The CEO Gets What He Wants

The sound of Avery's laughter caused a grim expression to descend on Nicole's face. Have I made a mistake?

Even since she became part of the Lambert family, she went to a school for high society and even spent two years

studying overseas.

Therefore, she was certain that a country bumpkin like Avery wouldn't know more about art appreciation than she

did.

Although she had no interest in the subject ever since she was young, her mother, Claire, loved art. Hence, she

forced herself to learn art history in her attempt to share her mother's passion.

Despite her intention, drowsiness assaulted her every time she read about the dry philosophical theories and

achievements of famous artists. Unable to bring herself to continue, she decided to give the subject up and choose

something she was good in to please her mother.

When Nicole snuck a glance at Cayden, she saw him sitting elegantly with an upright posture. The steadiness of his

deportment gave off a natural sense of gravitas.

However, when he served Avery food, he turned into an entirely different person.

The sharp look in his eyes would naturally ease, whereas his tightly pursed lips gently curled into an affectionate

smile.

Watching his actions, Nicole felt as if she had been stabbed in her heart, and blood was dripping out of it. Stung by

the excruciating pain, she lowered her gaze in disappointment.

Meanwhile, Allie was annoyed at how her son was neglecting Nicole.

When she saw the latter speaking confidently about the oil painting, she grew fonder of her, unaware that Nicole

was in over her head.

After serving Nicole a piece of scallop, Allie complimented her, “Nickie, you're truly well-cultured and much more

knowledgeable than those country bumpkins who haven't seen the world at all. I expect no less of Mr. William's

daughter, unlike those who might look pretty but are essentially clueless. I'm sure they don't even know how to

differentiate fake artwork from the real thing, let alone appreciate paintings. Isn't that right, Dad?”

Even though Allie didn't explicitly say who the country bumpkin she was referring to was, her disdainful gaze clearly

fell upon Avery. The way she was glaring at the latter couldn't be any more obvious.

At that moment, Jeffrey's stern face drastically darkened. Slamming his fork onto the table, he furrowed his brows

in displeasure. “Can you shut that ignorant mouth of yours? The Moore family has been utterly disgraced by you!”

Allie was oblivious to the fact that Jeffrey was a fan of Epean art when he was young. Furthermore, as a student, he

had spent many years in Ferropene specializing in the subject. It wasn't until he had met his wife and returned to

Chanaea to start their business that he abandoned his studies.

Although years had passed since he dabbled in art, it didn't mean that he had forgotten everything he had learned.

In fact, Monet was his favorite Impressionist artist, which was the reason why he had a collection of the former's

artworks. Unfortunately, Nicole—in her attempt to impress—had embarrassed herself by inadvertently revealing

her own ignorance about art.

Consequently, the goodwill Jeffrey initially felt toward Nicole under the assumption that she was cultured was now

ruined by her own hand.

Noticing the sullen look on Jeffrey's face, Allie brazenly asked, “Dad, was I wrong?”

Avery calmly interrupted, “Mdm. Allie, Monet is Ferropenian, not Ustranasion. On top of that, he's not a Modernist

but an Impressionist artist.”

Just as Allie was about to ridicule Avery for knowing nothing, Jeffrey's eyes—hidden behind his reading glasses—

glistened in elation as he asked, “Do you enjoy Epean art too? In that case, what do you think about this painting?

Can you tell if he's depicting dawn or dusk?”

Jeffrey raised his walking stick and pointed at the painting of lotus flowers on the wall.

At that moment, Nicole, eyes wide, stared intently at every single detail in an attempt to decipher the hour in the

painting.

Unfortunately, the lack of light made it impossible for her to tell.

In the end, all she could do was watch and hope that Avery embarrassed herself.

Meanwhile, underneath the dining table, Cayden held the latter's hand in an effort to calm her nerves.

In response, Avery gently patted the back of his hand as she flashed a confident smile back at him.

After observing the painting closely, she made her thoughts known. “Old Mr. Moore, the painting depicts lotuses in

the morning. Even though it isn't obvious, one can tell by the morning dew flowing down its leaves. On top of that,

the color of the water is blue from afar. Illuminated by the rays of the sun, they take on a golden hue, while the

portion underneath the blooming flower is green, reflecting the color of the leaves. Only in the mornings can one

observe such a phenomenon, which is a true reflection of mother nature.”

Scrutinizing Avery for the very first time, Jeffrey suddenly approved of her a lot more than Nicole.

Hence, his tone took an amiable turn when he spoke again to her. “I didn't expect you to know quite a bit. Let me

ask you, with regard to Epean oil paintings, what kind of styles do they have and who are the artists that are

symbolic of the respective styles? Can you also tell me about their signature works?”

Thereafter, Avery answered eloquently and even managed to add interesting nuggets about the famous painters

she mentioned.

Her humorous yet natural way of presenting soon elicited hearty laughter from Jeffrey that resonated through the

entire dining room.

Stunned by the unexpected turn of events, Nicole and Allie's faces turned red.

The dinner ended up significantly changing Jeffrey's impression of Avery, whereas the goodwill he felt toward Nicole

was nowhere near the levels of the past.

By the time Nicole returned home, it was already late.

Claire was sitting on the living room couch, engrossed in a book titled Art History of the World.

Her figure threw a long shadow underneath the light, exuding timeless beauty and grace.

In that instant, Nicole's eyes brimmed with jealous hatred.

From their obsession with art, Avery and Claire are clearly mother and daughter.

The thought instantly reignited Nicole's anger which she had assuaged not too long ago. Closing her eyes, she took

a few deep breaths.

Thereafter, she walked up to Claire, wearing a pitiful expression to demonstrate that she had suffered a grave

injustice.

At the sight of Nicole, Claire put down her book and asked warmly, “Nickie, have you had dinner yet? Do you want

me to make you supper?”

“It's fine, Mom. I ate at the Moore residence.” Shaking her head, Nicole collapsed onto the couch dejectedly.

With a pale look on her face, her lips were tightly pursed, while her brows were slightly knitted.

Having raised Nicole, Claire could easily tell that her daughter was in a bad mood.

As she was cognizant of where Nicole had returned from, a solemn expression descended upon Claire's face.

“Nickie, be honest with me. Did something happen to you at the Moore residence?”