Chapter 102: You Love Me
“Starting tomorrow, I will completely confine them-the couple and their henchmen-in this villa. They won’t take a single step outside,” Enrico said.
Upon hearing this, Paige felt relieved. That would settle everything.
Dawn was approaching.
Paige pushed open a door and walked out onto a terrace, looking at the faint light in the distant, breathing in the fresh morning air.
“My sister used to say she loved to watch the sunrise from this terrace when she was little,” she remarked.
Enrico walked over, standing beside her, his hands resting on the dew-dampened railing.
“This was your sister’s room?” Paige understood.
“Yeah,” Enrico nodded. “She left letters, wrote a lot of words, described how wonderful the world is for me, encouraged me to live on, asked me to see where she lived, where she was happiest… Do you like watching the sunrise too?”
Paige shook her head. “Back on Wind Island, you could see the sunrise every day because there was no roof over your head, nowhere to hide. You didn’t want to see it, you had to see it. The sun rising meant another day of enduring hardships. In the slums, I saw enough hopeless sunrises and sunsets.”
“With me here, you won’t have to live those days again,” Enrico assured her, looking down at the bracelet on her wrist.
“I won’t have to live those days again,” Paige said. From the moment she stepped off Wind Island, she knew what she had to do. She would erase those days completely. She wondered how many fewer people were there now, how many were left waiting for her to return.
…
Morning, Capital University.
Nancy arrived at school, dressed in expensive attire, with immaculate makeup, and carrying a handbag as she walked onto campus.
“Hey.”
Just as she passed the stone path, she saw Paige sitting on a stone table under a nearby tree, dressed in a white sports suit.
Nancy’s face turned pale, clutching her bag tightly. “What… what are you planning?”
“Nancy, you dare to come to school again,” Paige said calmly.
“What do you want?” Nancy exclaimed anxiously. “I have an appointment with Rachel, she’ll be here soon.”
Hearing this, Paige chuckled as if hearing a joke, slowly standing up. “Why can’t you learn to behave? When I deal with you, have I ever hesitated because of who your boss is?”
Nancy’s face went ghastly pale.
“What are you afraid of? Didn’t you perform very well at the banquet yesterday?” Paige smiled and reached for a bottle of clear liquid on the stone table.
Sulfuric acid? Nancy’s eyes widened in shock, fear ran all over her as she turned to run.
Paige wouldn’t let her escape, grabbing her back forcefully, the bottle already uncapped.
“Ahh!” Nancy screamed hysterically, wildly waving the hands.
Paige raised the bottle and poured its contents over Nancy’s head.
“Ahhhhh!” Nancy’s terrified screams startled the birds in the trees.
‘I’m ruined. I’m finished! Wait, why isn’t there any burning sensation?’ After the initial terror subsided, Nancy suddenly realized, looking up blankly at Paige.
Paige let go of her and accurately tossed the empty bottle into a nearby trash bin, saying coldly, “Just makeup remover.”
“Makeup remover?”
“This is the final warning. If you ever have ill intentions towards me again, you better think twice,” Paige paused, lightly tapping her shoulder, “Otherwise…”
Paige turned to leave.
Nancy stood frozen in place, shaken and trembling, before nervously touching her face. She felt the foundation, eyeshadow, mascara… all a smeared mess. Some passing students couldn’t help but laugh at her appearance.
Embarrassed and furious, Nancy stomped her foot and glared in the direction Paige had left, her eyes filled with resentment. How dare she play her like that? “Joss, you just wait! Today is the day that the themed paintings score will be made public, I can’t wait to see you seething with rage!”
…
Monday. All students and faculty gathered in the auditorium as usual, listening to the principal and professors summarizing the past week and looking ahead to the next.
Paige sat below, struggling to stay awake, when Nick sat down next to her and whispered, “Paige, I just found out that there’s been a sensational artwork in the art department’s themed painting exam. The principal’s planning to praise it heavily at today’s assembly, so I’ve gathered the guys. No one’s skipping this morning meeting.”
“What does this sensational artwork have to do with you? You’re not in the art department,” Paige asked.
“This sensational artwork must be yours, Paige. You aced Law School, tackling a themed painting shouldn’t be hard for you,” Nick said excitedly.
As Nick continued, the principal had already started talking about the themed paintings on stage.
The principal exclaimed with excitement, “This time, I’ve seen a truly stunning piece in the art department’s themed painting exam. It can be said that this artwork showcases the highest level of our Capital University students. In my opinion, even on the international stage, this piece is a masterpiece that will astonish the world!”
This praise was undoubtedly the highest the principal had given in recent years.
After the principal spoke at length, he finally reached the climax of the theme, “This artwork is from the art department student-Nancy’s exam piece, ‘The Pyramid’!”Original content from NôvelDrama.Org.
“Why isn’t it Paige?” Nick muttered, confused and disappointed.
Nancy, sitting in front of Paige, heard the principal’s announcement with a mix of nervousness and excitement. With the principal’s commendation and this prestigious halo, finding a capable boyfriend would be a breeze, and she wouldn’t have to fear Paige anymore. She clenched her fist tightly.
A large oil painting appeared on the big screen.
At the moment the painting appeared, there was a gasp from the audience, followed by silence.
The entire auditorium fell silent, captivated by the painting.
It was a painting with only shades of yellow. Various tones of yellow delineated the slanting pyramid-The Pyramid-its tilted angle making it appear precarious, on the verge of collapse.
Within the pyramid’s layers were depicted various small figures, all resembling primitive humans.
Some were wailing, some were laughing;
Some lay motionless, others were savoring fine wine;
Some tore off their coverings, while others sat atop gold, silver, and jewels pondering life;
Some were running, others clung desperately to the edges, attempting to climb up but held down by another’s foot.
Countless tiny figures, their facial features not finely detailed but imbued with soul, expressing every emotion-joy, anger, sorrow, and passion-was palpable. At first glance, it was awe-inspiring; at the second, it induced a despair that suffocated.
It was as if the author had many things to say, urging people to peek deeper.
Nick touched his arm and exclaimed, “Damn, I’ve got goosebumps. Nancy could actually paint such a masterpiece?”
Paige glanced at Nancy in front of her, sneering. She had rarely shown such kindness by warning her this morning. Yet, Nancy still sought trouble.
Amidst the applause of the entire school, Nancy stood up and walked forward.
Rachel, sitting in the front row, smiled at her. “Nancy, you’re amazing.”
“Thank you.” Nancy smiled, lowering her head. She had always played supporting roles for others, for Molly, for Rachel. This was her first time in the limelight.
Nancy stepped onto the stage, and the principal handed her the microphone, inviting her to talk about the original intention behind her themed painting and encourage students to learn from her.
Nancy took a deep breath, turning to face all the students in the auditorium. “This time, our theme was “Deep Thought”. At first, I couldn’t figure out what to paint. Then, I walked around and observed…”
As she spoke, she glanced in Paige’s direction. ‘Why hadn’t Paige stood up to challenge me yet? Did she know there was no evidence to challenge me, so she couldn’t be bothered to stand up?’
Nancy continued, suddenly the screen behind her gradually replaced The Pyramid painting with a video.