‘Who is it?
‘Who’s speaking?
‘Who’s the young, fearless fool that dares speak so rudely before two prestigious figures in the world of traditional painting?’
Everyone was bewildered. They swapped glances and tried to check out the speaker. Among the crowd, Rhys and Titus were so frightened that their faces turned pale. Then, they took a step back simultaneously, trying to put as much distance from Bonnie as they possibly could.
That was right. Bonnie was the one who claimed the painting was fake.
Everyone was baffled. They didn’t think she’d be this audacious and make such bold claims when the place was filled with influential figures.
‘We have to stay away from her and put some distance as much as possible. We have to pretend that we don’t know her. She’s going to drag us down with her.’
‘I have a net worth of a million and forty thousand dollars. I can be as cocky as I want on other occasions. However, I’m a nobody in a place like this.
‘I seriously wanted to win her heart, but I can’t do that if I’m dead. I have to protect my family and my wealth now.’
“Who the hell said my painting is a fake?” Kobe’s expression was as black as charcoal. He swept his eyes across the crowd sharply.
Both Rhys and Titus trembled when his gaze landed on them.
“I-It’s her! She said it!” Rhys reached out and pointed at Bonnie.
“You did?” he glared at her menacingly. To his surprise, the young lady didn’t flinch when she met his gaze.
‘Who the hell is this young lady?’
Before he could investigate, he saw Orson walk over to her from the corner of his eyes. Then, his rival bowed and saluted her.
“You should’ve let me know you’d be coming, Master Bonnie. I would’ve welcomed you personally.”
At that moment, everyone’s jaw dropped to the floor, especially Rhys and Titus.
It came out of the left field for them. They dared not approach Orson because he was simply too high up. Now, however, he was showing their former high school fellow student this much respect. ‘Are we dreaming?’
Both of them reached out and pinched each other’s thighs without a moment’s hesitation.
‘Ow! It hurts!’
Bonnie nodded. “There’s no need to stand on formalities, Orson.”
“Of course I do. You’re Master Arturo’s direct disciple. More to the point, your shadowboxing skill is immaculate and flawless. You’re just very modest. That’s all. Otherwise, the entire world would’ve known who you are.” His tone was brimming with admiration.
Everyone was dumbfounded again.
“Oh, my gosh! What did he just say? I can’t believe this young lady is Master Arturo’s direct disciple!”
“Also, Master Orson said her shadowboxing skills are immaculate and flawless. Was he serious? Will you look at how young she is?”
“I don’t think he’s lying! After all, it’s Master Orson we’re talking about here. Furthermore, didn’t you notice how he addressed her as ‘Master Bonnie?’ He even bowed and saluted her.”
Rhys and Titus’s jaws dropped. Their eyes widened in surprise, too. Staring at her, they heard the onlookers giving her praise after praise. They simply couldn’t process what they were seeing and hearing.
Kobe walked over. He looked at her and smiled, “Are you Master Arturo’s disciple? That’s neat. You’re so young, though. Am I right in saying you’re his latest disciple?
“Anyway, it doesn’t matter how much you excelled in shadowboxing. You’re standing in an art exhibition here. This is not where you shine. Did you just say my painting is a fake?” “Yeah, I said it.” She nodded and admitted to it.
“Intriguing. Everyone here, including Orson, doesn’t think the painting is a fake. So, what makes you so sure about your claim?”
She maintained her composure and said leisurely, “It’s no surprise that you couldn’t tell that it’s a fake. After all, there aren’t a lot of Kieran’s paintings left in the world. It’s normal for you guys to miss out on some details because you don’t have another authentic painting to compare it with.”
