Celestine paid no mind to Serena’s biting sarcasm.
But Chester couldn’t just sit by and watch.
If she kept humiliating herself like this, the Fordham family would soon become the laughingstock of Portside’s high society.
“That’s enough. If you want to show Grandpa your gifts, do it in private. Don’t make a scene and ruin the mood for our guests.”
“Chester, watch your tone! She’s your wife,” Alistair snapped.
Celestine pressed her lips together and motioned to a servant. “Turn on the projector.”
Her request only piqued everyone’s curiosity further.
What kind of gift required a public presentation?
Had she splurged on some flashy new gadget again?
Alistair, for his part, wasn’t angry about the earlier incident with the supposed forgery.
Mr. Selwyn’s painting had already been brought over.
Celestine was young–mistakes in judgment were understandable at her age.
But now it was her second gift that truly captured his interest.
Gentle, melodic music drifted from the speakers.
Within moments, the screen flickered to life.
Luther appeared onscreen.
“Hey, Fordham kid! Long time no see. Celly invited me to record a birthday message for you…”
Then came a greeting from Master Calligrapher Vincent Crowley.
“Alistair, wishing you a wonderful birthday.”
After that, Rain Lennox, a leading figure in contemporary realism, offered his congratulations.
“Happy birthday to you.”
20:22
One after another, for a full ten minutes, the screen filled with heartfelt messages from dozens of the world’s most renowned living artists, each sending their personal wishes to Alistair.
Vincent Crowley, in particular, had always been an artist Alistair deeply admired.
As he watched, Alistair’s eyes grew moist. “Celly, this is… truly thoughtful of you.”
Across the room, Serena and Elena exchanged glances, both seething with frustration.
What a shameless display!
First she tried to win favor with a fake painting, now she’s parading these worthless videos just to grab attention. Pathetic.
Serena opened her mouth to sneer, but Chester caught her eye and shook his head. Let the old man enjoy himself for once. If she said something to upset him now, it would only make things harder for their whole branch of the family.
Since Grandpa was pleased, there was no harm in letting Celestine have this moment. At least she’d put in the effort to make him happy–he could hardly object to that.
At the end of the video, the screen suddenly flickered.
An elderly man with a shock of silver hair and striking blue eyes appeared. Though nearly seventy, his gaze remained vivid and sharp. “Hello there! It’s great to be part of this celebration–thank you, Celestine, for inviting me to record a birthday greeting! Alistair, happy birthday! I’m Caffrey. I hear Celestine’s decided to give you my vineyard painting as your birthday gift, so please take good care of it. That piece means the world to me! There are a lot of forgeries out there, but nothing comes close to the real thing. Whoops–looks like I’ve gone over time! Bye–bye!” The final guest left the entire room stunned.
“Mr. Caffrey! That was actually Mr. Caffrey himself!”
An excited gasp rippled through the crowd.
Elena, trying to regain her composure, muttered, “Who knows if that was real? Maybe it was just a digital fake!”
“Oh please,” someone scoffed, “Didn’t you claim your family owned one of his paintings? Don’t you even know what he looks like?”
20:22
Mocking laughter followed.
Alistair stared at the screen in disbelief.
“Celly, what’s going on with that painting? Did Mr. Caffrey know your grandfather?”
After all, Mr. Selwyn was well–known not just in this country, but internationally as well. If he had overseas connections, it made sense.
Celestine smiled slightly. “Years ago, when I was still in school, I came across an elderly man who’d fallen near the train station. He was a foreigner, didn’t even speak English. I helped him contact his embassy–and only later learned he was Mr. Caffrey.”
