Chapter 85 My Fiancée Is the Best
The big ol' gallery went dead quiet for a sec.
You could only hear Catherine's voice as she checked out the paintings, asking for some to be moved or straight-up taken down.
Catherine stood in front of this one painting, a tall canvas showing off some lush green mountains and a young girl in a flowy dress. She looked like a fairy in front of those mountains.
Elijah walked up and said, "Miss, this painting was sent by Esme for the exhibition. It's an original by Ms. Esme Windsor. Mr. Windsor knows about it and has praised Esme's work."
'Esme's work?' Catherine thought, then asked, "Elijah, have you ever seen Dominic's 'Maiden Before the Mountains'?"
"Dominic's stuff? I haven't had the pleasure of seeing all of them."
'Dominic, the oil painting master, a national treasure whose works are often given as big-time gifts to foreign VIPs visiting Stellara.'
'As a gallery manager, how can I see them whenever I want?' Elijah thought.
"'Maiden Before the Mountains' is in my study right now." Catherine said and pulled out her phone to show Elijah the painting hanging in her study.
The Windsor family had set up a study for each kid. Since they didn't know what Catherine liked, Aurora had asked her for input when decorating it, setting it up just how she wanted.
"Maiden Before the Mountains" was the first painting Dominic had given to Catherine, inspired by her. It was one of a kind.
When Dominic had an exhibition before, he had also shown that painting.
The painting in front of them was a total knockoff of "Maiden Before the Mountains"!
Elijah looked at the painting on Catherine's phone and then at the one hanging in front of them, sweating bullets as he said awkwardly, "Miss, this is Ms. Esme Windsor's work. We can't just take it down without permission."
Catherine said coolly, "In my gallery, you can create, and you can imitate. Dominic has always welcomed people to learn his techniques, but we can't have fakes being passed off as originals. This painting has to go."
"Got it." Elijah nodded, having no choice but to call Esme.
"What? Is Catherine nuts? How dare she toss my work? This is clearly Samuel's gallery. What right does Catherine have to make decisions?" Esme yelled.
"Esme, Catherine owns the gallery now. Samuel already gave it to her." Elijah said honestly.
Esme almost crushed her phone in her hand.
She had her eye on that gallery for ages. Its location and vibe were perfect for her. If Samuel had given it to her, she would have so much to brag about in Imperia City's social circles. When she saw "Maiden Before the Mountains" at an exhibition, she fell in love with it. After painstakingly making a replica, Dominic took the original, and hardly anyone had seen it. Even when it was presented earlier, Charles didn't notice it was a fake.
'How does Catherine know it's a fake? Catherine must be jealous of my talent and is deliberately trashing me! She's so spiteful!'
Esme angrily pounded her pillow a few times, grabbed her bag, and headed straight for Samuel's house.
'I've just been away from Samuel for a couple of days, and Catherine has taken advantage of the situation. Catherine must have sweet-talked Samuel into giving her the gallery!' Esme thought.
Meanwhile, as Catherine stepped out of the gallery, she spotted a sleek, low-key yet luxurious Aston Martin parked across the street.
This wasn't just any car; it was a limited edition, the kind you need to prove you're loaded to even think about buying. It had some custom mods too, catching the eyes of everyone passing by.
Annie, looking sharp in a well-fitted suit, stood by the car and gave Catherine a polite bow with a smile.
Catherine walked briskly over and slid into the car through the door Annie had opened for her.
Inside, Alexander was rocking a sharp, tailored suit, his tie perfectly in place. His collar had this embroidered leaf, a clear sign it was a Quinn original, and super pricey.
Catherine almost forgot she had made that suit. It felt like just last year when a rich client Simon mentioned ordered a bunch of suits from Quinn. The Galactic Aurora Collective was low on funds back then, so Catherine had pulled an all-nighter to get them done.
She never thought Quinn's only suit would end up with Alexander.
Simon had even commented on how well-built the suit's owner was while helping out.
Thinking about it, Catherine blushed a bit and coughed awkwardly.
Alexander, who had been buried in financial reports, turned to her with concern when he heard her cough. "You okay? Annie, take us to the hospital."
"No need, I'm a doctor myself," she said.
Alexander put away his reports and, with a hint of apology, reached out to hold Catherine's small hand. In the car's dim light, his face looked especially gentle.
"Sorry, I've been swamped these past few days, no time to hang out with you."
'I didn't say I needed company, though?' she thought.
Catherine tried to pull her hand back, and Alexander let her, smiling as he released his grip.
He just wanted to check if her hand was cold. Even though he was reluctant, he didn't want to do anything that'd make her uncomfortable.
But as she pulled her hand back, Catherine felt a weird sense of disappointment.
"How'd you know I was here?" she asked.
"Samuel told me. I remember this gallery belongs to him. You here to check out the paintings?" Alexander asked, not knowing Catherine was into art exhibitions. The Howard Group owned several galleries, which he could give to her in the future.
"I'm here for work," she answered.
Alexander was a bit surprised. He hadn't expected Samuel to be so generous, letting her take over the gallery right after her nineteenth birthday.
"Artists can be pretty moody. If you need any help, I'm here for you," he said with a warm smile.
Running a gallery wasn't as easy as it looked. The hardest part was dealing with the artists, who often had difficult personalities.
He couldn't stand the thought of Catherine being upset by some arrogant artists.
Catherine said calmly, "I don't think their tempers could be worse than the members of the Faceless Ones."
Alexander was momentarily stunned, then remembered that Catherine was no ordinary woman. She was a formidable opponent, equal to him.
She could handle assassins on the border; a few artists were nothing.
But as she spoke, there was a hint of pride in her voice, and her small chin lifted in a beautiful arc, making Alexander's heart skip a beat.
Alexander's smile was particularly gentle and tender as he said, "Of course, my fiancée is the best. I just don't want you to be unhappy. Would you join me for dinner?"
Alexander rarely spoke so humbly, making him seem especially gentle.
Catherine nodded and agreed. "Okay."
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