As they entered the gallery, directly in front of them was a white wall, serving as both a partition and a screen, presenting the facade of the entire exhibition and attracting the attention of passersby.
And hanging there was the familiar painting titled "City Night Shadow."
A few custors gathered near the entrance, curiously examining the space. Since this was a regular gallery and not a museum, there was no glass barrier, allowing visitors to admire the artwork up close and in detail—
Which is exactly what people were doing.
One after another, they leaned in as if inspecting the paint and canvas with magnifying glasses, then quietly exchanged opinions amongst themselves.
Anne Hathaway wasn't entirely sure, but she had a vague feeling that this might be Michael's work. However, the scene before her raised so doubts.
"Michael...?"
Anne called out softly.
Michael was completely stunned, staring at the painting in front of him, unable to speak.
Thomas stepped forward, glanced at the description in the lower right corner, then turned to Anne and nodded, "Sebastian Orsino. Yes, it's him—clearly a pseudonym."
Shakespeare was a literary giant particularly adored by the Hathaway family. Anne Hathaway, after all, was nad after Shakespeare's wife—
Anne Hathaway. The exact sa na.
So it wasn't surprising that Michael used characters from Shakespeare's works as pseudonyms.
Michael explained, "That's because Anne is no longer an ordinary person. I don't want people to judge differently because of my surna."
Thomas muttered under his breath, "It's not like Anne is famous enough for that to matter."
Michael ignored Thomas and added, "But... it wasn't supposed to be here."
Anne asked, "What do you an?"
Michael looked around, "It was originally supposed to be in the second part of the exhibition, as part of the second phase, displayed further inside. So why is it here?"
Clearly, there was no explanation for this, and Michael had many questions.
Thomas, however, noticed sothing else. "A red dot. It looks like the painting has been sold. Who knows? Maybe it's the only one they sold, so they're putting it on display. Let take a closer look…"
Thomas squeezed back into the crowd.
Michael sighed helplessly. "Thomas."
They really shouldn't be drawing attention to themselves—especially with Anne still there. Michael also didn't want to be caught coming to the gallery just to confirm whether his painting had sold. But Thomas was already pushing deeper into the crowd.
"Anson Wood?" Thomas exclaid in surprise.
Anne was startled and quickly scanned the surroundings. "Where?"
Thomas called back, "Over here. Look!"
Anne couldn't contain her curiosity and hurried forward.
Michael called after her, "Anne!"
But he didn't dare shout. Watching Anne and Thomas move through the crowd, he sighed in frustration and reluctantly followed, whispering, "Thomas, tone it down."
Thomas ignored him, busy chatting with those around him.
"…Didn't you know? I thought half of New York knew by now. Anson himself showed up here this afternoon and caused quite a stir."
"Yeah, that Anson Wood. There's a rumor he was spotted on a date, but no one knows for sure. He stayed here for quite so ti, though, and bought a painting."
"And now everyone's just here trying to see what's going on."
"I think it was definitely a date. Anson ca straight here from Europe—if it's not a date, then what is it?"
"Heh, how do you know? Maybe Anson's been in New York for days. If he didn't want to be seen, he wouldn't be. Showing up here is just for attention, to tie his na to art."
"Heh, and if you've figured out the ga, why are you here?"
The chatter buzzed all around them, making it unnecessary for Thomas to even ask any questions.
By this ti, both Anne and Michael had seen it too—
"Anson Wood."
His na, right there. It seed that Anson had indeed purchased the painting.
The Hathaway siblings exchanged glances, their minds filled with nurous thoughts.
Thomas asked, "Is it possible soone used his na?"
Michael: ???
Soone nearby chid in, "TMZ took pictures. No way it's a fake."
Thomas, unwilling to back down, replied, "TMZ can be wrong too. They're not the Tis." But he knew the chances were slim. Then he turned to Michael and Anne, "So, what's going on?"
Michael had no idea that the curator of the exhibition was Nora Wood, missing a critical piece of information. He couldn't understand why Anson would be here—
Even if it was for a date, choosing this obscure little gallery didn't make sense.
Could it really just be a coincidence?
Michael instinctively looked at his sister. "Anne, could it be... you?"
Anne seed a bit dazed, her mind crowded with countless thoughts. "No, I didn't…"
Thomas interjected, "Maybe he's pursuing you? Or you two are secretly dating?"
"Maybe he bought Michael's painting to impress you? Or maybe, because he couldn't attend the sequel's filming, he's making up for it by buying this painting?"
"Wait, Michael, your painting isn't going to end up at our house, is it? That'd be awkward. I wouldn't know where to hang it."
"Oh God, what if he's dating soone else while taking her to see Michael's art? What a jerk!"
The wild guesses dragged Anne back to reality.
"He's not... he wouldn't…"
Anne laughed.
"We're not dating, and he wouldn't do sothing that ridiculous."
"I've never discussed Michael's work with him, and besides, don't you rember? That painting isn't even signed by Michael."
Thomas realized, "Ah…"
A crucial detail, instantly cutting off any speculation.
Michael had cald down by now, though still sowhat uncertain—
You couldn't bla him. After years of being overlooked and doubted, when success finally ca, it was hard to believe. His instinct was to doubt, to feel uneasy.
Anne took a deep breath. "I didn't do it. I swear!"
"Michael, this is beyond my influence. Even if I were face-to-face with him, I wouldn't dare ask such a thing. I never ntioned it."
"In fact, I have just as many questions as you do."
The three siblings looked at one another, still unable to untangle their thoughts.
Thomas suddenly had an idea. "Anne, why don't you just ask him?"
"We're being silly. Why are we standing here guessing? Just ask him why he bought the painting. Does he even know it's Michael's?"
Anne looked at Michael.
Michael, in turn, looked at Anne. "I don't mind if my na is revealed. But do you? Does it matter to you?"
If the answer was yes, and Anson knew the painting was Michael's, what did that an? And how would Anne handle it?
If the answer was no, and Anson had no idea about the connection, how should she respond? Should she thank him?
In what way?
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