Chapter 600 Participating in an Art Competition

Chapter 600 Participating in an Art Competition
The two kids' eyes lit up at the mention of getting more sleep.

Grace smiled and patted their heads, guiding them to sit down.

Today was the day of the big competition, and as the president of the Silverlight City Art Association, Asher probably had a lot on his plate.

He had woken up early and immediately sent Grace the location for the pre-competition ceremony.

After replying to his message, Grace quickly ate a light breakfast, kissed the three kids on their cheeks, and said with a smile, "Bianca, Jasper, remember to take a nap after breakfast before heading to school, okay?"

Bianca and Jasper nodded in unison, "Yes, Mom, we got it."

Grace nodded approvingly and then turned to Yosef, gently reminding him, "Yosef, Mommy has to go to work soon. Be good at home, alright?"

Yosef waved his little hands and giggled.

Just then, Charles walked over, a slight smile on his lips.

Grace felt the light above her dim slightly and looked up, meeting Charles's deep eyes.

Charles smiled softly and asked, "What about me? Don't I get any reminders?"

Grace pursed her lips, a bit speechless. He was a grown man in his thirties; what could she possibly remind him of?

She chuckled lightly, "Alright, then. Work hard, keep a positive attitude, and don't take out your bad mood on your subordinates."

With that, she picked up her bag, checked the time, and said, "It's about time. I need to go. Jerry and Asher are waiting for me."

She turned to leave, but an arm reached out, wrapping around her waist and pulling her into Charles's embrace.

Feeling his breath on her neck, Grace's face turned red, and she instinctively tried to pull away, "What are you doing?"

Charles raised an eyebrow and smirked, "Did you forget something?"

Grace looked at him, puzzled, "Forget what?"

Charles pouted and pointed to his lips, making it clear what he wanted.

Grace immediately understood, feeling a bit shy as she glanced around.

Was he crazy? Mia and Nathan were right there!

Charles played dumb, still pointing at his lips, "No kiss? Then I won't let you leave."

Grace was exasperated. Taking advantage of the moment when no one was looking, she quickly stood on tiptoe and pecked his lips.

Charles smiled contentedly and released her waist.

Grace's face was slightly flushed as she hurried out, too embarrassed to look at Mia and the others.

After Grace left, Charles turned to the kids who had been watching the scene.

Bianca covered her face with her chubby hands, peeking through her fingers with a happy smile.

Jasper held Yosef, turning his face away, while Yosef laughed on his shoulder.

When Charles's gaze fell on them, they quickly put their hands down and acted very well-behaved.

Only Jasper remained calm, asking steadily, "Dad, when can we leave?"

Charles glanced at him, then checked his watch, "No rush, it's still early."

...

Asher had arranged the meeting point near the art competition venue. He and Jerry had arrived early, along with other members of the art association.

As soon as she got out of the car, Grace headed straight for Jerry and Asher.

But she hadn't taken more than a few steps before she was surrounded by onlookers.

Whispers followed immediately.

"Look, who is that?"

"Isn't that Ms. Windsor? She actually came! But I heard she was kicked out of the art association. Why is she here?"

"Haven't you heard? Asher invited her to be the chief judge for this competition! And he overruled a lot of objections to do it!"

"Why would Asher do that? Is he infatuated with her beauty?"

"Haha, infatuated with her beauty? Maybe not, but Ms. Windsor was indeed very talented before. Asher must believe she's regained her former skill."

"Regained her former skill? Come on, don't you remember that ink painting she did?"

"That ink painting caused quite a stir in the art world. How could I forget? Even a three-year-old in kindergarten could do better."

The mocking comments made Grace stop, her expression turning cold as she looked at the people talking about her.

Even as she approached, they continued their discussion, their voices growing louder.

It was obvious they were trying to get under her skin.

As Grace stopped, they fell silent, but when they met her icy gaze, they smirked defiantly, as if to say, "We don't respect you. What are you going to do about it?"

A younger man among them smiled at her and asked, "Ms. Windsor, is there a problem?"

Grace raised an eyebrow, recognizing him. He was Miguel Jimenez, a member of the art association for about a year or two.

She had encountered him before at a Mexican restaurant with Charles, back when she hadn't fully regained her memory.

Grace smirked coldly, "You ask if there's a problem? You were gossiping about me behind my back, and you ask if there's a problem?"

Miguel's smile faltered, and the others fell silent, their expressions becoming more complex.

One of them, undeterred, retorted, "Ms. Windsor, have you forgotten how terrible that ink painting of yours was? Can't we talk about it?"

Grace scoffed, "Talk about it? From the moment I got out of the car, you've been talking about me. Is that just 'talking'?"

They fell silent again, unsure how to respond.

Miguel tried to smooth things over, his smile insincere, "Ms. Windsor, please don't be angry. We didn't mean anything by it. We were just surprised to see you as the judge for this competition. Your international reputation is extraordinary. Please don't take offense at our ignorance."

Before Grace could respond, one of the others sneered, "Miguel, stop flattering her! What international reputation? Based on that ink painting? Give me a break. If she can paint something better today, I'll do whatever she wants! I'll even call her 'grandma'!"

Grace turned to him, her gaze icy.

He was a young man, about the same age as Miguel, and unfamiliar to Grace, likely a new member of the art association.

Grace stared at him and asked, "Who are you? What's your name?"

The young man replied defiantly, "What does my name have to do with you? I don't want anything to do with someone who only got ahead because of her looks!"

Grace frowned in annoyance.

At that moment, Asher and Jerry approached, drawn by the commotion.

Seeing Grace, they walked over to stand by her side.

Asher's usual gentle demeanor was replaced with a stern expression as he barked, "What's all this noise about? We're here for the competition, and we're all on the same team. If anyone has a problem, they can come to me!"

The others wisely fell silent, but the young man who had argued with Grace was still fuming, his neck craned as he shouted, "President Brown, are you protecting her? Isn't that a bit biased? She used to be great, sure, but that ink painting incident was a disaster in the art world. With her current skill level, I even doubt her past works were really hers! If this gets out, aren't you afraid it will tarnish our association's reputation and make Silverlight City Art Association a laughingstock?"