Chapter 518
Maja stayed in the hospital for three days, babying her hand like it was made of glass, scared to death that one wrong move would wreck it for good.
Carol was with her the whole time. It was clear as day that all Maja cared about now was whether her hand would get better. Even if someone mentioned lan in front of her, she wouldn’t bat an eye
On the third day, Phelps told Maja she could leave the hospital, but she had to take good care of her hand
lan tried to get in touch with Maja these past few days, but she didn’t bite.
Now lan has stopped reaching out to her too.
Not long after Maja was discharged, she got an invite from a villa owner she had worked with before, inviting her to a wine tasting party.
It was a small private party held in the villa she had once designed, hence the special invitation to her.
The host was Luis from Synthetech Industries, whom Maja met back in her college days.
Luis had even introduced her to Samuel before, and Maja had always been on good terms with him.
“Mr. Luis, my hand is busted. I might not be able to draw.”
“No worries, we don’t need you to draw Just come and see the house you designed.”
So Maja accepted the invitation.
The wine tasting party was way more laid–back than a formal banquet. Everyone was dressed casually, with wine racks everywhere in the yard, and the garden was filled with
the aroma of wine.
When Maja arrived, she spotted Luis right away.
Synthetech Industries was mainly into electronic product research, including home appliances like air conditioners, fridges, washing machines, etc. They basically owned a third of the domestic appliance market.
The appliances in several houses Maja had decorated before were all from Synthetech Industries, including the house in Greenfield Gardens. Luis always gave her the best deal.
Maja went up to say hello to Luis. Luis introduced a type of red wine to her, then got pulled away by other business partners.
Despite the casual dress code for the night, the party was filled with big shots.
Maja kept her hand by her side, not daring to move it. She didn’t drink the wine; she only sniffed it from her cup.
Then she saw Carlene.
lan was standing beside Carlene, chatting with some business partners.
Carlene saw Maja, too. She raised an eyebrow and smirked.
The business partner next to lan was a bit long in the tooth, about fifty or so, and was talking about that thing with Herbert in Greenfield. But since it involved Edith from the Raymond family, everyone was on eggshells.
“Where did Herbert take that painting in the end?”
“I heard Herbert has a secret apprentice in Greenfield.”
When this came up, lan’s gaze shifted to Maja.
But Maja was just standing in a corner, holding a cup of wine, taking delicate sniffs.
Luis owned a few vineyards. He held wine tasting events like this a few times a year,
When Maja designed the villa, she gave special consideration to the wine cellar, which made Luis pretty chuffed.
At that moment, they were all gathered together, holding wine glasses, and discussing Herbert’s paintings.
Carlene had almost become a student of Herbert’s once. She couldn’t help but want to join their conversation.
“Herbert’s paintings are very popular, but I heard all his students are his relatives? I’ve never heard of anyone else.” As soon as she said this, the other people’s expressions immediately turned awkward.
It was then that Carlene remembered that she was also involved in the painting incident. Herbert even said that it was a good thing he didn’t take her as a student because she was too crafty.
Her face instantly turned awkward, She gave an embarrassed smile. It seemed that Herbert’s words had already spread in the art circle.
Carlene couldn’t help but move closer to lan, as if he were her backup.
lan never cared about these things, so he probably didn’t know the real story. He only knew that Herbert had been on scene at the time.
As the host, Luis saw these people and immediately came to greet them. He had heard their conversation and said with a smile, “It’s probably because Penny has always been low–key, so few people know about her relationship with Herbert. When she designed the villa for me, I hadn’t even thought she was Herbert’s student.”
At this, Luis beckoned to Maja, ‘Penny, come over here.”
Among the people around Luis, two were in charge of art exhibitions. They had been looking for information about Herbert’s student but had found nothing.
Hearing that Herbert’s student was present, they all looked over curiously.
Upon hearing this, Carlene’s face changed instantly. She couldn’t believe it and felt a mix of anger and unease.
How could Penny possibly be Herbert’s student?
Maja had already walked over by then, and all eyes were on her.
Luis patted her on the shoulder and said, “This is Herbert’s student, Penny. These two are in charge of large–scale art exhibitions domestically.”
