Chapter 505
Elodie instinctively exchanged a glance with Esmeralda.
Esmeralda’s friend had said the inside scoop was at one o’clock, so why was Patricia insisting it was ten?
Neither of them brought it up.
After a moment’s thought, Elodie decided to ask the question anyway.
“How did you know my mom had a painting collected by the School of Art at Fairview University?”
Patricia arched an eyebrow. “As soon as I heard the big news, I had someone keep an eye on Jarrod’s movements. If I want to dig up something about Selma, I can. I found out she was a student at Fairview University years ago, and the very same day, I got word that Jarrod’s assistant had flown out to Fairview Crossing to visit the university. No idea what they were negotiating, but I was surprised to learn that your mom had a painting in their collection. The moment I saw it, I realized the piece Sylvie gave me had traces of that Fairview painting. So I reached out to the curator and asked to borrow it. I have enough influence in the art world to make that happen. Not everyone could pull it off.”
“I realized he was trying to cover up the scandal and protect those two. But I’m an insider, and they’d even rented my venue for their big event. How could I just let that slide? So I dug deeper.”
Elodie nodded slowly. “And the Selma Gallery? How did you find that?”
Patricia shrugged. “Her movements after returning home were easy to track- Jarrod’s shadow was always nearby. I found out he bought her a gallery to house her paintings. I was hoping to find more clues, and as luck would have it, I walked in just as someone was dusting off the place. One look and I instantly recognized the companion piece to the Fairview University painting.”
If Jarrod hadn’t been so attentive, personally sending someone to negotiate at the School of Art, Patricia might not have gotten involved at all.
But it was that second painting, Extinction, that became irrefutable evidence.
Elodie hadn’t expected things to fall into place so smoothly.
Sometimes, it really was just a matter of everything lining up at the right time. As for why Jarrod’s assistant had gone to Fairview University in the first place… That was still a puzzle.
Logically, they would have been negotiating to either acquire Dwelling or ask to have it removed from public display, but it turned out to be neither.
“Just goes to show-what goes around comes around!” Esmeralda declared, clinking glasses with Patricia. “And thank you, Miss Aldridge, for standing up for us. We really owe you.”
After all, at the end of the day, this wasn’t even her fight.
Patricia had gone above and beyond.
Elodie raised her mug in a toast. “Tea instead of wine, but my thanks
all the same, Miss Aldridge. If you
ever need anything, don’t hesitate to
ask.”
Patricia looked at Elodie for a moment before smiling. “It was nothing. I just can’t
stand people who play dirty.”
“So what’s next?” Patricia asked.
Elodie
replying, “We’ll file a lawsuit. At
very least, she needs to
what she did back the et
Even though copyright lawsuits could drag on for ages, it didn’t matter.
What she wanted most was for the world to know that Winifred was innocent.
Finally, Elodie let out a slow breath.. “If Selma hadn’t made such a
have been so easy to exould
of herself, this
Especially since Sylvie’s own recent troubles had set the stage.
Now that Selma’s work was in the spotlight, public opinion was primed to take notice. The timing couldn’t have been better.
Selma herself probably never expected that the reputation she built with that big charity exhibition would come back to haunt her.
Selma, meanwhile, was oblivious to everything that was happening outside.
That afternoon, she was admitted to the hospital.
The whole affair had blown up too quickly; it was more than she could handle.
Sylvie was a bundle of nerves, too.
She knew just how many consequences they were about to face.