Chapter 765
Finnian noticed Amara’s unease and gently squeezed her arm, signaling for her to try and relax. Unfortunately, the gesture only made her even more nervous.
Catching sight of her tense, earnest little face, a faint smile tugged at the corner of Finnian’s mouth-he couldn’t help but find her nervousness endearing. But he held himself back from teasing her further; he thought, if he kept pushing, she might truly get upset.
Turning to Celeste, Finnian said, “I’ve heard about your situation. You should plan on staying here for the time being.”
“I’ll figure out a way to resolve your parents’ issues—you don’t need to panic. But have you considered what you want to do moving forward? How about working at the Everly Group?”
Celeste was taken aback. Did this mean Finnian already knew what her parents had done?
Her head dropped at once, mortified. She stole a quick glance at her grandfather. If Finnian was aware, did that mean her grandfather knew as well? No, that couldn’t be—her grandfather would have been furious and probably wouldn’t even want to see her if he had found out.
Thinking over Finnian’s suggestion, Celeste realized he was really telling her not to waste her days in idleness and leisure like before. He hoped she could turn a new page and be productive.
But she truly hated the idea of working at the Everly Group. Real estate held no interest for her, and she wasn’t attracted to Finnian’s various investment ventures either.
“I don’t want to work at the company,” she admitted, “but I’m not sure what else I’d be good at.”
Finnian pressed gently, “Do you have any hobbies or passions?”
Celeste replied, “I do. I love painting. If I could be an art teacher, that would be ideal. But my parents look down on the teaching profession and don’t want me to pursue it.”
Her words took Finnian, Amara, and Mr. Kevin Everly by surprise; only Hogan stayed unruffled, as if he’d known this about Celeste all along.
She
It wasn’t odd that Celeste enjoyed painting-many people her age did-but wanting to become a teacher? That was wrexpected. Sh used to be restless and impatient, someone not known for listening to others. A patient job like teaching seemed contrary to her usual self.
Still, Finnian didn’t question her intentions. “If teaching is what you want, I can help you start an art studio. The only catch is, your skills need to be solid. Otherwise, you’d be doing your students a disservice down the line.”
Was Finnian really willing to help her open an art studio? Celeste’s face lit up with excitement.
With Finnian’s support, her parents would have nothing to object to. She hurried to say, “I may not be good at much else, but art is definitely my strength. My technique is top-notch—let me show you my work!”
Just talking about painting brought Celeste’s enthusiasm to life. She quickly pulled out her phone and scrolled to a gallery of her artwork.
She specialized in landscapes-blue skies, drifting clouds, sunsets and city lights, mountain streams, and, in addition, she had a real talent for painting architecture.
Amara didn’t know much about art, but as an ordinary viewer, she had to admit Celeste’s paintings were quite impressive. Amara found herself reassessing her opinion of Celeste she’d always assumed she was just another spoiled rich girl, like Elowen.
Finnian himself had taken art lessons as a child, albeit not in great depth, but he still
knew more than most.
After examining Celeste’s paintings,
he commented fairly, “Your
technique is pretty solid. The way you use color and lines is
what kind of
impressive. Think about art studio you’d like to set up I’ll
have Will arrange the funding for you.”