CHAPTER 601: JUST FOOLING THE OUTSIDERS

Ava’s face twisted with rage, her hand clutching the phone trembling.

Logan wasn’t the one on the line—everything she had just said had been overheard by Selina?!

And Selina hadn’t said a word, just sat back and enjoyed the show!

Ava ground her teeth, her voice shaking. "Sister, how could you just touch brother-in-law’s phone! You... you eavesdropped on my call!"

Selina curved her lips into a playful smile, her tone as lazy as a sly little fox. "Don’t blame me. It’s just that my dear sister was so caught up in her act, you never even checked who was on the other end. What could I do? I was forced to listen."

The smugness in her voice nearly made Ava spit blood. "Where’s brother-in-law? That call was meant for him!"

Selina’s tone was cool. "You call me sister and call him brother-in-law. So tell me—if I answer his phone, what’s the problem?"

Ava bit her lip hard. "Sister, I don’t mean to sound harsh, but even if you’ve spent all these years away, now that you’re back in the Hill Family, you should drop those bad habits you picked up in the countryside. Answering someone else’s calls without permission is so rude—"

"I heard you’re holding an art exhibition today."

Selina’s voice cut in, calm and sharp. "Tell me, what do you think would happen if I made public all those sweet little things you just said?"

Ava’s throat tightened, her face draining of color. She raised her voice in panic. "Don’t you dare—!"

"So you do know you sounded like trash. If those words spread, people would tear you apart, huh?"

Selina’s brows arched. "If you already know that, how do you still have the nerve to flaunt yourself in front of me?"

"You... I..." Ava was so furious her chest heaved. "You don’t get to decide! Brother-in-law promised me he’d come to my exhibition today—have him answer!"

"Oh, is that so?"

Selina blinked, then raised her eyes deliberately and asked right in front of Ava, "Logan, your dear little sister says you promised to attend her exhibition. Is that true?"

Logan’s voice was flat. "No."

Ava nearly collapsed from the blow. "But you accepted my invitation! I can’t believe you’d go back on your word. I misjudged you, Logan!"

At that moment, Selina thought Ava must have been possessed by a soap opera heroine again.

She stroked her chin, her voice laced with dry amusement. "So tossing an invitation into the car counts as Logan accepting it?"

Ava felt utterly insulted. "You’re both looking down on me! Logan, I’ll make sure you regret this—I’ll show you what you missed out on!"

Selina arched a brow, tapped to save the recording, then hung up the call. She turned to Logan with a mischievous glint. "Mr. Reid, what do you think—has Ava truly been spoiled rotten to the point of stupidity, or is this just her attempt at baiting you?"

Logan didn’t even look up from the document he was reviewing, his tone detached. "You recorded the call?"

Selina: "Mm."

"Send it to me."

Selina narrowed her eyes, her gaze shifting to the contract in his hand. "Hill Family—no, this is Matt’s company, isn’t it?"

"Matt won’t pass up any chance to claw his way higher. He’s still seen as ’Hill Family,’ so plenty of companies give him face. Even though he’s unlikely to rise again, as long as there’s a sliver of hope, I’ll crush it."

Logan’s voice was calm, almost bored, as if he were discussing a matter that didn’t concern him. "Matt probably thinks I’ll go easy on him for Hill Family’s sake. But thanks to his precious granddaughter, that chance is gone. If I refuse to cooperate, what can he say?"

"And once I turn him down, the other companies that bend with the wind will follow suit."

Matt would be isolated all over again.

In that moment, Selina couldn’t help thinking—Logan really did seem like a villain.

Meanwhile, at the exhibition—

Logan still hadn’t shown up, and more than a few faces in the crowd reflected disappointment.

But anyone willing to show up to support Ava wasn’t a fool; even if they were let down, they weren’t about to show it.

Instead, some of Ava’s so-called sisters couldn’t help but step forward to question her.

"Ava, didn’t you say Mr. Reid would be here today? Why hasn’t he shown up?"

"Yeah, and your big brother isn’t here either..."

They had gone through all the trouble of attending just to catch a glimpse of Aaron or Logan, hoping to build a connection with at least one of them. But as it turned out, they hadn’t managed to latch onto anyone.

They had assumed that since Ava, the Hill Family’s young lady, was hosting this exhibition, Aaron—the young master of the Hill Family—would at least show his face out of courtesy. But from beginning to end, Aaron hadn’t appeared once.

Ava’s face darkened. She bit her lip so hard it nearly bled, her complexion pale, but she refused to let her true feelings slip, afraid of becoming the butt of a joke. "Big brother and Logan are both very busy men. They don’t have time for things like this..."

"But this is such an important exhibition, and they still didn’t come..." One of her sisters’ eyes narrowed slyly. "Ava, you didn’t trick us, did you? Maybe you’re not actually favored in the Hill Family at all?"

"Nonsense!" Ava snapped without thinking, her voice sharp.

"Really? Then how come you couldn’t even get your own brother to come?" the sister sneered, curling her lip. She’d never liked Ava—an adopted daughter, nothing more. Just lucky enough to have been taken in by the Hills. Yet every time they went out together, Ava put on that holier-than-thou act, as if she were somehow above the rest of them.

