Ch. 811..815
Chapter 811
It was then someone from the Art Academy typed a new message.
“We've been tagging her for two hours now. Even a blind man can see it. | think she’s avoiding us.”
“Maybe she’s scared and embarrassed to admit it.” Christopher had enough of the criticism and decided to step up. “Enough. Stop this at once.”
However, his warning did not deter them as it only fueled their frustration more.
“Mr. President, her work represents the face of the academy. If this gets out, it'll embarrass the whole organization. You sided with her too much.”
“| know how much you liked her before but now, she’s a piece of garbage.”
“You want us to stop because we’re saying the wrong thing? No, it’s the truth. If you want to stop us from talking about this, we'll leave the academy.”
“Yeah, we'll leave.”
The situation slowly snowballed out of control and many of them threatened to leave the academy. Sylvia decided to type a reply with her shivering hands.
“| painted it.”
The chat group went silent for a few seconds before more criticism came.
“Ms. Ross admitted it.” “What happened to you, Ms. Ross? How could you paint this in a live demonstration? Have you run out of inspiration?”
“Even if she’s out of inspiration, it shouldn’t be this bad either. | believe Ms. Ross’ previous paintings are all painted by someone else.” “My, my, it’s possible.”
“Okay, Ms. Ross. Now that you’ve embarrassed everyone in the art industry and ruined the reputation of the Art Academy, what are you going to do about it?” Sylvia frowned. “I'll leave the academy.”
She quit the chat group right after she tapped the “Send” button. She then continued to quit other art-related chat groups one after another. Soon, everything returned to peace but she was also shivering in fear.
She no longer wanted to see any of the criticism or be
related to anyone from the art industry. She tossed her phone aside and buried her face in her pillow.
The room plunged into silence.
Her head kept replaying the harsh comments she
received and the painting that she did.
She was nothing but a piece of garbage who could not paint.
Tears rolled down her cheeks. She covered her face with her hands and wept silently until she felt a sting in her belly.
The baby in her stomach kicked her. Sylvia’s expression changed and she immediately stoked her belly to comfort the little guy. “I'm sorry my baby. Did | make you uncomfortable?” 1
She then laid straight on the bed to release the pressure and tension from her belly.
However, the little guy kicked her again.
Was it because the baby knew she was sad?
Sylvia wiped her tears away and took a deep breath. She said softly, “Okay, okay, I'll stop crying. Please don’t kick me anymore.” As soon as her words subsided, the baby stopped moving.
Sylvia was amused by the reaction and she could not help
but chuckle.
Her terrible mood got better.
She got out of bed and washed her face with warm water before she sat down in front of the ceiling-to-floor window to stare at the sky.
The warm sun shed its warmth on her, warming not only her body but also her mood.
The sun washed away the terrible criticism and the painting away from her mind. She shut her eyes to rest and put her hands on her belly softly.
She sat there until the sun set and the sky turned dark. She only got up when her stomach started growling.
Chapter 812
There were only some instant noodles in the kitchen.
After a quick search and finding nothing in the refrigerator , she decided to go out to have some freshly cooked food.
She walked along the street and stood at a commercial street filled with stalls and restaurants.
She went inside the restaurant where she was a regular. The dishes served matched her palate, hence her fondness for it. She sat by the window. She placed her order and the food was served after a while.
Eating hot food warmed her body and she enjoyed the meal a lot.
Halfway through dinner, several familiar figures came in.
Sylvia frowned.
The men and women seemed to be from the Art Academy. She met them once or twice during events but since she usually spent time with Christopher and Simon, she was not close with them.
Some of them were the ones who scolded her in the group chat earlier.
It was then they turned around and spotted her. Sylvia nervously looked down and continued eating, feigning ignorance. To her surprise, a few of them came over and surrounded her with scornful remarks.
“Yo, look at this. Isn’t that Ms. Ross?”
“Ms. Ross, why didn’t you say hi?”
“| know you were great before but even if you've fallen from the spotlight, you can at least say hi.”
“We're not qualified to even pour you tea before but now, | think we’re better than a piece of garbage.” The spoon fell off Sylvia’s hand. She lost her appetite. She grabbed her bag and bolted up but the few of them surrounded her and refused to let her leave.
They wanted to mock her and make fun of her more.
Sylvia’s face gradually turned pale. Her hands holding her bag started to shake, but she managed to muster her words and said, “I'm no longer a member of the academy. Please leave me alone.” Two of them grinned and stepped aside and made way for her to leave.
To her surprise, they went after her and even started taking videos of her.
“Hurry up and take this!” “Yeah, everyone wants to see what she’s doing right
now.
Sylvia had chills run down her spine. She hastened her steps and headed to the exit but before she could leave, two waiters stopped her.
