?Chapter 821:


    “Mariana’s pretty skilled. You can already see who it is from just those few lines.”


    On the other side, Maia suddenly stopped drawing and looked straight at Chris, who was standing nearby. This caught everyone’s attention, and the cameras quickly focused on what Maia had drawn.


    “What on earth is she creating? There’s no face on that woman at all.”


    “Wait, didn’t she just lecture everyone about impressionism versus realism? How can she draw a woman with no face? This isn’t realism at all.”


    “I’m starting to think Maia simply can’t draw faces properly. Think about it — Matias barely has any portrait work in his public collections.”


    The judges began murmuring their disapproval, bing more convinced that Maia had no real grasp of what realism actually meant.


    Chris, meanwhile, felt increasingly puzzled by Maia’s direct stare. The whole situation reminded him of that evening when Maia kept stealing nces at him on their way back to the hotel. During that time, she would never admit to watching him so closely. Now, though, she wasn’t bothering to hide her gaze at all.


    Then, without any warning, Maia shut her eyes and remained perfectly still in her seat.


    Whispers broke out all around the room.


    “What kind of technique is this? She’s just sitting there with closed eyes instead of drawing.”


    “How strange. Does she actually believe she can paint without seeing anything?”


    “Maia must be giving uppletely. It really seems like Mariana was correct all along. This woman isn’t Matias at all.”


    “How absurd! Where are the facial features in a realist painting?”


    Meanwhile, Mariana had already begunyering rich colors across her canvas. She cast a sideways nce at Maia, sneering quietly to herself. How foolish could one person be?


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    Was Maia nning to pull the same stunt she had attempted at Cooper Group’s g? Did she honestly believe that fashion design techniques would work for realistic portrait painting?


    Whatplete naivety.


    Mariana dismissed Maia entirely and returned her focus to her own work. Each brushstroke flowed with delicate precision, showcasing her masterful technique. Her hand moved with fluid elegance across the canvas, transforming the painting process into a mesmerizing performance that held everyone spellbound.


    Through carefulyering and seamless color blending, Kiley’s features began emerging on the canvas with startling rity and vibrant life. Without missing a beat, Mariana moved into the finer details, capturing every nuance of feminine elegance and grace.


    Waves of admiration swept through the watching crowd.


    “Incredible! We’re witnessing the creation of a true masterpiece! This is absolutely breathtaking!”


    “Dear God! Even unfinished, this has already surpassed anything I could ever dream of creating.”


    Several judges rose from their seats in excitement, calling out, “Mark this day! The art world has just discovered Mariana Cooper.”


    “She’s the kind of genius painter we see maybe once in a hundred years!”


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