?Chapter 1031:


    “Hmph.” Adrian’s tone was edged with cold disdain. “He trusted Wade? How can someone that gullible be worthy of the Miller name?”


    “Why do you hold such a grudge against him?”


    Still absorbed in his book, Adrian responded without looking up. “Long before Molly was born, I said that if I ever had a son, I’d make damn sure he wasn’t spoiled. No son of mine would grow up reckless and entitled.”


    Joelle chuckled, about to tease him about his self-righteous parenting philosophy, when the sudden chime of her phone cut through the room.


    “Hello? Sir, has Molly’s painting arrived already?”


    The director of the academy convened an emergency meeting overnight—all because of Molly’s painting.


    When they unwrapped the kraft paper, silence gripped the room.


    For a long moment, no one spoke. Then, as though breaking from a trance, the director picked up his phone and dialed Joelle.


    “Joelle, are you absolutely certain this is the painting Molly submitted?”


    A flicker of anxiety tightened Joelle’s grip on the receiver. She had watched Molly pack the painting with her own hands. How could there be a mistake?


    “Yes. Why? What’s wrong with it?”


    The director exhaled sharply, as if searching for the right words. “I haven’t done anything to offend Molly, have I?”


    Joelle’s heart stuttered. “Can you take a picture of the painting and send it to me?”


    “Alright.”


    The call ended. Two minutester, Joelle’s phone buzzed with an iing message.


    The painting was unmistakably Molly’s. But defacing the canvas, in bold, blood-red letters, was an ominous curse:


    Cont3nt hozt3d at g??l??ovels.??o??


    “May misfortune befall anyone whoys eyes upon this painting.”


    Molly would never do something so reckless, so self-sabotaging. The malicious handwriting pointed in one clear direction—the woman in the backyard.


    For months, in order to get the opportunity to enter the academy, Molly had poured countless hours into crafting a piece she felt was just right. Now, in one act of sheer malice, Katie had destroyed it all.


    Adrian had been reading, immersed in the crisp rustle of pages, when a sudden noise shattered the quiet. Startled, he turned to see Joelle rise from her chair in a storm of fury.


    “Joelle, what’s wrong?”


    Without answering him, she spun on her heel and strode out of the room.


    Aurora, standing outside, barely had time to steady herself before Joelle yanked the door open. “Mom? What’s going on?”


    Joelle didn’t answer.


    Adrian walked out as well. “Dad, what happened?”


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