Chapter 13

Chapter 13 The Appraisal Event’s Organizer

Seeing that Vania shirked from introducing the pendant, Melanie let out a sneer. Only then did she walk to the center of the crowd and say confidently, “As far as I know, this pendant is a recent design by Master Mia Stravinsky. It’s a special honor that the pendant is being shown to the public for the first time at the ‘Quest for Love’ appraisal event, which gives us the honor to be the first to see it. Master Mia is an expert in the design and carving of jewelry, and this pendant is no exception. It’s entirely carved out of marble… On closer inspection, I’d say Master Mia designed the pendant as an expression of her love.”

“That’s splendid of you, Miss Melanie! How impressive of you to be able to grasp so many design ideas so quickly!”

“I didn’t understand it at first, but your explanation really enlightened me, Miss Melanie.”

Some people even gauged Melanie’s mind and buttered her up, saying, “President Luke is a giant among men, whereas Miss Melanie is so erudite. They really make a perfect match.”

Melanie simply let these words of flattery go to her head. So what if Vania has just set me up? Right now, I’m still the center of attention at the event. And besides, this pendant is Master Mia’s work. Some people are guessing that she’s the organizer of this appraisal event. Even if she isn’t, she’ll definitely pay close attention to it. Perhaps she’ll take notice of me because of this.

Fantasy Daydream Jewelry, a jewelry brand under Luke Corporation, had always wanted to collaborate with Mia, but it hadn’t been able to get the opportunity. If I can help Hanson secure a collaboration with Master Mia, I’ll definitely hold a special place in his heart! Melanie hugged herself while indulging in wishful thinking.

Just then, Vania’s soft voice suddenly spoke. “Love is not love which alters it when alteration finds, or bends with the remover to remove: O, no! It is an ever-fixed mark that looks on tempests and is never shaken.”

Dumbfounded by her abrupt recitation from Shakespeare, everyone instantly turned their attention to Vania.

Hanson looked at Vania with great interest. Even Morales and Morgan were shocked. Does Miss Vania also think as we do, that there’s another meaning behind this piece of work? The three of them fixed their eyes upon Vania, waiting for her to continue.

“In my opinion, the pendant’s design was inspired by the stanza just now. It has six facets in total… And its interior is finished not with gold, but with enamel. Marble, which was commonly used in ancient Greece and Rome, is used in place of other gemstones—to symbolize permanence, I guess. As for why the pendant is embellished in gold instead of any other color, I think that’s because Master Mia wanted to imply that the feelings she was having would last longer than gold. These feelings may not be feelings of love; they might be feelings of kinship. So, in my opinion, what she ultimately tried to express via the pendant was feelings of yearning,” Vania said with a sigh of deep feeling.

“Huh? Is it really so? For some reason, I’m touched. I feel like I sensed Master Mia’s yearning.”

“As expected of a master. To think that she was able to design such an everlasting piece of work based on just a stanza from Shakespeare!”

“Miss Vania does have unique insights, after all. These design ideas are totally beyond our imagination.”

Morales and Morgan couldn’t help but exclaim in awe, “Miss Vania is so amazing.” Mommy’s explanation just now was good, but we couldn’t help feeling that it was slightly off. Only after listening to Miss Vania’s explanation do we feel that the pendant is a perfect piece of work.

Even Hanson’s face showed a look of admiration, which was rare.

Melanie felt that Vania had stolen all the limelight from her at this very moment. Not only that, but Hanson’s change in attitude made her mad with jealousy.

Unexpectedly, Morales and Morgan suddenly came forward and looked at Vania with adoration. Morales, the older of the two, spoke first, asking, “You’re so amazing, Miss Vania. Can we learn from you?”

Morgan also nodded to express his anticipation. Hanson had some general knowledge about jewelry design, but he was too busy with work to learn jewelry design with them. As for Melanie, she didn’t care about them at all. Because of that, they had no one to consult about questions regarding jewelry design. Now that they had met Vania, not only did they feel close to her for some reason, but they also had great admiration for her talent.

However, the two kids’ behavior perplexed Hanson even more. Morales and Morgan were usually very shy and would hide at the sight of strangers. Therefore, it surprised Hanson that not only did they speak to Vania on their own initiative a number of times, but they even wanted to learn from her.

On the other hand, the emotions in Vania’s eyes were instantly replaced with tenderness when she saw the two little boys. They were Hanson and Melanie’s children, so she was supposed to keep her distance or even refrain from talking to them altogether. However, the affinity that she felt spontaneously toward them made her unable to say no at the sight of the looks of anticipation in their eyes. “I—”

However, before she could finish her sentence, Melanie stepped in front of the two kids. “You said so much florid and highfalutin stuff, but who knows if what you said is right or wrong? After all, you’re not Master Mia herself, nor can you speak on her behalf. Better to be less pretentious than to lie to everyone to become famous.”

Vania shrugged her shoulders in disdain at Melanie’s hostility. “Time will prove whether I was lying or not.” She glanced at the two kids behind Melanie. Although she felt very close to them, they were Melanie’s children after all, so she thought she’d better keep her distance from them. Despite her great reluctance, she turned around and left…

Meanwhile, a flicker of suspicion crossed Hanson’s mind as he kept following Vania’s graceful figure with his eyes. Why is she so sure about the meaning behind Master Mia’s work?

Just then, the lights dimmed once again as the emcee took the stage a second time. “Ladies and gentlemen, sorry for interrupting you all at this time. I believe you all have seen all the designed items displayed at our event today and are amazed by the designers’ talent. We’d like to give a thumbs-up to every designer and thank every one of you for attending our event. Next, we’ll enter an exciting moment as the organizer of our event is going to unveil the mysterious best work of design for everyone.”

At this moment, the spotlight moved back and forth across the crowd, and the music playing in the background was replaced by the exciting and intense sound of drums.

Everyone looked around, wondering who the organizer was.

Hanson was also holding his breath in anticipation. He had been trying to get in touch with Mia to seek a collaboration with her, but she was so secretive that he couldn’t find her no matter what. He had heard that her latest work would be displayed at this appraisal event, which was why he came to try his luck. Even if Mia didn’t attend the event personally, the event’s organizer had to be somehow connected to her. Once he learned who the organizer was, he would be able to track Mia down by looking into the person’s contacts…

Just as everyone was waiting anxiously, the sound of drums in the background suddenly stopped, and the scene instantly became quiet. “Now let’s welcome the organizer of the ‘Quest for Love’ appraisal event to the stage!” The instant the emcee finished his sentence, the spotlight moved in a certain direction.

Everyone followed the spotlight all the way with their eyes—only to see its bright light shining upon Vania!