The Million-Dollar Heart (Percival and Vivienne)
Chapter 349

Jeffrey could feel the whispers of the crowd beginning to swirl around him. His face visibly paled.

He turned to Vivienne with a hint of desperation in his voice, "You're accusing me of plagiarism just based on a paint? That's a pretty wild assumption, don't you think?"

His words were hollow and fraught with guilt.

Because he had plagiarized another painting indeed.

He first saw it during his trip to the Mirelia Continent, displayed in a renowned local art gallery. He had wanted to purchase it but was informed it wasn't for sale and would only be on display for three days. So, he took a photo of it and, upon his return, recreated it for his own gallery exhibition.

He never imagined Vivienne would discover his deceit.

Wasn't she raised within the mountain and seldom venturing out? And she had only recently returned to the Brooks family. How could she possibly know?

Vivienne raised her eyes; her expression was impassive, "The painting is called Recollections. It was the artist's tribute to her mother. The bracelet worn by the woman in the painting, even her attire, were all personally chosen by the artist for her mother. And this painting was only ever displayed overseas. It's not for sale!"

Her eyes narrowed and a sharp arrow of accusation shot out, "When you decided to copy it, did you ever consider whether or not you could handle the consequences if the original artist found out?" Her aura changed suddenly and exuded a palpable sense of danger.

The painting was her tribute to her mother.

It was the memory of her mother's silhouette that had left the deepest impression on her.

Her mother had taken her shopping for the first time since they had gone into hiding. She had bought Vivienne numerous items but had bought nothing for herself.

Vivienne had admired the bracelet and thought it suited her mother's elegant bearing. She had lied, saying that she loved seeing her mother wear it. Only then had her mother agreed to buy it. The outfit her mother was wearing was also bought at Vivienne's insistence.

That day, watching her mother's retreating figure as she went to pay the bill, Vivienne felt it was the happiest day of her life.

But that evening, her mother committed suicide by poisoning herself.

She was wearing the outfit and the bracelet that Vivienne had chosen for her.

During her years at the Emerald Mountain monastery, Vivienne would often recall that moment and sketch it. The painting was carefully preserved by her.

When she had to leave Emerald Mountain, she left the painting behind.

Dawson, the man who was cleaning the monastery that day, had seen the painting. Captivated by its beauty, he sent it out under her name. Soon, people started looking for her, wanting to display the painting in their galleries.

She had declined several times but finally agreed when an offer she couldn't refuse was presented. However, she had made it clear that the painting was not for sale.

As a result, it was only displayed for three days before it was taken down.

Jeffrey was taken aback by her intensity. He took a step back and tried to defend himself, "You've got all your facts straight, but who is the original artist then? Apart from this painting, are there any other works? An artist capable of such an exquisite piece surely has more than one work, right?"

Vivienne looked at him, her eyes cold, "Her name is Eulalia."

"Eulalia?" someone in the crowd exclaimed.

"Eulalia is a mysterious artist. Many countries have invited her to paint, but she has always declined."

"It's not just that. Eulalia's paintings have a soul. Her works start at a million at auction, and there are people who are willing to pay high prices to collect her art."

Jeffrey was taken aback. He hadn't expected Vivienne to know so much.

Even the artist's name.

Suppressing his panic, he spoke up again, "So you say it's Eulalia, and we should just take your word for it? Everyone knows her paintings are auctioned off by the National Art Gallery. If it's really her work, how did this painting end up here?"

He stubbornly refused to admit his crime.

After all, Eulalia's paintings were all in the National Art Gallery or in private collections.

They would never just appear in the open!

Vivienne was just a recent addition to the Brooks family, a mere debutante. She couldn't ever bring Eulalia to the scene.

Vivienne's icy gaze fell on him as a slow smile spread across her face. "During my time in the mountain, I dabbled in painting and took the name Eulalia. What a coincidence, don't you think?" she asked. Everyone in the room was stunned on hearing that.

Eulalia was Vivienne?

How could that be possible?

She wasn't even twenty yet. How could she create such breathtaking art?

"Huh! What a coincidence indeed!" Jeffrey scoffed. "But I would advise you to choose a different name. I understand your desire for fame, but Eulalia's name isn't one to be trifled with."

"Is that so?" Vivienne replied, her voice indifferent. She picked up her phone and dialed a number.

The call was quickly answered, and a respectful voice on the other end greeted her, "Miss Eulalia, what a pleasant surprise. Do you have a new piece for us?"

Vivienne switched the call to speakerphone. The moment the voice was heard, a hush fell over the crowd.

Even Jeffrey was stunned.

That voice belonged to the secretary to the director of the National Art Gallery.

Every artist dreamed of having their work displayed in the National Art Gallery; having a painting there would instantly skyrocket their fame.

Vivienne actually knew the director's secretary, and he had just referred to her as Miss Eulalia?

How was that possible?

Before he could recover, Vivienne spoke again with an icy voice, "The Ellington family's second grandson, Jeffrey, plagiarized my painting, Recollections. What should be done about this?" The person on the other end of the line paused, then replied seriously, "We will investigate this matter thoroughly! And we will immediately sue the other party on your behalf and close up the gallery!" "Very well. You handle it," Vivienne said and hung up.

Jeffrey was stunned.

A lawsuit?

Closing up the gallery?

This couldn't be happening.

His gallery had just opened recently, and this exhibition was supposed to boost his reputation. If the gallery was closed, what would he do?

He would never be able to make a living as an artist again!

As he was about to speak, a staff member rushed in. "Boss, we're in trouble. The National Art Gallery has sent us a legal notice and ordered us to remove all the paintings from the gallery immediately." No sooner than the man finished speaking, another staff member sprinted over, "Bad news! Some guys claiming to be from the National Art Gallery just showed up. They're saying they're going to shut us down!"

Jeffrey was completely flabbergasted by this turn of events!

"How could this happen?" he couldn't believe it. His meticulously planned art exhibition was shut down in the blink of an eye.

Jeffrey jerked his head to look at Vivienne, his teeth gritted in rage, "It's you! You are behind all of these! Nothing good has happened since you got engaged to Percival. You first threw Paul into jail, and now you're ruining my art show!"

With an angry roar, Jeffrey lunged at Vivienne, "You slut, I'll kill you!"

Percival stepped in front of Vivienne, catching Jeffrey's wrist with a single hand; his stern face was devoid of any emotions, "Try touching her. I dare you."