Selina was making a lot of sense. The story would be plausible if Bonnie were not Master Kieran herself.
Bonnie was about to say something when Selina spoke again.
“I saw the way you were looking at the painting. You were watching to see if anyone was walking past you. I was wondering why you were acting so suspiciously, but I never expected you to steal the painting for yourself.”
Avril had heard about the incident and rushed over. She overheard Selina accusing Bonnie and was shaking with rage.
Avril quickly shielded Bonnie. “Stop accusing Bonnie without any evidence. She’d never do something like that!”
‘What a bunch of morons! Do they have any idea who Bonnie is? How dare they accuse her?’
Avril might’ve sounded righteous and angry, but that didn’t stop some of the onlookers from cackling.
“Why wouldn’t she do something like this? She’s a penniless bumpkin. Of course she would steal the most expensive painting in the world.”
“Exactly. In fact, I think she’s the only one who dares to do something like this.”
“She’s a thief! Ugh. How sickening!”
Everyone continued to belittle Bonnie.
Benton heard all of it and looked at her furiously. “The university’s collections aren’t the only exhibits here. A lot of them are from prestigious families. All of them respected our university for its standing.
“Now, you’ve gone and lost one of the most important paintings in the world. Do you have any idea what kind of damage it’d do to our university’s reputation? Not to mention the wealthy people and organizations involved who funded the university.
“This isn’t something a mere student can afford to bear, Bonnie. Take my advice and admit that you stole the painting. Then, I want you to return it. That way, I can ask the university to take it easy on you.” The crowd surrounding them grew bigger by the second, and the mutterings were relentless.
“Bonnie was never a serious student. She wouldn’t even listen to the professors. I must say, I’m not surprised at all that she’d resort to grand theft.”
“Exactly. She has skipped classes for days. The moment she actually showed up on campus, she made such a huge mess. After all, Master Kieran’s painting was worth so much. It’s probably enough for a hick like her to live comfortably for the rest of her life!”
“She’s a shame to the university. I really hope they expel her.”
Everyone was mocking Bonnie, thinking that she had to have stolen Master Kieran’s painting.
Reece was so agitated by it that he wished he could tell everyone about her real identity right then and there.
Avril was feeling the same.
Both of them cast a worried glance at Bonnie, only to find that she was nonchalant about everything that was happening around her. She was completely calm and unfazed. ‘That’s right. Is Bonnie supposed to be stumped by a trivial matter such as this? In fact, I don’t even have to speak up for her. All I had to do was wait for her to handle it.’ Bonnie could sense that everyone’s eyes were glued to her. She put on a casual smile.
“How are you all sure that the painting was stolen?”
Everyone exchanged glances, and silence hung over the crowd. They stared at her, looking for any signs that Bonnie was bluffing, as well as signs of guilt.
However, she remained standing, unperturbed. There was nothing but calmness on her face.
Selina’s heart skipped a beat. “What do you mean?”
Bonnie responded confidently, “I went away to deal with an emergency. However, I was worried that someone might steal the painting while I was away. So, I hid it somewhere safe.” Selina detected the sarcasm in Bonnie’s tone, and her face quickly turned miserable.
“You should’ve said something sooner, then. All of us were thinking you stole it. Now that you said you simply hid it, hurry up and take it out.”
“There’s no hurry here. Stay put. I hid it somewhere far away. Give me some time, and I’m going to get it now.” With that, she walked in the opposite direction of the exhibition. Selina watched as Bonnie left. She couldn’t help but sneer.
‘Heh heh. Does she think stalling will give her enough time to locate the painting? I’ve hidden it somewhere remote. No one else but me could find it.’
