Chapter 452

When Charlotte handed over her gift, Melissa paused, her lashes fluttering just a bit as a flash of panic flickered in her eyes.
How could Charlotte possibly have Halation’s *Sunset*?
Melissa stayed frozen, fists clenched tight at her sides, staring straight at Charlotte. Everything about Charlotte’s look-from her clothes down to her shoes-screamed budget. She didn’t have a single designer label on her. She looked like she could barely afford a cab, let alone the most coveted painting in the city.
Melissa herself had offered millions for *Sunset*, but Halation wouldn’t sell. No amount of money could make the artist part with it. In the end, Melissa had spent a fortune just to have an expert create a flawless replica. Even then, it wasn’t the real thing.
If Melissa, with all her resources, couldn’t get her hands on the real painting, there was no way Charlotte could. Honestly, Charlotte probably didn’t even know who Halation was. It was obvious which one of them brought a fake.
The room went silent. Tension hung in the air like a thick fog. There was only one *Sunset* in the world. Yet here they were, staring at two identical paintings. Clearly, one had to be a copy.
Who would dare bring a forgery to Patricia’s seventieth birthday? The idea alone was shocking.
“From where I’m standing, those two paintings look exactly the same. I can’t tell which is real.”
“They’re identical, but one must be fake. Who do you think has the original?”
The guests started murmuring, glancing between Melissa and Charlotte, their expressions hard to read.
“The Carter family is at the top of Cabinda’s social scene. They’d never risk their reputation with a fake gift.”
“So you’re saying Anthony’s girlfriend’s *Sunset* is the knockoff?”
Now that someone had said it, people began eyeing Charlotte with open suspicion. Her clothes, her shoes, her shy posture-nothing about her said ‘million-dollar art collector.’
Did Charlotte really buy a fake just to get on Patricia’s good side?
“Probably. She must never have thought the real one would show up. That’s got to be humiliating.”
“Maybe Anthony bought it for her?” someone whispered.
“You think Melissa would show up with a fake?” another girl replied, her tone sharp. She was one of Melissa’s friends, and she sounded sure ofherself The Carter family has more money than they could ever spend. They wouldn’t need to fake it. As for anyone else, who can say?”
By now, it seemed only logical that Melissa’s painting was the real deal.
All eyes shifted to Charlotte.
She stood quietly beside Anthony her baseball cap pulled low, her gaze fixed on the floor. No one could see what she was thinking. But her lips pressed together in a tight line, and she looked anything but happy.
–
Was she scared? Did she know she’d been exposed? To some people, it just proved that someone from an ordinary background like hers could never really fit in.
At one of the tables, Kenneth fidgeted, unable to sit still, his brows drawn together in worry. “What’s going on? Lottie would never bring a fake,” he muttered.
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Roger didn’t say a word. He just watched Melissa in silence, his gaze cold. After a moment he pulled out his phone and sent a text Look mo Melissa. I want to know exactly how she got her hands on *Sunset*.”
Even Roger, who couldn’t care less about art, knew how impossible it was to get Halation’s masterpiece. He was absolutely sure Lottie would never stoop to something like this.
Back in the banquet hall, the party had ground to a halt. The only thing anyone could hear was the constant whispering about Charlotte and the supposed fake painting.
With everyone clearly on her side, Melissa finally relaxed. She walked over to Anthony and Charlotte, a small smile curving her lips. “Anth, do you think your friend got ripped off?”