you, Ms. Hussain! My family will always defer to the Hussain family when it comes to business matters!” River was excited and even more respectful towards Lilia now as he glanced at Rose smugly.
However…
Just as he was feeling pleased with himself while handing over the painting to Lilia, Flynn spoke indifferently, “If you want to be her lapdog so badly, then you should show her some sincerity.”
“What do you mean by giving Ms. Hussain a fake painting?”
River stopped smiling and frowned, “What do you mean?”
Flynn had no expression on his face as he replied, “I’m saying that this is a fake painting.”
“A fake?! Are you kidding me? I had an expert appraise it! I spent over 700, 000 dollars on this authentic piece! How dare you say that it’s fake?”
“If this were really a fake painting, then how come none of these collectors here could tell?”
“I think you’re disgusting us!”
Everyone was also upset.
“We didn’t see it, but you did. Does that mean that you’re better than us? Rose, what happened just now isn’t over yet. Are you going against us again and picking a fight on purpose?”
“We’ve been collecting art for decades. We have eagle eyes when it comes down evaluating pieces like these.”
“I don’t know where this grasshopper came from, always trying to show off!”
“We all thought it was a genuine artwork, but you said it was fake.”
“Are you really going against us like you did with Rose about “Dragon Roaring in Brurridge”?
Kimber had been watching coldly from the sidelines and spoke sternly when Flynn stirred up trouble again, “If you’re here to cause trouble or embarrass us intentionally, then please leave!”
“Don’t think that Ms. Hussain hasn’t come after you because she’s afraid. If she gets angry for real, you won’t be able to handle even a second of it!”
Flynn shook his head indifferently and said, “Can’t something worth much money be fake? Just because you believe it’s genuine doesn’t mean it is.”
“A fake is a fake. No matter how much we talk about it being real doesn’t change that fact.”
“If you can’t see that, then that just proves how useless all of you are!”
This statement only fueled everyone’s anger further as they became hysterical.
“What! You call us useless? Who do you think you are? You’re worse than trash!”
“I say this painting is genuine so it must be! If not, I’ll eat shit on the spot! That’s how confident I am!”
“You piece of garbage who hasn’t even grown out their hair yet dare call us useless? We’ll teach your ass a lesson!”
Rose shook her head and said to Flynn, “I thought people who love art would have at least some level of noble thoughts. It’s disgusting with all these different species coming out now.”
“Let’s go. This place is too nauseating.”
She stood up and left while Flynn followed suit.
But just at this moment…
River shouted loudly, “Clark, after satisfying your urge to speak ill of me by saying my painting was fake, do you think walking away will solve everything?”
“If there isn’t an explanation today, then I’ll break your legs!”
Kimber looked at Flynn disdainfully and said, “Ms. Hussain didn’t want her status lowered so she didn’t bother arguing with someone like yourself.”
“Not only did you not appreciate her pardon but you also offended another gentleman.”
“Now things have become complicated for you. If you can’t provide a reasonable explanation today, then you won’t be able to leave unscathed.”
“Want an explanation? Simple enough,” Flynn sneered coldly as he took one step forward and snatched Lilia’s “Mountain Villa” from her hand before tearing into two pieces with a sharp sound!