Chapter 30
Natalie held out her hand to show Frank “She really is quite thick–skinned Look My palm is red now
Frank scrutinized it, looking so serious that it was almost as if this was a big deal “Damn it! Mi, Rockwell’s going to wallop me if he finds out about this. God knows how valuable your hands are!”
Sienna’s jaw dropped as she stared at Natalie in shock. Then, her gaze turned jealous. Frank had addressed Natalie so affectionately, and he’d mentioned Mossey Didn’t this mean Natalie was the last apprentice Mossey had taken on three
months ago?
So, this was her. She was the one standing in Sienna’s path to success. Who the hell was she?
Currently, all everyone in the art world knew was that Mossey had taken on a talented apprentice whom he doted on However, she was a mysterious woman who’d yet to make any public appearances. No one had managed to find out
anything about her.
Sienna snorted. “So, you’re the bitch who told Mossey to humiliate me three months ago.
Natalie’s gaze turned scornful, but she paid Sienna’s words no mind. Instead, she asked Frank, “Don’t you think the air
in here has been polluted, Frank?”
He immediately got what she meant and summoned the security guards. “Kick them out. Anyone who lets them in here
again will be out of a job.”
Daphne wanted to protest, but Sienna stopped her. She glared at Natalie while saying, “This isn’t over, Mom. Ler’s leave
for now.”
The two of them reluctantly left the gallery. Sienna’s brows remained furrowed even after they got into the car
Daphne vented her frustrations. When she was done, she noticed that Sienna hadn’t reacted to her rant at all. She asked, “What are you thinking about, Sienna? Are you still stunned from being humiliated?
Sienna had been deep in thought. She said, “Mom, I can’t help feeling that that woman was familiar. But who could she
be
Hearing that, Daphne also sensed something was off. “Now that you mention it, I think she’s familiar too: I’ll have
someone dig up her background when we get back so we can see who exactly she is.
“But Siennal you need to act fast. The only reason Xavier hasn’t divorced you yet is because he thinks you’re pregnant You’re supposed to start showing soon, remember ‘He won t let you off so easily if he learns that you’ve led to him
Xavier had demanded a divorce, and his attitude was so firm that it was clear there was no changing his mind. Sienna
had already lost lason’s support she couldn’t lose Xavier and the Steers foo
so she’d had someone forge a positive prequacy test for her to bury time Even that had barely gotten Xavner 1, rempalu married to hrt. But three months had passed since then, and he hadn’t given her any chance to get close to him
The mere mention of that irritated Sienna. This was all Natalie’s fault–she wouldn’t be in such a predicament if not for
her!
She said impatiently. “Got it
Back at Wings of Canvas, Natalie headed to Frank’s office. She stood by the window with a cup of coffee Frank’s assistant
had gotten her
Frank approached her with his hands in his pockets
“You really are my brilliant junior apprentice, Nat. Or perhaps I should call you Amanda—you stunned the world with a
single painting three years ago, and the first masterpiece marking your return to the art world has now been sold for a
record–breaking price. No wonder Mr. Rockwell was willing to wait for you for so long,” he said.
Natalie sipped her coffee. She smiled and said, “Let’s ease up on the flattery and get to business, Frank
He chuckled “I just love talking to people as straightforward as yourself, Nat. So, are you going to paint the something
that I can put up as my gallery’s prized piece?”
She retracted her gaze after watching Sienna’s red sports car fade into the distance. “I can do that, but I need to return
to Grendale for a while. It’ll have to wait until I’m back‘
Frank took the empty cup she held out to him and said, “I’m fine with that as long as you’ll do it. Speaking of your work,
a number of forgeries have been popping up in the market. They’re selling for crazy money, too
Natalie had heard about that, too “Fame attracts fakes. Those counterfeits can only fool amateurs, though.
Right Act like I never said anything, then I forgot how calm you are when it coines to these things
Natalie and Shane arrived in Grendale on Sunday night
Benjamin waited for them outside the airport The mument he saw Natalie, he hurried forward to give her ar enthusiastic bear hug
