Hearing Edith’s reassurance, Lauren finally felt at ease.
Edith might look delicate and inexperienced, but when it came to handling real problems, she was as dependable as they came.
Lauren still remembered the time when Edith sat for her college entrance exams. She had come down with a high fever–her skin burning hot to the touch. Everyone thought she wouldn’t make it, and the entire Sumner family was already making plans for her to retake the year. But Edith just shrugged it off, insisting she was fine, and somehow pushed through the two days of exams. In the end, her results were even better than her usual practice scores.
From that moment on, it was as if Edith carried some kind of magic–if she said things would be fine, then there was no doubt they would be.
Edith was on her way back to the Hawksley house when she got a WhatsApp message.
The sender was the artist Connor had recommended.
The artist began with a string of cute emojis, then asked if they could meet early tomorrow at Riverbend Zoo.
Edith replied with an “OK” emoji.
She thought that would be the end of the conversation, but another message popped up almost immediately.
“Edith, actually, I saw you at Northcrest University before. You were getting ready to graduate, and I had just started as a freshman. I’d heard so many stories about you!”
Edith smiled to herself. She remembered there had been plenty of rumors about her back at school.
Some said she relied on her looks instead of hard work, or that she had landed a rich boyfriend and just coasted through.
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She half–expected the artist to bring up those old stories, so she braced herself to brush it off with a laugh.
But the next message was full of admiration.
“Edith! Your graduation piece is still hanging in the exhibition hall at Northcrest. Everyone said you were a rare talent–an artist with real spark. It’s such a shame you didn’t stay in the field after that. I even searched for other artists with a similar style, thinking maybe you were using a pseudonym.”
Edith paused, the words on the screen blurring for a moment as she lost herself in thought.
Back then, she’d picked up a nickname–Northcrest’s Monet.
Now, another Northcrest alumnus, Stein, had made a name for himself and earned the title of “Northcrest’s Rembrandt.”
They were both known for their ability to capture light and shadow.
If she had stayed in the art world, maybe she would have built her own reputation by now.
But Edith didn’t regret her choices.
First, because regret never changes the path you’ve taken. Second, she could never have predicted that the Vance family would become the monster it turned out to be.
It wouldn’t be fair to judge her past self with what she knew now.
Fortunately, she was still young, still healthy. Starting over wasn’t as daunting as it sounded.
She typed back a polite reply: Over the past few years, I’ve only completed two paintings. I might not meet your expectations tomorrow, so please forgive me if that’s the case.
She almost added that if things didn’t work out, she’d be happy to step aside for someone better suited for the job.
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But the response came flying back: “Edith! Art is about talent, not just effort. You can make someone without talent paint a thousand or ten thousand canvases and it still wouldn’t matter. I have total faith in you!”
Back at the Hawksley house, Edith couldn’t help but smile at the enthusiastic, slightly over–the–top way young people texted these days. But as she lifted her head, she realized Lauren’s worries had come true.
Yvonne had arrived, radiating the fierce energy of a parent defending her child. Her “child” looked as if she’d just been bullied on the playground for half an hour, brimming with wounded indignation.
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Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.