Early the next morning, Aurelia canceled her morning appointments and brought the painting with her to visit the owner of Golden Treasures Gallery, Cody Roxburgh, who was also one of the most renowned art appraisers and antique brokers in the country.
Back when Aurelia was still Cassian’s secretary, she used to swing by Golden Treasures Gallery for him to pick out antiques as presents for others.
After a few visits, she and Cody became acquainted.
Last night, after she got home, Aurelia texted Cody.
Cody messaged back almost instantly, telling her to just bring the painting over.
The painting was valued at around five million dollars, just as Aurelia had anticipated.
Cody remarked, “You bought it at an auction, so you should already know the price. Why did you come to me for an appraisal?”
“Actually, I have something else I need your help with. Mr. Roxburgh,” Aurelia replied.
She then explained the real reason for her visit to Cody.
She wanted Cody to help her track down a painting by Nalin Jurgens.
A couple of years back, over dinner at the Locke family, she overheard Benjamin and Cassian talking about Nalin’s paintings.
She found out Benjamin was really into Nalin’s paintings, so she wanted to get him one as a present.
Cody said, “Nalin’s paintings don’t come cheap.
“I know,” Aurelia replied. She knew what to expect.
“You’re in luck. A friend just asked me to help him sell a piece of Nalin’s paintings, but brace yourself for the price,” Cody said.
“How much?” Aurelia asked.
“30 million dollars,” Cody replied.
It was crazy expensive, and it stung to spend that much. With all the help Benjamin had given Aurelia, like jewelry, painting, and everything, Benjamin’d already given her far more than 30 million dollars‘ worth.
So, Aurelia made up her mind on the spot. “I’ll take it.”
Cody said, “I’ll get in touch with the collector and have the painting brought over right away. We’ll sign the paperwork. Honestly, this is a steal for you. My friend’s only letting it go at a discount because he’s in a bind.”
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Cody told Aurelia to wait a moment while he contacted the seller.
After about forty minutes, the seller finally showed up.
When Aurelia saw who it was, she did a double–take.
But the seller looked even more stunned.
It was Jasper Quinn.
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Jasper was stunned to see Aurelia there. If he’d known she was the buyer, he’d never have shown up, not in a million years.
But now that he was already here, he couldn’t just bail.
After all, he was the one who’d asked Cody to help him sell the painting.
So, bracing himself, Jasper reluctantly stepped inside.
Cody, all smiles, made the introductions. “Ms. Corin, this is Jasper Quinn.”
“We know each other,” Aurelia replied, her tone flat.
Cody grinned. “Even better. That’ll save us a lot of trouble.”
Jasper was unusually quiet, letting Cody take the lead the whole time.
He just signed the papers and took the money.
As soon as the money hit Jasper’s account, Aurelia got up, said her goodbyes to Cody, and left.
Before starting her car, she called Miranda. “Can you have someone look into EverMass Group’s financial situation for me?”
As far as Aurelia knew, Steven was also a huge fan of collecting Nalin’s paintings.
If there weren’t any problems with the company, there was no way Steven’d ever let go of his most prized collection at a discount.
Once Aurelia was gone, Jasper finally let out a long, slow breath, the tension in his chest easing at last.
Jasper couldn’t even remember when it started, but he’d developed this weird, inexplicable fear of Aurelia.
Just seeing her made his stomach drop, and a chill ran down his spine.
It was exactly like the feeling he used to get back to school whenever he had to face the principal.
It was just plain freaky.
But right now, something else had Jasper scratching his head.
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Jasper wondered, ‘When did Aurelia start throwing money around like this?
‘She just blew 30 million dollars on a painting without even blinking?‘
Jasper couldn’t hold back his curiosity any longer, so he called Cassian.
But Cassian’s phone kept going unanswered, so Jasper dialed Tessa instead.
Since Cassian and Tessa were always together anyway, either way, Jasper’d reach one of them.
Maybe Tessa would pick up faster, or get him to Cassian quicker.
