Chapter 2A Masterpiece of Revenge

The Grand Era Gallery was closed today.

It was open only for my aunt and cousin.

I led them into the empty exhibition hall.

In the magnificent lobby, only the sound of our footsteps echoed monotonously.

Aunt Clara touched this and looked at that, constantly clicking her tongue in amazement.

"Wow, is this pillar gold? This floor tile is shiny enough to be a mirror!"

Tyler was even worse. He wanted to touch everything he saw. Blocked by glass cases, he slapped them hard with his palms.

Thud, thud. The dull sounds echoed.

The head of security at the door saw me and immediately straightened up, about to approach.

"Miss So..."

I shot him a glance, and he shut his mouth instantly, pretending not to know me and standing far away.

Aunt Clara saw this but completely misinterpreted it.

She thought the security guard was scared off by her presence, and she stood even straighter.

She turned to brag to my mother:

"See? In places for rich people, even the watchdogs know who to respect."

My mother looked worried, tugging secretly at my sleeve.

"Sophie, the things here are too expensive. Don't let them touch anything. We can't afford to pay if they break something."

I patted her hand reassuringly, then deliberately raised my voice.

"Aunt Clara, Tyler, look all you want. Have fun."

Hearing this, Aunt Clara and Tyler's eyes lit up instantly.

"Really? You said it!" Aunt Clara looked skeptical.

"Of course. Why would I lie to you?" I smiled with utmost sincerity.

With my guarantee, they completely let loose.

Aunt Clara pointed at a colorful Tang Dynasty ceramic horse in the center of the hall and insulted my mother.

"Sister-in-law, look at this horse. Doesn't it look like you?"

My mother froze.

"Working like a horse for David your whole life, exhausted, and can't even birth a son. Useless."

The harsh words were like knives, turning my mother's face pale instantly.

Tyler wasn't idle either.

He set his sights on an ivory folding fan in a glass case, carved with exquisite landscapes.

"I want that fan! Mom, I want to take it out and fan myself!"

He whined like a three-year-old.

I walked over slowly, looking regretful.

"Tyler, this case is special bulletproof glass. It's locked."

"Only the curator has the key. I can't open it either."

"Bullshit!" Tyler cursed.

"What crappy cabinet? Watch me kick it open!"

He stepped back, gathered his strength, and kicked the display case hard.

BANG!

The loud noise hurt our eardrums.

The case didn't budge. Tyler clutched his foot, grimacing in pain.

Aunt Clara didn't stop him; instead, she clapped and cheered.

"Good! Kick it hard! My Tyler is so strong, he'll be a big boss for sure!"

"Another kick! Shatter this stupid glass!"

The phone in my pocket vibrated.

It was a message from the monitoring room staff.

[Ms. Sophie, should we call the police?]

I lowered my eyes, tapping the screen lightly to reply.

[Wait.]

Thinking for a moment, I added another sentence.

[The amount isn't high enough yet.]

My mother couldn't stand it anymore and ran over to stop the crazy Tyler.

"Tyler, stop kicking! That's an artifact! You'll go to jail if you break it!"

Seeing this, Aunt Clara rushed forward and shoved my mother hard.

"Get away! You jinx, daring to curse my son with jail?"

Caught off guard, my mother slammed her back against a stone pillar with a muffled groan.

She was in so much pain she couldn't straighten up, tears circling in her eyes.

Aunt Clara wasn't done. She pointed at me as I rushed to help my mother and cursed loudly.

"Losing investment! Just like your heirless mother!"

I ignored her screaming. I took a bottle of water from my bag.

Unscrewing the cap, I handed it to her with a smile.

"Auntie, you must be thirsty after shouting so much."

"Drink some water to soothe your throat so you have the strength to keep playing."

Aunt Clara snatched the water and gulped down half the bottle.

She wiped her mouth and threw the bottle on the floor in disgust.

"What is this trash? Not even as good as tap water."

After walking around the hall, Aunt Clara's thieving eyes started darting around.

She walked to an inconspicuous corner.

While I wasn't looking, she stuffed a Qing Dynasty snuff bottle into her large cloth bag.

All of this was recorded clearly by the surveillance cameras in the corner.

Having stolen something, Aunt Clara grew bolder. She set her sights on me.

Her gaze fell on the bag I was carrying.

"Sophie, what good stuff do you have in there?"

Saying that, she reached out to grab it.

I didn't resist, letting her snatch it away.

Aunt Clara unzipped it and dumped the bag upside down. Everything inside clattered to the floor.

Lipstick, powder compact, tissues, and my work ID and a personal seal.

She picked up the seal, examining it, thinking it was gold or jade.

"Ooh, what's this? Gold?"

Then, she picked up my work ID.

When she read the words on it, she let out a shrill laugh.

"Grand Era Gallery Art Restorer? Sophie, after all that, you just fix junk?"

Tyler also came over and stepped on my lipstick, crushing it.

He saw my phone on the floor and snatched it.

"Unlock it! I want to play games!" he ordered.

I looked at him coldly. "No."

"You wanna die!"

Enraged by my attitude, Tyler smashed my phone hard onto the floor.

The screen shattered.