“Madam, you haven't paid for your food.” Those who gloated at her scornfully said, “Oh my, are you trying to dine and dash?” “No way! Did you get that on video? | want everyone to see that the once famous Sunflower is having a dine and dash!”
They excitedly took videos of Sylvia. Sylvia looked down and anxiously stuffed some cash into the waiter before she ran out. It was freezing outside and she only realized she left her scarf inside the restaurant. She dared not go back inside, so she braced herself for the cold and went away.
Chapter 813
Just when she was about to cross the street, a white MPV drove toward her and blinded her with the headlights. Sylvia froze and suddenly slipped, falling on her bum.
The white car screeched to a stop in front of her.
Sylvia tried to catch a breath but then an elegant woman came down from the car.
The woman wore a delicate dress and had a thick shawl around her shoulders. The driver also came down and walked her closer to Sylvia. The lady then peered down at Sylvia scornfully.
Sylvia finally got a clear look at the lady and it shocked her. “Madam Springsteen?” Madam Springsteen grinned at her. “How’s your day been?”
Sylvia’s face turned pale. She immediately thought of the criticism she received from the group chat and ran into a few of them in the restaurant.
She shivered under the freezing wind. As she clutched her hands, she asked, “It was you who released the painting?” “It was one of my men,” Madam Springsteen said with a grin, “I want everyone to know how bad the famous Sunflower’s work is and | want to use it to teach you a lesson.”
“Those at the restaurant... It was you as well?” Sylvia asked.
“Yes, it was me.” Madam Springsteen lifted her chin and wore an arrogant expression. “I want to ruin your reputation in the art industry and condemn you to hell.”
Sylvia clenched her teeth angrily. “Why? What did | do?”
“Why? Stop acting like a fool in front of me,” Madam Springsteen grunted. “Go look into the mirror! Other than your pretty face, you're nothing compared to my Lily. You have no talents , no skills, and no connection. You're not even worthy to be Lily’s slave and yet you try to seduce her fiancé?”
Sylvia finally understood what happened.
It all happened because Lily caught Odell kissing her in the morning. However, it was Odell who kissed her. She never thought of seducing him or ruining their relationship.
Unfortunately, the kiss was real and if she insisted that it was Odell who forced himself onto her, Madam Springsteen would never believe her, and it would exacerbate things.
She lowered her head in silence.
Madam Springsteen scoffed. “This is a little lesson for you. If you want to continue living in Westchester City, know your place. Don’t even go to Carter Residence anymore and don’t even think about snatching Lily's man, or I'll make you suffer!”
Madam Springsteen then returned to her car.
The car then drove past Sylvia, leaving her in the cold.
Sylvia sat on the ground for a while despite the freezing wind assaulting her.
Meanwhile, in the white MPV that drove off, Madam Springsteen grinned as she looked at Lily beside her. “I thought she’s a tough one but that’s it. | gave her a little lesson and she’s terrified already. She’s not a graceful woman.”
Madam Springsteen gloated at Sylvia’s wretched look, especially when she ran out of the restaurant in a hurry and fell to the ground. Lily looked into the rear mirror and saw Sylvia sitting on the ground. Upon hearing her grandmother's words, she grinned.“ That’s all she got?”
Lily thought she was tactful in seducing men and yet she was defeated with the slightest effort. It seemed like she was not the audacious woman Lily thought she was.
Sylvia could not remember how she got home. Maybe it was when she felt warmth on her cold body. She slowly regained her composure and saw her hands covered in several bloody scars.
She frowned. She quickly washed her hands and put some band-aids over the injuries.
As she slowly gathered her thoughts, she returned to her room and picked up her phone. She originally planned to stop going to Carter Residence tomorrow and now with Madam Springsteen onto her, it only strengthened her thought.
However, she had to tell her kids about it.
Chapter 814
After she adjusted her thoughts, she switched on her phone.
She saw several missed call notifications from Isabel and Liam.
They even sent her a voice message shortly after that. Sylvia tapped on it and heard Isabel’s adorable voice speaking to her. 1 “Mommy, why is your phone off? Are you going to leave me and Liam again?”
She sounded sad.
Sylvia furrowed her brows and tapped on the second voice message.
“Mommy, if you don’t call us back in an hour, we'll go to the police,” Liam said.
Sylvia immediately checked the time she received the message. It was exactly an hour ago.
She called them immediately and the call got through in less than a second.
Isabel bawled, “Mommy! Where have you been? Why did you turn off your phone?”
Sylvia explained softly, “My phone’s battery died, and | fell asleep. | just woke up and saw you guys texting me.”
“Oh...” The little girl sighed a breath of relief. She continued , “Mommy, why didn’t you come over in the afternoon? Is it because of Big Baddie?”