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Tessa answered right away, sounding cheerful. “Jasper, you really should’ve come with us. The view here is gorgeous. It’s such a shame you missed out.”
Jasper wasn’t feeling left out at all. “I’ll see it when you guys get engaged, right? Guess you’re loving this whole island engagement thing, huh?”
“Absolutely! Cassian put so much thought into everything. I’m beyond happy,” Tessa said.
Tessa was totally wrapped up in her own bliss.
“Where’s Cassian? I’ve been calling him, but he’s not answering. Is he tied up with something?” Jasper asked.
“He went off to a pretty remote spot to sort out the flowers. He didn’t want me to get tired from all the back- and–forth, so he told me to just chill here on the island and enjoy myself while he took care of it,” Tessa said.
“You two are serious relationship goals. I never thought Cassian could be such a doting fiancé. He’s like the modern–day dream guy!” Jasper joked.
Tessa pretended not to know, “He wasn’t always like this?”
“Definitely not!” Jasper said firmly. “He used to be cold and aloof with everyone, never gave a damn about anybody. You’re the only one he treats differently.”
“Wait, really? He was like that with Aurelia, too?” Tessa asked, sounding totally casual.
Only someone like Jasper would take it at face value.
“With Aurelia, he was even more distant. He never bought her any nice jewelry. But for you? He went all out at the auction, dropping 30 million dollars just to get you that piece,” Jasper said.
At the mention of 30 million dollars, Jasper suddenly remembered why he’d called. “Oh, by the way, Aurelia just spent 100 million dollars on a painting.”
Tessa, relaxing in the sun with her juice, stopped mid–sip. “30 million dollars?”
“Yeah, I was honestly stunned,” Jasper said.
“Where did she get that kind of money?” Tessa asked, still in disbelief.
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“Beats me,” Jasper replied.
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That topic was a total buzzkill. Neither of them had anything else to say, so they just wrapped up the call in a hurry.
Karlie, snacking on fruit nearby, glanced over at Tessa. “Tessa, did you just say something about 30 million dollars?”
“Aurelia just spent 30 million dollars on a painting,” Tessa replied, looking a bit unsettled.
Karlie was so stunned she dropped her grapes. “Where did she get that kind of money?”
’30 million dollars! That’s not 3 thousand dollars, not even 30,000 dollars. That’s 30 million dollars! Karlie thought, her mind spinning.
“Beats me,” Tessa replied.
“Maybe it was your future father–in–law who gave her the money? He seems to love Aurelia. He even brings her to all those events,” Karlie said, losing her appetite as she shoved the fruit plate aside. “He doesn’t care about you at all, won’t come to your engagement, and won’t even meet your folks. That’s just messed up.”
That had always been a sore spot for Tessa.
No matter what she did, no matter how hard she tried, Benjamin just never liked her, let alone ever wanting to meet her.
Alina had told her, “Just make sure Cassian stays loyal to you. In this world, no parent can ever win against their kid.
“As long as Cassian’s heart belongs to you, Benjamin will have to come around eventually.
“Once you two get married and have kids, everything will just fall into place.”
“Besides, Cassian is Benjamin’s only son.”
“The Locke family’s business is bound to end up in Cassian’s hands sooner or later.”
And since Cassian cared so much about Tessa, wouldn’t that mean she’d basically have control over everything?
As long as Tessa was patient, it was just a matter of time before it all happened.
“Don’t go running your mouth about this to anyone, okay? Cassian and I already have our story straight. You just say Mr. Locke’s too sick to come to the engagement. Don’t let it slip and make me look bad,” Tessa warned
Karlie.
“Got it,” Karlie replied, knowing when to keep her mouth shut.
Just thinking about how she’d been stuck living in some unfamiliar place lately made Karlie grit her teeth in
resentment toward Aurelia.
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She turned to Tessa and said, “Tessa, I can’t shake the feeling that Aurelia was behind my video getting exposed.”
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