Chapter 14 - The Truth Behind the CanvasLily’s eyes shimmered with unshed tears, but her chin remained stubbornly lifted. She looked past Julian, fixing her gaze squarely on her brother.
"Yes," Lily whispered, her voice echoing in the dead-silent gallery. "It’s true. Julian offered to fund the gallery space when the bank turned me down. But you left out the rest of the story, Julian. Why don't you tell everyone what else your 'investment' demanded?"
Julian’s smug smile faltered just a fraction. "It was a standard exclusive business agreement, nothing more—"
"It wasn't business," Lily interrupted, her voice hardening with righteous fury as she stepped forward, commanding the entire room's attention. "Julian’s contract included a personal clause. He demanded exclusive dinner dates, private viewings at his penthouse, and personal compliance outside of working hours. When I told him to shove his contract and walked out of his office, he threatened to ruin me, call in favors, and make sure no gallery in Portland would ever touch my work."
Gasps erupted from the surrounding crowd. The art critic from the Seattle Times whipped out a small notebook and started scribbling furiously.
Noah stared at Julian, the righteous anger on his face instantly morphing into profound shock and confusion. "Julian... is that true? You said she just stole your investment capital!"
"That’s a complete fabrication!" Julian stammered, his face flushing a deep, angry crimson as he took a step back from the gathering crowd. "She’s a fraud, and this whole exhibition is built on lies!"
"You're a liar, Vance," a deep, cold voice cut through the murmur of the crowd.
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Everyone turned toward the entrance. To my utter shock, standing by the glass doors was an older, distinguished-looking man with silver hair and a tailored trench coat—Lily and Noah’s father, who hadn't spoken to Noah or Lily in months after the family dinner disaster.
He walked slowly into the gallery, holding a thick manila folder in his hand.
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