The following night.The charity dinner was held at the Majestic Hotel. It was organized by the top magazine in Parrington, BQ Magazine. When Alec arrived, the hotel entrance was surrounded by all sorts of paparazzi and reporters as he got off the car.“BQ Magazine is so privileged to get Alec Faust to come!” someone exclaimed. After all, everyone knew that Alec had not always been a fan of this kind of event.“I know, right? Too bad we can’t go in and check it out. The charity dinner tonight must be interesting,” another person said pitifully.“Who’s that woman beside him? Could she be Alec’s girlfriend?” Some people noticed that Alec didn’t attend alone. He brought along a plus-one, and many were surprised about this.Upon hearing the news, everybody else only noticed Faye standing next to Alec. It wasn’t that they purposely ignored her. It was just that Faye was too ordinary-looking, so she didn’t manage to capture their attention at first. Unfortunately, Faye didn’t know the truth.
Next to Gilbert stood a woman wearing a pearl-white gown. She looked exceptionally elegant with her long hair, scarlet-red lips, and perfect white teeth. Except for the exquisite bangle on her wrist, she wore no other accessories. But even so, just her standing there was enough to captivate the crowd.Alec was no exception. He was stunned by her beauty every time she appeared. Although he had already decided not to inquire about her, he couldn’t help but want to learn more about her. “Mr. Hawthorn,” Mr. Nelson greeted him with the broadest grin on his face. However, he wondered, “What’s going on? How come all the big shots decided to show up today?” Gilbert nodded in response, “Mr. Nelson, I hope we’re not intruding on your dinner?”“Of course not!” Mr. Nelson shook his head. He couldn’t help but glance at Jenny, who was standing beside Gilbert.“This woman is so pretty. I wonder what her relationship with Gilbert Hawthorn is. Maybe I could sign her as a model for BQ Magazine?” he t
Faye noticed the subtle change in Alec’s mood and started to feel very anxious.Jenny ignored Alec and Faye. She whispered to Gilbert, “I wonder when they’re going to auction off the goods I sponsored.”She was pretty curious about what the bids would be. “It’s still early. Mr. Birkett hasn’t released any new work on the market for so many years. Your painting is going to be the finale,” Gilbert replied.Afterward, he shook his head helplessly and said, “Are you sure it’s not going to be a problem giving away Mr. Birkett’s painting just like that?”“He’s my mentor. Surely he won’t beat me up for this?” Jenny pouted. “Besides, he already gave me that painting. Of course I have the authority to deal with it.”“That’s true. You’re his mentee. I don’t think he will blame you for it.”“Why, of course. Mr. Birkett adores me.”The two of them spoke softly, so Alec couldn’t hear what they were saying. He could only tell that they were enjoying the conversation. Inevitably, he found it annoyin
“But…”“It’s okay, Gilbert. I don’t like it that much anyway,” Jenny said smilingly. After all, it wasn’t essential to her. Since Gilbert didn’t make another bid, the goods belonged to Alec now. The crowd couldn’t help but sigh and be envious. Faye was also pretty worked up. She didn’t expect Alec to bid for such an expensive item for her. She was nervous yet excited at the same time. However, the earrings didn’t arrive in front of her. She watched as Alec paid without hesitation. Later, he whispered something to the attendant. After that, the attendant walked up to Jenny and said to her, “Hi, miss. Mr. Faust wants to give this pair of earrings to you as a gift.”Gift?Everybody else was astonished. A 60-million-dollar item as a gift? What was Alec’s relationship with this woman? Wait, Wasn’t she Gilbert’s sister? How did she get involved with Alec? Why did Alec choose to give it to Gilbert’s sister and not his own sister? The crowd was confused. The only conclusion they could come u
“Mr. Birkett’s painting? It can’t be!”Someone snapped, “Everyone knows that Mr. Birkett stopped auctioning off his artwork long ago. This can’t be his painting.”“That’s right. Auctioning off a fake painting? Do you think we’re fools?”Everyone who attended the auction today were all established figures. BQ Magazine couldn’t afford for them to get mad. Panicked, Mr. Nelson said hurriedly, “This painting by Mr. Birkett was sponsored by an anonymous person. That person has guaranteed that this is an authentic painting.”“Just because that person says it is authentic doesn’t mean it is. Who’s going to believe it?” Someone refuted right away before they continued, “Who’s this anonymous person? Come out if you dare. Prove that this is an authentic painting.”The attendees of this dinner sponsored all the auction goods tonight, so the anonymous person must be present. Were they auctioning off a fake painting using Mr. Birkett’s name? They wanted to see who this shameless person was. Gilbert
Alec and Paul watched the drama unfold from the second floor. “Seems like the woman who made you lose control has gotten into trouble. Aren’t you going to help her?” Paul smirked as he glanced at the man beside him.“Help?” Alec sneered. He seemed to be enjoying the drama. “Why should I help her? We aren’t close anyway.”“If that’s the case, why did you give her those 60-million-dollar earrings?” Paul chuckled.Alec’s expression shifted. Then, he replied, “I’ve already explained this. I wanted to thank her for saving Faye.”Paul didn’t argue with him. Only Alec himself would know the true reason. Soon, the appraiser that Mr. Nelson had contacted arrived. While waiting for the appraisal, the people whispered to one another. Faye was also waiting to watch the mayhem ensue.In the crowd’s eyes, this was a fake painting. Jenny was just in denial. It didn’t take long before the appraisal report was out.“Let’s see how you’re going to deny it now!” someone roared as he looked at the apprais
“It was all just a misunderstanding,” Mr. Nelson said, sulking. He didn’t know she was Mr. Birkett’s mentee.“It’s fine, James. It’s normal for people to have doubts. After all, Mr. Birkett has indeed not come out with new artwork for many years.” She could understand why these people doubted its authenticity, so she didn’t feel angry.Seeing that she was still so calm and unaffected, James couldn’t stay mad at her. After a while, he finally sighed. “I’ve told you before that you don’t have to solve everything alone. Mr. Birkett and I are here for you.”“I know, James.” Jenny smiled and nodded. “I’ll contact you if I ever face a serious problem.”The reason why she didn’t contact him was also because she knew that the authenticity of the painting would be proven after an appraisal. There was no need for her to trouble him. “So, that’s Mr. Birkett’s last mentee?” someone asked timidly.Jenny smiled and said, “I’m glad everyone likes my mentor’s artwork. I’ll let him know about this. I’
After the auction ended, it was time to socialize. Quite a few people were eager to approach Jenny. After all, she was not only Gilbert Hawthorn’s sister, but also Mr. Birkett’s mentee. If they could be together with her, wouldn’t it be easy for them to have a meteoric rise in their career?Jenny didn’t know what these people were plotting. She was busy sulking. Ever since she knew Alec got the painting, she had been upset. Although it was for charity, and it shouldn’t matter who it was sold to, she still felt disgusted knowing it was sold to Alec.“Does that guy even understand art? Don’t tell me he bought it for Faye again?” she thought. For a moment, she regretted choosing this painting. She should have chosen another one. She went to hide in a corner with her drink in her hand. She smiled a little while watching Gilbert interact with the crowd with ease from a distance. Gilbert was starting to behave more and more like a high flyer.She was deep in thought until someone came up to