?Chapter 140:


    “What’s the matter?” Vince wondered if none appealed to her and smiled. “These are masterpieces, unique and not found anywhere else.”


    Vince was well-known in literary circles, but his true passion was art collecting. These paintings were his prized possessions.


    From the way he handled them, Elena could tell how much he valued them. Yet, this only made the situation more puzzling.


    Her eyes paused on two paintings. “Vince, have these paintings been authenticated?”


    Vince stopped, his smile fading as his expression shifted from cheerful to serious. “Is something wrong? Each one has been authenticated and bears my personal seal of approval, so there’s no cause for concern.”


    He pointed to the lower left corner of each painting where his seal was clearly visible.


    Elena’s doubts grew stronger. She raised her head and met Vince’s serious gaze. “Vince, there’s been a break-in at the house.”


    Javier eximed anxiously, “What do you mean? It’s impossible for a thief to break into my house!”


    Vince was equally puzzled. How could anyone prate his highly secure home? Hillside Manor was fortified with stringent security measures, making unauthorized entry nearly impossible. Their long-serving, loyal household staff and butlers werepletely trustworthy—it was unthinkable that any of them would steal. Moreover, Vince’s study was a restricted area, rarely essed by servants except for asional cleaning.


    His face grew stern. “Elena, exin yourself. How could a thief possibly enter my house?”


    Vince couldn’t recall any recent reports from Samira about missing items. Observing the tension, Jeffry looked down and asked, “Elena, what did you see?”


    Elena was initially puzzled how a thief could break into the so well-secured Hillside Manor. But Javier’s uneasy behavior suddenly made sense—this was likely an inside job.


    Elena pointed at two paintings. “These two don’t have Vince’s seal on them.”


    “That can’t be right! I stamped every single one myself…” Vince replied immediately, dismissing the idea. These artworks were invaluable. Before locking them in the safe, he personally checked and stamped each one. Forgetting to stamp any was out of the question.


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    But as Vince leaned closer to examine the two paintings, his confidence faded into disbelief. The seals were indeed missing.


    “How could this be…” he murmured. “These are not my paintings! We actually have a thief!”


    The thought of losing his prized possessions was agonizing. Vince quickly pulled out his phone. “Call the police immediately! We need to recover my paintings!”


    Before he could make the call, Elena intervened. “Let’s verify the other paintings to see how many are missing.”


    “Right, I should check them all,” Vince agreed.


    Feeling overwhelmed, Vince decided to follow Elena’s suggestion and check all the paintings first.


    In the corner, Javier’s face drained of color, turning an eerie pale shade. The mention of calling the police nearly stopped his heart. He knew he couldn’t allow Vince to make that call—it would be disastrous for him.


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