Chapter 776 Mastery in Painting
The first ten minutes passed with Elliot confidently putting brush to canvas, while I sat there, completely still, deep in thought.
To the crowd, it probably looked like I was just staring at a blank sheet of
paper.
Whispers started rippling through the room. “Seriously? It’s been ten minutes and she still hasn’t started? What is she even doing?”
There was a partition between Elliot and me, so neither of us could see the other’s work or process.
I had no idea what Elliot’s painting looked like. But once I had the image clearly in my mind, I finally began to paint.
“Hey, Rosaline’s finally started!” someone called out, drawing even more eyes to my side.
Normally, painting is a pretty personal thing–having people crowd around and watch can really throw off your rhythm. But this was a live competition, so privacy wasn’t an option.
Let them watch. It wasn’t like I hadn’t painted in front of crowds before.
I hadn’t delayed to be mysterious; I’d just been mapping it all out in my head. If I was going to do this, it had to be flawless.
Before I knew it, an hour had flown by. I was still lost in the process when I finally finished with just seconds left on the clock. Elliot had already wrapped up a while earlier. We both set down our brushes and revealed our work at the same time.
“There’s a box between the two paintings,” the supervising werewolf instructor explained. “Everyone has two tokens–one red, one blue. If you prefer Elliot’s painting on the left, drop in the red token. If you prefer Rosaline’s on the right, drop in the blue.”
The moment he finished, people rushed up to vote. The first two tokens landed in Elliot’s box, and he couldn’t hide the smug smile creeping across her face.
But after that, every single vote went to me.
Elliot stood frozen, completely stunned.
“No way. I don’t accept this!” he shouted. “Let someone else go against her! There’s no way a rookie beat me -she had to have cheated!”
He was losing it, completely unwilling to accept the outcome. Then he turned and called out, “Evelyn, your turn!”
The crowd fell silent, visibly surprised. Juliet immediately grabbed my arm.
I knew exactly who Evelyn was–and yeah, I was surprised too.
She was the daughter of the Art Association’s president, a high–ranking heiress of the prestigious Brightfang Pack. She’d been winning international art awards since she was ten. She was beloved in the art world and practically royalty in it.
Evelyn had been standing quietly at the back. But now, hearing Elliot call her out, she stepped forward.
aming!
Elliot hurried to meet her and asked eagerly, “So, what did you think of that little contest?”
“It was… interesting,” Evelyn said, her tone calm.
+8 Pearls
“Everyone says your talent’s unmatched, and your work is incredible. Would you be willing to go up against Rosaline next? I think it’d be an amazing match.”
Evelyn turned to look at her. “A match? Sure. I’ve actually been keeping an eye on Rosaline for a while.
Elliot lit up as soon as Evelyn agreed and turned to the crowd. “Well, it’s not my decision anymore. Rosaline, would you care to compete again? I’d love to sit back and just enjoy this one as a spectator.”
I didn’t say anything at first, but Evelyn looked at me with a respectful expression and said, “Hi, Rosaline. I’m Evelyn.”
“Nice to meet you.” I smiled politely. “You want to compete?”
She nodded.
Honestly, I admired Evelyn. She’d been famous for years, and now she was being this respectful and genuine–I didn’t have the heart to turn her down.
“Alright. Just give me 30 minutes to rest. I’m a little wiped out.”
Elliot opened his mouth to object, but Evelyn shot him a sharp look, and he shut up real quick.
Thirty minutes later, I was recharged and ready. We both began setting up.
The other artists, clearly loving the drama, started tossing out theme ideas.
“Well, we did rain last time,” one of them said. “How about snow for this one? And let’s extend the time to 90 minutes. What do you think, Ms. Hudson?”
Evelyn didn’t answer right away. She looked at me instead.
I gave a slight nod, and only then did she reply,/Sure.”
This time, I didn’t hesitate. The theme was perfect for me. I loved it–and the concept came to me instantly.
Just like before, there was a partition between us so we wouldn’t be distracted.
Compared to the first round, I felt way more comfortable now. I’d already gotten used to this setup. As the Alpha of the Shadow Pack, adaptability was kind of my thing.
Elliot, meanwhile, stood off to the side/ trying to sneak peeks at what I was doing. Time ticked by.
This time, I finished first–with five minutes still left on the clock.
Just as I was putting my brush down, Evelyn finished hers too.
Because of Evelyn’s status, an even bigger crowd had gathered for this round. When we displayed our pieces, the murmurs kicked off instantly.
“Same rules as before,” the moderator reminded them. “Blue token for Rosaline, red token for Ms. Hudson.
I was getting tired. After spending three to four hours doing two full paintings–not to mention barely
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Chapter 776 Mastery in Painting
sleeping the night before–my body was starting to crash.
If the instructor hadn’t been announcing the results, I probably would’ve dozed off right there.
“It’s a tie. Ms. Hudson and Rosaline received the same number of votes.”
48 Pearls
“Well.” Someone scoffed. “Looked like Rosaline was riding high after that first win. Guess she’s not all that after all.”
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