The CEO Gets What He Wants

The sound of Avery's laughter caused a grim expression to descend on Nicole's face. Have I made a mistake?

Even since she became part of the Lambert family, she went to a school for high society and even spent two years studying overseas.

Therefore, she was certain that a country bumpkin like Avery wouldn't know more about art appreciation than she did.

Although she had no interest in the subject ever since she was young, her mother, Claire, loved art. Hence, she forced herself to learn art history in her attempt to share her mother's passion.

Despite her intention, drowsiness assaulted her every time she read about the dry philosophical theories and achievements of famous artists. Unable to bring herself to continue, she decided to give the subject up and choose something she was good in to please her mother.

When Nicole snuck a glance at Cayden, she saw him sitting elegantly with an upright posture. The steadiness of his deportment gave off a natural sense of gravitas.

However, when he served Avery food, he turned into an entirely different person.

The sharp look in his eyes would naturally ease, whereas his tightly pursed lips gently curled into an affectionate smile.

Watching his actions, Nicole felt as if she had been stabbed in her heart, and blood was dripping out of it. Stung by the excruciating pain, she lowered her gaze in disappointment.

Meanwhile, Allie was annoyed at how her son was neglecting Nicole.

When she saw the latter speaking confidently about the oil painting, she grew fonder of her, unaware that Nicole was in over her head.

After serving Nicole a piece of scallop, Allie complimented her, “Nickie, you're truly well-cultured and much more knowledgeable than those country bumpkins who haven't seen the world at all. I expect no less of Mr. William's daughter, unlike those who might look pretty but are essentially clueless. I'm sure they don't even know how to differentiate fake artwork from the real thing, let alone appreciate paintings. Isn't that right, Dad?”

Even though Allie didn't explicitly say who the country bumpkin she was referring to was, her disdainful gaze clearly fell upon Avery. The way she was glaring at the latter couldn't be any more obvious.

At that moment, Jeffrey's stern face drastically darkened. Slamming his fork onto the table, he furrowed his brows in displeasure. “Can you shut that ignorant mouth of yours? The Moore family has been utterly disgraced by you!”

Allie was oblivious to the fact that Jeffrey was a fan of Epean art when he was young. Furthermore, as a student, he had spent many years in Ferropene specializing in the subject. It wasn't until he had met his wife and returned to Chanaea to start their business that he abandoned his studies.

Although years had passed since he dabbled in art, it didn't mean that he had forgotten everything he had learned.

In fact, Monet was his favorite Impressionist artist, which was the reason why he had a collection of the former's artworks. Unfortunately, Nicole—in her attempt to impress—had embarrassed herself by inadvertently revealing her own ignorance about art.

Consequently, the goodwill Jeffrey initially felt toward Nicole under the assumption that she was cultured was now ruined by her own hand.

Noticing the sullen look on Jeffrey's face, Allie brazenly asked, “Dad, was I wrong?”

Avery calmly interrupted, “Mdm. Allie, Monet is Ferropenian, not Ustranasion. On top of that, he's not a Modernist but an Impressionist artist.”

Just as Allie was about to ridicule Avery for knowing nothing, Jeffrey's eyes—hidden behind his reading glasses—glistened in elation as he asked, “Do you enjoy Epean art too? In that case, what do you think about this painting? Can you tell if he's depicting dawn or dusk?”

Jeffrey raised his walking stick and pointed at the painting of lotus flowers on the wall.

At that moment, Nicole, eyes wide, stared intently at every single detail in an attempt to decipher the hour in the painting.

Unfortunately, the lack of light made it impossible for her to tell.

In the end, all she could do was watch and hope that Avery embarrassed herself.

Meanwhile, underneath the dining table, Cayden held the latter's hand in an effort to calm her nerves.

In response, Avery gently patted the back of his hand as she flashed a confident smile back at him.

After observing the painting closely, she made her thoughts known. “Old Mr. Moore, the painting depicts lotuses in the morning. Even though it isn't obvious, one can tell by the morning dew flowing down its leaves. On top of that, the color of the water is blue from afar. Illuminated by the rays of the sun, they take on a golden hue, while the portion underneath the blooming flower is green, reflecting the color of the leaves. Only in the mornings can one observe such a phenomenon, which is a true reflection of mother nature.”

Scrutinizing Avery for the very first time, Jeffrey suddenly approved of her a lot more than Nicole.

Hence, his tone took an amiable turn when he spoke again to her. “I didn't expect you to know quite a bit. Let me ask you, with regard to Epean oil paintings, what kind of styles do they have and who are the artists that are symbolic of the respective styles? Can you also tell me about their signature works?”

Thereafter, Avery answered eloquently and even managed to add interesting nuggets about the famous painters she mentioned.

Her humorous yet natural way of presenting soon elicited hearty laughter from Jeffrey that resonated through the entire dining room.