Filed To Story: Watch Out! She's a Mastermind Heiress (Isabella Patton) Book PDF Free
As soon as her eyes fell upon the drawing, Courtney was immobilized, unable to move. Her gaze grew unsteady, and her pupils started to quiver uncontrollably.
Everyone noticed Courtney’s reaction, sparking curiosity throughout the hall.
“What on earth is happening? Did Mr. Marquez pick Isabella or Courtney?”
“Hasn’t Isabella been reunited with the Patton family only recently? I heard she’s never learned painting before.”
“Is it possible that Isabella leveraged her connections to snatch Courtney’s place? That would be beyond outrageous.”
The low murmurs in the crowd didn’t go unnoticed by Hutton. He grew enraged as he overheard people doubting his choice of a student. From the moment they first met, he had been determined to make Isabella his student. Sadly, she hadn’t accepted his offer at first. Now that she had finally agreed, how could these people dare to question her qualifications?
“Enough!” Hutton barked, silencing the hall immediately. He then announced, “From the very start, it has always been Isabella that I intended to mentor. This lady is her cousin, right? Sure, she has some potential, but her skills are still lacking.”
Courtney was utterly shocked by what she heard. Could Isabella actually paint? In an instant, her perception of Hutton crumbled. She had always believed him to be someone who pursued art with integrity, but it now seemed that even he could be swayed by money like anyone else. Why else would he choose Isabella as his student if he hadn’t been bribed by her family?
Courtney, always full of pride, couldn’t bring herself to accept this harsh reality. Her gaze hardened as she realized that if they were bent on corrupting the art world, then she had no reason to show them respect either.
“Very well, Mr. Marquez. If you’re so determined to make Isabella your student, then she must be an extraordinary artist. Why don’t we all have a look at her work?” Courtney proposed.
“Yes, we’d really like to see Isabella’s work,” Sarai quickly added.
One of Courtney’s friends chimed in eagerly, “Exactly! If Isabella is really going to be Mr. Marquez’s student, we deserve to see her artwork, right?”
Even though many in the hall stayed quiet, their curious eyes said it all. The entire new student introduction banquet was now clouded with doubt.
Hutton shook with rage. It had taken him so long to find the right student, and now she was facing so much skepticism. He glanced at Isabella, worry etched on his face. “Isabella…”
“It’s fine,” Isabella cut in, her voice steady. “If everyone is that eager to see, I can paint. But…” She shifted her gaze to Courtney. “No one can question Mr. Marquez’s decisions at will. Courtney, since you’ve raised your doubt, are you ready to face what comes next?”
Courtney sneered. Did Isabella really think she could scare her?
“Alright, let’s make a bet,” Courtney suggested. “If your painting is better than mine, I’ll quit painting. But if it’s not, you owe me a public apology.”
Courtney shot a look at Hutton but held back from saying more about him. After all, if Isabella failed to prove her talent, Hutton’s reputation would be on the line. Everyone would soon realize that her talent was miles ahead of Isabella’s and that Hutton only took Isabella as a student because of a bribe.
“Fine,” Isabella said. “But there’s no need for you to stop painting. Instead, if you lose, you’ll publicly apologize and donate five million dollars to charity.” Isabella wasn’t trying to be overly generous. She simply understood that Courtney would never really quit painting. If Courtney lost, she’d definitely keep bothering her until she could paint again.
“No problem,” Courtney agreed without a second thought, convinced that there was no way Isabella could paint better than her. Actually, Isabella’s agreement made her feel relieved. Courtney glanced at her with a hint of contempt. “What do you need to get started?”
“Just a pencil and paper,” Isabella responded calmly.
“That’s it?” Courtney arched an eyebrow.
“Exactly.”
“Fine.”
Courtney swiftly had someone prepare the pencil and paper, her disdain growing stronger. If all Isabella needed were these basic tools, she probably had no clue how to handle more advanced art materials. The result would likely look like something a child would draw—completely embarrassing.
The pencil and paper were quickly brought over, and Isabella started sketching right there on the stage. The audience below began to murmur, their whispers filling the air.
Courtney took a seat next to Sarai, who squeezed her hand and whispered, “If Mr. Marquez can be bought off that easily, we’ll just find a different mentor for you.” Sarai didn’t bother lowering her voice, making sure Elaine and her family could hear every word. Elaine’s expression immediately darkened. Did they seriously believe that Hutton had been bribed?
“Agreed,” Courtney responded, her eyes shining with a confident smirk.
Throughout the whole drawing process, Courtney kept a close watch on Isabella, making sure there was no chance of any foul play. Every so often, she stole a glance at Andrew. He stayed seated, composed and graceful. Though his posture seemed casual, every move he made radiated a noble air—he was a true gentleman of the highest social standing.
Once again, Courtney felt her heart begin to race uncontrollably. Everyone waited patiently, assuming Isabella’s drawing would take a minimum of two hours. But to their surprise, she straightened up after only half an hour.
