Chapter 284
Winifred’s voice made Rowena jump. She spun around. “Yeah.”
“Spit it out. What do you want?” Winifred asked, fiddling with a pencil, her expression listless.
Rowena bit her lip, looking at her nervously, and finally spoke. “Winifred, can you not participate in the competition tomorrow? I want to be Kress Hay’s student.”
Winifred seemed surprised. She lifted her eyes to meet Rowena’s anxious gaze. “Oh? And why shouldn’t I? There are plenty of others competing.”
Rowena clenched her fists, her eyelashes fluttering. “L… I know this isn’t fair to you. I’ll do anything you want as compensation. Winning tomorrow is really important to me. I need this.”
If she became Fink’s apprentice, her mother had promised to stop interfering in her life. She could finally audition for roles, enter singing competitions. If Yvonne kept her promise, she could finally do all the things she’d always dreamed of.
And Winifred was, without a doubt, her biggest rival.
She knew how shameless and selfish this request was.
The thought hadn’t even crossed her mind this morning. But then she’d overheard Winifred’s conversation with Kress–heard her say she wouldn’t participate. A part of her had been thrilled, but another part felt it was a waste.
Fink was a world-renowned artist, and his dark, expressionist style was a perfect match for Winifred’s.
If Winifred competed, she had a ninety percent chance of winning.
Rowena was willing to trade anything for this, as long as Winifred stayed out of the competition.
Winifred hadn’t planned on participating anyway, but now her interest was piqued. “Just for that? You’d agree to any condition!”
Rowena nodded firmly. “Whatever you ask, I’ll do my best to make it happen.”
Winifred’s eyes roamed over her, a flicker of interest in their depths. She’d only ever seen Rowena getting yelled at by her mother or acting like the school’s untouchable ice queen.
Winifred said, “Rowena, if I had to guess, I’d say you don’t even like painting. So why do you want to be his apprentice?”
Rowena’s heart skipped a beat. She stared at Winifred, stunned. How could she know?
“Your art has no soul. It’s mechanical. I don’t get it. If you hate it so much, why are you so desperate to study with this guy? He’s clearly a big deal in the art world, and you know people like him come to schools like this to find raw talent. And I probably fit the bill.” Winifred saw right through her.
Rowena’s gaze hardened with resolve. She decided to stop hiding. “Yes! You’re right. I don’t like painting. I love to sing, I love to act. I want to be an actress. But so what? Not everyone can just do whatever they want, Winifred.”
Her eyes reddened as she spoke.
Winifred was taken aback for a moment. Seeing her like this, stripped of her icy facade, she looked more like a scared rabbit.
Her interest waned, and she took a step back. “Whether you do it or not is up to you. You never know until you try. I won’t be at the competition tomorrow.”
Winifred turned and walked away, leaving Rowena standing there for a good ten minutes. You never know until you try? But she was trying, in the only way she knew how.
Kress was deeply disappointed when Winifred didn’t show up. He trusted his gut, and his gut told him she was the one he was looking for. But he couldn’t risk missing the person Hazel had sent him for, so he reviewed the other students’ work.
Rowena’s was the only one that was even remotely acceptable. But after seeing a masterpiece, a decent sketch just didn’t cut it.
He called her into his office. “This is your work. You’re a very diligent student.”
Being summoned to the office, Rowena had a pretty good idea of what was coming. She was probably going to be chosen. So why didn’t she feel the least bit happy? Instead, there was just a sense of melancholy and confusion.
“Thank you. Are you going to take me on as your student?” Rowena asked.