Money to Burn

Pearl didn’t hesitate.

“All thirty-six paintings in this gallery prove who I am.”

The real Pearl was dead. With nobody left to contradict her, the impostor could say whatever she liked.

Before Lucian could speak again, Vivian stepped in front of her daughter like a hen protecting its chick.

“Mr. Blackwood, surely a man of your standing wouldn’t bully our Pearl? She’s only a young woman in her twenties. If she’s done anything to offend you, please be generous enough to overlook it.”

Lucian gave a cold smile.

“As far as I know, Stella is only a year older than your daughter.”

At the mention of my name, Richard assumed Lucian was here to cause trouble. He immediately moved forward to defend Pearl.

“I know you and Stella have your differences. When she comes home, I’ll bring her to apologize to you personally. But whatever happened between you has nothing to do with Pearl. Please don’t take it out on her.”

“I never knew you were such a devoted father, Chairman Whitmore.”

Lucian clapped twice, slowly and theatrically.

“Wasn’t Stella fighting me to protect your family? Now nobody even knows whether she’s alive, and you’re already throwing her away. Ruthless.”

Behind him, Felix joined in.

“People call Lucian Fairhaven’s Devil. I think you Whitmores deserve a title of your own. Fairhaven’s Most Ungrateful Bastards.”

A few quiet laughs came from the crowd.

Felix Sinclair was a notorious rich boy with no intention of behaving himself. The Sinclairs were one of Fairhaven’s four leading families. With a brilliant older brother ready to take over the business, Felix spent his life doing as he pleased.

He answered to nobody.

Except Lucian.

Vivian raised her voice, offended.

“Mr. Blackwood, I think Stella’s fooled you too. She’s been a little actress since she was a child. More schemes than anyone can count. She knew Pearl was coming home, so she disappeared to get attention. Remember what she did two years ago? Pretended she’d been kidnapped. All those kind people online were praying for her, and she was deceiving every one of them.”

“Pretended she’d been kidnapped?”

Lucian repeated the words slowly. Then his gaze lifted and cut straight toward Julian.

“That’s how you treated her?”

The question came without explanation, but I caught a hint of anger beneath it.

Julian’s eyes shifted. He looked distinctly guilty.

I was more confused than ever.

After I was rescued two years ago, I had been forced to tell everyone I staged it, to protect the company and the family’s reputation.

Afterward, I secretly tried to find the kidnappers.

I never found a single lead.

Did Lucian know something?

I remembered that after my rescue, he disappeared from public view for an entire month.

Could that month have had something to do with my kidnapping too?

None of it made sense.

At Julian’s signal, the host hurried to resume the auction.

“Thank you, Mr. Blackwood, for your fourteen-million-dollar purchase of Moonlight, the work that first brought Pearl international acclaim. Now, our second painting is—”

“Twenty-eight million.”

Lucian didn’t even let him finish the title.

He had lost his mind.

Naturally, nobody tried to outbid twenty-eight million dollars for a single painting.

“Thank you for your bid. Our third work—”

“Forty-two million.”

The host was beginning to sweat.

“The fourth—”

“Fifty-six million.”

With each painting, Lucian added another fourteen million dollars.

All thirty-six.

He bought every last one for an astronomical sum.

I had no words.

Pearl the artist was already famous. With Lucian backing her like this, Pearl Whitmore would be a household name.

The lunatic.

Did he have so much money he needed to burn it?