Leah Evans quickly pulled out her phone and held it in front of Sophia Shaw. "I went to the suburbs last night to see a friend and ended up seeing him hauling bricks. Is the Grant Group doing so poorly that he has to do that to make ends meet?"

Sophia Shaw hadn’t been following the Grant Group’s affairs recently, but with Vincent Grant’s capabilities, there was absolutely no reason for him to be hauling bricks.

Unless he had some other objective.

Sophia Shaw took the phone and watched the video Lily Shaw had filmed.

In the dim light of night, Vincent Grant was hauling a load of bricks up a paved walkway.

He was still dressed in a shirt and slacks.

"I heard from some people nearby that he’s been doing this for three days straight."

Vincent Grant had a distinguished air about him and clearly wasn’t an ordinary man, so of course the locals had noticed.

"I have no idea who the family building the house is, to be able to get a major CEO like him to do this kind of labor."

Sophia Shaw had always known Vincent Grant was adaptable, but even when he was first starting his company, he had never stooped to hauling bricks for someone else.

’Going to such great lengths... what grand scheme is he trying to set in motion?’

"I think I heard his assistant mention he even passed up on two major deals, each worth hundreds of millions, just to haul those bricks. If he has business to attend to, why would he be doing that?"

The more Leah Evans talked, the more confused she became.

Sophia Shaw didn’t want to dwell on Vincent Grant’s business, so she picked up a crystal dumpling and stuffed it into Leah’s mouth.

After breakfast, it was time to go. Sophia Shaw and Levin Sawyer went together to The Crestfall Hotel, where Old Master Sloan was staying.

Old Master Sloan lived year-round at NASA Headquarters in Mador and had only returned to the country for a summit and an exhibition.

Seraphina Vaughn was there to greet them.

She greeted Levin Sawyer as "Senior" but didn’t even glance at Sophia Shaw.

Thinking about seeing her mentor again, Sophia Shaw grew so nervous that her palms began to sweat.

Her legs were trembling as she walked up the stairs.

Levin Sawyer pulled her along, exasperated. "I never thought I’d see the great Sophia Shaw get scared. Relax, the Master doesn’t bite."

Seraphina Vaughn walked ahead quickly, calling out "Dad" once she was upstairs.

Sophia Shaw let Levin Sawyer lead her up. The first thing she saw upon entering the living room was that besides their mentor, there were two other people there.

Vincent Grant and Joanna Sherman were sitting respectfully on the sofa across from Old Master Sloan.

An antique-style box rested on the coffee table between them.

Inside the box, a thin, exquisitely mounted painting was laid open.

"It’s a pleasant surprise that you two remembered my hobby of collecting art. To think you went out of your way to find this original sliver from a work by Old Master Bellamy for me."

Hearing her mentor’s words, Sophia Shaw understood immediately.

Old Master Sloan had long owned a genuine work by Cyril Bellamy, but it was unfortunately a "split painting."

So-called "split paintings" were created when unscrupulous dealers, hoping to make more money, would peel a single painting into two, three, or even more layers to sell separately.

Finding all the original layers was like searching for a needle in a haystack, and the price for each piece was by no means cheap.

At current market prices, even a single layer could sell for over a billion!

Sophia Shaw suddenly realized why Vincent Grant had been hauling bricks. ’It was all to get his hands on this painting!’

’To lower himself like that and then spend a billion to acquire this painting for Old Master Sloan... What is his goal...?’

Sophia Shaw and Levin Sawyer exchanged a glance. They both understood.

’Vincent Grant is still doing all this so Joanna Sherman can become the Master’s apprentice!’

Even though she knew how deep Vincent Grant’s feelings for Joanna Sherman ran, Sophia Shaw couldn’t help but gasp.

Hauling bricks late at night on a high, treacherous path... one misstep and he could have fallen.

’For Joanna Sherman, Vincent Grant wasn’t just willing to spend money—he was willing to risk his life!’

"Master," Levin Sawyer said, walking forward.

"Master," Sophia Shaw echoed.

Feeling ashamed to face him, Sophia Shaw kept her head bowed low.

Even so, she could feel an intense, wavering gaze settle upon the top of her head.

Old Master Sloan grunted in acknowledgment but didn’t invite them to sit, instead gesturing toward an inner room.

Levin Sawyer and Sophia Shaw went inside.

More than ten minutes later, Seraphina Vaughn came to get them.

When Levin Sawyer and Sophia Shaw came out, there was no longer any sign of Vincent Grant or Joanna Sherman in the main room.

The painting, however, was still on the table.

