Chapter 331
Before long, the day of Carmen’s solo exhibition arrived.
With the Wilson family’s publicity efforts and the prestige of her mentor, Percival, the top master of traditional painting in Lumanon, her solo exhibition turned out to be quite the event.
Many industry leaders and media outlets showed up out of respect, but inevitably, some denounced Carmen for her past plagiarism scandals.
Aubree had agreed to come, but punctuality was never her style. She took her sweet time enjoying a leisurely lunch before strolling to the exhibition at her own pace. In stark contrast, Carmen had specifically stationed herself at the entrance, waiting for her arrival.
On such an important day, the Wilson family naturally showed up in full force to show their support for Carmen. With Aubree personally promising to attend, every single family member was present.
Carmen hurried forward to greet her. “Aubree, you finally made it.”
Aubree smoothly sidestepped Carmen’s outstretched hand. “Quite the fanfare for me, huh?”
Aubree’s gaze swept over the Wilson family, her sarcastic tone making Ronald turn beet red. Back when Aubree was still with the Wilson family, he’d always brushed off her matters, even though she was his daughter. Sometimes he couldn’t even be bothered to send his secretary.
Yet for Carmen, an adopted daughter, the whole family would mobilize even for the most trivial matters.
Aubre thought to herself, ‘Now the whole Wilson family is putting on this grand spectacle just to catch a glimpse of me and say a few words? The irony is almost laughable.
Ronald’s face burned as if he’d been slapped a dozen times across the face.
Ronald awkwardly said, “Aubree, your mom, brothers, and I do care about you.”
Aubree rolled her eyes, as if she was saying, “You expect me to believe that?”
Carmen was undoubtedly the center of attention at this exhibition. Wherever she went, all eyes followed.
The onlookers were stunned to see Aubree show up, especially since rumors had long circulated that all of Carmen’s past achievements were actually thanks to Aubree.
“Aubree, my mentor will be here soon. He’s keen to meet you. Let me show you around the exhibition first,” Carmen said. She instinctively reached out to take Aubree’s hand, then hesitated, her hand hovering awkwardly in mid–air, worried Aubree might not like being touched.
Aubree came here just to see what tricks Carmen had up her sleeve. She was prepared for both scenarios, whether she showed up or not. Instead of waiting for Carmen to set a trap, she’d rather take the initiative and be ready to counter whatever Carmen threw at her.
Aubree thought, ‘But then…
Aubree’s gaze swept over Daxton and Alice. She was surprised that they didn’t show even a hint of dissatisfaction toward her.
And then there was Trevor, watching her with an amused smile that practically screamed, “I’m up to no good.”
Ronald and Bryan, however, looked at her with such eager anticipation that it almost seemed like they were truly looking forward to her arrival.
‘Now this is getting interesting, Aubree thought.
Aubree followed Carmen as Carmen led her around the exhibition. “That comment I made about Carmen getting smarter?‘ Aubree mused. ‘Looks like I need to give it even more credit now.
Before Aubree joined the Wilson family, Carmen excelled in traditional painting and watercolor painting. Aubree, in stark contrast, preferred bold, vibrant oil paintings.
The former mentor who once taught both Aubree and Carmen praised Aubree’s paintings as vibrant with life and rich with
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Chapter 331
emotion, saying she was destined for greatness. As for Carmen, while undeniably talented, her works were unfortunately rather rigid and lacked that spark.
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Those words drove Carmen to switch to oil painting, hell–bent on outshining Aubree. The more she felt overshadowed, the more desperately she sought the spotlight, until things escalated to the point where she’d resort to anything–even theft–just to keep Aubree down.
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