BuzzNovelEddie caught the flash drive with practiced ease, his gaze lingering on Cole's face for a heartbeat before flicking
away. He exchanged a brief glance with Dale
Reeves, who gave a subtle nod. Understanding the cue, Eddie plugged the drive into
his laptop.
There was just one file inside. He opened it. A handful of images appeared, along with three aurecordings.
“How did you manage to get here?” Alessia whispered.
Cole didn’t answer. Instead, he pressed his index finger to her lips, a mischievous glint in his eyes.
Alessia sighed, more amused than annoyed, gently moving his hand away before turning her attention to the
stage.
Eddie clicked on the first image-bank transfer records, one after another.
Hamilton's face drained of color. Others might not recognize the account number, but as the mastermind, he
knew it all too well.
Realizing things were going south, Hamilton grabbed Tammie, ready to slip away. But Alessia and Cole were one
step ahead, standing directly behind them, wearing identical, harmless-looking smiles that somehow sent a chill
down Hamilton's
spine.
“In a rush to get home, Mr. Hamilton? Forgot to turn off the stove?” Alessia teased.
Hamilton shot her a venomous glare and abandoned his escape.
Eddie closed the last image and played the first aufile.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇt
“I don’t even know who it was. They just toldto submit Tammie’s painting. There were so many slots, |
figured, why not?”
A collective gasp rippled through the crowd. All eyes turned on Hamilton. Tammie, sensing the tension, clung to
his hand and whimpered, “Grandpa...”
Eddie ignored the commotion, playing the second and third recordings. The voices differed, but the stories were
much the same.
“Dale Reeves, that’s the whole picture,” Eddie said quietly as he approached Dale. The older man looked utterly
dumbfounded.
He couldn't believe someone on his own team would stoop so low for money, It
09:38
Chapter 334
made him wonder, with a sinking feeling, whether any of the previous exhibitions had truly been as fair as he'd
believed.
“Mr. Reeves, this must be a misunderstanding! You can’t judge the situation based on a few recordings-it’s all
slander!” Hamilton took a step forward, desperate. With Dale Reeves’ sway in the art world, being blacklisted
would be catastrophic.
“Whether it's true or not, | trust Mr. Reeves will make his own judgment,” Cole said. “The account that received
the transfers can easily be traced. But let’s set that aside. Mr. Quincy seems awfully confident in his
granddaughter’s painting-so confident, in fact, that he’s hinted at foul play. Why not remove the names from all
the entries and vote again, anonymously? Or...”
Cole paused, and Hamilton's heart skipped a beat.
“Or is it that you're worried, Mr. Hamilton? Afraid the results might be different this time?”
Hamilton's jaw tightened. “Of course
not. My pene om
misspoke, that eal Yh ground out,
eheh word forced through gritted
teeth. The content is on
novelenglish.net! Read the latest
chapter there!
“In that case, let's forget all this and re-vote. What do you think, Mr. Reeves?” Cole switched to French, his
charm even more apparent.
Dale Reeves nodded. “For the sake of
fairness, | agree with Alessia’s n
suggestion. Wed opérup &n Shine
VBR Ray, we'll see if Ivan truly
deserves first place, and whether |
really overlooked Tammie's talent.”
The situation was spiraling out of Hamilton's control, and there was no graceful way out.
“Grandpa, it hurts! You're hurting me!”
Tammie's cry snapped Hamilton,
back to oh! He|Qliékly: feléased
her Arid Ki ace full of concern as
he gently rubbed the angry red
marks. The content is on
novelenglish.net! Read the latest
chapter there!
“There, there, sweetheart. Grandpa didn’t mean to,” he soothed.
“I want to go home, Grandpa! | don’t want to stay here anymore!”
09:38
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