chapter1515

His gaze froze for a fraction of a second, an unusual expression flashing in his eyes before vanishing.

He then offered a polite and respectful smile. "Of course, you can. You could even take down a painting to appreciate it more closely if you'd like."

Stella was stunned.

Even Neville looked on in disbelief.

The rules for this exhibition were that lenient? You could just handle the art?

The staff member, seeing Stella's stunned expression, added, "Of course, if you feel your own photos aren't professional enough, we can provide professional photography services. Whether you want to photograph the art or have your picture taken with it, it's no problem at all."

Stella was wealthy, but the thought of holding a painting worth tens of billions for a photo was terrifying. What if she accidentally picked up one worth a hundred billion and damaged it? She'd have to sell her company shares to pay for it.

No, better not. It was enough just to admire them.

Stella said, "No, thank you. I'll just take a few pictures with my phone."

The staff member smiled politely. "As you wish, miss."

Stella wasn't sure if it was her imagination, but the staff member's attitude seemed much warmer than before.

Stella nodded lightly. "Thank you."

After Stella left, the staff member didn't follow her to keep an eye on things but remained where he was.

Neville glanced at the staff member before quickly looking away.

There weren't many staff in the exhibition, but it was clear that each of them was skilled and had likely undergone professional training.

This wasn't hard to understand. With such valuable art on display, it was normal to have capable staff to prevent theft.

But still...

Neville's mind was still replaying Leonard's words. Why had he brought up the head of the Gardner family? He said the exhibition was likely held for one person.

Could that person... be Stella?

How would Stella know the head of the Gardner family?

What was Joshua's connection to them?

Although Neville was suspicious of Joshua's identity, he didn't consider the possibility that Joshua was family head. If Joshua were a Gardner, it was incredible enough that he'd side for so long. If he were the family head... had he been ousted in a power struggle and was now on the run?

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Besides, Joshua seemed quite competent at his job as a bodyguard and assistant.

Would the head of a major family do that kind of work?

Neville knew of the animosity between Leonard and Stella and wondered if this was just Leonard's way of stirring up trouble trying to drive a wedge between Stella and Joshua.

Without evidence, Neville wasn't one to make baseless accusations. He said nothing more and quietly followed.

Seeing Stella constantly taking pictures of the paintings, Joshua asked, "Star, do you like these paintings a lot?"

Stella, still snapping photos, replied casually, "Of course. With so many original works from all over the world, any artist would love them."

Joshua didn't say anything else, a thoughtful expression on his face.

Because Stella loved the art so much, the group ended up spending the entire day at the exhibition. They ran into Leonard a few more times, but no one exchanged any words.

That evening, after dinner, they all went their separate ways.

Back at the hotel, Stella sent the photos she had taken during the day to L. L replied quickly: "Thank you."