Chapter 211

"You're back, Julian," Genevieve called out sweetly when she saw Julian return.

Julian gave her a cold nod.

Eleanor noticed Alexander was looking for Victoria. "Victoria's outside. She's on the phone," she said.

Alexander replied, "Okay, thanks."

Just as he finished speaking, a commotion arose in the distance.

It was Walter making his way through the crowd.

Sebastian, Richard, and the rest of the Ashfords were there as well.

With a packed house, Walter patiently waited for the chatter to die down before thanking everyone for coming.

Isabella and Nathaniel stood further at the back, but Sebastian still saw them.

Nathaniel attended with a gift on behalf of his grandfather, Charles. Richard had already informed Sebastian and Walter about it.

Yet Sebastian didn't know Isabella came as well.

Seeing her, Sebastian greeted her with a warm nod and a smile.

Isabella had never known there was a connection between Sebastian and Walter.

She returned Sebastian's greeting with a polite smile.

The Kensingtons and Fairchilds noticed that Sebastian seemed to be greeting someone, but they weren't sure who exactly.

As Walter finished his speech, the audience burst into enthusiastic applause.

Soon, the guests began approaching him, eager to discuss his artwork.

Many were exchanging greetings with Sebastian as well.

After mingling for a while, Julian and Alexander finally had the chance to approach Walter.

Walter accepted their gifts and remarked, "That's very thoughtful of you."

He scanned the group—Alexander, Julian, and Dominic—before grinning. "What fine young men. Impressive."

"It's been years," Walter continued, "but you've all grown so much."

While Walter was engaged in conversation with Alexander and the others, Sebastian made his way toward Isabella's group as he continued greeting guests.

As he approached, Nathaniel was the first to offer him a greeting.

Sebastian exchanged pleasantries with Nathaniel, then turned to Isabella. "Fancy seeing you again, Isabella."

"Yes, it's always a pleasure, Mr. Ashford," Isabella replied.

Sebastian smiled and offered a polite handshake after learning who Margaret was.

When Sebastian was told that Margaret liked his father's painting, he grinned. "Madam Sinclair, if you wouldn't mind, I'd love for you to join us inside later. There may be many guests today, but true admirers of my father's paintings are rare. He would be thrilled to know he has a kindred spirit in you."

The real reason Sebastian came over was to talk to Isabella.

However, to the other guests, it seemed like he was just making his way through the crowd and naturally ended up near Nathaniel.

They thought Sebastian was engaging with Isabella out of courtesy to the Graves family.

After chatting with Walter for a while, Alexander's phone rang. He gave a polite apology before slipping away to answer the call.

A short while after he had gone, Victoria finally returned from her call.

Victoria's elegant demeanor drew attention. The moment she moved past the crowd and stood beside Dominic and Julian, Walter's eyes were on her.

Walter noted her poised presence and casually assumed she was dating either Dominic or Julian.

Just as he was about to speak, Dominic chimed in after seeing Julian didn't have the intention to introduce Victoria. "Mr. Ashford, this is Victoria Kensington, Alexander's girlfriend."

"Ah, so she's with Alexander," said Walter, smiling knowingly. "A fine match."