Swapping a Broken Heart for a New Start novel Chapter 409

Camila Davis hesitated for a split second when Dennis Williams asked her what was wrong.

No way was she about to drag her messy fallout with her ex-husband’s family into this. It was ugly. Embarrassing. And the last thing she wanted was to involve Dennis in all that drama.

Her head told her: Just walk away.

But… that painting. Lillian loved it.

Her little one almost never asked for anything. If Lillian actually said she wanted something, Camila would move heaven and earth to make it happen.

There was no way she was just going to hand the painting over—especially not to Sandra Taylor’s spoiled kid.

Dennis’s tone softened, coaxing: “Hey? Why so quiet?”

Seeing her “uncle” appear out of nowhere—and obviously taking their side—Lillian immediately clung to his jacket. In her small, clear voice, she piped up, “Mommy wants to buy me this painting. We saw it first! They’re trying to take it, and saying we came after them, and now they’re telling us to leave…”

Even at her age, Lillian was precise, her tone sure.

Dennis got the picture instantly.

He gave the group in front of them a chilly once-over, then turned to the gallery staff. “You work here, right? Handling things this unfairly—does your manager know about this? Aren’t you worried about getting reported by guests?”

Dennis had an intimidating presence. The staffer looked like he wanted to melt into the floor, glancing helplessly at Christian Stewart for backup.

But Christian wasn’t paying him the slightest attention. He was staring at the elderly gentleman beside Dennis, eyes wide in disbelief.

After a long pause, Christian finally found his voice, almost breathless. “Excuse me… Are you Lawrence Walker? Mr. Walker?”

He looked like he couldn’t quite believe his luck.

But Walker shook his head. “No need. Why don’t you settle whatever’s going on here first? This is an art show, not a place for arguments. I heard everything. So—let’s settle who this painting belongs to, shall we?”

Christian assumed Walker was just curious about the commotion, maybe looking out for a fellow artist. So, eager to put his best foot forward, he turned to explain: “It’s like this. My protégé here has real talent. I invited him today to broaden his horizons. We’d barely arrived when he spotted this sunflower painting and wanted to buy it. But this lady here”—he nodded at Camila—“insisted she saw it first, and started arguing. She won’t back down.”

Sandra Taylor, seeing Christian’s deferential attitude, realized this old man must be someone important. Not wanting to miss her chance, she stepped in, too.

“Mr. Walker, I’ve heard you’re a great supporter of young artists. My son just won second place at the Harrisburg Art Contest last week. We’re very invested in nurturing his talent, so we brought him here to appreciate some real art. He really loves this piece. We, as parents, of course want to encourage him. We didn’t mean for it to turn into a scene and make you uncomfortable.”

She slipped in a humblebrag, then put on her best sympathetic face. “Honestly, we’re not saying the painting absolutely has to go to us. But if someone who doesn’t understand art takes home such a wonderful piece, it’s just a waste, don’t you think? That’s the only reason we’re being so insistent…”

She turned to Camila, her tone all gentle reasonableness. “Camila, how about this—let Daniel have the painting, and we’ll buy another one for Lillian? Doesn’t that sound fair?”

---