The Wrong Woman

Suzanne felt awkward because of Vera’s sudden shout. Her cheeks flushed slightly in embarrassment.

But Vera intended to humiliate Sally in public, so she pointed at the painting. “It’s fine if this is an imitation. Thank you for the gift, but please don’t tell anyone you meet that this painting is authentic.”

Everyone in the banquet hall was stunned.

Sally’s complexion paled for a moment before her cheeks turned crimson out of fury.

“What do you know about paintings?” she questioned Suzanne. “Do. you even know the art of ink painting? Have you ever seen an actual painting created by Inkwell? Who gave you the right to call my

painting an imitation?”

Suzanne was stuck between a rock and a hard place. If she was proven to be wrong, then she’d end up humiliating herself in front of

everyone.

However, Vera didn’t think of it that way.

Only experts in art could tell authentic paintings from their fake. counterparts when it came to famous paintings. Since someone had claimed that Sally’s painting was an imitation, everyone would naturally assume that it really was one.

Even if Sally were to show her receipt or certificate of purchase, they’d all think that she got scammed.

The same guest, who was obsessed with collecting paintings, quickly put on his reading glasses. Then, he bent over and started studying the painting seriously.

Meanwhile, Sally rushed over to Nathan and hugged his arm while looking aggrieved.

“Nate, please judge the situation for me! Suzanne has no right to

claim that my painting is an imitation! What does she know, anyway? How could she humiliate me in front of everyone? She’s being outrageous!”

Nathan was unbothered by what was going on. In fact, he even pushed Sally’s hands away while looking slightly irritated.

“I don’t know what’s going on, either. But since the painting is your gift to Grandma, I’m sure that she’ll appreciate your gesture

regardless of its authenticity.”

Sally stomped her feet angrily. She felt that Nathan no longer sided with her like he had in the past, so she started whining in frustration.

“This is different! Suzanne wants to embarrass me on purpose!”

Wendy decided to defend Sally as well. “It’s true that Suzanne has gone too far this time. She knows nothing about art, yet she thinks she can judge it well.

“Heck, she thinks she can run her mouth and spout nonsense just because Grandma trusts her. Thanks to her, Sally’s gift for Grandma is now ruined.”

Cheryl agreed with Wendy right away. “Exactly! If you’re really that amazing, Suzanne, why don’t you show everyone one of Inkwell’s actual paintings, then?”

Just as everyone started complaining about Suzanne’s nonsensical claims, the guest who had been studying the painting suddenly

slammed his palm onto the table.

The sound startled everyone.

“This is an imitation! It’s not authentic at all!” he exclaimed angrily.

Panic flooded Sally’s system the moment she heard the guest’s words. She couldn’t say anything in response.

The guest took off his reading glasses while continuing, “The core essence of Inkwell’s ‘An Ole to Fall is basically a beautiful autumn day where the southern wind blows across the landscape.

“The ferryman can be seen sailing along the river currents toward the north. There, he witnesses a beautiful sunset.

“The wind is supposed to come from the south, but the ferryman’s coat is flapping in the wrong direction. Inkwell would never make

such a basic mistake.”

The ones who defended Sally earlier were extremely embarrassed. Meanwhile, everyone else gasped and started gossiping. They were more or less mocking the ones who had sided with Sally.

Vera had planned to gloss over the matter, seeing as she just wanted to embarrass Sally in public. She didn’t expect the painting to actually be an imitation.

It was a delightful surprise. She was a lot happier when she fou that “An Ole to Fall” wasn’t the real deal at all.

Vera chuckled. “I know, right? My youngest granddaughter-in-law an eye for appraisal!”

Another elderly guest asked curiously, “Wait, your granddaughter-in law knows how to appraise paintings?”

Now that Suzanne had become the topic of the conversation, Vera couldn’t help but feel smug. “Of course! She was the one who informed me that the painting was an imitation!”

“Wow, how amazing!”

3,0

Vera wanted nothing more than to show how amazing Suzanne was in front of everyone. “My granddaughter-in-law even knows how to paint! She can easily work with mediums such as watercolor and oil paints. Not only that, but she’s also excellent at it! You should see how beautiful her art is…”

Suzanne couldn’t bear to listen to Vera’s compliments any longer. She was so nervous that she could only grab Vera’s hand tightly.

“Grandma, I don’t know any of those things…” she mumbled in an attempt to stop Vera from rambling. “Please don’t boast about me in front of everyone. I’m nothing but an amateur.”

When one over-exaggerated their skills, that meant they were just boasting at this point. It’d also mean they were just running their

mouth for the sake of it.

Sally was furious because of the incident. She absolutely refused to endure the fact that Suzanne had ruined her plan in front of everyone.

The sight of Suzanne looking so panicked and alarmed made Sally think that she was definitely a talentless hack. Maybe Vera didn’t know how to appreciate good art.

An idea popped into Sally’s mind at that moment. She couldn’t be only one getting embarrassed in public. In any case, Suzanne had go through the same treatment as well.

Sally squeezed out a polite smile. “Suzanne, since you’re such a skilled painter who knows how to appraise famous paintings, why don’t you demonstrate your skills to everyone here? Think of it as a gift to Grandma.”

Someone from the crowd shouted immediately, “What a brilliant suggestion! We’d like to witness your skills, Mrs. Morrison!”

That suggestion was what Vera wanted to hear the most. She went

along with the flow as well.

“Alright. I’ll have the butler prepare some paint and paper.”

Watercolor and oil painting were quite simple, not to mention the paints were vibrant and colorful. Anyone could’ve easily produced stellar art, no matter how they painted on the paper.

If Suzanne were to draw random patterns on the paper with those paints, she could easily call it abstract art.

Naturally, Sally didn’t want Suzanne to rely on such an easy method. She said hastily, “Grandma, I’ve prepared some paper and ink. Perhaps Suzanne can create an ink wash painting on the spot.”

Suzanne shook her head at Vera nervously. Panic and alarm were undoubtedly written all over her face.

But Vera outright ignored Suzanne’s silent protests. She thought Suzanne just lacked confidence.

Suzanne was so anxious that she didn’t know what to do. She could only turn to look at Nathan pleadingly, seeing as she didn’t want to humiliate herself in front of everyone. The way she stared at him. made her look so pitiful.

Nathan’s heart softened when he noticed Suzanne’s look. “Do you really not know how to paint?”

Suzanne shook her head. “No.”

“Just paint it like how you often did when you were with Grandma.”

Suzanne hung her head before replying softly, “I can’t. Those are just doodles. I can’t show anyone that. At most, I can only trick elementary school children into thinking that I’m good at painting.”

Her voice was too soft, so Nathan couldn’t exactly catch what she just said. He leaned closer to her and dipped his head low so that he

could hear her better.

Both of them whispered to each other in front of everyone. They resembled a pair of newlyweds who were in their honeymoon stage. The thing was, they had no idea they were acting so intimately in public.

Nathan asked, “Do you need my help to put an end to this madness?”

“Yes, please.” Suzanne nodded.

“You really don’t want to paint, huh?”

“Yes, I don’t.”.

Nathan finally straightened up and said to the butler, who had just reappeared with ink and paper, “We don’t need those things anymore. Please take them away.”

“Don’t you dare cause trouble for me! Move!”

Vera pushed Nathan away angrily before taking Suzanne’s hand and leading her toward the center. Then, she spoke to the butler, “Bring those things over and set everything up. I want Suzanne to show off her skills in front of everyone.”