CHAPTER 2: Picking Up the Brush Again

The next day, Eleanor finalized Ivy's arrangements and took a cab back to the suburban villa she had once bought as her art studio.

The year she graduated, she was hailed as an artistic genius. Her first painting sold for an astronomical price! Then, amid widespread sighs, she got married and had children.

After marriage, she wanted to keep painting. But Sebastian complained that the smell of oil paint made him sick. So, she put down her brush and made her family her sole focus.

Six years of neglect had left the villa overgrown with weeds and covered in thick dust.

She paused in the yard. A gust of wind carried a begonia petal from outside the wall onto her shoulder. Eleanor turned her head, choking up. "Ivy, is that you?" She cradled the petal in her hands, her lips trembling.

Grief rushed over her like a tidal wave. Overwhelmed, Eleanor sank to her knees, sobbing until she was nearly unconscious.

It wasn't until nightfall that she composed herself. She had to show Ivy that she was living her life fully.

She dug out her paints, dusty from years of storage, and set up her easel in the empty living room. By the time she put down her brush, the candle had burned out.

Dawn was breaking. A shaft of golden light landed directly on the canvas, illuminating the still-wet watercolor, making it clear and bright.

The painting showed the ocean, extending from deep to light toward the horizon in the morning sun. A little girl in a floral dress leaped above the surface, arms outstretched, welcoming the rising sun.

Eleanor took a moment to steady herself, fighting back the painful lump in her throat. She took a photo and sent it to a gallery she had worked with before.

Her phone rang in less than a minute. On the other end, Daphne shrieked. "My God, you've finally decided to make a comeback! This painting has both mood and soul. What's your asking price?"

Eleanor said, "Five million." "What?" Daphne was shocked. After a moment of silence, she said, "We have an auction the day after tomorrow at ten a.m. I'll reserve a spot for you." "Deal," Eleanor confirmed.

Eleanor spent the next two days finalizing Ivy's affairs and tidying up the villa. Only then did she get her first real sleep in three days.

The auction arrived on schedule. Eleanor got to the gallery early, as promised. After handing the painting to the gallery manager, there was still plenty of time before the auction started.

Eleanor looked around and casually wandered over to a painting. Against a dark blue and black, oppressive background, a white cocoon stood out starkly in the center. Cracks ran vertically down the cocoon, and a half-formed wing struggled out of the fissure, desperate to break free from the "cage." Breaking out of the cocoon to become a butterfly.

Eleanor stared at the painting for a long time, not even realizing people had approached behind her.

This painting was one of her student works, left in the storage room after she married. Claudia had stolen it, signed her own name, won a major competition, and had it subsequently collected by the Core Gallery.

When the truth came out, Sebastian had threatened her with divorce to protect Claudia's reputation, forbidding her from ever mentioning it.

She stepped forward, pulled out a hairpin, and used the sharp end to slash diagonally from the top of the frame to the bottom. Tear. The painting split down the middle, half of it falling at Eleanor's feet.

Alexander walked in, surrounded by a group of people, and saw the destruction unfold. This gallery was protected by the Prescott family.

"What's going on?" Alexander stopped. Mark, the gallery manager, rushed forward. "Eleanor, what have you done?"

Eleanor finally noticed the crowd behind her. Her gaze moved past Mark's shoulder to the man behind him: stern-faced and radiating sheer dominance.

He wore a perfectly tailored black suit that could not conceal his defined physique. His gentlemanly attire only served to emphasize his raw, untamed nature.

The man exuded intense pressure, silencing the entire gallery. With a single look, Eleanor knew this man was extraordinary. The middle-aged man next to him was Sebastian's investor, a man who now stood by Alexander like an obedient servant.

Eleanor forced a polite smile. "Breaking out of the cocoon. Without breaking, there is no creation. That is the correct interpretation of this painting."

Hearing her words, Alexander's eyes grew sharper as he took a moment to fully assess Eleanor. "No breaking, no creating?" he repeated. "Your understanding of this painting is quite unique, Miss."

"However, if you break something, you must pay for it," Alexander stated. Eleanor glanced at the price tag and chuckled. "This painting is priced at 500,000. It's not worth it."

Although the painting was hers, it carried Claudia's signature. Selling it was fraud. "In that case, I should thank you." Alexander's voice was low, yet those around him clearly sensed his displeasure and silently lowered their heads.

"No need." Eleanor clapped her hands. "Everyone makes mistakes." Alexander's face darkened.

Eleanor didn't reply again. She bent down to pick up the half-torn painting. Suddenly, the click of high heels grew louder.

A strong scent of perfume hit her nose. Claudia, in a strapless dress, quickly approached, holding Theodore's hand.

Theodore was pale, only just recovering from his fever. He clearly hadn't had an easy time. Eleanor was speechless, feeling only bad luck.

Upon seeing her, Theodore opened his mouth to say "Mom," but Claudia leaned in, whispering, "Some of your classmates will be here soon. If they see your mother dressed like a janitor, they'll look down on you at school!"

Theodore swallowed his words. With her goal achieved, Claudia smiled smugly.

She moved closer to Eleanor, fanning her nose with her hand. "I knew there was a strange smell. Turns out the gallery let in someone who shouldn't be here."

Without Sebastian around, Claudia revealed her true venomous self. "Don't think I don't know what you're thinking. You're scared Sebastian will actually divorce you, so you found out he was bringing me to the gallery and came here specifically to apologize and beg for forgiveness, didn't you?"

"Sebastian said the divorce is final. Get lost, and stop being so shameless." She nudged Theodore. "Teddy, isn't that right?"

Theodore, thinking that Eleanor hadn't even called while he was sick, turned his head and scoffed. "Yes!" Theodore's words stabbed Eleanor's heart.

She took a deep breath. Her purpose today was to sell her painting, so she didn't want to get tangled up with them. She turned to find Daphne.

"Stop! What do you have there?" Claudia snatched the item from Eleanor's hand. When she saw what it was, her eyes instantly flashed with fury.

Claudia raised her hand and delivered a vicious slap across Eleanor's face. "Eleanor, you are shameless! You come to the gallery and tear up my painting? You must have a death wish!"