I Forgot I Ever Loved You (Zoe and Hayden) novel Chapter 127

Cherry genuinely didn't want to keep working for Zoe, regardless of the money, but the absurdly high salary offer forced her to reconsider.

She decided to give Zoe one final chance.

If this turned out to be another case of empty promises, she was walking away for good.

Cherry set the meeting at the art gallery. When Zoe arrived, Cherry had just masterfully negotiated the sale of a painting for hundreds of thousands of dollars. Zoe stood quietly off to the side, watching Cherry work the room with absolute brilliance.

She watched the buyer go from arrogant skepticism to absolute awe, eventually agreeing to purchase the piece at double its original asking price.

Zoe broke out in a cold sweat. Cherry's silver tongue was sharper than a scalpel.

But when Zoe's gaze drifted down to the signature on the canvas, her eyes widened in shock.

Lilian?

The signature was a flawless forgery of her own handwriting, but it used Lilian's alias.

Zoe recognized the painting immediately. The brushstrokes, the style—it was undeniably her own work.

Yet, she had zero memory of ever painting it.

Cherry had spotted Zoe earlier but intentionally didn't go over to greet her until the deal was officially closed. Only then did the two women step into Cherry's pristine, sunlit office.

"Was that my painting out there?" Zoe asked.

The signature technique and the artistic flair belonged entirely to her.

Under Zoe's intense scrutiny, Cherry rubbed her temples and finally decided to lay everything out.

"Yes. Ms. Lynd, under my management, almost every single piece of your artwork has sold for top dollar. However—"

She took a deep breath. "You ordered everything to be registered and sold under Sienna Winters' name. Adding the pieces that sold recently, the total revenue is nearing the ten-million-dollar mark. What do you want me to do with it?"

Zoe nearly leaped out of her chair. "What do you mean, 'what do I want you to do with it'? Transfer your bonus into your account right now, and wire every last cent of the remaining revenue into this card."

She pulled a newly issued bank card from her purse and slapped it firmly onto the desk.

Cherry's eyes still held a glimmer of skepticism, but the promise of an immediate, massive cash bonus made her hesitate.

Maybe... just one last leap of faith?

Zoe absolutely refused to let anyone touch what rightfully belonged to her.

With millions of dollars of cold, hard cash now sitting securely in her account, Zoe's eyes actually welled up with tears of relief.

Leaving the gallery, she headed straight to a luxury dealership and bought a brand-new Maserati in full. She took the car for a spin, driving straight to Nadia Fox's law firm.

When Nadia saw her, her jaw practically hit the floor.

"Did you hit the jackpot, or did you finally rob Hayden Thorne?"

Seeing Zoe look so vibrant and full of life was a jarring contrast to the hollow, depressed ghost of a woman she had secretly checked on over the past five years.

Zoe leaned in close, her face instantly twisting in disgust at the mention of Hayden's name.

"On a day this good, don't mention that man. It's bad luck. Come on, let's go for a ride."

She ushered Nadia into the passenger seat, and the two women drove straight to the beach.

Leaning against the hood of the Maserati, they watched the sunset together. Guilt gnawed at Zoe's chest. "Everyone tells me that for the last five years, I cut off all my friends and family just to be with Hayden. But Nadia... why are you still so good to me?"