Sylva frowned. “No, | have to leave because something happened.” “Really?” “Yeah, Honey.” The girl hummed a reply and stopped with the question.
Since she called to inform the two of them that she would not be going over starting tomorrow, she asked, “Isabel, is Liam beside you?”
“Yeah, he’s here,” the girl said.
“Mommy has something to tell you. Mommy’s belly isn’t feeling well lately and | plan to stay at home to rest for a few days. | can’t go over to your place for now. I'll visit again after New Year. Is that okay?”
Odell would be returning to work after New Year, so it would be safer for her to visit the kids then.
The girl asked, “Mommy's stomach isn’t feeling well? Are you sick?” “No, it’s normal during pregnancy. The doctor also
suggested that | stay put for a while,” Sylvia said. “Oh, okay. Mommy, take some rest.” The girl sounded disappointed. Sylvia pursed her lips and then asked, “Liam, are you there?” “I'm here,” the boy said.
“| won't be going over starting tomorrow. Be sure to listen to your Daddy and take care of your sister during the holidays, please?”
“Okay.” The boy’s adorable voice sounded assuring.
Sylvia felt relieved. She then said, “If you two miss Mommy, you can just give me a call.” Isabel said, “Okay, but you cannot switch off your phone anymore!”
Sylvia giggled. “Okay, | got it.” They chatted for a while before Sylvia ended the call.
The terrible mood faded a little. She put the phone down and headed to the bathroom.
Meanwhile, in Isabel and Liam’s room at the Carter Residence, the girl started to feel sleepy after the call. “Liam, | want to sleep on you,” she said as she rubbed her eyes.
Liam straightened his legs and let his sister lie down on his thighs.
The girl shut her eyes and the body continued reading a book.
The room became quiet after a while. The man who was standing outside the room finally left after a while. He strode down the stairs and out of the living room before he got into his black sports car.
The gate opened up and the car drove out into the dark. His long arms held the steering wheel tightly as his frosty eyes were glued to the road. His head was replaying what he heard in his children’s room.
She decided not to come starting tomorrow?
He just kissed her once and she decided not to come? She did not even want to accompany the kids? How badly did she want to avoid him?
Vroom!
He stepped on the acceleration pedal.
Chapter 815
The black sports car sprinted like the wind in the night and soon arrived at Sylvia's place. The car stopped in front of the gate. Odell wound down the window and shot a deep gaze at her house.
The lights on the second floor were still on.
It was almost 10:00 p.m. and being a pregnant woman, why was she still awake? She no longer painted or sculpted. What was she doing up?
Was she thinking about the man who abandoned her?
His eyes turned frosty and he decided to call her.
The dial tone went on for a while before she picked up.
“Odell? What is it?” she asked in a small voice.
Her voice sounded rough, seemingly awoken from her sleep.
The frosty look on his face eased up a little. He asked, “ What are you doing?” “I'm sleeping.”
“Are you sure?”
“lm sure...”
What else could she be doing if not sleeping? Dreaming with her eyes closed?
“Then why are your lights on?” “I forgot to switch them off.” A second of silence later, she asked out of curiosity, “How did you know my lights are on? Are you outside?” “No. I’m taking a wild guess,” he lied without even blinking.
“Then what is this about?”
“| heard you're not coming over starting tomorrow. What's wrong?” “Yeah, my belly is acting up. | want to rest at home for a few days.” “Why didn’t you go to the hospital?”
Asecond of hesitation later, she said, “I did and the doctor suggested that | stay at home for a few days, and don’t move around too much.”
“It's not because of something else?”
A few more seconds of hesitation later, she said, “No.”
Odell stared at her room and his expression turned grim.
If it was the truth, she would not have hesitated! She
must be lying! “Is there something else?” she asked softly after a few seconds.
He pursed his lips coldly and hung up the phone.
The black sports car then drove away.
Back in Sylvia's room, she had been standing by the window when she received the call and through the seam, she saw the black sports car drive off and disappear into the junction. The car sprinted off quickly like the wind. Sylvia’s anxiety rose.
Why would Odell be in front of her house?
Had he found out about Madam Springsteen? No, it should not be. Madam Springsteen would never have let him know what she did.
He must have overheard the kids and learned that she would not be coming starting tomorrow, hence the late night visit and the strange call. Some careful thought later, she texted him.
“It's late now. Drive slowly.” She knew he always drove fast and she was worried that something might happen to him. Inside the sprinting sports car, the phone buzzed and the screen lit up.
The man had a glance and saw the text from her. He slowed down and picked his phone up for a glance. His gloomy expression brightened up a bit. Why would she text him about his safety? Was she worried?
It was then a blinding light shone from the side and when he turned around, a huge truck already filled his sight.