Her Revenge From Shadow to Sunlight novel Chapter 143

Chapter 143

Chapter 143

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“Ahhh, this is just like that fake heiress story I read! The fake one’s been living with the family forever, so everyone’s all close to her-parents, buddies, the whole bunch. Then she keeps picking on the real heiress, always playing those innocent little schemes to set her up and make people misunderstand her. Don’t tell me Alicia is doing the same? Tiffany’s the real Lawrence daughter, and she looks so pathetically miserable right now. Ugh, my heart aches!”

Watching Tiffany’s feigned innocence, Alicia merely smiled, her lashes lowering to veil her gaze. “Are you absolutely certain,” she asked, “that this is your painting?”

Secure in the knowledge that she had made the painting public first, Tiffany’s response was immediate and smooth. “Of course it’s mine, Alicia,” she said, a note of condescension in her voice. “I emailed it to Edward the very day I finished.”

In a move mirroring Alicia’s own past tactic, she presented the sent email from two days prior to the crowd.

Alicia merely chuckled, a low, unsettling sound. “Then perhaps you can explain why my name is on it?”

Tiffany’s gaze snapped to the signature before she even thought-she’d scrubbed Alicia’s name off herself, she was sure of it. No way it was still there.

She leaned in, squinting, and saw her own name staring back. Her confidence flickered for half a second, then she scoffed. “Alicia, my name’s right there. Quit playing games.”

Alicia’s laugh softened, almost sweet-but her eyes stayed cold. “Sweetie, I didn’t mean the signature.”

A cold, sharp chill snaked down Tiffany’s spine. She’d checked that painting everywhere-edges, corners, even the back of the canvas. There were no other names. Her hands tightened into fists at her sides, nails digging into her palms as she forced her voice steady. “Then where, Alicia? Where’s your name?”

Alicia’s smile never wavered. She picked up a single sheet of paper from the table and stepped forward, draping it directly over the painting. Though the artwork was now concealed, when the projector’s light hit the paper, a line of text blazed across the big screen: [Alicia Lawrence, completed November 24, 2024.]

The room went dead. Every head snapped up to the screen-reporters froze mid-note, onlookers’ mouths dropped open so far their jaws looked sore, even Edward’s eyes widened. No one moved. No one spoke.

The livestream went quiet too.

For thirty, maybe forty seconds, the chat was a blank slate-no new messages, no emojis, nothing. You could’ve heard a pin drop in the room, even though the livestream speakers.

Then someone in the back blurted, loud enough for the mics to pick up. “Damn it-Alicia’s name is actually

on it!”

Another voice cut in, higher, more shocked. “That’s not just a name! It’s a hidden signature-this painting’s

100% hers!”

And just like that, the livestream chat exploded. Messages poured in so fast they blurred together, covering the screen in a wall of text-you couldn’t even see the painting behind it anymore.

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Chapter 143

[Whoa, there’s a secret signature on this one!]

[She hid it so nobody could swipe it, right?)

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Dann is this really Alicia’s painting? She went through all that trouble to hide a secret mark-bet she was worried Tiffany would swipe it again. Probably not her first rodeo.]

Wait don’t tell me all those Sweetheart Queen paintings are all stolen?]

C’mon, you really buying that? Who could steal that many paintings, seriously?]

[So why did Tiffany try to swipe Alicia’s work this time? Same as last time at Premier Academy auditions-she didn’t even have her own new painting, tried to pass off Alicia’s as hers until Alicia exposed her.]

[I’m so lost, guys. Let’s just see what happens next.]

Tiffany stood frozen, her mind screaming. Alicia tampered with the painting-she had to have. But how? How did she pull this off?

Rage and fear tangled in her chest, hot and ugly. ‘That scheming bitch-she set me up. On purpose, Tiffany cursed inwardly.

Hatred burned in her veins, but it was useless-she had no idea how to defend herself.

She could feel the reporters staring, their eyes thick with doubt and accusation, making her feel the pressure mounting.

‘What about the livestream?’ she thought, dread sinking its claws into her. ‘Are they tearing me apart right now? Calling me a thief?’

