My Amnesic Ex Married My Sister, So I Married His Uncle-Chapter 159: Was Kiana Sterling Really Not Lying?

Chapter 159: Chapter 159: Was Kiana Sterling Really Not Lying?

Everyone still remembered how, when the auction price broke records, the internet was flooded with claims that Kiana Sterling was a genius painter.

The Sterlings had undoubtedly orchestrated the media hype from behind the scenes, so most netizens had been force-fed the "genius painter" narrative.

Aside from the paid shills, most of the comments at the time were completely unrelated, like "I’m uncultured, I don’t get it," or "Can someone explain to me what 86 million US dollars even means?"

But now, just two months later, the situation had completely reversed.

This kind of drama, straight out of a novel, was playing out in real life, and netizens were thrilled. 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

First, they were shocked that 86 million had been turned to fragments, then they were shocked by the red message left behind, and now, everyone was curious about the truth.

Meanwhile, with Everlake Resort’s official statement, everyone was settling in to watch the show.

Eighty-six million US dollars for a farce? Really?

Talk of "plagiarism" was running rampant online.

Soon, a netizen claiming to be a fan of Kiana Sterling compiled a timeline of her rise to fame in the art world.

The Sterling Family had been building her up online since her very first major art award, so creating such a timeline wasn’t difficult.

The fan’s intention was to prove that Umi was the one who had plagiarized Kiana.

While netizens were happily munching on their popcorn, the Sterlings were sitting together in grim silence.

Gavin Sterling sat in the living room with a stern expression, his brows furrowed.

When he wasn’t smiling, he had a very intimidating presence.

As he sat there ramrod straight, no one in the family dared to make a sound.

Finally, he broke the silence, asking Kiana, "Kiana, do you have any idea what’s going on this time?"

In front of Ethan Rhodes or Madeline Jennings, Kiana could openly say that she thought Stella Sterling was the one behind it all.

But in front of Gavin Sterling, she didn’t dare.

Her gaze flickered, and she lowered her head without a word.

Gavin Sterling’s brow tightened instantly, and his voice rose. "What? Have you offended so many people out there that you don’t even know who’s retaliating against you?"

Only then did Kiana understand what Gavin meant.

She secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

’I thought I’d slipped up somewhere and he’d caught on.’

She shook her head and said, "Dad, you know I’ve only been back in the country for a few years. You know all the friends I’ve made. Who could I have possibly offended? It’s just... that painter online, Umi... I think it might be Stella?"

The Sterling Family and Kiana Sterling rose and fell together; their fates were intertwined.

Gavin had been following the news online over the past few days, so he had naturally noticed the artist named Umi.

He didn’t understand art, but he had eyes.

He could see an indescribable similarity in their artwork.

But for Kiana to suddenly claim that Umi was actually Stella Sterling?

He found it hard to believe.

"Do you have any proof?"

Kiana didn’t, but she just knew.

"Dad, it’s actually simple. Why don’t we just call Stella back and ask her?"

Hearing this, Gavin Sterling let out a cold laugh.

’Easier said than done.’

As if they could just summon Stella Sterling back whenever they wanted now?

After becoming Owen Rhodes’s wife, Stella hadn’t even bothered to pretend anymore. She couldn’t wait to draw a clear line between herself and them.

He turned his head to glance at Chase Sterling.

He remembered how Chase had tried to go to Stella for help before, only to be stopped at the gates of Lanthos Bay and denied entry.

Caught by his father’s sudden glance, Chase remembered it as well.

He cleared his throat, looking uncomfortable. "If that’s the case, Kiana, you should invite Stella back for a meal."

Kiana: "...???"

Kiana wanted to laugh.

’Could *I* get Stella to come back?’

’They’re really overestimating me.’

Kiana frowned and turned to Madeline Jennings for help.

Madeline also lacked confidence.

She wasn’t sure she could get Stella to come back either.

Not only was she unsure, she felt she probably couldn’t even get to see Stella in person.

Looking at Kiana’s face, Madeline let out a rare sigh.

’They’re both my daughters. How did things get to this point?’

At home, Gavin Sterling maintained the attitude of a corporate CEO.

’I’ve given the order. It’s up to you to figure out how to solve it.’

In the context of the family, this meant he was leaving the matter entirely in the hands of Madeline, Chase, and Kiana.

But that wasn’t the only thing Gavin wanted to discuss. He changed the subject. "About this plagiarism issue... Kiana, are you sure of your position?"

Kiana looked up to see that Gavin’s expression held little of a father’s love.

Instead, it was the calculating assessment of a businessman.

He was assessing the potential impact of the situation, and assessing whether Kiana was lying.

Kiana’s heart skipped a beat. Before she could speak, Madeline interjected, "What are you talking about? You actually suspect your own daughter! You certainly didn’t have this attitude when Kiana was winning awards!"

Gavin shot her a cold glance. "So what if I suspect her? It’s better to get a clear account now so I can prepare a backup plan. If this whole thing blows up and gets out of hand, are you going to be the one to fix it?"

Madeline was just being emotional in the moment; it wasn’t that she didn’t understand what Gavin was saying.

With Gavin’s retort, Madeline fell silent and turned to look at Kiana.

Kiana met her family’s stares, her gaze sweeping over each of them.

Finally, she said, "Dad, I painted all of those pictures myself. It’s obvious someone is trying to smear my name online. I can’t just sit back and take the hits. I’ll figure something out."

After hearing her out, the tension in Gavin’s expression didn’t ease much.

After sitting in the living room in silence for a while longer, Gavin left for his study.

The atmosphere in the Sterling household was far from pleasant. Kiana’s words had done little to reassure the family.

Chase had kept his eyes downcast, his thoughts unreadable.

He sat for a moment before getting up and returning to his room.

Once in his room, he dug out a small metal box from the furthest corner of a storage cabinet.

The box was old, but it had been well-preserved. Other than some chipped paint, it was undamaged.

Chase opened the lid and, after rummaging around for a bit, pulled out two greeting cards.

They were birthday cards from Kiana and Stella for his sixteenth birthday.

At the time, Kiana’s health had worsened, so Madeline had taken the two sisters abroad.

On his birthday, they had only managed a phone call; the two cards arrived later with his gifts.

Kiana’s card was mostly filled with text, with a few small emoticons here and there.

But her health was poor back then, and you could see her weakness through her handwriting.

On Stella’s card, however, she had used colored pencils to draw a custom-designed birthday cake. In the middle of the cake was a small chibi-style figure, which Chase knew was supposed to be a drawing of him, done by Stella.

To the left and right of the small figure were two little girl dolls.

Although it was just a colored pencil drawing, it was clear that Stella loved to draw, and she was pretty good at it, too.

At the very least, the three little figures were drawn vividly. Even looking at it now, Chase thought it was very cute.

He couldn’t help but frown.

’Is Kiana really not lying?’

And then, he suddenly recalled that when they were children, Stella had adored him.

Every time he came home from school for a holiday, Stella would cling to him and not let go.

’When did my relationship with Stella turn into what it is today?’

Chase’s brow furrowed. He couldn’t figure it out.

A knock came from the door. "Brother, can I come in?"

Chase instinctively put the box away before walking over to open the door for Kiana.

Kiana stood outside the door with her head lowered, her eyes red. "Brother, you believe me, don’t you?"