chapter1049

Carson's student were kind of rude though. It was her mentor's birthday, so shouldn't she have shown up right away with a gift? Almost everyone else had already come by to pay their respects, but there was still no sign of her anywhere.

Lucinda was searching for Lydia, too. Everyone had already given their gifts in person. Maybe Lydia caught wind that Carson wasn't accepting new apprentices and now she was too embarrassed to show up, worried that she'd get rejected and make a fool of herself. That had to be it. Lydia always acted like she was above everyone else. If the artist Owen tried to apprentice under Carson and got turned down, everyone would definitely laugh at Lydia for it.

Thinking about this, Lucinda leaned over to Kylie and whispered, "Mom, everyone's almost finished with the birthday greetings. Why haven't Lydia and her friend come over yet? The banquet's about to start."

Kylie nodded. "I was just looking for your sister, too."

"Mom, why don't you give her a call? Maybe she and her friend are in the bathroom together."

"That's very thoughtful of you, Lucinda."

Kylie believed Lucinda was genuinely looking out for Lydia, so she pulled out her phone and gave her a call.

The call connected right away. Kylie's voice softened. "Lydia, where are you and your friend? Everyone's gathering to wish Carson a happy birthday."

Lydia answered, "We're coming over now."

"Alright."

After hanging up, Kylie smiled. "Your sister will be here soon."

Lucinda clenched her jaw, hiding her irritation. She was determined to make sure Lydia was embarrassed in front of everyone.

Carson still hadn't seen Lydia and was about to call her himself when a familiar figure appeared in the doorway. His face lit up with a warm, loving smile.

Lydia, you're finally here. I was just thinking about you."

People in the room turned around, their faces full of surprise.

"Wait, isn't that Miss L?"

"Yeah, it's her! I saw her at the Davis family's charity gala. That's definitely her."

"She's a student at Capital Med School, right? And Kevin's favorite apprentice," another student said, sounding both proud and a little awe.

in

The crowd looked even more stunned. Kevin's last apprentice? That was a big deal.

"That's right," someone added. "She got the top score in the national exams this year."

Lucinda could feel her frustration bubbling over as everyone started whispering, clearly impressed.

Lydia walked up to Carson, her tone respectful. Grandpa Carson, happy birthday. I brought you a gift. I hope you'll like it."

She opened a tube and gently unrolled a painting.

The moment Carson saw it, his eyes went wide and his whole face lit up. "This is amazing! Lydia, you put so much work into this. The pine trees and cranes foo so alive, and your

brushwork is just incredible. O

absolutely love it."

Guests crowded around to get a better look. Admiration filled the room.

"This is some serious talent. If this went to auction, it would sell for a fortune."

"Seriously, I can't believe someone so young can paint like this."

Suddenly, someone noticed the signature in the corner and blurted out, Wait, isn't this an Owen painting?"

Everyone leaned in for a closer look and, sure enough, it was Owen's name at the bottom.

"No wonder it feels so alive,"

someone said. "Owen's paintings are

impossible to get. And the date. It Ok like this was painted in the last

of days That's incredible."

"Yeah, too bad we never get to see Owen in person."

Juna, standing nearby, smiled and said, "Maybe you don't have to look so far. What

if the real Owen is standing right in front of you?"