Chapter 33 Arson
Pressing his thin lips, Stefan darted at the reporters who were discussing and then at Martha.
Rhys watched the fun with a faint smile on his lips.
Upon hearing the reporters’ discussions, Martha glanced at Stefan and then looked at the reporters.
“Thank you for coming to my art exhibition. I’m sure you are here because you like my artwork.”
Martha broke off purposely, glancing around. Then she continued, “Therefore, I hope you all can pay attention to my paintings instead of someone unimportant.”
The onlookers thought her words made sense, and they walked away immediately.
They all carefully studied her pictures and read the attached stories in the description.
Martha breathed a sigh of relief.
After glancing at Stefan, she walked to a guest, who was staring at a picture in admiration, and gave him an introduction. “I painted this picture when I was in the prairie. At that time…”
Stefan watched her nearby, his eyes intense.
He realized Martha had become a mature woman, unlike the one unable to live without him.
He had to admit that he had underestimated Martha’s competence.
…
At 4:30 PM, guests in the exhibition hall gradually dissipated.Exclusive © content by N(ô)ve/l/Drama.Org.
Only a few important staff members stayed.
Stefan gazed at Martha, striding towards her.
Then he stood in front of her and said, “Come with me, Martha.”
Martha heard the familiar voice. She stiffened and stood still.
Before she figured out what to answer, Rhys, standing next to her, invited her, “Miss Sunnay, our opening ceremony is successful today. May I have the pleasure to invite you for dinner tonight?”
Martha was in a dilemma, pressing her red lips together.
Stefan scowled at Rhys and then stared at Martha. “Don’t you want to discuss the divorce? Come with me. Or I won’t give you any chance again,” he uttered indifferently.
When Rhys heard the word “divorce”, the smile on his lips froze instantly.
Martha had to nod her agreement, following Stefan out of the exhibition center.
Rhys stood motionlessly while gazing at their receding figures. Soon, he cast down his eyes to cover the emotions in them.
…
On the other side, after leaving the exhibition center, Martha and Stefan sat in his car.
After Martha closed the door, Stefan started the engine.
Martha immediately stopped him, “Talk in the car. We’re not going anywhere.”
With these words, Martha turned her head, looked straight at him, and asked coolly, “Do you agree to sign the divorce agreement?”
“I’ve torn it into pieces,” Stefan withdrew his hands and answered icily.
Martha glared at him unhappily. “What do you mean by doing so?”
“That’s my line. What do you mean?”
Stefan looked into her eyes intensely.
Martha was taken aback. An ironic smile touched her lips. “I mean to make your wish come true. You wanted to divorce me four years ago. Are you unwilling now?”
With a stern look, Stefan looked away.
His reaction sent Martha into helplessness and anger.
Clenching her fists, she mocked, “We should have divorced long ago.”
Stefan replied, his tone going colder, “I won’t divorce you.”
Frowning, Martha gazed at him in mockery, “We hadn’t seen each other for four years. Did you fall in love with me after seeing me again?”
Her words made Stefan’s heart skip a beat. Looking annoyed, he pressed his thin lips without speaking.
“I don’t care why you refuse to divorce me. We’ve parted for four years, which has formed the condition for us to divorce,” Martha looked away and said expressionlessly.
However, she didn’t receive any answer she wanted after a long time, feeling annoyed.
“If you’re unwilling to sign the divorce agreement, I’ll see you in court. I’ll file the lawsuit even if I cannot find a lawyer. I must divorce you.”
With those words, Martha opened the door without waiting for Stefan’s response, got down, and strode towards the art exhibition center.
The door was slammed shut. Stefan smashed his fists on the steering wheel fiercely.
He gazed at her receding figure, his face full of anger.
…
Shortly after, Martha returned to the exhibition hall.
Rhys had left.
She dragged her exhausted body into the art studio, sitting on the bench in silence.
Feeling the burning pain in her heels caused by the high heels, Martha felt she had been burnt out.
Shortly after, Martha, who was resting, suddenly heard some light footsteps outside the art studio.
She thought Jane was in the corridor, so she stood up and walked out.
However, she didn’t see Jane but two men who sneaked in.
They wore black clothes and shoes while holding gas and lighters, standing outside the art gallery.
Martha hurriedly strode towards them and snapped, “Who are you? What do you want?”
The two men were caught red-handed, looking back at her in a panic.
They didn’t expect to see someone in the exhibition hall so late in the evening.
Sniffing, Martha realized the air was full of the gas smell. Immediately, she figured out what they wanted to do.
“If you don’t want to go to jail, put down the gas and get out of here.”
The two men stopped in their tracks. The next second, they rushed into the art gallery.
Seeing their reactions, Martha stepped forward to grab the gas cans they were holding to stop them from doing anything.
However, one man pushed her away. Her head hit the door frame, and she felt dizzy.
Trying hard to keep her eyes open, Martha couldn’t do anything but faint gradually.
Before losing consciousness, she heard a man’s voice. “She’s fainted.”
…
Half an hour later, the art gallery was full of smoke. Fire sparkled.
All the artworks were on paper, so the fire spread quickly. Shortly after, more than half of the artworks had been destroyed.
Meanwhile, Martha was still unconscious in the thick smoke.