Chapter 85: Ryan's Surprise Gift
“Invalid?” Evelyn frowned. “That’s impossible. This was sent directly from the curator to the Omni Group CEO’s office. I am Damian Green’s wife.”
“The system shows this invitation number was used ten minutes ago,” the guard said, his tone hardening. “Please leave. You are blocking other guests.”
The surrounding crowd cast curious looks, and stinging whispers immediately started.
“Well, well, isn’t that Evelyn?” an affected voice called from behind.
Evelyn turned. Sienna was standing a few steps away, carrying a clutch bag and wearing a dress strikingly similar to Evelyn’s dark blue shirt. Her face was set in a smug smile.
Sienna was holding up a gold invitation card. “What are you doing here?” Evelyn asked coldly.
“I told Damian I wanted some cultural enrichment, and he gave me the invitation,” Sienna said. She walked right up to Evelyn and whispered, “Too bad for you. I’m going in first.”
Then Sienna raised her voice, feigning surprise and distress. “Oh my God, Evelyn, why are you wearing something so similar to mine? I know you admire my style, but at an event like this, is it really appropriate to imitate the CEO’s assistant?”
Her outburst immediately drew more onlookers. Fashion bloggers and socialites began pointing and whispering about the two women.
“Is that Mrs. Green? I heard she’s just a homemaker. Why is she wearing the same style as Damian’s assistant?” “It must be an imitation. The assistant is clearly pulling the look off better.”
Sienna could barely hide her delight. She turned to the exhibition manager who had rushed over. “I’m sorry, this woman seems desperate to gatecrash this event. She’s trying to enter without a valid ticket and even copied my outfit. It’s quite distressing. Could you please have security escort her out?”
The guard immediately stepped forward, reaching for Evelyn’s arm. “Ma’am, please leave the premises now!”
Evelyn didn’t back down. She pulled her arm away from the guard, took out her phone, and quickly displayed an email and electronic voucher. “Sienna, did you really think stealing an invitation would stop me?”
Evelyn turned to the manager, holding out her phone. “I am Evelyn Green. The electronic copy of this invitation was sent to my personal email by the curator, Mr. Thomas. It includes the purchase record and time stamp.”
She pointed at the invitation in Sienna’s hand and gave a cold laugh. “As for the one this young woman is holding, if it was legitimately acquired, why does it lack Mr. Thomas’s official stamp?”
Sienna’s smile instantly froze. She instinctively looked down at the invitation card.
“Mr. Thomas, admiring my insights on avant-garde art, specially stamped my invitation with his personal seal. It’s an anti-counterfeit measure and a certification of my status.” Evelyn pressed: “Sienna, that’s a sample copy you swiped from Damian, isn’t it?”
The manager immediately took Sienna’s card to examine it, and his face instantly darkened. “There is indeed no stamp.” He looked at Sienna with contempt. “Ma’am, forging and stealing a VIP invitation is a serious violation of protocol.”
“No… it’s not! Damian gave this to me!” Sienna panicked, realizing she had missed the crucial details of the card.
“Security!” The manager waved his hand. “Escort this disruptive person out of the venue and place her on the museum’s blacklist!”
Two guards quickly moved forward and took Sienna by the arms. “Let go of me! Do you know who I am? I am the Omni CEO’s—Ah!”
Sienna’s screams were cut off by the closing glass doors. The surrounding guests immediately shifted their attention, giving Evelyn admiring looks.
“That’s the difference between the legitimate wife and the assistant. Her composure is unmatched.”
Evelyn put away her phone, gave the manager a slight nod, and entered the exhibition hall. Only she knew her palms were slick with sweat. She had been gambling on Sienna’s ignorance and her own professional habit of keeping electronic backups of important documents.
Once inside, Evelyn ignored the other artwork and headed straight for her target: The Broken Iris, Ayla Vance’s favorite piece.
Securing this painting was her key to approaching Ayla. However, when she reached the display, her heart sank. The label beneath the frame read “SOLD.”
“Was I too late…” Evelyn looked at the painting. The purple iris was shattered by the storm but still held its head high, mirroring her own defiance.
Just as she turned to leave, defeated, a man in a black suit blocked her path. It was Kevin, Ryan’s assistant.
“Mrs. Evelyn.” Kevin respectfully handed her a drawing tube and a file. “Mr. Ryan said that this painting should only belong to someone who truly understands it.”
Evelyn was stunned. She took the file. Inside was the transfer of ownership for The Broken Iris, with her name listed as the recipient. “Ryan… he bought this painting?”
Kevin smiled and nodded, then handed her an unsigned card. Evelyn opened it to find a familiar, flirtatious message: The most precious artwork, for the most captivating woman.
She clutched the note, looking at the painting in her arms. This piece was immensely valuable—in terms of money, art, and now, utility. Her emotions were complicated: gratitude, confusion, and an unavoidable caution. Ryan always found a way into her world, and she found it increasingly difficult to resist.
Outside the venue, Sienna, who had been escorted out, was filled with resentment. Her makeup was ruined, and her eyes, fixed on Evelyn through the glass, were full of hatred. “Just you wait, Evelyn,” she muttered through gritted teeth. “The game isn’t over yet.”