Holly felt her heart flutter slightly. She didn't know what to say for a moment.Bryce pressed his lips against hers and kissed her in a familiar manner. Suddenly, he bent down to pick her up, kicking the door shut before walking into the room.Holly was instantly swept off her feet. She softly called out, "Put me down!""Wait." Bryce carried her over to the bed and placed her down. His action was gentle, as if he were placing a giant doll down. He leaned down slightly and looked into her eyes, asking, "Did you miss me?"Holly paused before nodding. She had missed him dearly earlier.The longing didn't start just now. Ever since they divorced, she yearned for a warm embrace whenever she woke up from nightmares.Several times, Holly woke up in the night and went to find Priscilla for a hug. But she couldn't feel the sense of security, no matter how much Priscilla had hugged her.Only then did she realize that some people were irreplaceable.Bryce's eyes glinted when he got Holly
Despite Holly's poised and mature demeanor during the day—acting like she was 83 years old when she was just 23—she was rather adorable when she was asleep.At the very least, it looked that way to Bryce. He always thought she looked like she needed love and affection from others.Bryce stared at her closed eyes. He then spoke in a low tone with a hint of threat, "You shouldn't cry out for Abel in your dreams anymore, or else I'll leave you to fend for yourself."Despite his harsh words, he felt softhearted deep down. If he really wanted to leave Holly alone, he wouldn't have flown all the way over in the middle of the night just because he missed her.Bryce leaned down to kiss Holly's lips and rested his forehead against hers for a while. He then closed his eyes and fell asleep.Holly slept well that night.…Upon waking up the next morning, the first thing Holly saw was a handsome and unblemished face.Her mind was still groggy from sleep. She only recalled how Bryce had flow
Brandon's expression turned into one of disbelief when he heard Holly. "Really? Did you really capture its essence?"She replied, "Yes! I was almost moved to tears when I looked at it. It was my first time feeling that way after almost 20 years of painting."Holly had always been a modest person. She was never one to boast about herself, but today was an exception. It was more of an honest expression of her feelings than self-praise.Brandon's voice broke out in excitement, "Hurry and bring your painting over! Let me see it!"Holly replied, "I haven't gotten it framed yet."Brandon anxiously said, "There's no need. Just show me the painting. If I end up liking it, you don't have to worry about framing and such."Holly said, "Alright. Where should we meet?"Brandon replied, "Just come over to my house. I'll send the address to your WhatsApp.""I'll be there in an hour."After ending the call, Holly washed up, got dressed, and hastily ate. She then rolled up the painting and got
Brandon was met with Penelope, who had just returned from outside. Penelope tossed her handbag onto the couch and eyed Brandon.Seeing his odd expression, she couldn't help but ask, "What's with you today, Dad? You seem rather excited."Brandon reached out to rub his eyes and replied, "Holly's painting is surprisingly good! I'm getting her a check for the remaining payment."Penelope felt uncomfortable hearing him praise someone else effortlessly.She frowned and said in a rather confrontational tone, "It's just a painting. How good can it be?""It's unexpectedly good! You laymen wouldn't understand," Brandon casually replied before opening his bag and pulling out his checkbook.He picked up a pen and was about to sign it when Penelope snatched the pen away from him.She glanced over to the study before whispering, "Are you stupid, Dad? She's Bryce's ex-wife. Why are you enabling her?"The more outstanding Holly was, the dimmer Penelope's limelight would become. She didn't wa
Holly felt that this painting was the best she had ever replicated over the past 20 years. It had a perfect composition and looked grand, with realistic and lifelike details.But it was all rejected by Brandon and his client. She even started doubting her abilities for a split second.When Holly finally rolled up the painting, she picked it up and left Zeller Residence.…It was already dark by the time she returned to Winds Residences.Holly sat dejectedly in the study with the lights turned off. She quietly sat in the dark—even her usual straight posture seemed stooped.Waves of depressive emotions came crashing down upon her. She felt deeply upset and defeated.Leitia came knocking on her door to remind her about dinner.Holly replied listlessly, "I'm not hungry. You can eat without me and get off work after that."Leitia could tell that Holly was upset. She then hurriedly went down to call Bryce.Once the call was connected, Leitia anxiously said, "Mrs. Gabelman isn't in
Tobin hesitated before saying, "I heard that Hunter is an oddball. It's hard for non-acquaintances to make appointments with him."Bryce responded with a hum before ending the call. After a moment of silence, he called Richard.When the call was connected, Bryce asked, "Do you know a wealthy foreign businessman named Hunter Fox, Grandpa? He's in his 70s and used to live in the country before he moved abroad. He's into antiques, especially collecting Keith Fox's paintings."Richard thought for a moment before replying, "I know him. We had some dealings back in the day. Do you need something from him?"Bryce asked, "Are you guys close?"Richard replied, "Somewhat. I once did him a favor over 30 years ago."Bryce asked, "Was it a big favor or a small one?"Richard said, "It's not too small a favor."His "not too small" favor was likely a huge one.Bryce got what he needed and replied, "Alright. I'll hang up now."Richard snorted and grumbled, "You little rascal! You called me in
Holly was caught off guard by the news. It took her a while to regain the glint in her eyes.She turned to look at Bryce, asking, "Is what you said true? That man really liked my painting?"Bryce chuckled and replied, "Yes. He was regretful when he heard you refused to sell it to him."Holly realized that Brandon had lied to her and made her doubt herself.Bryce pinched her cheeks and clicked his tongue. "Look at you, acting like the world has ended over such a trivial matter. You even refused to eat!"Holly rolled her eyes at him, and he smiled.Bryce stood up and walked over to the desk to spread out the painting. He then inspected it closely and said, "Look at how realistic this painting is. One would think that such a majestic painting was drawn by some burly man instead."You're so talented, Holls. Your mountain painting looked even more real than the mountain itself. The same goes for your prawn and bamboo paintings."Holly knew he was trying to cheer her up with his flat
Hunter rubbed his eyes and extended his hand toward Sion. Sion astutely handed him a high-powered magnifying glass.Hunter took the magnifying glass and carefully examined the painting, looking from the top to the bottom.While examining, he nodded and said, "These determined and robust brushstrokes were indeed employing the sfumato and impasto techniques that Keith Fox was best at."After putting down the magnifying glass, Hunter looked at Holly with a bright gaze. "Did you really paint this, miss?"Holly smiled, replying, "I painted it, yes."Hunter regarded her with a skeptical gaze and remarked, "You looked very young."Holly replied truthfully, "I'm 23 years old."Hunter got even more suspicious. "You're so young, yet your brushstrokes are so robust. You're not tricking me, are you?"Holly calmly said, "I've been learning restoration from my grandfather, Winston Sinclair, since I was young. Painting copies is only part of the basic skills I've learned."Even though I'm