Side Chick Era Over (Sharon and Carter) novel Chapter 584

Chapter 584

At that moment, a strikingly handsome young man was listening to his assistant deliver a work report.

When Cole barged into the office without warning, the man’s brows knitted into a frown.

“Cole, storming in without knocking? Where are your manners?”

Cole didn’t have time for formalities. He rushed over, his eyes gleaming with excitement. “Uncle Lex, I found the painting Victoria wanted! It’s going up for auction!”

“Didn’t you say last time that if there was any news about the painting, you wanted to be notified right away? Don’t tell me you forgot!”

At the mention of Victoria’s name, Lex Malcolm finally stirred from his indifference.

His expression softened slightly. “Remember to knock next time.”

Cole mumbled a half-hearted response and handed over the documents.

“Take a look, Uncle Lex. It’s that painting.”

Lex glanced at the photo with casual disinterest, then paused, eyes narrowing slightly.

“This is the painting?”

Cole nodded. “No wonder Victoria was so taken with it. Even someone like me, who doesn’t know the first thing about art, was blown away when I first saw it.

“It’s a pity, really. The painting was being auctioned back then, but neither Victoria nor I had started working yet. The bidding price soared way beyond our means, so we had to give up.”

Yet all these years, Victoria had never forgotten that painting. After starting her career, she had repeatedly sent people to track it down, but the trail always went cold.

Cole added, “I heard Jamie Walton is really into collecting famous artworks. He and Victoria kept in touch mostly because he owns a vast collection of paintings. He’d often invite her over to study and discuss them.”

He paused, a trace of pride surfacing in his voice.

“Besides the violin, painting is Victoria’s other great passion. Even her more ordinary works are worth almost a million now. Some even go for millions.”

Lex had never cared much for art. He only paid attention because Victoria liked it.

But as he looked at the photo, a flicker of appreciation crossed his eyes.

“It’s a fine painting. Victoria just won a championship in that amateur racing tournament not long ago. I haven’t had the chance to congratulate her yet. I’ll make this painting my gift to her.”

His words carried an unmistakable note of confidence. He had every intention of winning it.

Cole laughed. “Uncle Lex, Victoria’s racing skills are on par with the pros. You should’ve seen how cool she looked when she beat that professional driver. It was epic! It’s a shame you couldn’t be there.”

A faint smile tugged at the corners of Lex’s lips.

“I saw the video. She was incredible.”

Lex was only six years older than Cole, and the two had been close since childhood.

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He had always been a prodigy, effortlessly topping academic rankings and excelling as a racecar driver.

It was, in fact, through racing that he first met Victoria.

Cole admired Victoria deeply, but he knew he wasn’t good enough for her.

Only someone as exceptional as his uncle could be worthy of a goddess like her.

There was no jealousy in him, only a genuine hope that his uncle could win her heart. 1

Unfortunately, Victoria had no shortage of suitors who were just as outstanding as Lex. And she had never shown even the slightest hint of romantic interest in him.

Despite his efforts, Lex held no clear advantage.

Cole frowned slightly and asked, “Didn’t you say you were going to watch Victoria’s race last time? What happened? What could possibly be more important than that?”

Lex’s expression darkened at the question.

“Dad suddenly arranged a blind date for me. It was scheduled on the same day as Victoria’s race. I had no choice but to come up with an excuse to skip it.”

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