?<strong>Chapter 435:</strong>


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    “We’ve saved 95% of the painting. That’s still a victory,” he added, trying to offer some sce.


    But Allison remained silent, deep in thought, her chin resting on her hand.


    She wasn’t ready to surrender.


    After a long pause, she picked up the magnifying ss once more and turned her attention to the other painting—a winterndscape.


    Her eyes narrowed as she spotted it: beneath the frozenke, in the pupil of a fish, a single, delicate snowkey hidden within the ckness.


    The precision, the detail—it was unmistakable. Gregory’s finishing touch, his unspoken masterpiece.


    Allison smiled, finally exhaling the breath she didn’t realize she’d been holding.


    “There’s still a chance. I think I can restore it.”


    Everyone snapped their heads up, renewed energy flooding the room. Allison began barking orders to organize the next steps.


    “Roderick, mix the colors for me.”


    “On it!”


    The room buzzed with anticipation as Allison prepared for the final stroke.


    But before she could begin, Mny, who had been watching from the sidelines, shot up from her seat, eyes wide.


    Mny’s eyes locked with Allison’s, the iciness in the other woman’s gaze sending a ripple of unease through her. She buried the feeling quickly, steeling herself with a practiced calm. This wasn’t her first time confronting Allison in front of a crowd.


    “Please, don’t take this the wrong way,” Mny began, her voice smooth. “It’s not that I doubt your skills… it’s just…”


    Her words trailed off, deliberately vague. The performance was for the room’s benefit as much as it was for Allison. Mny needed to apply subtle pressure—nting a seed of doubt, right there in the open.


    “It’s just that the method you’re attempting—embedding one painting within another—is rare and delicate, developed by Gregory Lloyd himself. Are you sure you can pull it off? Even the experts said it was a miracle to get this far. Sometimes, knowing when to stop is the wiser choice. You don’t want to push yourself too hard.” Her voice softened with calcted sweetness, each word carefully measured, yet underlined with the suggestion that Allison should quit while she was ahead.


    “The eyes, for instance,” she added, her gaze drifting toward the painting. “If they’re not done just right, it could ruin the entire piece. I’m only reminding you, Allison, sometimes it’s best to know when to walk away.”


    Colton, who had been standing off to the side, frowned at the growing tension. His steps were slow and deliberate as he moved to join the conversation.


    “Mny’s right,” he said, his tone heavy. “We’ve already achieved something incredible here. To restore it to this point… that’s no small feat. Any misstep now could undo all of that work.”


    Mny, ever eager to exploit the moment, seized it immediately. “Exactly! Allison, even with the guidance of the experts today, you’re still young. No one would me you if thisst part didn’t turn out right.” She smiled, her wordsced with false concern. “It would be such a shame if everyone’s effort went to waste over one small mistake.”


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