When Legends Look Back
Ella’s POV
The moment Luciano shot to his feet, the air in the hall seemed to thicken, like a storm cloud rolling in uninvited.
I was still standing where the host had called me forward, my pulse steady despite the sudden shift. Years ago, scenes like this would have made my hands shake, my breath hitch. But time—and truth—had burned that fragility out of me. What remained was clarity.
Luciano’s voice rang sharp and indignant. “Mr. Wilde, aren’t you jumping the gun here? The final evaluations haven’t even concluded. Declaring a winner so hastily undermines the integrity of this competition.”
Murmurs rippled through the audience. Cameras zoomed in, hungry for conflict. The Starry Oil Painting Competition had always thrived on drama, but this—this was something el
