Ella didn’t react to Aunt Yu’s snide remark. Instead, she turned toward the man holding the long velvet case.
At a gentle nod from her, the man stepped forward and gently unlatched the long velvet case.
The lid opened with a soft click, revealing a large painting carefully wrapped in silk. As the cloth was drawn back, the ballroom’s lighting seemed to dim, as if holding its breath. A sharp breath echoed across the silent hall.
Mr. Yu stepped forward, eyes narrowing, then widening as if he were seeing a ghost.
"That..." His voice trembled.
The once-stiff posture faltered. He moved closer, one hand reaching out as if afraid the painting would disappear.
It was an oil painting, faded but preserved, with a dignified, old-world charm. A serene waterfall surrounded by vast forest, golden sunlight sprinkling in through the gaps between the trees. The brush strokes were unmistakable.
"This... this is Grandfather’s," Mr. Yu’s voice cracked, his eyes reddening faintly.
"Is it... Grandfather’s last painting?" A hint of doubt flickered in Mrs. Yu’s eyes as she stepped forward, supporting Mr. Yu who had become emotional.
Mr. Yu nodded, still in disbelief. "It was part of a private auction when the family nearly went bankrupt. Back then, Grandfather had no choice but to sell it in hopes that we would be able to revive the company with whatever money he could raise. I’ve searched for it everywhere, but the records were wiped clean. I thought it was lost forever."
The crowd whispered amongst each other. Those who were familiar with the Yu Family knew it very well that the late Old Master Yu was a renowned painter of his time.
Standing at a little distance, Esther paled as she glanced at the painting.
When Mrs. Yu heard her husband’s words, she covered her mouth with both hands, stunned.
But Aunt Yu scoffed. "It’s just an old painting, how do you know it’s not a fake? These days, replicas are everywhere."
Mr. Yu turned slowly, his voice cold. "Because in the dense forest, grandfather had hidden the character ’Yu’ discreetly, which was one of the significant markers of his art style. How can you forget it?"
When Mr. Yu’s index finger hovered over the painting, one could spot the character ’Yu’ written in the leaves. At first it wasn’t visible but with a little focus, it was impossible to miss.
Silence fell again. Faced with her brother’s glare, Aunt Yu’s face unwillingly shut her mouth.
Mr. Yu turned to Ella, his voice softer than before. "Where did you find this?"
"I happened to find it at an auction," Inwardly though, Ella made a mental note to thank Adrian properly.
Earlier this morning, when they were in the gym, she had asked him about the painting. Ella did not want to get ahead of herself and assume that he bought it for her.
But Adrian had given a simple reply to all her questions ’Because you wanted it.’
Because she wanted it, he got it for her. It was as simple as that. And if not for him, Ella would probably not have won the bid against Lilith, hence losing it.
As thankful as she was, she declared: Right now, I can pay you back with the original price of the painting. Once I make more money, I will repay you the billion that you spent on this. If you don’t agree, I won’t take this painting from you no matter how much I want it.
As displeased as he looked, when he heard her last line, he uttered a reluctant, ’Mm.’
Thinking of Adrian, Ella was pricked with a guilty conscience. Technically, she’d done nothing wrong and she had every right to go anywhere she wanted, but thinking of Adrian’s sulking stature, she felt a little evil for running off .
Forget it, it’s not like he will come back from work so early. I will make it back to the Eve Mansion before him, then I can take my time to coax him...
Esther’s soft voice cut through the hall, snapping Ella out of her reverie, "Sis put so much effort in getting the gifts. My gifts don’t even look that nice next to hers..." she lowered her head.
Before Esther could say another word, Mr. Yu and Mrs. Yu walked past Ella and wrapped her in a hug.
"Silly girl," Mrs. Yu chided gently as she caressed her hair.
"How can Mom and Dad not like something that you got for us?" Mr. Yu sighed helplessly, "You have been running around the entire day, princess. I doubt you had a proper meal today?"
Esther pouted and hugged her father’s arm.
Mr. Yu looked at her sternly, "Acting cute doesn’t work."
"That’s right. You need to eat something first..." Mrs. Yu chided softly.
As the Yu Couple led Esther towards the food counters, Esther looked at Ella with a smile, "Ah, what about sis?"
Mrs. Yu turned to Ella with a soft smile, "Ella is your elder sister and she has seen more of the world. She doesn’t need to babied like you,’’ she shook her head and spoke to Ella, "When you feel hungry, dear, eat something. And if you need something, just call me. There is no need to be shy around here."
"Of course..." Ella had barely finished speaking when they turned their backs to her and walked off with Esther.
Ella stood quietly, sipping her wine, lips tugged into a faint smile that didn’t reach her eyes as she watched her parents carefully picking the food and taking turns feeding it to Esther.
She had longed to see her parents for years now and seeing them happy and healthy, Ella was relieved. But for some reason, the dull ache in her chest seemed to spread to her entire body.
The waiter stopped in front of her when her glass turned empty. Ella picked up another glass of wine and walked off to the corner that she had occupied earlier.
Just as Ella had downed a few glasses of wine, she heard a familiar voice.
’’You don’t look as happy as I had expected you to be...’’