My mother looked at the fragments on the floor, heartbroken.

"You child! That phone cost over a thousand dollars!"

She tried to pick it up but was shoved away by Tyler.

"Get lost, old hag!"

My mother stumbled, her forehead hitting the sharp corner of a display case.

A trail of blood ran down her temple.

"Mom!" I rushed to support her.

Aunt Clara looked at my mother's bleeding forehead and spat on the ground.

"Deserved it! Heirless woman, this is your karma!"

My mother covered her wound, trembling, tears rolling down.

She grabbed my arm, her voice pleading.

"Sophie, let's go home. Let's go home, please? Mom begs you..."

I held her cold hand tightly, my heart clenching.

I looked at the wound on her forehead, at her despairing eyes, and a wave of fury hit me.

I leaned into her ear, my voice so low only we could hear.

"Mom, endure for five more minutes."

"Just five minutes."

"Today, we take back everything we've suffered in this life, with interest."

My mother froze, looking at me in confusion.

I helped her stand, turned around, and put the docile smile back on my face.

I led the still-shouting Aunt Clara and Tyler into the deepest part of the gallery.

The Supreme Hall.

In the center of the hall, displayed alone, was an ancient painting I had spent countless hours restoring—Spring Mountains.

Aunt Clara looked disdainful.

"Just this ragged painting? Colors are fading. Not even as nice as my wall calendar."

I didn't argue. Instead, I lowered my voice and whispered mysteriously:

"Auntie, Tyler, don't underestimate this painting."

"I heard the curator say there's a secret hidden inside."

Tyler was instantly interested. "What secret?"

I leaned closer, voice even lower.

"There are gold threads in the interlayer of the paper."

"Tear it open, and it's full of gold."

As soon as the words left my mouth, greedy light exploded in Aunt Clara and Tyler's eyes.

"Gold? Are you serious?"

Aunt Clara's voice pitched up, sharp and ear-piercing.

She stared dead at the Spring Mountains.

Tyler pulled a switchblade from his pocket. Click. The blade flashed cold light.

"Who cares if it's real or fake? Cut it open and see!"

He raised the knife and charged at the ancient painting.

"No!" My mother screamed, trying to stop him.

Too late.

RIIIP!

Almost simultaneously, piercing alarms rang through the entire gallery.

Red warning lights flashed wildly, making Aunt Clara and Tyler's faces look ghastly pale.

"What's happening? Why is it ringing?" Aunt Clara was scared out of her wits.

Tyler panicked too, dropping the knife with a clatter.

Just then, Aunt Clara snapped out of it.

She turned and slapped me across the face with all her might.

Smack!

Pain exploded on my cheek, ears ringing.

"Sophie! It was you, you little bitch! You told Tyler to cut it!"

She shrieked at the rushing security guards.

"Come look! This black-hearted girl wants to frame her own cousin!"

Tyler immediately found his scapegoat and pointed at me along with his mother.

"Yeah! It was her! Sophie told me to cut it however I wanted!"

Security guards quickly surrounded us.

Aunt Clara pulled at me, trying to push me forward to take the blame.

"Grab her! She did it! It has nothing to do with us!"

The gallery doors burst open. My father, David, ran in panting, followed by several police officers.

Aunt Clara's eyes lit up. She let go of me and threw herself at my father, pounding his chest and wailing.

"David! Look at the good daughter you raised!"

"What a vicious heart! She wants Tyler to go to jail!"

She cried with tears and snot, her acting impeccable.

"If you don't make her kneel and apologize to my Tyler today, I'll die right here in front of you!"

Saying that, she actually grabbed the knife and held it to her own neck.

My father, honest to a fault, turned pale with fright, his legs going weak.

"Sis, don't be impulsive, let's talk..."

The scene was chaotic to the extreme.

Under everyone's gaze, I took out a second phone.

I pressed play.

Clear video and audio flowed from the phone.

Aunt Clara insulting my mother, Tyler smashing my phone.

Their bandit-like behavior, and finally their false accusations...

Everything was recorded.

The noisy hall fell deathly silent.

The knife at Aunt Clara's neck clattered to the floor.

I walked up to her step by step, watching her trembling body, and spoke clearly, word by word.

"Auntie, I forgot to tell you."

"This Spring Mountains painting is a national treasure."

"Its base valuation is five hundred thousand dollars."

The leading officer walked up to me, expression serious.

"Director Sophie, we came as soon as we got the call."

"Director... Sophie?"

Aunt Clara pointed at me in disbelief, her voice cracking.

"What did you call her? She fixes trash! A working girl!"

I smiled faintly, pointing at the limp Tyler and Aunt Clara, and said to the police:

"Officer, these two are suspected of intentionally damaging precious cultural relics, the amount is exceptionally large."

"Also suspected of theft, and intentional injury."

"Please, handle this with the utmost severity."

Aunt Clara lunged from the ground, pouncing at me to grab the phone.

"You little bitch! Give me the evidence!"

I dodged sideways, and she slammed heavily onto the floor.

In her hand, she was still clutching the stolen snuff bottle.

I looked down at her, my tone icy.

"Cousin really is precious."

"One move of his hand, and it's five hundred grand."