?Chapter 468:


    “Here, on the mountain—this stroke hides his initials. And here, on the pine tree, the color wasyered in afterward—he always paints it that way. Lastly, the signature—his always ends with a downward hook. This one doesn’t.”


    She pointed them out clearly and confidently. The kind of details only someone who knew the artist well would spot.


    William stood to the side, watching her, his expression unreadable.


    Dexter leaned in with a magnifying ss and carefully examined every spot she mentioned. After a beat, he nodded. “This one really doesn’t have any of it. And the signature’s wrong.”


    Isabe’s face paled. “Grandpa, maybe he just didn’t include those things this time. You can’t prove anything based on one missing stroke.”


    Ste looked at her and shook her head. “I can say with one hundred percent certainty—it’s fake.”


    Isabe gave a short snort. “And how exactly can you be so sure? Got anything else to back that up?”


    Ste let out a quiet breath. “I know where the real one is.” Dexter straightened. Even William turned to look at her.


    “You’re serious? You know where it is?” Dexter asked.


    Ste met his eyes. “I mean every word. I know where the real one is. I’d be happy to give it to you as a gift.”


    Dexter brightened up instantly. “Really? What’s your name?”


    “Sylvia Gilbert. This is my first visit to your home, and I didn’t bring anything. Consider the painting my gift.”


    Dexter looked at her, clearly impressed. Then he nced at William, as if asking where he found her.


    William raised a brow. “She works at Neb. She’s the CEO.” Dexter’s gaze shifted slightly, his tone more thoughtful now.


    He’d heard of Neb. Who hadn’t, in Choria’s business scene? They’d been making wavestely, pulling off tough projects one after the other. And this young woman in front of him… she was the one steering the ship?


    g?lnσν???s?c?m, your destination for tales


    “Ms. Gilbert,” he said with a warm smile, “since you’re already here, why not stay for dinner? William can take you home after. It’s the least we can do after everything you’ve done today.”


    Ste couldn’t ignore how warm Dexter was with her. The way he weed her made it pretty much impossible to turn down his dinner invite. After that, Dexter didn’t even spare Stephanie or Isabe a nce.


    Stephanie, clearly pissed, grabbed Isabe and stormed upstairs in a huff. Ste stayed behind, chatting with Dexter. To her surprise, the conversation flowed easily. They both seemed to have a lot inmon.


    “As I’ve gotten older, I’ve taken a real interest in collecting art. Rare paintings, mostly,” Dexter said, his tone rxed.


    Ste smiled. “That’s a ssy hobby. Any favorite artists?”


    Dexter thought for a moment. “Hard to say. Buttely, I’ve been really into this up-anding artist—goes by Sterion. Her style’s got something special.”


    Ste blinked. Wait—Sterion? That was her. She hadn’t seen thating. And for a second, thepliment actually got to her.


    Dexter went on, unaware, “Funny enough, William once gave me andscape painting by Sterion. It’s stunning. But I hear her stuff’s tough to get these days.”


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