Josie nodded gently. “I know. Thank you for liking me.”
The boy was instantly exhilarated, his face lighting up with excitement. “Can I take a picture with you, miss? I’ve been a fan of yours since your first work in Sumanthova. I never thought I’d meet you here.”
Josie’s lips curved into a smile. “Are you also a designer now?”
“Yes. You are my goal.”
Josie chuckled. “Come on, then.”
She subtly shifted her body, positioning herself beside the boy. She watched as he raised his phone, his other hand resting lightly on her waist as he smiled at the camera.
He was overjoyed to have gotten a picture with her, bowing and thanking her repeatedly.
Following such a turn of events, Josie’s mood significantly improved, the gloom from Shirley making things difficult for her earlier all but gone.
“Why did you take so long?” Laura, standing below the stage, asked with a laugh.
“I bumped into a fan.”
Josie was a touch embarrassed when she said that. Laura patted her on the shoulder. “They’ve already started on the stage, Maestro. In my opinion, their skills can’t compare to yours.”
It was an impromptu work that wasn’t meant to be taken seriously, but one could still discern a degree of skill from it.
After admiring the designers on the stage for a while, Josie suddenly noticed two slightly older elders in the center of the stage, who appeared calm and composed. “Who are they?”
“You don’t know? They’re veterans in this industry. They haven’t produced much work in recent years, merely making appearances occasionally to mingle with the public. Oh yes, they’re Shirley’s aunt and uncle. So, I was genuinely frightened when you started contending with her just now.”
What contending? Clearly, she was one-sidedly putting me in a difficult position.
Upon giving it some thought, Josie recalled that there were indeed two experts with the family name of Ross in Wavery. Unexpectedly, they turned out to be Shirley’s relatives.
“This cocktail party is hosted by them?”
“You can say so.”
Immediately, admiration showed on Josie’s face even as she frowned at Laura. “Your capacity for tolerance is downright immense that you can coexist peacefully with the other woman.”
If the Ross family were to learn that even the legitimate wife is here, they’d undoubtedly be beyond proud. No wonder Shirley was so arrogant just now.
Laura crossed her arms before her and snickered. “In this social circle, there’s no such thing as the other woman. There are only mutual interests.”
Josie didn’t agree with such an environment. Nonetheless, she remained silent.
The host on the stage was none other than Shirley, who brimmed with enthusiasm. “How about this? To make this more interesting, let’s randomly select a few designers to come up and paint.”
No sooner had she finished speaking than her gaze fell upon Josie.
A sense of foreboding rose within Josie.
“This lady, that gentlemen, and this beautiful young lady here, please come up on stage.”
Sure enough, the final spot fell to Josie. The latter raised an eyebrow. The others, whether willingly or out of respect for the Ross family, began heading to the stage.
Having no desire to go on stage, Josie remained motionless. However, Laura’s hand rested on her waist. “The Ross family and the Olsen family have a collaboration together, so it’s not appropriate to snub them.”
Josie clenched her fingers tightly. If it were in the past, she would never have fawned over the rich and powerful.
But in such an event, she couldn’t afford to be willful. “Fine. Consider it as me venting for you.”
Laura smiled widely.
The sprawling artwork on the stage was already half complete. It tested a designer’s creativity, each stroke of utmost importance.
Shirley’s aunt, Bethany, stepped back with her husband. Meanwhile, Shirley put down the microphone and picked up the paintbrush, immersing herself in art.
Josie stood at the very end of the artwork. She was in no rush to make a move but scrutinized the whole painting for a good while. Seeing that, Shirley wore a sneer on her face. Despite her lack of talent and training, she felt more than capable against a nobody like Josie.
