Chapter 206 Being Jealous is Being Jealous
Before Winona could speak, Lydia slapped Zachary on the back. If they weren't in public, she would have slapped him on the head directly. "If you're jealous, just say it out. Why beat around the bush to make yourself look noble?"
Zachary pursed his lips and surprisingly didn't argue back.
The fire in Austin Robinson's heart ignited when he heard the vulgar words come out of his mouth, but he slightly restrained his arrogance in front of his elders.
Although he showed no expression on his face, he didn't hold back at all with his foot, kicking Zachary's leg.
He was wearing hard-soled military boots. If his kick made contact, although it wouldn't break his leg,
it could made Zachary suffer.
Zachary calmly turned sideways, and Austin Robinson's kick missed, barely stopping himself.
Austin Robinson glared at him. ‘Are you doing some despicable things again?’
Zachary sneered.
The two of them locked eyes in mid-air, tense and ready for a showdown.
Winona stood up with her bag. "Aunt, I'm leaving."
Lydia awkwardly tried to stop her. "The food is about to arrive. Let's finish eating before you go."
"No need," Winona's gaze fell on Zachary. The man involuntarily straightened his spine.
"Seeing someone just makes me lose my appetite."
Zachary felt speechless.
Austin Robinson hurriedly caught up with her. Before leaving, he still remembered his manners and apologized to Lydia, saying they would have dinner together again next time she had time. Although it was just a polite remark, it brought joy to everyone who heard it.
After they left, Lydia also stood up angrily. "Eat by yourself. If you see me on the street again, don't bother saying hello to me. It's annoying."
Winona left the restaurant and received a phone call from Mr. Baker, who sounded cautious. "Windy, someone came to the studio looking for you, saying they want you to restore a painting."
"What painting?"
Mr. Baker on the other end of the phone glanced at the two men sitting on the sofa who clearly weren't the kind-hearted type. "I don't know, they didn't say, but they specifically asked for you to do the restoration."
If it were any other time, just by looking at the aura of these people, he wouldn't have called Winona. In their line of work, they dealt with many things, and a slight oversight could easily lead to trouble.
But Winona had exposed herself in order to find clues about her mother's incident from years ago. Although she didn't know if it would be effective, her reputation had grown, and during this period, there had been numerous private collectors who came to the studio looking for her. Because of this, he couldn't make decisions for her.
"Alright, I'll be there in half an hour."
When she hung up the phone, Austin Robinson happened to catch up, and the nonchalant air returned to his face. "Let's go, let's have hot pot next door."
Thinking about being alone with Winona, he wasn't as annoyed by Zachary, the troublemaker.
"I'm not going. I need to go back to View Studio for something."
The smile at the corner of Austin Robinson's lips visibly faded away, his eyebrows furrowed and he asked unwillingly, "Do you really have to go now?"
After finally running into each other, they hadn't even had a meal together. Damn it, could he still go in and beat the crap out of Zachary?
Winona didn't notice Austin Robinson's expression. She was still thinking about the phone call just now. As her fame spread, there were many people who came to View Studio to look for her, but this was the first time she heard Mr. Baker call her with such a tone.
"Yeah, the other party is waiting."
"I'll drive you."
Winona said aloofly, "No need, I have my own car."
Half an hour later, she arrived at View Studio.
After seeing the people in Mr. Baker's office, Winona finally understood why Mr. Baker had that tone. Although one shouldn't judge a book by its cover, both of these people, in terms of appearance and demeanor, looked like criminals. "Are you Winona?"
One of them had a deep and menacing voice.
"Yes, are you the owners of the painting?"
"We're just running an errand for the owner, inviting you to go over."
"Sorry, I don't accept house calls."
She didn't even know the other party's background, and they were strangers she had never met before. Asking her to go to their place, did they think she was a fool?
"Miss Sullivan, there's no need to be afraid. Our owner has a long-term relationship with Harper."
Winona turned around and said, "Any evidence?"
"Does our boss need to deceive you, a useless little girl?"
Seeing Winona silent, the two thought she had been fooled. "Although we invited you, our boss has high requirements. Since Harper passed away, there hasn't been a restoration technician whose skills have impressed him. So, you have to pass the assessment before officially restoring the damaged original paintings. As for remuneration, it will definitely be a fortune that you won't earn in your lifetime."
Winona said, "Mr. Baker, please call security to escort them out."
"You..." Seeing that they were about to leave, the two couldn't hold it back and took out a few photos.
"This is a photo of Harper and our boss, as well as the payment records after each restoration."
Winona glanced at the photos in his hand. The woman in the photo was elegant and refined. She is really her mother. As for the boss, his face was blurred, only a tall figure could be seen. The recipient on the payment receipt was also her mother's name.
"Can we go now?"
"I can take the job, but I want to meet your boss, and I'll choose the location." she emphasized. "no house calls."
The two saw that she was stubborn and stared at her viciously for a while before finally giving up and making a phone call.
A few minutes later, a strictly concealed man walked in from the outside. "Miss Sullivan, I am their boss. The restoration must be done at the location we specify."
Winona opened her mouth, ready to speak, but the other party interrupted, "Before you refuse, I want to show you something."
She took the file bag handed to her by the other party, took a quick look, and her face changed.
She knew that the man had been examining her through his sunglasses, and she knew that revealing emotions during negotiations was a taboo. But she couldn't help it. The other party didn't force her to make a decision immediately, but handed her a business card. "If you have made up your mind, feel free to call me anytime."
After those people left, Mr. Baker asked, "What did you see just now? Your face changed all of a sudden."
"That painting."
"What?"
The painting that her mother had received before she passed away and later disappeared for no reason. Even though she didn't know if it was real or not, she was still shocked.
Noticing that she didn't want to say, Mr. Baker didn't continue to ask.
Winona thanked Mr. Baker and left View Studio. Once in the car, she immediately took out her sketchbook and drew the painting in its entirety. She wanted to take a photo, but she was stopped by that person.
Carlos was the only one who might know something. Her mother's belongings were thrown away or sold by Carlos. She had looked through the remaining items but couldn't find anything useful.
She drove to the Sullivan family's house and the maid, who recognized her from last time, said through the door, "Mrs. Sullivan, Mr. Sullivan is not home."
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