Chapter 75

Half a year after “Eve’s Tear” was auctioned off, Gavin Bailey organized a new exhibition, and that piece happened to be on display. The event was held in North City, and of course, James was on the guest list. When he spotted “Eve’s Tear,” he did a double take, thinking he saw it wrong. He quickly had Cody look into it and learned that the piece had indeed been auctioned in Seryndal Since the designer was unknown, only after the auction did someone dig up the listing online. The artist was credited as AA — Maria’s alias. James had directly asked Gavin about it, but Gavin insisted it belonged to him and wasn’t for sale. James figured Maria had sold it out of total disappointment in him, and all he felt now was regret and shame—he didn’t even have the nerve to ask about buying it again. Later, due to the company’s strategic shift, the Bennett Group decided to collaborate with Four. That’s how James ended up stepping back into the Four boutique. Noticing Maria zoning out, he frowned. “Wh