Chapter 121

Eleanor let out a dismissive snort, her gaze brimming with disdain. "If you're clueless, do everyone a favor and stay quiet."

Without sparing Lainey another look, she accepted the microphone from Emmett.

She said, "This piece is called First Light. At first glance, the painter uses warm tones and upward strokes,as if capturing the moment hope breaks through the dark, like sunrise bringing everything back to life."

She went on, "But look deeper, and you'll see the artist hasn't found true peace. He's longing for hope,desperate for strength, but hasn't reached it yet. So he waits, hoping someone will pull him from despair.The painting is titled First Light, but you could just as easily call it Deliverance."

Most guests weren't art experts, and her interpretation left them a bit puzzled.

Still, something in her description rang true. It carried an unexpected depth and elegance, as if it could very well be the artist's intent.

Given that the artwork had no official interpretation, Eleanor's ability to express her insights already put her leagues ahead of nearly everyone in the room.

A wave of tentative applause spread through the crowd.

Still, Lainey refused to let Eleanor baskin the spotlight.

One cold glare from her stopped several guests mid-clap, and they quickly let their hands fal to their sides.

When the clapping faded, Lainey strode over, her expression dripping with scorn. "Unbelievable. Honestly,that's nonsense. This artwork obviously stands for chasing after the light. That's what all the world's top critics have said. How did you manage to spin it-into something so contradictory?"

She moved a step closer and sneered, "You're just pretending to be insightful to steal the spotlight."

Turning toward Nolan, she put on a look of disappointment. "Mr. Stewart, this is who she really is-fake, shallow, and totally unfit for you. Isn't that right, everyone?"

A handful of socialites, still stinging from Lainey's earlier glare, nodded along, afraid to risk crossing her now that she held so much power.

Usually,they were the ones doing the intimidating, but today, Lainey had them under her thumb.

Now that she was the daughter of the Benton family, defying her simply wasn't an option.

Seeing which way the wind was blowing, people in the crowd began to murmur all sorts of unpleasant remarks.

"That's right, Mr. Stewart. Only a woman like Lainey, with her family name and talent, is truly a match for you."

"Miss WVarren, your explanation made no sense to us. Maybe you should just admit you can't do it."

"Exactly. It's only a painting, even if it's worth a fortune; you have more than enough money. Why make a scene over something so trivial?"

That was simply how ruthless this social circle could be.

People always sided with whoever held the most power. In their world, authority determined what was true or right.

But in their rush to please Lainey, they seemed to forget one crucial fact that Nolan, the embodiment of true power,was seeing Eleanor.

A coldness crept into Nolan's eyes, his earlier warmth vanishing. He spoke, his words razor-sharp. "Trying to bully my girl while I'm here?"

The same socialites who had just echoed Lainey's words turned ghostly pale.

Nolan was Eleanor's boyfriend.

If he held resentment at what they said, it wouldn't just be themselves, but their entire families could suffer as well. Crossing the Stewart family was unthinkable, yet offending the Benton family carried its own risks. They were trapped between two giants.

Just as the tension became unbearable, a male voice with a hint of a foreign accent rang out from the entrance. "And who dares to bully others in my place?"