Spoiled by the President novel Chapter 86

Celine stood there with a smug look on her face. “I went through great pains drawing this back then so it’s still clear in my mind. Sister, you may have seen my work, perhaps you might even have retained a little memory from catching a glimpse of it but I bet the painting didn’t leave much of an impression like it would to the original artist. I’ll advise you to give it up. Your reproduction can’t be better than mine.”

Nell smiled. “Oh, really?”

“Of course, you can ask the principal if you don’t believe me.”

“Principal, is that so?”

Oliver stared at Nell gobsmacked. Words could not escape his lips.

Celine really thought she had it in the bag. Nell was an idiot for having forgotten her sketch from five years ago. Why else would she adopt a stupid way to remember her art by drawing it again?

Hence, the look on the headmaster's face must be discovery that Nell’s painting was different from five years ago!

All the more Celine was stuck on herself.

Gideon faintly announced, “Alright, please declare the results! Whose art is real?”

With her back straightened, Celine waited for her name to be called.

However...

The three examiners answered in unison, “Nell Jennings.”

“What?”

The crowd cried out in disbelief.

Oliver found his voice and repeated, “Yes, after a careful comparison, Nell’s recreation is close to 100% of the art from five years ago while Celine’s... is less than 40%.”

“How could this be?”

In doubt, Celine pranced over to the front of the computer.

The color scheme may be similar but the design was a far cry from each other. Her mind went blank.

How could this be?

The two sketches were poles apart!

Apart from the blue and white hues, not a single element, whether in style or detail, was a match.

How could this possibly be?

A thought struck her.

It hit her.

She turned over to stare at Nell, unable to believe her eyes.

“You-you planned this?”

Nell scoffed.

“Just a turkey shoot. I wouldn’t have succeeded if it weren’t for you being up to no good.”

“You!”

At this point, Oliver had to say something. Hence, he announced, “Nell Jennings wins the competition. By the huge disparity between both renditions, we can conclude that the art from five years ago was indeed drawn by Nell Jennings. We have... wrongly accused her.”

With that said, the three examiners felt shame and remorse.

After all, they put faith in Celine’s words and were also the ones who had believed that Nell had stolen the work.

Janet was almost moved to tears.

Dashing over to give Nell a hug, she exclaimed with excitement, “Nelly, I knew that you’d be able to clear your name! You did it, you really did it!”

Nell smiled.

Compared to Janet’s emotional reaction, she remained composed.

There were certain things that were bred in the bone, unable to be washed away.

She may have proved herself innocent, but who was to pay for the grievance and sorrow she had suffered throughout the years?

Gideon stood up and approached her.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t be by your side in the past but I can give you my word that I’ll always be there for you in the future. No one will be able to accuse or bully you.”

Nell turned her gaze to him.

The man’s silent but gentle eyes radiated a robust confidence and assurance.

It tugged on her heartstrings.

Coincidently, Gideon was away for business in the neighboring city on the same day. He left during the day and would return at night.

Hence, the duo made plans and when he returned, he would pick her up from the restaurant and they would head home together.

It was not all personal for Nell to recommend Lucy to Eric for a role in ‘Chasing Wind’.

She had read the script and found Lucy’s outward appearance and demeanor a perfect fit to the role.

For Eric to stand out in the crowd of first-rate directors, he had to have his own fortes.

An eye for choosing the right actors was one of them.

There were cheers and laughter between host and guests in the night’s dinner party.

Nell had Lucy demonstrate a snippet of the character’s interpretation on the spot, to Eric’s delight.

A deal revolving around the role was quickly hammered out.

Everything was up to snuff, apart from the pay being lower than the going market price.

However, Nell understood that it was not easy for Lucy, at her current level, to nail such a role in the first place.

The pay was only for the time being while other fringe benefits would come from the film in the long run. Hence, she agreed to it without a second thought.

In the private room, the trio happily engaged in conversation.

As the party drew to an end, Nell felt a vibration from her purse.

She placed her phone on silent in fear that it may disrupt the dinner. She did not have much to drink tonight but she was a little tipsy.

Nell picked up her purse and excused herself before heading to the ladies’ room.

To her dismay, Nell bumped into the person she did not want to see the most at the door.

“Huh? Nell Jennings, why are you here?”

Hayley and a friend of hers were just coming out of the opposite room when they ran into each other.

Nell cast a cold glance without a reply. She then turned to walk to the toilet.

“Nell Jennings! Hold it right there!”