Chapter 890
Johanna glanced at the paintings on the wall. To her surprise, every piece was signed by the
same name-MK.
Two of them she even remembered seeing years ago in Jamie’s study at the Walton family estate. They had hung there for as long as she could recall, though back then she had paid them little mind. Johanna had never cared for art; her eyes had merely skimmed over them once or twice.
But now, standing in Jamie’s study, her gaze lingered on Nightfall-the very painting she and Victoria had admired at the auction. Only now did she realize her brother had even brought those old canvases from the family estate with him.
The fact that he had gone to such lengths made clear just how much these works meant to him.
And when the subject turned to something he loved, Jamie-usually so reserved-spoke more than usual. The oppressive chill he carried seemed to lift.
“The first time I laid eyes on MK’s work,” he said, “I knew the artist would achieve greatness one day. Back then, he must have been new; the pieces weren’t expensive. At the time, I hadn’t yet claimed the head seat of the Walton family. I had little money of my own, and works by the true masters were far beyond my reach.”
Few who love art can resist collecting it. Jamie was no exception. But though he bore the Walton name, he had never been valued-only suppressed and trampled. His life had been harder than that of an ordinary man.
The paintings he longed for, he couldn’t afford. The ones within reach, he couldn’t stand.
“So when I finally came across something I loved-something still within my means-I bought it.”
From then on, whenever MK released a painting, Jamie was the first to acquire it.
But later, consumed by the fight for power, he no longer had time to follow art. Only after seizing the patriarch’s seat did he send people searching everywhere for MK’s works. Yet few remained in circulation, and it seemed the artist had produced nothing new for years.
At his words, realization dawned on Johanna. No wonder her brother prized MK’s art so deeply. These paintings had accompanied him through the hardest years of his life.
“Victoria loves MK’s paintings too,” Johanna said. “She even mentioned wanting to meet him someday, to talk about art.”
A shadow of regret flickered across Jamie’s eyes.
“I’ve investigated MK for a long time. The middleman who once sold his works told me they
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lost contact five years ago.”
Johanna exhaled a silent sigh. It was only at moments like this that her brother resembled an ordinary man.
They spoke for a while longer before Jamie asked, “What was it you wanted to tell me earlier?”
Johanna hesitated, then confessed.
“I was the one who exposed the truth about Sharon being an illegitimate child. Victoria told me Sharon was about to be acknowledged and taken back into the Kalen family. But if she returned, Victoria’s position would be questioned. 1
“Victoria said the family planned to release vague, ambiguous statements first. I thought- rather than letting them drag it out and make things harder-why not help Victoria directly? After all, I’ve played the villain before.”
Jamie knew her words were true; this was hardly the first time.
Guilt clouded Johanna’s face. “I never expected it would cause Victoria so much trouble. And I certainly didn’t expect Sharon to go this far-publicly exposing Victoria’s identity in retaliation.”
Jamie’s expression didn’t waver. There was no blame in his gaze.
“Don’t burden yourself. You did nothing wrong. I’ll deal with it.”
Relief washed over Johanna at his words.
“Jamie, let’s go see Victoria now,” she urged. “This isn’t something Lex can settle. It has to be you.” 1
Jamie gave a quiet hum of assent and strode out.
