Chapter 340

Even the untrained eye could see that the painting was remarkable, while experts immediately recognized its collector’s value. And notably, the artist was only eighteen.

“I’ll bid 30 thousand dollars. Might I have the honor of acquiring Miss Wilson’s masterpiece?”

“35 thousand dollars!”

The bidding war had already begun.

To build up hype for Carmen, the Wilson family spared no expense, inviting a host of business elites and rising socialites. Whether they genuinely admired Carmen’s painting or were simply currying favor with the Wilson family, their spontaneous bidding undoubtedly stroked Carmen’s ego to no end.

Percival beamed with pride. “Carmen, your mastery of traditional painting is destined to stand in a class of its own.”

The brushwork and composition of the painting were remarkably expressive and impressionistic. It absolutely outclassed anything else in her age group.

Carmen felt that victory was practically hers. She eyed Aubree, who was still painting, and thought, ‘You must be getting anxious, right? Hearing all this praise for me must be terrifying, huh? Aubree, this time you lose.’

Her eyes brimmed with triumph, and a smug smile played on her lips. “Thank you all for your kind words, but I’d like to dedicate this painting to my mom.”

The painting featured vibrant tulips in full bloom. They were Alice’s favorite flowers.

Perhaps it was having Aubree as her opponent that fully ignited Carmen’s competitive drive. The tulips in her painting bloomed with exceptional vibrancy and splendor, so lifelike they seemed ready to leap off the canvas.

“Carmen, you’ve grown up.” Alice’s face was filled with emotion, and her eyes brimmed with tears. She thought, “This is my daughter, my child with that man.”

Alice reached out to embrace Carmen, while the crowd murmured in admiration, showering the Wilson family with effusive praise for raising such an exemplary daughter.

It seemed everyone was convinced Carmen had this in the bag, completely overlooking Aubree.

“This–this is pure artistry!” Stan’s exclamation cut through the murmuring crowd.

From the moment Aubree started painting, he had been utterly transfixed. When the finished piece was revealed, he could no longer contain his exhilaration.

Stan thought, “This painting is exhibition-worthy all on its own.”

Aubree looked up from her work, a faint smile playing on her lips. “What a coincidence, I also want to dedicate this painting to Ms. Diamonde.”

Carmen’s brow twitched with alarm. She thought, ‘Is Aubree trying to play the sympathy card to guilt-trip Mom too?’

Alice rolled her eyes in disdain. She didn’t care about Aubree’s painting at all.

‘If Aubree really thinks a single painting could make me turn against Carmen, she’s completely delusional,' Alice thought.

Aubree said, “I call this painting A New Life.”

In stark contrast to the hollow praise Carmen had received, when Aubree flipped her canvas around, the crowd erupted in a chorus of astonished gasps.

Everyone who laid eyes on the painting was utterly stunned, rendered speechless by its sheer brilliance.

Even Percival flushed crimson with shock. He thought, ‘How could this be?

‘Even I would struggle to match this level, not to mention Carmen. Stan is right. For someone of Aubree’s caliber to need underhanded tactics just to gain recognition isn’t her fault, but a tragedy of the art world!’

In the painting, an exhausted girl stood before a woman. The woman’s eyes brimmed with feigned compassion, yet her lips curved into a smile–a stark contradiction that revealed her inner delight, a chilling portrait of pure hypocrisy.

Behind the girl stretched an invisible path of thorns, her bare feet bloodied and bruised. Though her posture spoke of exhaustion, her eyes burned with unsettling brilliance. To all who watched, it seemed as if she was about to throw herself into the woman’s embrace.

Someone exclaimed, “She’s got a dagger hidden behind her back!”

Only then did everyone realize that the look in the girl’s eyes wasn’t the joy of running into her mother’s arms, but the savage thrill of a predator about to tear apart its prey.

Alice’s face went from pale to livid. She thought, ‘Aubree has returned for revenge! She’s such a little monster! How dare she want to kill me?’