Chapter 6 The July Art Show Was a Failure to Hold

Granite: [Congratulations on rising from the ashes!]

Laura looked at the message and replied with a smile: [Thanks.]

After closing her laptop, Laura got a call from Lena.

"Oh my god! Ella has completely lost it — she actually agreed to pay double to hire you as her ghost painter!"

Laura gave a cool smile. "That's what happens when you back a b*tch into a corner."

"She's paying a lot, but Laura, are you actually going to do it?"

"I will, just not in the way she thinks." A sly look crossed Laura's eyes. "I'll send you the painting in a bit. Have someone pass it to Ella, then come with me to the July Art Show. You'll want to see what happens."

Lena had no idea what Laura was planning, but she trusted her without question.

The July Art Show came around quickly. Laura and Lena walked in arm in arm.

Laura had built up quite a following for Ella through her ghost painting work, and with the Garcia family's backing, the announcement of the July Art Show had already caused a stir. The place was packed, and everyone was singing Ella's praises.

Laura stopped in front of one of the paintings and murmured, as if genuinely puzzled: "Weird — why does Ella's painting have a 'K' mark on it?"

"Where?" Lena leaned in, curious.

Laura pointed to the bottom right corner. "Right there. That's the signature mark of Lora, the legendary artist who just came back. Don't tell me Ella is actually..."

The conversation drew people in, and soon everyone was looking at the paintings. Sure enough, every single one had a 'K' mark in the bottom right corner.

"No way! The artist I've been following this whole time is actually Lora? Ella is unreal!"

"Now that you mention it, Ella's style and Lora's style really are identical!"

"I can't believe I've been following the real deal this whole time! I'm getting Ella's autograph before I leave!"

Ella had no idea what was going on. The moment she appeared, the crowd surrounded her calling out "Lora." She looked over at Laura.

Laura smiled and offered a helpful explanation. "I noticed the K mark on all your pieces just now, so I went ahead and let your fans know."

"Don't thank me — they're the ones who figured out you were Lora."

Lora.

A flicker of alarm crossed Ella's eyes. Lora was a legendary figure who had amassed a massive following from just a handful of sketches, then disappeared for three years — and still had hundreds of thousands of loyal fans waiting.

There was no way she could be Lora.

"I really appreciate everyone's support, but I'm not..."

Before Ella could finish, the fans cut in.

"Come on, you don't have to hide it. Both you and Lora have the K mark. How could you not be her?"

"If Ella isn't Lora," Lena added at just the right moment, "then I guess someone just copied Lora's signature on purpose."

She finished the line with a little lift of her chin toward Laura.

Laura quietly gave her a thumbs up.

The fans went quiet for a second — then their expressions darkened.

If Ella wasn't Lora, copying the mark was really the only other explanation.

Seeing the shift, Ella laughed it off awkwardly. "I just didn't expect everyone to be so sharp. You recognized me from just a few paintings. I was trying to keep a low profile and let the show speak for itself."

The fans erupted. They swarmed Ella immediately, asking for autographs and photos.

Liam watched the scene unfold and said to Laura with unmistakable pride: "See how far ahead of you Ella is? She's putting on her own solo show at her age, and she's already a big name online."

"Meanwhile, you put Mom in the hospital and feel zero remorse. Growing up in an orphanage really shows."

"She really is impressive," Laura said flatly. "You'd have to be, to get people to happily hand over a million dollars to hire her a ghost painter."

Liam's brow furrowed. "How do you know about that? Don't tell me the ghost painter was..."

Laura ignored him and pulled out her phone, logged into Lora's account, and posted the latest work.

Liam didn't know what she'd done, but instinct told him it was bad for Ella. "I'm telling you right now — what's yours is Ella's. You took the money. Those pieces belong to her!"

The words had barely left his mouth when a gasp rippled through the crowd.

"Lora just posted new work — but Ella, weren't you just taking photos with us? When did you have time to post anything?"

"This new piece is in a similar style to Ella's, but the technique and the depth... it's on a completely different level."

"Ella, what is going on? You said you were Lora. So why is the work you brought to this show so much weaker than what Lora just posted?"

Ella had no answer. Her eyes went red.

Liam was beside himself. He pulled Ella close and signaled the bodyguards to push back the crowd.

What neither of them knew was that a fan had been live-streaming from the moment they walked into the July Art Show. Everything had gone out live.

The internet caught fire instantly.

#July Art Show Disaster

#Ella And Lora — What's the connection?

#Copying a legend: artistic fraud or just straight-up greed?

With the show over, Laura turned to leave with Lena.

Liam stepped in front of her. "That was you pulling strings, wasn't it. How did you get Lora to help you set Ella up? We're family. A little rivalry between you two is one thing — but you've blown this up on purpose. Are you trying to destroy her?"

Ella tugged gently at Liam's sleeve, her voice soft. "Liam, I know Laura is still upset about the thing with Joseph. That's why she wants to hurt me. But I promise, nothing happened between us."

"Shh, it's okay. I know none of that was your fault." Liam soothed Ella, then turned back to Laura with a hard look. "Over a guy? Really? Ella already said she'd step aside and give Joseph back to you. What more do you want?"

"Here's what you're going to do. Contact Lora and have her put out a statement saying Ella didn't copy her, and that the K mark was just a coincidence."

Laura shrugged. "You're so capable — go find her yourself."

"Laura, you think you're untouchable now, don't you!" Liam rolled up his sleeve, looking ready to swing.

Lena stepped directly in front of Laura. "There are cameras everywhere. You really want to do this?"

"Liam, please stop. Don't fight with Laura because of me. I really can't stand seeing this." Ella stepped forward, playing peacemaker.