After delivering his threat, Ethan Grant helped the Old Master to the banquet table. Shirley Thorne went around to the Old Master's other side to help support him as well.
Perhaps because of the recent spectacle, the others at the table were on their best behavior. Shirley Thorne was showered with compliments, and her face was growing stiff from smiling so much.
The Old Master, overjoyed with his new painting, had a bit too much to drink and was soon drunk. He mumbled, "Ethan, help me back to my room."
Ethan Grant nodded and said to Shirley Thorne, "Wait for me."
Shirley Thorne nodded with a smile and said playfully, "I'll be waiting!"
The moment Ethan Grant left, the atmosphere at the table instantly changed.
Josephine Grant rolled her eyes, stood up, and stormed off, dragging Leo Graham with her.
Warren Grant and Sharon Langley also stood up, glaring at Shirley Thorne as they left.
Shirley Thorne shrugged and said nonchalantly, "Don't forget the written apology!"
"You!"
Josephine Grant was so furious she looked ready to charge over and slap her, but Leo Graham grabbed her and held her back.
They had other matters to discuss.
In a guest room on the first floor, Leo Graham locked the door and comforted Josephine. "Josephine, don't cry. What if I write the apology for you?"
Josephine raged, "Why should I have to apologize!"
Leo Graham was inwardly scornful. 'Because she's the wife of the richest man in the country and has Ethan Grant's affection, that's why!' he thought.
'What a classless illegitimate daughter, can't even figure out something so simple. If it weren't for her money, I never would have married this stupid woman!'
Of course, as a man who had married into the family, Leo Graham's face was a mask of heartache. "There, there, Josephine, don't cry. You're breaking my heart."
Hearing this, Josephine only cried harder.
Nearby, Warren Grant's face was grim. "What's the deal with that Shirley Thorne? Wasn't she supposed to be some good-for-nothing?"
'Would a good-for-nothing be able to paint a million-dollar peony painting?'
His question plunged the room into silence. No one had ever expected Shirley Thorne to be an expert painter.
Josephine, still upset, barked at Sharon Langley, "Hey, you! Go get that painting from him for me! Isn't Ethan your son?"
'If his own mother asks for a painting, her son can't possibly refuse, can he?'
Josephine felt perfectly justified.
Being ordered around by her husband's illegitimate daughter, Sharon Langley felt deeply wronged. But she didn't dare defy Warren's beloved child in front of him, so she could only say, "That beast doesn't listen to me at all!"
'If he ever listened to me, he wouldn't have gotten married time and time again, making me a laughingstock.'
"Auntie, can't you be useful for once!" Josephine grew irritated just looking at her. 'No wonder Father doesn't like her. She's completely useless at getting things done but a master at messing them up.'
Sharon Langley looked pleadingly at Warren Grant, hoping for a sliver of pity.
Warren Grant's brow furrowed deeply. He said to her, "Josephine is right. You're pretty useless if you can't even borrow a single painting."
The moment he finished speaking, Sharon Langley started to cry. She had loved this man for half her life, desperately trying to prove her worth, but he didn't like the son she bore him, and nothing she did ever pleased him. She couldn't understand how she had ended up so useless!
Warren Grant was very pleased to see Sharon Langley's ashamed expression. 'Guilt is good,' he thought. 'Only when this foolish woman feels guilty will she be motivated to make it up to me.'
He said coolly, "Sharon, I am willing to trust you, you know."
Sharon Langley froze. With tear tracks still fresh on her cheeks, a flicker of joyful surprise lit up her eyes.
A trace of contempt flashed in Leo Graham's eyes. 'This woman is a complete fool. And she's supposed to be a great lady from the Langley Family?'
'She can't even see through the classic trick of offering a sweet treat after a slap.'
'She deserves to be emotionally manipulated!'
Warren Grant flashed a warm smile and said earnestly, "Sharon, Josephine just wants to hold an art exhibition, right? It doesn't matter where it's held. Why don't you be the one to organize it? You can invite Shirley Thorne, and it'll fulfill Josephine's dream."
After speaking, he made a subtle gesture to Josephine, who instantly understood what her father was planning.
She chimed in, "That's right, Auntie. Just tell Shirley Thorne the exhibition is meant to help make a name for her, too."
'Of course,' she thought, 'it won't necessarily be her talent that gets famous. It might be Ethan Grant's reputation for being a jinx to his wives!'
Sharon Langley was completely oblivious to the father-daughter duo's scheming. Believing Warren was giving her a chance to prove herself, she said, deeply touched, "Warren, rest assured, I will definitely handle this perfectly!"
Warren's expression grew even more tender as he smiled. "Good. I believe in you!"
Not far away, Leo Graham, who was supposed to be oblivious to the pair's plan, discreetly sent a message after seeing Warren's gesture. "Boss, Warren Grant plans to make a move at the art exhibit. Do we join in?"
A reply quickly came back: "Stay put."
Leo Graham breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing the message. He had already gone to great lengths to distance himself from that resentful temp worker at the hotel.
He wasn't looking to take any more risks for the time being.