Boarded the plane? Ten hours or so? Was that woman returning from overseas?Since when did Gerald have such a close friend? And a female friend, too… “Your dinner is ready, Madam.” Steward interrupted North’s train of thought. “How’s your practice going?”North snapped out of her trance and replied, “I’m quite familiar with the song now. Madam Bracken won’t be disappointed.”Steward shook his head. “You should be calling her Grandmother. Alright, let’s eat.”North nodded, then seemed to think of something. “Mr. Steward, who was Gerald talking to on the phone?”Steward’s expression stiffened, but he quickly recovered. “Yes, Mr. Gerald has a friend who’s returning soon. Please don’t think too much of it.”North frowned.She had not been thinking too much of it…But now that Steward had asked her not to, she suddenly got the feeling that he was trying to cover something up.What kind of woman would make Steward so worried about her misunderstanding that he would feel the need t
North barely batted an eye. “Is bullying the weak the only thing you learned from all those years you spent with Melinda? Can’t I buy something without knowing how to appreciate it? What, do you own this store?”“Why, you!” Summer got anxious enough to snap, “You’re just a country girl who won’t understand a painting even if you bought one! How is that a good thing?”She had heard the gallery was tied to Nicholas Sherman. That was why she had deliberately dressed up and pretended to be a woman of culture. She had been hoping to bump into Nicholas here.However, not only had she not met Nicholas yet, but she had bumped into North!Summer suddenly thought of something and acted as if a light bulb had lit up in her head. “You’re not here to seduce Mr. Sherman, are you?!”North raised an eyebrow. “Seduce?”Summer acted like she had caught North red-handed, yelling, “How could you be so shameless?! Do you think Mr. Sherman is someone you can target? I know he’s both handsome and capab
When Summer heard Melinda’s name, she hastily smiled. “You remember me, Mr. Sherman? We met at the South family party the other day. Yes, she’s my cousin. North insisted that you knew her and you were here for her, so I couldn’t stand it—”“Do you think she’s wrong?” Nicholas asked coldly.Summer froze. “O-Of course I do. Why would North Myers know you?”Nicholas snorted. “Miss Lane, I just told you North was my esteemed guest. Did you not understand what I said?”Summer’s smile stiffened.Of course, she understood. She just did not want to believe it.Why would North Myers be Nicholas Sherman’s esteemed guest? What did that country girl do to deserve this?!Nicholas scoffed. “Looks like you did understand me. But if that’s the case, I’m curious. On what grounds do you think North isn’t fit to work with me?”Summer’s mind went blank. The way Nicholas defended North made her both jealous and indignant. “Because Melinda said…”“The reason I returned was because Miss Smithson str
The looks in everyone’s eyes shifted.“Stole a necklace and framed Miss North for it?” an onlooker asked.“Yeah, Mr. Sherman. What if she pulls the same trick again?” another asked.“I was wondering why she accused Miss North right away. She was trying to make her the scapegoat,” someone else added.Meanwhile, North smiled. “What do you think, Mr. Sherman?”Nicholas looked into her eyes and finally understood what she was trying to do. “I was there when it happened. Miss Lane stole a sapphire necklace that belonged to Melinda, then tried to frame you for it. Indeed, a person like her is not welcome at our gallery.”Everyone else believed him.After all, there was no reason for both North and Nicholas to frame Summer, right?Everyone could not get far enough away from Summer.Their disdainful gazes hurt Summer so badly that she got desperate. “What are you talking about, North?! It wasn’t me, it wasn’t! It was…”Melinda was the one who could not stand the sight of North. The w
North flinched. She thought she had heard him wrong. “T-There’s no way it’s that coincidental, right?”Nicholas shrugged and stepped aside to make way. “Go see for yourself if you don’t believe me. However, I should remind you that if you don’t come up with some excuse, Gerald will be coming in.”North gulped and fell silent.Then, she became visibly anxious. “Has he seen me yet?”Nicholas shook his head. “No, actually.”North suddenly had an idea. “Then pretend I was never here. I’ll leave through the back door!”She was about to take action and leave through the back door with her painting. However, by pure coincidence, Gerald was at the back door too!North could feel her scalp tingle. She sensed there was no escape and was thinking of an excuse when suddenly…“Gerald, I’m done shopping. Mom and Dad are asking if you want to come over and have dinner with us?” a woman asked gently from a spot nearby.North paused. That voice was just like the one she had heard on the phon
Howard immediately looked at North. “Shall we go home, Mrs. Howard?”North said nothing. Was she even allowed to refuse?Connor had just driven the woman back, so Gerald had to drive her himself. Naturally, this meant North had to sit in the passenger seat.As she did so, she kept thinking the entire time.How did Gerald recognize a Reuben painting on sight? Had he seen plenty of famous paintings as the South family heir?But why did Gerald say he had come specifically to look for her? He clearly had a woman with him.Also…North suddenly snapped out of her trance.Her fingers had just brushed something on the passenger seat. It was a tube of lipstick.“You’ve glanced at me almost ten times in the past three minutes, Mrs. Howard,” Gerald said casually without taking his eyes off the road. “If there’s something you want to ask, just shoot.”North felt like she just got busted, so she asked the burning question, “I… I saw that woman…? What’s her relation to you?”Screech!G
He had lied to North about one thing, actually.He had not known that she would be at MacGuffin Gallery before he headed there. He had simply heard that Nicholas knew Starlight, and wanted to find out Starlight’s true identity.He had not expected to bump into North or see that she had easily secured a Reuben painting, either.If a lot of coincidences were happening to the same person, then they were no longer coincidences.So, Gerald called Nicholas and said, “Mr. Sherman, there was something I forgot to ask you about.”“Ask away, Mr. Howard,” Nicholas said lazily.Leaning on his car, Gerald got straight to the point. “I heard you’ve spent some time in North Aurope. Have you heard of someone called Starlight?”Nicholas nearly choked. “... Ahem. Why do you ask?”“Nothing, I just got into a minor conflict with Starlight a few years ago, and I’ve been struggling to track her down since. That’s why I’m asking you.”Nicholas suddenly got the urge to pray for North. “... Then you’r
Sharon balked in response. “What are you talking about, Joe? Please don’t mind him, North. He’s always been a blunt person.”North raised an eyebrow. An outsider may have thought this was a joke, but she knew it was a challenge.She had also confirmed something. That afternoon, Sharon really had spotted her at the gallery, she just did not choose to say anything and leaned closer to Gerald on purpose.From that alone, North could tell that Sharon was no ordinary woman.Besides…Calling herself “one of Gerald’s boys” in front of his wife?… That was a bit weird.Joe jokingly lowered his voice, but it was as if he said this specifically for North to hear, because she could hear everything else he said. “I’m not joking, Sharon. In fact, I think you’re closer to Gerald than even she is.“You have your own room in Royal Sights Residences, and you were the only woman who could come and go as she pleased before he got married. Isn’t that special treatment?”If North still could not