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Chapter 46 The True Painting
Jessica could werlook Daniel teasing Brittany, but she couldn’t ignore the bold claim he made. Daniel had stated that with just that thirty–year–old vodka, he could turn the Golden Paper painting’s value to two hundred million dollars. If he failed to deliver, he would be deceiving her, and Jessica would not tolerate such behavior from him. She was ready to punish him severely if it came to that.
Daniel opened the vodka bottle and poured the thirty–year–aged spirit over the scroll. His face remained calm, treating the expensive vodka as if it were mere water. The whole room filled with the fragrance of the alcohol, the rich aroma delighting everyone, leaving the two women feeling slightly tipsy just from the
scent.
Gently, with his palms, Daniel smoothed out the crinkles on the once wrinkled painting until the paper was as flat as a mirror. Then, he lit the painting with a lighter. With the addition of the vodka, the scroll quickly
caught fire, sending up beautiful blue flames.
Brittany gasped in horror at the scene. “You… you’ve set the painting on fire again? You used the fifty- thousand–dollar vodka as fuel? Do you think Jessica’s money grows on trees? How can you waste it like this? I tell you, the cost of that thirty–year vodka equals your salary for the next ten years. For the next ten years, don’t even think about getting a dime out of TMO. If you want to get paid, just resign and hit the
road!” t
Brittany was determined to drive Daniel away, she couldn’t stand the idea of him remaining at TMO. Before her, Jessica went through several secretaries, but after she started, Jessica had never hired another secretary, let alone a personal assistant. Daniel looked like a fool and acted like a thug–why should he be Jessica’s personal assistant and even serve as her driver? It was clear that before he arrived, Jessica didn’t need any stinking men around. If Jessica were to hire an assistant or a driver, the first job description would specify the candidate be female. Brittany couldn’t fathom why such a loser like Daniel was so lucky.
Brittany grew more troubled the more she thought about it. From every angle, Daniel did not seem like a good person. He seemed to have appeared out of nowhere to serve as Jessica’s assistant, and Brittany suspected this loser was pursuing Ma’am Jessica under the guise of his position. Countless in New York wished to pursue Jessica, yet not a single one had managed to take her out for dinner. Even Andrew from The Armstrongs, despite his lengthy pursuit, had never managed to take Ma’am Jessica out for a single meal. The thought of Jessica being attracted to a no–good man like Daniel was unthinkable. Brittany was determined to drive him away, whatever the cost.
While Brittany was contemplating how to rid TMO of Daniel, the light blue flames on the painting flickered
out.
“All done! I have accomplished what I needed to, and the secret of the painting is about to be revealed,” Daniel announced confidently.
He carefully picked at the bottom right corner of the painting with his nail, slowly peeling away a layer of paper. All eyes were fixed upon the scroll as the top layer of the Golden Paper painting began to come away, bit by bit.