Chapter 11 Slapped in the Face

• The ambiguous words seemed to be making fun of her lack of understanding of art. Gemma's tone was indifferent. "I do not appreciate it. Darwin has been exposed to it since he was young and has a professional background, so he knows more than I do."
• After a pause, she looked at him and asked, "What do you think?"
• "Not good."
• Gemma glared at him and said, "Being honest can hurt people's feelings."
• Patricia was embarrassed and didn't know how to respond. She looked at the two of them with a subtle expression. "The Jefferson family is a family of calligraphers and painters. Darwin received the true teachings from his grandfather, so his skills are naturally deeper than mine. I am inferior and still need to work hard."
• Someone next to them spoke. "Miss Quinn, why underestimate yourself? You are a closed-door disciple of Master Frances. Your skills are not inferior. I heard that Master has only accepted one disciple since he started his career, which shows your high talent."
• Patricia forced a smile. "Darwin is right. His evaluation of me is very objective. We will soon be collaborating on a movie, and I hope to learn more."
• "Miss Quinn seems to have forgotten something. I have already refused your manager's request to negotiate, so where is the collaboration coming from?" Darwin had no intention of beating around the bush and added, "I have no plans to collaborate, so I hope Miss Quinn doesn't mind."
• "No, I don't." Patricia didn't expect him to be so ruthless in front of the media, and she didn't know how to continue the conversation.
• Gemma looked at her with a hateful expression and reminded her, "Master Frances has guided you. Perhaps you are hiding your true abilities. Maybe you are waiting for a live painting demonstration to show off your skills."
• Darwin snorted, and Gemma smirked. "Miss Quinn, don't you think so?"
• "I'm looking forward to it," he said without modesty.
• Patricia's face turned pale. She had no intention of doing a live painting demonstration. Wasn't this a trap? After Gemma finished speaking, she left, and Darwin ignored her.
• The two of them turned around and left without saying a word to the man next to her. On the other hand, Joel's dark gaze had been on Gemma since they met.
• Darwin always had a cold face when facing others but smiled and joked with Gemma. Darwin's cloak was from Coach's new haute couture collection, and while Joel wasn't interested in the brand, he remembered the other brooch on his chest.
• Gemma gave him a brooch as a gift, but he never wore it. She had given him too many gifts over the past three years, but he had never taken them seriously.
• If Darwin hadn't worn it, he might not have remembered it. Joel was a little annoyed. Why did he keep thinking about the past?
• The Jefferson family was one of the top literary families in the city. Darwin became famous at a young age and won numerous awards domestically and internationally. However, he didn't stay in that field and went into the entertainment industry.
• With his background, his comments still carried weight. Patricia valued his talents and family background and had always wanted to ride on his fame to boost her reputation as a talented actress.
• She had tried to collaborate with him several times, but he had never agreed. The news that he was the male lead in the new movie was also a rumor she had spread.
• Originally, the outside world only speculated on contract issues, but now it was obvious that he looked down on the female lead. The art exhibition was live-streamed, and the fans on the screen were excited.
• "So the rumors are true. Fans of Patricia, open your eyes and see that you are trying to climb higher than you can reach!"
• "Yes, everyone is trying to take advantage of my idol's popularity."
• "Forgive me for having different interests from you. Who is the beauty next to him? She is really beautiful."
• "..."
• Patricia invited Joel as a guest and even opened a live broadcast, intending to show off her loving relationship and prove her status as Joel's wife. As long as she was successfully married into the family, all the black history of a mistress taking over could be ignored.
• However, the appearance of the internet celebrity and Darwin completely disrupted her plan. Before her team could do any public relations, Darwin's fans began to relentlessly attack her.
• What's worse, people were praising Gemma, calling her a beauty of the prosperous times. Patricia was so angry that her head hurt, and she complained to Joel.
• "Joel, do you want to remind Mr. Mason? His girlfriend has such a wide circle of friends, and I'm afraid he'll be deceived."
• "I remember I already reminded you to be careful with your words. Calling me like that will cause misunderstandings." Joel stepped back, avoiding her hand.
• "I'm sorry, I..." Patricia bit her lip, feeling that today was not going well.
• The barrage was almost overwhelming. Netizens began to dig deep into the secrets of the wealthy, bringing up the photo incident and exposing Patricia's history of destroying someone else's family and causing Joel's wife to die tragically.
• The netizens were enjoying the spectacle and questioning whether Patricia was capable of marrying into a wealthy family as rumored and whether the domineering CEO was as obsessed with her as the rumors said.
• The wind had completely changed direction, and the heat continued to rise. Patricia's team had no time to control the situation. The agent saw that the situation was not good and urged her to divert the topic to the painting.
• With the plan disrupted, they could only bring out the master's painting to attract everyone's attention. Patricia forced a smile and began to introduce it. "My teacher has reached the peak of his creativity again at the age of eighty. This painting is his proudest work during his peak period..."
• "Taken at my teacher's old house, he and his wife were very loving. He painted his old residence to commemorate her."
• "May I ask, Miss Quinn?" Gemma suddenly spoke up, staring straight at her. "You said this painting depicts the old house of Master Frances. Is that correct?"
• Patricia's eyelids twitched. "Yes."
• "But how come I heard that the master did not specify a particular place when he painted it, and it was not painted when he was eighty?"
• This statement caused a commotion in the audience, and even Darwin looked at her with surprise. Everyone wondered how she knew.
• "If you don't understand, don't talk nonsense! If you keep creating trouble, I'll find someone to kick you out. What does an internet celebrity like you know anyway?"
• Although Joel didn't know much about painting, he couldn't stand Gemma's showy behavior and constantly wanted to suppress her.
• Patricia was shaking, desperately trying to explain, with her face as white as paper. Gemma ignored the opinions and insults of others and continued, "Master Frances taught landscape painting at Amon University for two years. His students knew about the clearing of his paintings. If you don't believe me, just ask around."
• After speaking, she turned and left, causing a commotion on the scene. Darwin followed her and asked, "Gemma, have you taken Master Frances' class before?"