“It’s finished,” she declared.
That quickly? The audience was caught off guard. Everyone knew that creating a quality drawing took time, yet here was Isabella, done in just thirty minutes. What could they expect in terms of quality?
Courtney’s disdain grew even stronger. Just as she thought—Isabella obviously had no real talent for painting. She got up and walked to the stage to examine Isabella’s work.
As soon as her eyes fell upon the drawing, Courtney was immobilized, unable to move. Her gaze grew unsteady, and her pupils started to quiver uncontrollably.
Elaine said coldly, “Before this banquet, we had no idea that Hutton was considering Isabella as his student, nor did we realize she was so talented in painting. Hutton mentioned he would hold a banquet to introduce his new student, so we informed you.”
“She’s your daughter. How could you not know she is good at painting? Who would believe that?” Sarai found Elaine’s words absurd. Her eyes brimmed with resentment and disdain.
Courtney felt like she might burst into tears. Most people tend to sympathize with the underdog. Witnessing this scene, many felt sorry for her.
“I do feel sorry for Courtney… Since it’s a new student introduction banquet, shouldn’t Glenn have made it clear who it was for…”
“That’s right. He let them be happy for a while, only to be embarrassed later.”
“I might have reacted like Courtney if I were in her shoes. After all, she didn’t know Isabella could paint.”
“Is this some kind of scheme?”
Some began to view Glenn and his family skeptically. Seeing this, Sarai smirked inwardly. Even if Courtney wasn’t chosen as Hutton’s student, this was enough. In time, everyone would see how Isabella mistreated Courtney. She would never enjoy a good reputation again. Even Glenn’s reputation might suffer.
“What does this have to do with them?” Hutton’s voice suddenly cut through the murmurs. He had approached as soon as he heard the commotion. He had never liked Rowan and his family. “Rowan, you just allow your wife and daughter to behave like that?”
Rowan was caught off guard by Hutton’s public reprimand, his face turning red. “Mr. Marquez, I…”
“I visited your home, and after seeing your daughter’s paintings, I said I’d consider mentoring her. I thought you understood my meaning.” Hutton’s tone was frosty. “I won’t take any student who isn’t talented enough.”
His comment left Rowan visibly more mortified. It turned out Hutton was declining to mentor Courtney with those words. At that moment, everyone finally grasped the situation.
“Oh, so Hutton had already turned Courtney down.”
“Well, Hutton’s rejection was too subtle.”
Hutton said, “I spared the time to see your daughter’s paintings out of respect for your elder brother. It’s disappointing to see how you reproach him like that now. You are no longer welcome at my banquet.” It was clear that Hutton was showing Rowan and his family the door.
Rowan and his family were visibly shaken. Rowan quickly approached Glenn and apologized, “Glenn, I’m sorry. I don’t blame you. My wife and Courtney acted impulsively because they struggled to accept the reality. Please don’t hold it against them.”
Glenn looked at his younger brother and said softly, “After our father passed, I’ve always tried to support you. I even bought up all the paintings you couldn’t sell each year. Yet, I never expected that you would think I would do something like that to you.”
Rowan was struck speechless. His artwork had always sold out over the years. Even those that didn’t sell initially would be bought at a high price by the end of the year. That was how he could afford a home in Ansport. But he had never known it was Glenn who had been aiding him discreetly all along.
At that moment, Rowan was overwhelmed with shame. He was heartbroken and couldn’t even face Glenn. “Glenn, I…”
“You can go now,” Glenn said.
Feeling disgraced, Rowan left with Sarai and Courtney. After they departed, the atmosphere at the party lightened considerably, and everyone began to relax and enjoy themselves.
Sitting next to Isabella, Andrew looked over at her and inquired, “Sweetheart, how many more secrets are you keeping from me?”
“Not many,” Isabella replied with a smile.
Gazing back at him, she teased, “I don’t think I have as many as you do.”
Andrew’s dark eyes widened in surprise. How could Isabella know…? But then he caught the playful glint in her eyes and realized she had been jesting. She was quite adept at using psychology.
After the dinner, the guests dispersed. Glenn invited Hutton to visit his home, and Hutton accepted the invitation. They were enjoying tea and having lively conversation there. Conversely, the mood in another place was decidedly chilly.
On the way back, Courtney was crying the entire time. Rowan was frustrated. “Enough! Stop crying.”
Sarai, feeling pity for Courtney, said, “She’s already so upset. Is that how you act as her father? Why are you speaking to her like this?”
“She should have realized she’s not the best,” Rowan retorted sharply. “If she had, today’s embarrassment wouldn’t have happened.”
Sarai’s eyes widened in disbelief, and she said, “Rowan, are you serious? Your brother and his family kept the truth from us on purpose because they wanted to see us embarrassed. Don’t you see that?”
“Glenn wouldn’t do something like that,” Rowan said.
New Book: Returned To Make Them Pay
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