<b>Chapter </b><b>107 </b>
<b>O’Brien </b><b>Master </b>was still in a state of panic. “Stop! This is my painting! You’re ruining my work!<b>” </b>
<b>Having </b>heard from Elder Xe?os that his son, Felix, was a police officer, he called out from the stage. “Martin! Felix! Hurry <b>up </b>and arrest this crazy woman!”
Felix stood up and said, “Sorry, this type of case isn’t under my jurisdiction.”
His meaning was clear: Caitlin could do whatever she wanted, and he wouldn’t interfere. He was also curious as to why she was acting this way.
“Shut up!” Caitlin snapped, her cold eyes ring at him. “Now that I’ve signed the agreement, this painting belongs to me. I can do whatever I want <b>with </b>it.”
Everyone immediately realized that Caitlin was intentionally causing a scene.
Louis, relieved that no reporters had been invited and that the situation hadn’t escted publicly, quickly stepped in to mediate. “Mrs. Vanderbilt, there must be some misunderstanding. How about we discuss this privately downstairs?”
“Louis, there’s no need for discussion!” Caitlin’s tone was calm yet filled with unyielding authority.
“Besides, I’ve already called the police. They should be here soon to handle the situation.”
Sure enough, moments after she spoke, four police officers entered the room. The leading officer disyed his badge.
“We received a report iming that someone was impersonating O’Brien Master, engaging in fraudulent activities, and suspected ofmitting arge- scale scam. You need toe with us for questioning.”
The officer waved his hand, and two colleagues quickly moved to apprehend O’Brien.
“<b>No</b>! I didn’tmit fraud, let me go! Let me go!” O’Brien Master struggled.
“Stop yelling! Whatever you have to say, do it at the station!” one of the officers responded as they escorted him out <b>of </b>the venue.
The entire room was left in stunned silence. The sudden turn of events caught everyone off guard.
Louis could only apologize to the guests.
“Apologies for what happened. This was apse in oversight on the part of Lisson Gallery. We will fully cooperate with the police to investigate the matter. If it turns out to be <b>a </b>fraud case, we will void the auction agreement.”
Caitlin, however, interjected, “Louis, even though the painting is ruined and the agreement can be voided, the donation will not change. The 50 million will still be donated to the Red Cross<b>, </b>along with another 50 million, in the same manner,”
Louis was deeply impressed. “Thank you so much, Mrs. Vanderbilt, for your generosity and selflessness.”
A round of apuse broke out from the guests<b>, </b>many of whom<b>, </b>despite their initial difort, couldn’t help but admire Caitlin’s actions. Martin and Felix<b>, </b>too, saw <b>her </b>actions as a noble gesture.
A woman who didn’t take a backseat to any man<b>! </b>
The event shifted to <b>a </b>cocktail party, with Louis inviting everyone to the reception. “Once again, we thank all our guests for your support. We’ve arranged this cocktail reception to express our gratitude.“/
After Caitlin’s earlier actions, she was the center of attention at the event. Louis, apanied by several veteran artists, all sought <b>to </b>speak with her.
At this moment<b>, </b>Caitlin became the focal point <b>of </b>the evening.
Martin walked over and joined the conversation, “Mrs. Vanderbilt, I must admit, I had the chance <b>to </b>interact with O’Brien Master, but I never <b>noticed </b>
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Chapter <b>107 </b>
<b>anything </b>unusual. <b>How </b><b>did </b>you <b>figure </b>out he wasn’t the real O’Brien?”
Felix, <b>standing </b><b>by </b><b>looked </b><b>at </b>Caitlin with admiration.
<b>“</b><b>Yes</b>, <b>Mrs. </b>Vanderbilt<b>, </b>how did you realize?” Everyone was curious about her method of uncovering the fake artist.
Caitlin <b>smiled </b>faintly and exined, “<b>It’s </b>actually quite simple. I’ve studied O’Brien’s works<b>, </b>and her techniques and style are not that difficult to identify <b>The </b>painting today waspletely different from her usual work.
“Moreover, O’Brien is known for her secrecy and rarely makes public appearances, which allows people to exploit the situation.
“I’ve attended many art exhibitions in S country and have seen O’Brien’s work. I know her pieces are typically mncholy yet strikingly profound, carrying deep meaning.
<b>“</b><b>This </b>painting, however, is all sh and no substance. It’s a far cry from O’Brien’s true style and intention.”
Her analysis was met with nods of agreement from the surrounding people, all of whom felt that her exnation made perfect sense.
At this moment, Caitlin was surrounded by a group of artists, her confident demeanor and articte speech drawing all attention. She had a presence that seemed to glow, attracting the gaze of all the men in the room.
Simon stood at the edge, silently watching her, as if observing the brightest star in the night sky. He could feel the vast difference between them and realized that, for the rest of his life, he would only be able to admire her from afar.
Tonight, Caitlin had be the center of attention, eclipsing all the women present. The jealousy in the eyes of women like Jasmine and Yasmin <b>was </b>palpable as they looked at her with disdain.
Caitlin was far too full of herself, wasn’t she? She thought she was an artist? Wasn’t she just relying on Sebastian’s connections and his support?
Meanwhile, Sebastian remained in the car, waiting for Xavi to return.
“How did it go? Was the art exhibition finished?”
“It’s done, now we’re at the cocktail party.”
Xavi took a seat, removed his wig, and excitedly said, “Mr. Vanderbilt, you should have seen the exhibition today! It was amazing! What a shame you weren’t there! If you had been, you would have been apuding Caitlin for sure!”
Sebastian looked at him<b>, </b>confused. “What did she do?”
“She spent <i>50 </i>million to buy O’Brien Master’s painting in your name<b>, </b>then donated another 50 million to the Red Cross in your name! In total, a billion! Isn’t that impressive?”
”
Sebastian was stunned. “She donated a billion in my name?”
“Yes<b>, </b>exactly!”
Sebastian didn’t know how to respond. First, his reckless son had spent money on random things, now Caitlin was splurging a billion <b>in </b>a single <b>move</b>, without even blinking.
Why did he feel like <b>he </b>was being scammed?
Sebastian didn’t care about the money–it was just a thing to him–but he was curious. What could Caitlin possibly want with that painting? <b>Did </b><b>she think </b><b>it </b>was some kind of good luck charm?
<b>Sat </b>31 <b>May </b>
“Does she really like that painting? What does O’Brien look like? I heard she’s a rising artist. Is she young and handsome?”
Sebastian wondered if Caitlin had bought the painting just to show her support for the artist. Maybe she had even developed a crush?
“No, no, Mr. Vanderbilt. That O’Brien Master is just a grumpy old man.”
“An old man? And she’s after him too?”
Sebastian’s voice grew incredulous.
“She went after an old man?!”
Sebastian waspletely shocked. He had no words for his disbelief.
“No, no, that’s not it. After buying the painting for 50 million, guess what she did?”
“What did she do?”
“She took the painting and ripped it apart on the spot.”
“Why?”
“Because it turns out O’Brien Master was a fraud. Caitlin exposed him right there and then, and the police took him away.”
“Oh?”
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Sebastian’s mood lightened upon hearing that. He had been overthinking. As long as she wasn’t causing trouble with some other man, everything was
fine.
A billion for charity? That wasn’t too much.
With that, his mood lifted. He grinned. “Tyler, take me to the cocktail party!”