Half-Hearted: Mr. Sinclair, Stop the Act!-Chapter 192: Schemes and Intrigue

After explaining the matter, Sienna Monroe searched for Audrey’s phone number in her contacts and dialed it.

"Audrey, where are you?"

Audrey, hearing her serious tone, paused for a moment and quickly asked, "At home, what’s wrong? Is it Mr. Monroe..."

"No, my dad’s fine, currently recovering well."

As she spoke, Sienna’s tone grew increasingly grave, "There’s something I want to discuss with you, I’ll come find you now."

"Alright, come on over."

Audrey didn’t quite understand, but knowing it wasn’t about Leo Monroe, she felt slightly relieved and responded softly.

She lived in the Lake Arden Villas southeast of Southcroft, this area is considered suburban, almost an hour’s drive from the city center.

But it offered a good environment, quiet and not overly commercialized.

When Sienna arrived, Audrey was painting in her studio.

Her studio was large, like a warehouse, filled with various abstract and watercolor paintings.

The painting she was working on was two meters long and just over a meter high.

It was a vividly colorful, surreal painting.

Though it seemed to lack focus, you could sense a loneliness pouring out from it.

This visual impression was both striking and concrete.

Hearing footsteps, Audrey looked back, a smile blossomed on her bright and enchanting face, "You’re here."

She wore an apron covered in paint, her waterfall-like black hair casually pinned up with a claw clip.

The usual aggressive allure was somewhat absent, replaced by a rare sense of laziness and contentment.

Yet her carefree and relaxed demeanor remained unchanged.

Sienna walked up to her, first asking a few questions about whether she had eaten and such.

After carefully examining the entire painting, she asked again, "What’s the name of this painting?"

"Haven’t thought of one yet," Audrey pondered for a moment, shrugging her shoulders, "Why don’t you help me name it?"

Well...

Sienna thought seriously for a moment, "I can’t think of one, but it strongly conveys a sense of loneliness. Like a person without any ties, yet feeling out of place in the world."

The painting clearly did not depict any human figures.

In the past, her mother Leah Hughes had commented on Audrey’s paintings.

Saying they were like story novels, with a Big Ending and a sense of solitude.

Her paintings could make you distinctly feel what the artist was thinking while painting or what kind of mood she wanted to convey.

Hearing this, Audrey nodded, smiled a little, and casually said, "Let’s just call it ’Monologue,’ simple and pleasing."

Sienna couldn’t help but chuckle.

"Sis, your way of naming things is getting more and more casual and brash."

Audrey shrugged, spreading her paint-covered hands, helplessly looking at her, "No choice, I’m bad at naming. Coming up with names for all my works is really hard for me."

After some casual chit-chat, Sienna didn’t delay any longer and brought up the issues about "Quantum Rose’s Sigh" and "Crimson Paradox."

Audrey widened her eyes in disbelief, then seriously asked, "Plagiarism? Me? It’s already been reported?"

Hearing this, Sienna opened her mouth.

She certainly couldn’t say it was a message telling her about future events, right?

That wouldn’t make sense.

Nor could she mention it.

After a moment of silence, she spoke, "I’ve managed to suppress the news for now, but it’s only temporary, we need to come up with a strategy soon.

I definitely believe in you. But the day after tomorrow is the closing ceremony, if this report comes out, it would be incredibly disadvantageous to you, and would directly impact the ceremony."

Audrey furrowed her brows, showing a serious expression, and finally, let out a heavy sigh.

"I got it. If that’s the case, I’ll make a trip to Xylos this afternoon, other solutions are too troublesome, compared to thinking, I feel using my limbs might be simpler."

"Hmm? Xylos?"

Sienna was a bit confused.

"Yes, my mentor is there."

Audrey nodded, her tone calm, "’Quantum Rose’s Sigh’ was actually completed under my mentor’s guidance, and she also came up with the name."

Sienna was shocked, "Wha... what? Indigo Quill is your mentor?"

This, she had no idea about at all.

Audrey smiled wryly, "It was actually a coincidence, during that time, I wasn’t very inspired, so I went to Xylos for some exposure, and happened to meet her, she’s a bit eccentric,

Later, after seeing my painting ’Sea of Entropy,’ she thought I was promising and wanted to take me as her last student. She’s always been very low-key,

when I later went to Elysia, it was through her connections that I quickly became a member of the Elysian Art Association, and indeed, I benefited greatly from it.

All these years, she and I only communicated via phone calls, frankly, I should have visited her for the New Year, but I was too worried about Mr. Monroe."

So that’s how it was.

Sienna slowly restrained her facial expression.

If that’s the case...

Then it makes things a lot simpler.

She breathed a sigh of relief, "If Mentor ’Indigo Quill’ can step in, that plagiarism scandal will fall apart."

Audrey lowered her gaze with a slight chuckle, "The joint exhibition has been going on for so long, yet this plagiarism scandal breaks out just before the closing ceremony.

Monroe, don’t you think that... someone is targeting me? Trying to trip me up."

Sienna nodded, meeting her gaze, hesitantly saying, "It’s also possible they’re targeting Serena Art Museum. The gallery and you are inseparable,

no matter who they’re targeting, we can’t let their plan succeed."

Audrey sighed again, "It’s been... so many years since I last played these intrigue games."

Sienna chuckled.

Intrigue?

It seemed like she had used up her 27 years’ worth of intrigue skills in just a few months.

Dealing with June Ewing, Caleb Sinclair, Vivian Nash.

Even now, it felt like there was no time to rest.

Claire Grant.

She still hadn’t fully figured out Claire Grant’s stance.