Chapter 231
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Liam’s eyes widened with surprise , excitement in his voice . “ That collector finally agreed to sell ? ”
He wanted to take the painting from Hannah , but his arms were already full .
“Yeah , it cost 150 million dollars . Just hand this over – no way the examiners will give you trouble now . ” Hannah’s smile was bright .
Liam was deeply moved , “ Hannah , thank you . Really ?
Noticing what he was holding , Hannah frowned . “ What’s that ? ”
“ These are Aria’s three imitation paintings , ” he explained . “ Treburning them to her. ”
Hannah looked displeased . “ Imitations like that shouldn’t even exist , can’t believe she’s actually asking for them back .”
Liam shook his head . “ They’re here , She should decide what to do with them . Come on , let’s go inside .
“ Tine . ” They handed over their invitations and found seats in the audience with their arms full of paintings
Soon , the judging began in earnest
Fifty contestants filed into the first three rows , taking their seats as staff placed each painting on display at the front .
Only twenty would advance – a forty percent chance .
The few with real confidence managed to keep calm , but most were a bundle of nerves .
Katrina was one of the confident ones . A boy who was close to Collin smirked at her , “ Katrina , heard things are heating up between you and Griffin ? ”
Katrina’s expression darkened , anger flashing in
eyes . “ Where’d you hear that nonsense ?
The boy sneered , “ You two are engaged , aren’t you ? What else would you call it ? You’re about to get married and still fighting for a spot in the finals with the rest of us . ”
Katrina snorted , “ Anyone under twenty four can compete . Who are you to talk ? And keep me out of your drama with Hannah’s lovesick puppy . Frankly , just thinking about it makes me sick . ”
At that , Collin’s face clouded . “ Katrina , Hannah’s not a homewrecker . If you keep slandering her , don’t blame me for getting rough . ”
Katrina’s laughter was cold . “ The Gibson family , huh ? Thick as thieves . You can try to silence everyone , but that won’t change the fact Hannah wrecked someone’s marriage . I wouldn’t bother talking to you if you weren’t barking at me like a dog. What a pain
Collin glared at the boy , who shrugged and fell silent , and the tension on that side of the room finally faded .
Elsewhere , Patrick’s voice came through Aria’s phone . “ No luck yet . The fastest way is to post the sketch online and see if she comes to you . ”
Aria had already asked around the old neighborhood , but the couple wore masks – she couldn’t even remember what they looked like after so many
The hospital where the girl had been born had shut down , and the records were long gone .
Even if she found her , what would she say ? Tell her the truth that her birth parents sold her ?
Maybe it was better to let Pearl live her life in peace .
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“ No need to keep looking . ” Arla said softly . “ Just destroy the sketch . ”
“ Alright . ”
At the Aureus Club , Orlando slid a printed photo across the table . “ Russell , Aria’s got people searching for this girl ”
The snapshot was a bit blurry , but Russell’s eyes sharpened when he took a closer look .
Orlando poured himself a drink and settled across from him , voice casual , “ Look familiar ? ”
Russell’s gaze stayed locked on the photo . “ What does Aria want with her ? ”
“ I’m still digging . The girl’s adoptive parents and brother are all in prison . It’s hard to trace anything beyond that . Besides , Aria based her sketch off a baby picture there’s no guarantee she even looks like this now .”
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