Chapter 119

The Pioneers Group chat had been silent for days, so when someone finally piped up, the others quickly bubbled to the surface of the conversation.

Mathster replied, [Never heard of ‘em.]

Bland replied, [Farly bird interrupts my sweet dreams, huh?]

Painter said, [Ever heard of mute?]

Bland replied, [Set this chat to priority alerts, man. What if the boss needs me and I miss it?]

The others mentally rolled their eyes at his brown–nosing, but no one dared to say it out loud. Instead-

Painter said, [Same here, bro.]

Chef echoed, [And me]

Clothing Retailer said, [Me too]

Pianoman asked, [Who’s this person, anyway? Never heard of them. Are they famous or something? @Painter]

Painter said, [This person had a real flair for painting 18 years ago. Young and talented. But then I heard she married into some high society and stopped painting altogether. Not many people know her because of that.]

Bland asked, [So why are you looking for her?]

Painter replied, [To paint, obviously.]

Bland said, [? But you’re a renowned artist yourself. Why do you need someone else to paint for you?]

Painter said, [Let me school you, newbie. Watercolor themes fall into three categories, landscapes, figures, and still lifes. I specialize in figures, not landscapes.]

Painter said, [I got roped into this game design gig, doing character art. I need a landscape artist for the scenery. Most of the famed landscape artists here have either aged out of the game or their work is too superficial for my taste.]

only Lorn from 18 years ago caught my eye. Her landscapes had the touch. of

big shot in the art world, chairing the Superiority Country Fine Art Association and heading the Superiority Art Academy. You must have the widest network. If you can’t

couldn’t dig up her real identity, and then she vanished. She might have changed her name, but talent like hers doesn’t just disappear. I’ve cast a wide net in my circles. You all have your connections. Hit me up if you hear anything. There’s a hefty

replied, [No problem.]

[Got it.]

thought for a moment. She couldn’t paint, but Lorna

[Got

down and, as usual, grabbed her book. It was

way through college courses back at the orphanage. But it wasn’t until she’d visited her grandparents‘ house that she realized how superficial her knowledge was.

were both university professors, and when she visited them

Chapter 119

a pile of books to delve deeper into the

grandmother was supposed to arrive tonight,

car pulled

the stairs and entered

table effortlessly, prompting Everard to rise from

at Everard. These two didn’t seem like former colleagues at all. But Everard had

hint of curiosity, “You’ve been hanging around for two

was about to reply when Everard’s smooth voice intervened, “He’s leaving

Since when was he leaving? With a forced smile, he added, “Yeah, I actually

how to kick him to the curb

back, resting his hands on the table, expecting the usual handshake. But when it didn’t come, he looked up, puzzled, to see Cordelia staring–not at him, but at his

on with her. After the kiss yesterday, she should’ve been mad at him today, but she wasn’t. And now, the idea of even touching his hand was

and his gaze, she hastily grabbed his hand.

had been just a tool to her. But today, she noticed how attractive his hands really were–long, defined, with calluses that spoke

was warm, and that heat

her when they held hands, tracing her palm when she wasn’t paying attention. But today, when he did, Cordelia jerked away as if electrocuted, feeling a tingling sensation in

usually needed a ten–minute handhold

her backpack, I’m off to school now.”

Scent toward the school, pondering why she seemed different

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