Chapter 1

360words2026-02-09 09:51

“Stop, Grace Stone! That’s enough!” Infuriated, John Miller’s face turned livid. He pushed my drawing board to the floor.
“Didn’t I tell you I hate the idea of you drawing? You don’t have an ounce of talent for it at all. Nobody will appreciate your drawings!” John tried to grab my arm, but I managed to avoid it.
“After precise valuation and professional consultation, my artwork commands a minimum price of 140 thousand dollars—and this particular piece is worth upwards of 180 thousand dollars.”

Shock washed over John. He still looked dubious. Hence, I called the manager of the art exhibition. The real data was concrete proof.
But consequently, John’s face turned hideous. For the first time, he lost control of himself and roared in front of me.
“At least 140 thousand dollars? How dare you name such a price? No one likes you in Fallstar except for me! People will only badmouth you if you put up your drawings. You’ll remind them that you’re the thief who stole Lana’s drawings.”
He grabbed my shoulders and forced me to look up at him. “I’m protecting you by stopping you from drawing, Grace!”
His grip almost crushed my arms. But I calmly tilted my head to analyze his emotions, like how I would analyze data.
“Based on your facial expressions and sound wave frequency, you’re just angry because you’re feeling helpless. Please calm down.”

John had wanted to say something, but his words died in his throat when he met my indifferent and cold gaze.
He frowned and spoke in a low voice. He sounded quite confused, too. “You seem to be different…”
Before leaving, I glanced at the soup in his hands. It was from Lana Cox. He followed my gaze.
In the past, I would get jealous and make a scene whenever I saw anything related to Lana.

But surprisingly, I detected eager anticipation from him. He was eager to watch me make a scene.
However, I reminded him indifferently, “Mr. Miller, the herbal ingredients in this soup go against the meds you’re taking. Please stop drinking it. Of course, it’s just a friendly reminder based on health-related data.”