Chapter 130

Cordelias e–ticket had already been scanned on her phone.

The security guard addressed Lorna with a nod. “You’re good to go in, ma’am.”

Lorna’s eyes widened in disbelief. She even glanced at Cordelia’s phone incredulously andquestioned, “Is this ticket for real?”

The guard nodded affirmatively. “Yes, please enter and don’t hold up the line.”

Lorna, still in shock, followed Cordelia past the barriers, finally catching on. She turned back with agrin to Rachel who was still outside, “Oh, Lia got us six tickets. We could’ve taken you in with us,but since you’ve got your own, looks like you don’t need us! We’ll head on in then, catch ya later!”

With those words, spiked with a hint of sarcasm, Lorna took Cordelia by the hand and they walkeddeeper into the venue. After greeting Mrs. Brown and exchanging pleasantries, they joined thecrowd.

Outside, Rachel paced anxiously. Though she hailed from an affluent family, her interests lay solelyin piano, to her, watercolor painting seemed like a tedious pastime, unworthy of her attention. Butshe didn’t want Lorna to connect with Mrs. Brown so easily after all, those were her personalcontacts!

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However, after stewing for a moment, Rachel calmed down. Mrs. Brown was notoriously snobbishand difficult to please. Lorna, the bookworm, would surely fail to impress her, and there was no wayshe could handle the social graces expected of a lady.

Rachel even mused that Mrs. Brown might find Lorna dull!

Inside the art exhibit.

Mrs. Brown browsed the paintings with a critical eye, glancing at Lorna dismissively. She had heardfrom Rachel that Lorna was just a commoner who had married into the nouveau riche Delaneyfamily a lineage that the old money crowd didn’t respect.

She had only waited out of politeness, her upbringing preventing her from being outright rude.

After exchanging a few perfunctory words, Mrs. Brown excused herself to view the paintings alone.But after taking a few steps, she overheard Cordelia’s voice, “Mom, is this also a watercolorpainting?”

Mrs. Brown couldn’t help but curl her lip. They came to an art exhibit, yet couldn’t distinguishbetween watercolor and oil paintings.

As she pondered this, she heard Lorna begin to explain, “This is a piece by a famous artist. Hisprofound understanding of the spirit of the art infuses his oil paintings with the essence of painting.This piece, filled with longing for his homeland, embodies various life sentiments; it’s ethereal andlight, yet also conveys an unspeakable gravity.”

Cordelia looked at the painting, tilting her head, and sighed silently.

She couldn’t see the lightness or the ethereality, much less the unspeakable gravity. To her, thepainting just seemed abstract.

Noticing Cordelia’s confusion, Lorna sighed to herself.

She had taught Cordelia watercolor painting for three days and found her learning abilityastonishing. Cordelia could grasp the technical aspects of painting instantly, but her paintings lacked emotion- they were just trees and flowers without sentiment.

That morning, Lorna had confided to Mathilda, “Lia could technically teach painting after just threedays. She can replicate any work with no difference from the original, but her own paintings lackfeeling: they’re empty. She could be a great craftsman but never a renowned artist.”

Mathilda had comforted her, saying, “Painting is just a hobby for Lia, don’t be too hard on her. It’snot where her main focus lies.”

All Lorna could do was nod, though she couldn’t help but feel that someone as intelligent asCordelia was capable of more So, she took it upon herself to do more than teach paintingtechniques she also shared the emotions and ideas she saw in the art.

This artist is renowned for his depictions of cows. His works are filled with the sounds of nature, witha profound and powerful use of ink Lorna’s voice was pleasant to listen to Raised in a scholarly family, she had an inherent grace andelegance that seemed to calm the soul.

Mrs. Brown found herself unwittingly following along, drawn by Lorna’s commentary. She loved artbut knew little about it, as there had been too many things to learn when she was younger. Shewasn’t as well–versed as Loma, who had specialized in the subject.

There was a saying, “One’s inner developing naturally exudes literary grace,” which Mrs. Brown hadalways found abstract. But now, following Lorna, she felt transported to an ancient, cultured world.

Rachel had described Sanderson’s wife as a simple woman, prone to tears and out of her depth inhigh society. But to Mrs. Brown, Lorna seemed quite formidable.

People are often drawn to those with deep knowledge, and Lorna’s humble demeanor, without ahint of showiness, only added to her appeal. As Lorna shared her insightful views on each painting, Mrs. Brown’s admiration grew.

Without realizing it, she joined their discussion.

Cordelia was listening intently when her phone buzzed. She checked it and saw a message fromthe Painter, “Have you arrived?”

Cordelia replied, “At the exhibit now.”

Painter, “Which painting?”

Cordelia looked up and texted back, “The ‘Water Bamboo Residence.”

Painter, ‘Good.”

As Cordelia pondered the meaning of that ‘good,” wondering if the Painter was coming to meetthem, Fanny patrolled the venue with her staff, ready to address any issues that arose.

When she spotted Lorna and her group, Fanny’s face tightened. She thought for a moment, thengestured to a staff member and whispered something.

The group moved through the exhibit slowly, Lorna was in the midst of explaining a painting’smeaning, the sparse brushwork and dry ink invoke a desolate and serene ambiance, with a stylethat’s detached and transcendent…”

Mrs. Brown nodded in agreement, caught up in the description:

Cordelia, however, cocked her head, struggling to see the desolation in the artwork.

Suddenly, a voice cut through the chatter, “Excuse me, the gallery is a bit crowded at the moment.Would you mind stepping out?”

The trio turned in unison to see a staffer standing by, exuding an assertive demeanor.

Mrs. Brown furrowed her brow first, “We’re guests here, just like everyone else. We’ve got ourtickets. Why should we leave?”

Before the staffer could reply, Fanny approached with a smile, “This is an international art exhibit,primarily for our guests from abroad. It’s getting too packed and it’s affecting the viewingexperience. How about Mrs. Brown and Mrs. Delaney step out for now? Once the exhibit is over, I’llsend you a personal invitation and you can come back and have a private viewing, how does thatsound?”

With Fanny stepping in, Lorna immediately understood that this was a jab at her USPICI 120 Fanny pressed on, “This is an industry event, and I’m sure none of us want to make a scene,right?”

Lorna’s face turned a steely shade of vexation, but what could she do when the exhibit was Fanny’sterritory?

Mrs. Brown, with a dark expression, could only look to Lorna for guidance, “Shall we leave then?”

Lorna nodded in agreement.

Fanny’s face broke into a smug triumph. So what if Lorna was top of her class in college? She wasstill being pushed around by Fanny now.

As the group prepared to leave, a sudden unfamiliar voice rang out, “What’s going on here?”