Chapter 489
Chapter 489:
Seeing Curran beam with joy, Fernanda reached into her pocket and pulled out a small box. “This is my gift for you. I hope you like it.”
“What is it?” Curran took the box eagerly.
By then, he had already concluded that Fernanda had impeccable taste. As he untied the ribbon of the box, a miniature painting was revealed. Curran’s eyes sparkled as he carefully examined the painting.
A landscape painting unraveled before him—wild geese over distant mountains, clear waters, and a lone boat. In the right corner, a beautiful rose was painted.
The painting struck a perfect balance with bold yet subtle brushstrokes, evoking a profound sense of tranquility.
Curran was utterly enchanted by the rose tucked in the corner of the painting.
“Where on earth did you find this painting?” he asked, his voice bubbling with excitement.
Fernanda couldn’t very well admit she had created it just yesterday. Instead, she crafted a little white lie. “I stumbled upon it at an art exhibition last year and fell head over heels for it. Knowing you’re a man who has everything, I wracked my brain over what to gift you. Then I thought, maybe this painting would strike your fancy. I hope it does.”
“I absolutely adore it!” Curran beamed, his eyes lighting up with joy. “The artist who signs his work with a rose is quite the luminary. His landscapes? They break the mold, totally in a league of their own. I’ve always been a fan. He just has this way of pulling you right into the scenes he paints.”
Hearing him assume the artist was a man, Fernanda’s eyebrow twitched ever so slightly.
Well, the artist Curran continued to heap praises on was not a man but a young woman, and she was right in front of him.
Curran revered the painting as though it were a rare gem, examining it repeatedly before placing it carefully back in the box. He then stashed it away in his cabinet, amidst his other treasures, clearly showing how much he valued it.
Turning back to Fernanda, his face wore a look of sheer contentment.
M𝑜𝓇𝑒 𝓊𝓅𝒹𝒶𝓉𝑒𝓈 𝒾𝓃 𝑔𝒶𝓁𝓃𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁𝓈.𝒸𝑜𝓂
Just then, a knock interrupted their reverie.
“Come in,” Curran called out.
The door creaked open, and a servant peeked in.
Casting a quick glance at Curran, the servant stuttered, “Mr. Cristian Reed has arrived…”
Fernanda’s heart skipped a beat. Cristian was here.
The news snuffed out the warm glow between Curran and Fernanda in an instant. His friendly smile vanished, his eyes widened with a flash of anger, and he looked as though he was about to breathe fire.
“What is he doing here?” Curran’s voice chilled the air. “Ask him to leave!”
The servant, bracing for such a response, flinched but managed to reply, “But… the guests have already arrived downstairs. It might not look good if he leaves now…” Indeed, that was the case.
.
.
.