"Do you have any proof that you are the painter of "The Seven Seas"?" This time Harry spoke out. He was skeptical.
"Of course, I am not lucky enough to have a CCTV secretly filming me but the uniqueness of "The Seven Seas" is enough to prove my credibility," Emma lightly surveyed her surroundings.
"Unlike some people who think that they can barge into other's home and question whether they have any integrity left, I have a genuine argument"
Emma pointed and Harry and said blandly, "You should ask a single question that you think can ultimately filter out the liar about "The Seven Seas" Both me and Ana would give the answer one by one and let the esteemed Dean and teachers of C School of Arts can testify who is most likely to be the original painter."
"I like this suggestion. Don't cry when you can't find a person to vent your anger on after you lose," Harry said haughtily.
He was sure that only an amateur could propose this.
"Emma, why are you trying to lengthen this argument? You should apologize for destroying the guest's night, forcing them to watch such an embarrassing turn of events. I think we should deal with this matter separately," Olivia once again expressed her opinion.
"We'll not blame you seeing how obsessed you are with Max but there should be an end to stubbornness. But it'll be more shameful if we deal with this event publicly." Susan tried to persuade Emma.
"Why should I apologize for their "ruined" nights? They can leave as they please," Emma dismissed their bits of advice.
Most of the attendees were displeased after hearing her words but none of them attempted to leave the ball.
They would have left if this had been a usual 'dumped due to mistress' scenario but the situation morphed into a much more serious case due to the involvement of 1st prize winner painting "The Seven Seas".
So, they were curious to find out the true painter and make contact with her for possible future collaborations.
"I have thought about the question," Harry said, putting an end to the whispering.
Ana grew visibly pale at a startling pace.
'What should I do? I only know the bits and pieces told by Jennifer.' Ana was anxious.
Coincidentally, she made Jennifer's reassuring gaze. She immediately started to calm down.
'That's right! Jennifer was with Emma the whole time and she told me every step and detail of the process. I shouldn't worry.' Ana regained her emotions.
"How was the purple base made?" The question was not asked by Harry.
Instead, it was asked by one of William's close friends, Andrew, who had the reputation of being an art critic.
Ana was surprised by how easy the query was and smiled in her heart.
"I would like to go first," Ana spoke eagerly. Max looked at Ana, startled.
From the report he got, Ana was an introvert with an extreme case of social anxiety.
That's why he had been constantly stroking her hand throughout the night to put her at ease.
From his knowledge, Ana Smith could never take initiative like this, and that too in public.
Ana also realized her odd movements. She hastily hid behind Max after saying this.
Nevertheless, the overtly cautious Max noted this point in his mind. He had a bad premonition in his heart.
"You can go ahead," Andrew gestured compassionately.
"Um, I- used purple with black to achieve the dark undertone that reflects from the base under sunlight," Ana began hesitantly but became somewhat confident towards the end.
Nobody spoke a word and silently looked at Emma who spoke with a smile, "Well, I mixed violet with dark blue to set a foundation for purple, after it had dried, I applied the purple and black color half-mixed."
Emma turned her head to stare at Jennifer in the end, "This step was probably missed because somebody only saw me painting the canvas in the second step."
The strange stares directed toward Emma were transferred to Ana. Max let go of Ana's hand.
If he still didn't understand what was going on, he would be an idiot.
Andrew cleared his throat, "It seems the misunderstanding is resolved. How about you treat me to an A5 Wagyu steak tonight for my contribution?" Andrew asked William cheekily.
"Humph, my granddaughter would have dealt with these trivial things herself." William finally spoke.
He felt awful for doubting Emma. He had degraded her in front of everyone. How could he have the face to treat Andrew to a meal?
"If anyone still has questions related to my family's integrity then I'm sorry to say that we Woods lack the hospitality worthy of you." William scanned through the crowd.
Harry felt as if he was slapped a million times. His face turned red. He was the first one to seek justice for Ana Smith but had fallen face-first in the mud.
He wanted to escape as soon as possible to avoid any confrontation with the Woods family.
"It seems Mr. Harry lacks insight and generally focuses on appearances like who seems like a fairy and who is a devil to attribute painting styles to them. Makes me wonder how you were able to advance in your career with a vision like that," Emma said loudly as she saw Harry running away with his tail tucked. He didn't look back and ran off.
Emma turned to Max, her whole tough persona melting, saying softly, "Max, you only needed to tell me once that you weren't interested." Emma almost choked on her words.
"I would have left you alone. You didn't need to wait till the day I am in the clouds to throw me off the high horse only to crash land on the concrete ground."
Emma finally couldn't control her emotions and her tears fell drop by drop.
"Excuse me, I'm tired and I'd like to rest," Saying this, Emma elegantly walked out of the venue.
She came out in the garden and sat in the swing, just a wall away was Max's childhood home.
She sat there in the dark, heartbroken and alone. Darkness slowly crept into her heart.
She remembered the first time she met Max, she was 4 and he was 12. The first time her heart fluttered at the sight of him.
How loudly she cheered when he won his first Basketball game. The first time she wrote him a love letter.
'He could have just returned the letter to me and I would have given up. I was young. I would've cried for some time but then find solace in the fact that first love never succeeds and moved on.
Why did you have to give me hope and then break my heart like this?
Who gave you the right?'
Emma cried harder with each passing thought. Somewhere inside her heart, she knew that she was partly responsible for giving Max the right to play with her feelings.
Falling off the swing and sitting on the bare ground in her light pink dress she desperately looked for when her gown was ruined.
She snatched her diamond necklace off with her right hand.
It had bruised badly turning bright red and purple. It hurt a lot but less than her heart.
She regretted raising her hand against Max.
'Can I ever find someone who loves me?' was the last question her heart asked before she lost consciousness due to the pain.
Inside the Hall, "If there is nothing more, you can take your leave," William coldly said. He wanted to apologize to Emma for doubting her.
"And bring your genius Ms. Champion along. I'm sure your parents will like her more as a daughter-in-law rather than my evil and arrogant granddaughter," William's words explicitly showed that the Woods family will not move forward with the engagement.
Adrian's stance regarding this matter was expected as he cherished Emma greatly.
But now that William had also said, there was no way Max will be wedded to Emma.
Initially, William Woods never wanted to marry his granddaughter into the Davies family but Emma's persistent persuasion led him to propose the engagement with the Davies family.
However, the Davies family didn't attend the engagement event today and their son Max Davies blatantly tried to humiliate his precious granddaughter today and caused him to lash out at her.
Max had touched his reverse scale today. He used to consider Max as a rational and sensible youth who dealt with things practically. But was greatly disappointed.
"I'll be kind enough to put in a good word about your sweetheart to your grandfather. I'm sure he won't object. After all, elders must intercede for their children." William's words were frosty.
"Congratulations on your wedding in advance." William sat back down and apologized to his friends, "I'm sorry you had to see such a disgraceful sight."
"No, it's okay. Some people want to build Rome in one day without realizing how much their hands can carry," One of William's friends, an associate professor said lightly.
He had never even heard of someone so shameless. Watching this whole situation play out opened his eyes.
"All five fingers are not the same, Mr. Elliot," Sam faintly chided.
"Adrian, see the guests out," William said after responding to his friends.