Chapter 396
Avery had assumed that the oil paintings hung in the living room and Cayden''s bedroom were all
famous antiques. It had never crossed her mind that they were drawn by Cayden as part of his hobby.
In truth, she, too, loved to draw and had a talent for it. When she was studying in Ustrana, she spent
some time learning to draw oil paintings and earned the praise of her art teacher.
Unfortunately, the lessons were simply too expensive for her. As she was working part-time while
studying, she didn''t have the time or energy to continue and was forced to drop the ss in the end.
In spite of that, every time she walked past an art studio and saw the children engrossed in letting their
creativity flow on the canvas, she would be filled with envy and an inexplicable sense of regret.
From Cayden''s painting, one could see how his powerful brush strokes danced across the canvas.
With lines that evoked emotion and colors that filled the senses, it had a powerful effect on its
audience. Just like its painter, the painting felt distinguished and elegant, coupled with a dash of
mystery.
“If you like painting, I can teach you when we have the time.”
After opening a box of paint and mixing a few colors, he dabbed a paintbrush in them before cing it
in Avery''s hand.
Thereafter, Cayden wrapped her dainty hand in hisrge palm and continued drawing on the unfinished
Diana and Cupid.
“No, I''m too clumsy. I''m worried that I''ll spoil your painting.” Even though Cayden was holding her hand,
she couldn''t stop it from trembling.
Rtive to his impable technique, Avery felt that her skill paled inparison, which was the
reason why she was worried about ruining his painting.
“It''s fine. Oil paintings are different from Chanaean paintings. A wrong stroke on Chanaean paintings
would destroy them, forcing the painter to start anew. As for oil paintings, any mistakes can still be
remedied.” Cayden''s voice, which sounded like a mellifluous flute, gradually reverberated in Avery''s
heart.
Although she was aware of the fact from her lessons back then, she still couldn''t help but feel nervous.
After calming Avery down, Cayden—just like a good teacher—guided her patiently.
Holding her hand within his, he helped her fill in the colors on the canvas brush by brush.
After an unknown period of time, Diana''s striking red dress began to take form, whereas Cupid''s bow
was alsopleted.
Their duet ended up being perfect.
Despite this being the first time they painted together, both of them managed toplete Diana and
Cupid. The smorgasbord of colors fully expressed its foreign influence, while the addition of Chanaean
elements brought an elegant and modern touch to it, sealing its perfection.
A sense of pride descended upon Avery even though Cayden had done most of the work.
Nheless, he was still unexpectedly impressed by her.
It wasmon among painters to produce oil paintings that were rigid andcked true emotion.
However, despite the clumsiness of Avery''s brushstrokes, she managed to amalgamate her thoughts
into them and allowed her spirit to flow freely.
Unable to stop himself, he gave Avery a kiss, for she had never failed to surprise him.
Just as both of them were entwined in a moment of passion, a knock on the door was heard.
Nicole''s voice rang out. “Cayden, Old Mr. Moore wants you toe down for food. Are you busy? Can
Ie in?”
No sooner had Avery heard Nicole''s voice than she gave Cayden a look, upset over thetter''s
behavior.
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In response, Cayden put his finger to her lips before his frosty tone rang out.
“Ms. Nicole, my girlfriend and I are in the midst of our favorite activity, so it''s inconvenient for you to
come in. We''ll be right down in a while.”
Nicole''s hand—which had just knocked on the door—froze in mid-air.
When she heard Cayden brazenly dere that he was doing something with Avery in the room, her
cheeks began to burn.
In spite of that, the swelling hatred within her began to spread through her extremities, suffocating her
in the process.
As her innocent face began to twist into a grimace, she bit her lip forcefully in a desperate attempt to
calm herself down.
Ever since she was young, she had been headstrong. She would, by hook or by crook, strive to obtain
whatever she wanted. In the event of failure, she would rather have it destroyed than allow someone
else to have it.
As for the man whom she had set her sights on, she was willing to resort to unscrupulous means in her
quest to possess him.
Even if Cayden and Avery were married, she would still figure out a way to get them divorced, let alone
when they were just dating. I can easily break them up with a scheme of mine.
With that thought in mind, Nicole steadied her emotions before heading back downstairs in her stilettos.
Back in the dining room, Nicole was chatting patiently with Jeffrey and Allie. Both of them were
laughing heartily at a joke she had shared.
As for Zachary and Rory, the two felt neglected by the side.
Curled up pitifully in front of the dining table, the pouting children widened their innocent-looking eyes
as they red at the “vixen.” She was in the midst of conducting a charm offensive on their great-
grandfather and grandmother.
Rory leaned closer to Zachary and whispered, “Zach, look at thatdy. Not only is she not as pretty as
Mommy, but her jokes are also not funny at all. I can''t understand why Great-grandpa and Grandma
are evenughing. Zach, I really hate her.”
With a mischievous glint in his eyes, Zachary whispered something to Rory, who indicated her
agreement in delight.
While the adults continued to chatter happily, the two children used the opportunity to slip out of the
dining room before heading for the kitchen.
The uniformed chef was busy cooking and hadn''t noticed the two children sneaking in.
Elevating himself using a small stool, Zachary filled a bowl of soup. Thereafter, Rory added all sorts of
seasoning to it before Zachary topped it off with a huge amount of mustard. After giving it a stir, both of
them returned to the dining room with the bowl.
“Ms. Lambert, you must be thirsty after telling Great-grandpa and Grandma so many jokes. Zach and I
have brought you this soup from the kitchen.”
Blinking herrge and sparkling eyes, Rory held up the bowl of soup she had prepared for Nicole.
Their gesture took Nicole by surprise, as all this while, they harbored a strong sense of hostility toward
her. This was the first time they had shown her any warmth.
“Thank you, Rory. I''ll definitely drink it.” Nicole took the bowl of soup in her hands.
After giving Rory''s hair a tousle, she drank a big mouthful without thinking twice. The moment the soup
went down her throat, the sting she felt from it almost caused her tears to gush out.