Chapter 436:
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Though Melany knew little about art restoration, that didnât matter. Her goal was to stir the pot. She had watched Allison, who had barely participated earlier, now poised to take the final steps. Melany was more interested in creating chaos than in the outcome of the restoration. Whether Allison succeeded or not wasnât her concern; she just wanted to watch her rival squirm.
Her subtle attacks were carefully crafted: pushing forward meant greed, while stopping short signaled failure. No matter what Allison did, she would be painted as either overconfident or inadequate. That was Melanyâs plan all alongâundermine Allison, making her accomplishments seem hollow, as if they were only due to the expertsâ help.
As soon as she finished speaking, the other experts couldnât contain themselves.
âWhat do you mean? How dare you question Ms. Clarkeâs expertise?!â
âDo you even know who youâre talking about? Ms. Clarkeâs skills leave the rest of us in the dust!â
âWho even let her in here?â a third voice chimed in, followed by a laugh of disbelief. âMr. Keanu Stevens hasnât said a word about this, but here you are, already stirring up nonsense.â
Keanu, standing quietly off to the side, cleared his throat, his voice carrying the weight of authority. âI trust you, Allison. Do what you must. If it werenât for you, this painting would have been ruined from the start.â
Kellan, ever blunt and precise, added his own remark. âMs. Clarke, proceed. Only a true professional can judge this work accurately. As for some irrelevant commentary from foolsâ¦â His eyes flicked to Melany and Colton with a dismissive air. âIgnore it.â
The swift turn of the conversation left Melany and Colton visibly stunned. The roomâs sharp rejection of their manipulations stung. Though they were seething on the inside, with Keanu firmly in Allisonâs corner, they could do nothing but simmer in silence.
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From the far end of the room, Louis watched with a bemused smile. The spectacle was unfolding better than he had hoped.
âMs. Clarke,â he called out with a languid drawl, âWhy not go ahead and show us what youâve got? The technique of embedding one painting within another⦠itâs been lost to us for decades. If you manage to pull it off today, weâll all be in for a treat.â
He leaned back, his arms crossed, completely unconcerned. He wasnât rooting for her success â quite the opposite. He knew the method was notoriously difficult. Even Roderick, one of the finest restoration teams in the world, had failed to master it. No one had succeeded in over ten years. He was betting on her failure.
Then a sudden snicker echoed in the room. âSome people just donât realize thereâs always someone better out there, so they get used to talking big.â
Allison remained composed. The jabs, the skepticism, none of it fazed her. She scanned the faces in the room, taking in the mockery, the doubt, and even the quiet encouragement from those who had stayed neutral. She didnât waste her energy on any of them.
She turned her attention solely to her team.
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