Chapter 5

Julian was left speechless by my words.

Michael suddenly spoke up. "Restoration isn't about cleaning up someone else's mess. Whoever made the mistake has to fix it themselves."

Clara's eyes were brimming with tears again.

"Mr. West, I was just trying to help," she said, her voice trembling.

The owner of the painting, sitting in the front row, looked visibly upset.

"Ms. Hayes, if you can't handle it, keep your hands off my stuff," the owner snapped, his voice icy and blunt.

That one sentence hit harder than any scolding.

Clara stood there, her face burning red, like she'd just…