Now that Jeff had become the family head, what right did Ava still have to strut around?

"You—"

"Ava, why are you still standing here?" A gentle female voice cut her off.

Hannah walked over slowly, wearing her trademark warm smile. "Mr. Samuel has already been waiting for quite some time. Imagine that, he’s willing to take you as his student, and you’re wasting time chatting here. Come with me."

The group of sisters immediately fell silent at the sight of Hannah. They couldn’t explain why, but this seemingly kind woman always carried a strangely chilling presence.

And the moment they heard the name Samuel, their lips sealed tight, eyes darting nervously at one another.

Samuel—one of the most renowned painters in contemporary oil art! Perhaps just a step below the few true giants of the field, but in City N, the name Samuel alone could carry incredible weight.

Samuel was going to take Ava as a student? Why did every stroke of luck always fall into Ava’s lap? It was so unfair.

Ava’s eyes lit up, her smug glance sweeping over her sisters. "Aunt, I’ll come right away."

Hannah nodded in satisfaction.

Ava clenched her fists, her heart racing. Samuel wanted her as his pupil—it was almost too good to be true. If she could officially apprentice under him, she would finally earn a name for herself.

For a family like the Hills, money alone was no longer enough to increase their prestige. What they needed was "reputation."

And if she became Samuel’s student, a rising star in the oil painting world, who wouldn’t praise the Hill Family for their good fortune?

Brimming with excitement, Ava followed Hannah to the lounge to discuss the details of her apprenticeship banquet. By the end, her lips had already curved into a triumphant smile.

Among the attendees, aside from business figures, there were of course genuine artists. A few of them frowned, murmuring quietly among themselves.

"To outsiders, this exhibition might look fine. But for us insiders, it’s plain as day."

Several of them nodded in agreement.

"Yes. These works were ghost-painted."

To outsiders, the differences went unnoticed, but insiders could see it clearly—several of the paintings carried distinct brushstrokes and habits. Though the artists had tried hard to imitate Ava’s style, subtle details betrayed the truth: they weren’t the work of a single hand.

When tallied up, there were no fewer than five such pieces.

In other words, this exhibition—these paintings—even if signed under Ava’s name, weren’t actually hers. She had used ghost painters.

"We can all see it. You think Master Samuel can’t? And if he can, then why would he still take her on..."

"Shh, keep your voice down. I’ve long heard Samuel and Ava are birds of a feather..."

"Even so, Samuel’s willing to take her as a student because she does have some real skill. She’s got one stunning piece to her name. Pity it’s never been shown publicly."

The painters shook their heads, falling silent.

After the exhibition ended, word quickly reached Selina.

"You’re saying Samuel wants to take Ava as his student?"

City N was the Brown Family’s base. Damien might not live there most of the time, but the moment Selina arrived, he stationed his men by her side.

"Yes, Miss. Most likely Ava is just after Samuel’s fame. Do you want to intervene?"

Letting Ava boost her reputation would hardly be ideal.

But Selina seemed to recall something. "Oil painting..."

She paused, then a mocking smile curled her lips. "No need. Samuel isn’t a good man either. Let them tear each other apart. Just keep a closer eye on Hannah’s movements."

"Yes, Miss." The guard finished speaking just as Selina’s phone rang.

It was an unfamiliar number. Narrowing her eyes, she answered.

"Selina, the weather’s lovely today. Do you have time to come out? You’ve just returned to City N, there are so many places you’ve yet to see. If word gets out, people might think the Hill Family’s been neglecting you."

June’s eyes glinted slyly. "As it happens, Hannah booked a private room at CPJ Restaurant. I heard you’ve never been. Why not come by? Let us show you some proper hospitality."

Selina’s brow arched. June being so considerate? Hardly. From her tone, she was trying to parade Selina, the supposed ’country bumpkin,’ around to "see the world."

Selina understood. Oh... so this was about flaunting power. About reminding her that Hannah’s influence in City N was entrenched and not something Selina could casually uproot. About warning her not to overestimate herself.

"Of course," Selina replied evenly. "If my second aunt insists on being so welcoming, how could I refuse?"

Ending the call, she asked offhandedly, "CPJ Restaurant—that’s owned by the Browns, isn’t it?"

The guard immediately responded, "Yes, Miss. I’ll contact the restaurant manager right away."

Selina hummed in acknowledgment, carelessly tossing her phone back on the table. "Let’s go."

...

Watching her retreating figure, Jack couldn’t help but ask, "Sir, June clearly doesn’t have good intentions. You’re really comfortable letting Madam go there alone?"

Logan raised a brow. "Do you honestly think she’ll be the one getting bullied?"

Jack swallowed hard.

"..." Bullied? By others? If she didn’t do the bullying herself, that would already be remarkable!

No wonder Sir was so at ease.

...

When Selina arrived at CPJ Restaurant, she immediately spotted June.

June waved dramatically. "Selina, over here! Oh dear, I was worried you’d get lost, so I came all the way to the door to wait. You’ve never been here, you wouldn’t know—the layout’s tricky, not like outside. Easy to lose your way if you don’t know it!"

Heads turned nearby. Who was this—her first time at CPJ Restaurant?