"Master, you’re not really planning to accept Joanna Sherman as your apprentice, are you?" Levin Sawyer asked.

"I’d say she shows more promise than either of you!" Old Master Sloan shot a glance at Sophia Shaw. "Are you just here to be a mute?"

Sophia Shaw quickly handed him the item in her hands. "I’ve completed the task you assigned me."

Old Master Sloan took it, stood up, and went back into the inner room.

Sophia Shaw stared at the closed door, her heart pounding with anxiety.

She was terrified that her work wouldn’t be up to her mentor’s standards.

After waiting for over two hours, Old Master Sloan finally reemerged.

He tossed a notebook at her. "Do it again!"

Sophia Shaw caught it and saw that the pages were covered in notes made with a red pen.

"Once you’ve revised it, come back and sign the contract!"

’He approved her proposal!’

Even Levin Sawyer couldn’t help but look at Sophia Shaw with renewed admiration.

No one besides her could impress Old Master Sloan so easily.

His standards were absurdly high.

Old Master Sloan had mentored countless people in his lifetime, yet only Sophia Shaw seemed to be on his wavelength.

In the past, everyone used to say it was as if Sophia Shaw had been born to be Old Master Sloan’s protégée.

After so many years, to have her mentor’s approval once again, Sophia Shaw herself was thrilled beyond words.

"Yes, Master."

Old Master Sloan snorted. "Don’t get too excited. If the revisions aren’t good enough, I still won’t let you sign!"

"Hmph. You’ve regressed."

Even though her mentor scolded her for regressing, Sophia Shaw was still overjoyed.

At least it proved he wasn’t angry with her anymore and was willing to speak to her.

Sophia Shaw wanted to stay and talk with him longer, but Old Master Sloan pointed to the box. "Take this back to President Grant when you leave!"

Then he turned and went back to his room.

"Looks like Joanna Sherman still didn’t make the cut with the Master."

Levin Sawyer wasn’t one to put others down, but he simply couldn’t bring himself to like Joanna Sherman.

Sophia Shaw just hummed in response, engrossed in flipping through Old Master Sloan’s annotations.

Seeing her like this, Levin Sawyer knew she was once again lost in her work; she hadn’t heard a word he’d said.

Long accustomed to Sophia Shaw’s tendency to slip into work mode at a moment’s notice, he picked up the box for her.

On the drive back, he deliberately drove slowly and smoothly.

Sophia Shaw spent another two busy days finishing her revisions to the proposal. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

「The weekend arrived.」

Sophia Shaw didn’t want to bother her mentor on a weekend, and as it happened, Cedric Grant was home.

She bought some groceries and went to Cedric Grant’s home in Meridian.

"Something smells amazing."

Cedric Grant smelled the wonderful aroma the moment he walked in the door after playing ball.

"Go wash your hands. It’s time to eat," Sophia Shaw said, taking the ball from his hands and setting it aside.

Seeing Sophia Shaw, Cedric Grant looked a little awkward, but he still quickly washed his hands and sat down at the table.

The table was filled with his favorite dishes. The familiar flavors made his mouth water.

’Mom’s cooking is still the best.’

Cedric Grant had actually been missing the taste of Sophia Shaw’s cooking for a long time, but he felt too awkward to say anything after having thrown out the food she made last time.

"Mom, I’m sorry."

"I shouldn’t have lost my temper with you last time."

Cedric Grant said quietly.

He was too embarrassed to tell Sophia Shaw that he had only said those things because he was jealous of the other child.

’Mom used to only have eyes for me.’

’But now she puts all her energy into that child.’

’She doesn’t care about me nearly as much as she used to.’

Sophia Shaw hummed softly and stroked his head.

Cedric Grant savored the affection, leaning his head against her chest.

"Mom, I’ll read some English for you."

Sophia Shaw had been the one to first teach Cedric Grant English, and the two of them used to love sitting together and reading English picture books.

"Okay."

Cedric Grant picked up a picture book and began to read earnestly.

Sophia Shaw held him close, occasionally correcting his pronunciation.

Cedric Grant read more than ten books in a row.

Whenever he mispronounced a word, he would practice it over and over on his own initiative.

In the past, Cedric Grant had mostly listened to her read; he was rarely this proactive and enthusiastic.

Sophia Shaw was quite pleased to see the change.

"Mom, you’re not leaving today, are you?" Cedric Grant asked after he finished reading.

Sophia Shaw glanced at the clock. It was already three.

’If possible, she hoped to give the painting to Vincent Grant in person.’

"Where’s your father?"