Her Revenge From Shadow to Sunlight novel Chapter 159

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Alicia walked around the gallery, taking in the paintings on display. The quality was all over the place. Some of the works were exquisite, every stroke precise and full of care, clearly made by skilled artists. Others seemed more like quick tricks than genuine talent.

As Alicia walked, she asked, “How many artists are under contract with us now?”

Chloe scratched her head, a bit embarrassed. “When we first opened, we signed six artists. Now, only three are left. Three of them have terminated their contracts.”

“Which ones are still with us?” Alicia asked.

Chloe replied, “Jared Welch, Eric Hernandez, and Rachel Brewer. Those three are still here.”

Alicia took note of the names and walked around the gallery again, focusing on the works of those three artists. After a few moments, she let out a relieved sigh. “Alright, these three have solid skills.”

“Really?” Chloe looked shocked. “But their paintings aren’t selling well–either here in the gallery or online. Since business hasn’t been great, we don’t require our contracted artists to sell only with us.

“I’ve been following their online sales, but they haven’t done well there, either. The three that left, though- their art is selling pretty well online now.”

Sara added, “Actually, I checked yesterday. Jared’s paintings are starting to sell better online.”

Zoe immediately pulled out her phone, opened a website, and said, “Yeah, Sara’s right. Jared’s work is doing well now.”

Alicia glanced at the website and found it odd. Among the three remaining artists, Jared’s work was the weakest, yet his paintings were now selling while the other two artists‘ works weren’t.

‘Is mediocre art actually what people want?‘ Alicia wondered. ‘Or am I just looking at it too professionally? Maybe most buyers just want something that looks good to them, not necessarily something with real artistic

value.

But even when she tried to look at Jared’s paintings as a regular person, she still couldn’t see the appeal.

After a brief pause, Alicia spoke up, “Let’s find some time to get all three artists together. I’d like to talk to them in person.”

“Got it,” Chloe nodded. “I’ll set up a time with them and let you know.”

“Alright,” Alicia nodded again. “Let’s not keep the paintings from the artists who’ve already left hanging here anymore.”

Chloe hesitated. “But we already paid for those paintings. If we take them down, the gallery will look empty. We only have three artists left, and they hardly bring in new works. They’re all looking for other opportunities.”

Alicia frowned “David Caval

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Chapter 159

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Sara sighed. “Those paintings haven’t sold. When their contracts ended, we wanted them to take their work back, but they argued that their paintings weren’t selling here because we were dragging down their reputation.

“They said we should take responsibility for the poor sales. We were tired of arguing, so we just bought them out. Now, we’re left with barely any art on display. If we leave the walls empty, it’s going to look like the gallery’s failing.”

Alicia let out a sigh. “We can’t keep their work up just because the gallery looks empty. Honestly, their quality leaves a lot to be desired. It’s better to have empty walls than put up art that nobody wants.”

Now that Alicia was a shareholder herself, she didn’t bother to beat around the bush.

“Alright,” Chloe nodded. “I’ll take down all those paintings this afternoon.”

“Good,” Alicia said. Then, she pointed to a spot in the middle of the gallery. “Hang my painting there.”

“That spot isn’t really noticeable,” Sara said. “People won’t catch sight of it right away.”

Alicia replied, “If a painting can catch someone’s eye even when it’s surrounded by other works, then that’s real art.”

Sara didn’t fully understand but still took the painting over to the spot Alicia pointed out. The four of them moved a stool and started hanging the painting together.

Just as they were getting it up, they heard the doorbell ring. They all turned to look and saw a man and a woman walk in.

The woman was dressed in a dress, with a wool shawl draped over her shoulders. Her hair was neatly pinned up, giving her a regal appearance, though she seemed a little lifeless.

The man was in a suit, his arm casually around her shoulders in a half–embrace, half–supporting gesture.

“Welcome!” Sara quickly ran to greet them, smiling. “Is there something specific you’re looking for? Or would you like me to show you around the gallery?”

“Sure, the man nodded.

So Sara led the couple down the leftmost corridor. The gallery wasn’t small, split into three corridors with paintings lining both sides of the walls.

Alicia and Zoe held the stool steady for Chloe as she hung the painting. Chloe asked, “How’s it look? Is it straight?

Zoe replied, “The left side’s a bit high

Chloe adjusted it, then asked, “What about now?”

Zoe took a look and said, “Now the right side’s a bit high. Just move it a tiny bit, don’t overdo it

Chloe made another small adjustment.

Chapter 159

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