“A-Are you related to Master Kiera or something?!”
Bonnie chuckled and leaned over to put her signature in the corner of her painting. Meanwhile, Orson watched her every move. He noticed how familiar Bonnie’s handwriting was, but even so, he could not see it well enough.
He only knew that she was signing her work. However, it finally dawned on him whose signature it was. “I-Isn’t that Kienran’s signature?!”
Orson was shocked. He trembled, and his jaw dropped as he froze for three minutes before looking at Bonnie from head to toe. Suddenly, he remembered a three-year-old Kieran. He had met her once at a party decades ago.
He began to overlap the little girl’s features with Bonnie’s. Ultimately, their features blended harmoniously, and they became the same person. He threw his head back and laughed heartily.
Orson smacked his forehead regretfully, saying, “What a crazy moment. It turns out Master Kieran was before me all along! How did I miss it? You’re so gifted that it’s only expected of you to ace everything you do.
“I should’ve known, yet I acted like a fool and naively thought you merely knew Master Kieran. My mind isn’t as sharp as it used to be. I guess age has finally caught up to me.”
Bonnie said smilingly, “I want to thank you for secretly watching over me when I was three. I had no idea someone wanted to kidnap me. I’m lucky you showed up, or my life would’ve been completely different.’ Orson waved and said, “It was nothing. There’s no need to thank me for that.”
After some thought, Bonnie said, “I’m sorry I kept it a secret from you for so long, Orson. Please accept this painting as my apology.”
Orson accepted it gingerly. He loved the painting more with every passing second. He held it close to his chest and grinned from ear to ear, saying, “I can’t believe I have Master Kieran’s painting! I have no regrets now.”
He remembered asking to be her apprentice but was rejected. When he gazed at Bonnie, she smiled back bitterly.
“That explains why you wouldn’t accept me as your apprentice. After all—”
‘After all, Bonnie has taken Kay as her apprentice. My relationship with Kay would have been jumbled if Bonnie took me in, too. Kay is forthright and might greet me as a fellow apprentice instead of a grandfather.’
Although Orson imagined it, he could not deal with a moment like that. He might even get furious and kick Kay’s behind.
‘I must hand it to Kay. She might be a troublemaker, but she can be smart when it counts. After all, I’ve wanted to be Bonnie’s apprentice for a long time now. However, Kay has already become one before I could even ask!’
