Chapter 190
Originally, Oneida didn’t want to expose Bella’s stupid lie.
+13
After all, with so many people around and since Lionel seemed to really like the painting, Oneida didn’t want to put a damper on everyone’s spirits.
Yet, Bella was overtly and covertly humiliating Oneida.
Bella pretended to be innocent, but she harbored ill intentions towards Oneida.
Others might not see through Bella’s mind, but Oneida saw everything clearly.
Since Bella wanted to provoke Oneida, how could Oneida stand with it?
She would naturally bite back in kind!
After hearing Oneida’s words, everyone present couldn’t help but turn their gazes to Bella.
Their eyes filled with suspicion and contempt.
After all, Oneida’s arguments were reasonable and well–founded.
So, everyone was suspicious of Bella.
“You did that on purpose, didn’t you?” Claude couldn’t sit still any longer. He looked at Oneida with anger and shouted, “How can you be so sure that this painting was done by that Leonardo you mentioned? You were slandering Bella recklessly. How could you be so shameless?”
Bella then pursed her lips, her gaze steadfast as she turned to Lionel. “Grandpa, I don’t know why Oneida would say those words, but I really did paint this work.
“If you don’t believe me, I can show you all my previous drafts.”
Hearing this, Lionel glanced between Bella and Oneida.
For a moment, he didn’t know whose words to believe.
“Oneida, tell me, how can you prove this is Leonardo’s painting and not Bella’s?” asked Lionel.
Lionel stared at Oneida with a frown.
Actually, Lionel was familiar with Leonardo.
After all, he had a passion for the art of painting.
He admired both Spencer and Leonardo.
But in Lionel’s recollection, Leonardo had never painted the piece he was currently holding.
Noticing Lionel’s thoughts, Oneida replied calmly, “Bella was clever not to steal one of Leonardo’s more famous works, else it would have been instantly recognizable. She used one of Leonardo’s lesser–known paintings. Grandpa, you might not have seen it, but one thing remains unaltered.
“That is, Leonardo’s signature is always hidden in his paintings!”
Oneida’s words made Lionel’s eyes light up.
“Indeed, this is true.” Lionel seemed to recall something and said, “I’ve heard that Leonardo always conceals his signature in his paintings.”
Then, Lionel lowered his gaze to the painting in his hands.
It was a painting of sunflowers.
In the center of the sunflower, he could faintly make out the letters “Leo“.
That was Leonardo’s name.
Without a doubt, this was Leonardo’s work, not Bella’s.
So, Lionel put the painting down and immediately looked up at Bella.
1/3
Chapter 190
The previously gentle expression had vanished, replaced by a stern and serious face.
“Bella, do you have anything to explain?” asked Lionel.
Lionel’s voice was calm, but it sounded imposing and serious.
Bella’s complexion turned slightly pale.
She struggled to control her trembling fingers.
She had thought about everything, but she had never anticipated that Leonardo’s paintings would hold such a secret.
It was also Bella’s fault for not researching Leonardo’s painting habits beforehand. Had she done so, she might not have been exposed.
Of course, the most despicable person was Oneida.
If it weren’t for Oneida, things wouldn’t have gotten so messed up.
Initially, no one noticed it until Oneida suddenly exposed Bella and messed up Bella’s perfect plan.
“Bella.” Claude also looked at Bella with a tight frown. He urged, “Say what you want to say, and don’t be afraid. If you really did the painting yourself, no one could wrong you!”
Bella bit her lip, her face turning even paler.
She couldn’t say a word.
Seeing Bella’s reaction, everyone understood the situation.
Bella had admitted it through her silence.
“Bella, why would you?” Lionel frowned deeply; his eyes looked serious. “If you had painted a painting yourself, even if it wasn’t good, I wouldn’t mind. Why would you use someone else’s painting?”
Bella bit her lip hard with a frustrated expression.
“Grandpa. At last, Bella spoke in a low voice, with a faint cry in her tone, “I did want to create a painting in the style of Spencer for you, but I just couldn’t get it right, and I couldn’t capture the essence. I drew many drafts, but none of them worked.
“Later, I heard about Leonardo, who specializes in mimicking Spencer. By a twist of fate, I got my hands on this obscure sunflower painting by Leonardo that hardly anyone has seen. So, I just…”
In the end, Bella almost broke down in tears, her eyes rimmed red.
But among those present, aside from Claude, no one felt sorry for her.
Lionel’s expression transformed into a frigid mask, his eyes betraying a glint of icy disdain. Deceit had always been abhorrent to him, and the realization that Bella had feigned a birthday gift stoked a seething anger within him.
“Take this painting back to Leonardo! Stop embarrassing yourself.” Lionel placed the painting in front of Bella and then withdrew his gaze, not looking at her again.
Bella continued to bite her lip, feeling utterly humiliated and disgraceful.
Claude watched from the side, unsure how to offer comfort.
In Claude’s heart, even if Bella had stolen someone else’s painting, it wasn’t a grave mistake.
After all, her intentions were good from the start.
At that moment, Bella put away the sunflower painting and sat in her seat, not uttering a word.
Claude glanced at her, then turned his head to look at Oneida.
“You’ve said so much. How about you show your gift now?” said Claude.
His eyes were cold as he glared at Oneida fiercely. “Were you in such a hurry to embarrass Bella because your own gift is even less presentable?”
Suddenly, everyone’s attention was drawn back to Oneida.
2/3
As a
Chapter 190
Quids showed a faint smile, confidently laughed, and said, “Of course, I will present my gift?
After speaking, she took a wooden box from beside her and handed it to Lionel
Grandpa, this is just a small gift for you. I hope you like it. Happy Birthday, wishing you good health and everything going smoothly
Onida said all this in one breath, her voice sweet, which made Lionel break into a big smile.
“Kid, you really have a way with words”
Lionel beamed with praise,
Beside him, Jackson slightly turned his head to look at Oneida, his eyes suddenly radiating joy
“What’s this, just a shabby wood box? Seeing Oneida bring out a simple wooden box, Claude immediately showed scor
“Ashabby wood box? This box is made of fine wood! Just this box alone is quite valuable!” Lionel, who knew wood well, recognized the preciousness of this wooden box at first glance,
Everyone was surprised when Lionel said those words.
The box was actually made of expensive fine wood!