The more she fixated on it, the more her breath came in shaky gasps. Her mind was a jumble-no plan, no escape, just panic.

She whipped her head toward Andrew and Archie, desperate for an ally. But their faces were as pale as hers, eyes wide with shock. They’d shown up to ride her coattails, to soak up the spotlight of her “success”-but now that success had turned to poison. All they could do was stand there, useless, exposed by the very spectacle they’d come to cheer for.

Alicia didn’t waste time. She took the mic from Leafie’s slack hand, stepped closer to the big screen, and fixed Tiffany with a stare that cut like ice. “Tiffany-can you even paint?”

Tiffany’s lips trembled so hard her voice wavered, but she screamed anyway, raw and frantic. “I’m the Sweetheart Queen! An online artist-people obsess over my work! Of course I can paint!”

Alicia’s snort was cold, sharp enough to cut through the noise. “Are those paintings really yours?”

“Every single one!” Tiffany shrieked, her voice cracking into hysteria. She took a shaky step forward, fists clenched like she might lash out. “They’re mine-all of them!”

Alicia’s gaze swept the room. She said, “Come on, everyone-whether you’re watching online or sitting right here, let’s be real. You all know painting takes skill-hours of practice, not magic. Do you honestly believe

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Chapter 143

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someone can crank out a stack of masterpieces after just three months of learning?” She paused, letting the question hang Tiffany’s first art post went up June 25, 2021 She’d been back with the Lawrences for three days. Does anyone think you become an artist in three days?

Reporters exchanged uneasy glances, pens hovering over notebooks.

No one spoke-even the livestream chat slowed, comments shifting from outrage to uncertainty.

Alicia pressed on. And let’s not forget her schedule. Piano, singing, dancing, acting-crammed back-to-back, every single day. With all that, does she have any time left to practice painting? To get good enough to make ‘masterpieces?’

The whole place was dead silent-but Tiffany suddenly snapped, screaming. “I’m a genius. I’ve got talent! So what if I’m juggling a million things? I can learn anything I want! Alicia, just because you couldn’t do it doesn’t mean I can’t! Maybe you’re just not smart enough!”

“Oh? Then do you dare to paint something on the spot right now?” Alicia asked, coolly throwing down the challenge.

Tiffany’s fists clenched until her knuckles turned white, her entire body trembling with the force of her rage. She fixed Alicia with a glare of pure, undiluted hatred. ‘This bitch is determined to destroy me, she seethed internally. ‘She won’t be satisfied until I’m completely ruined.’

But she couldn’t afford to lose-not now. Tiffany took a steadying breath, ready to pull her usual fainting stunt, her hand reaching for her forehead. Suddenly, Alicia grabbed her wrist and teased, “Seriously, Tiffany? Fainting again? Lucky for you, I brought my acupuncture needles. If you go down, I’ll have you wide awake in two seconds flat.”

Tiffany’s jaw tightened, her teeth grinding. She spat, “Why wouldn’t I dare? I’ve painted so many pieces! I can do this-easily. Right now.”

As she spoke, her eyes darted furtively to the side.

Alicia caught that glance instantly. She followed Tiffany’s line of sight to the corner: a tall, heavy ceramic vase stuffed with fresh roses, its thick rim sharp enough to cut if it shattered.

Understanding clicked in a heartbeat. This wasn’t the fainting trick anymore-Tiffany’s new plan was uglier. She wanted to knock the vase over, slash her hand on the shards, and use the injury to skip the painting.

Yet, Alicia made no move to intervene. If Tiffany was willing to go this far, she wouldn’t stop her.

A cold smirk touched Alicia’s lips as she released her grip.

The second Alicia’s fingers slipped away, Tiffany launched herself sideways. Her body lurched, overacting a ‘stumble like she’d been shoved, and she crashed right into the vase.

It toppled with a deafening crash. Ceramic shards exploded across the floor, roses and water splattering everywhere-soaking dresses, skittering over tile, and making the room erupt in gasps.

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