Chapter 301
Woman Posing As Veronica’s POV
Harmon Designs
After all the commotion, finally there was some peace as things were going normal.
I managed to convince Jonathan to forget about the wedding collection and focus on his work.
Just when I thought everything was alright, fate made me think elsewise.
Jonathan coming to my office is a bliss for me, but today it wasn’t.
“Veronica, look,” he said as he took a seat.
“These are some designs I made for the wedding collection p>
“Wow! They’re beautiful p>
“Which one is mine p>
“As usual p>
I looked up at him.
Now what’s as usual?
“Paint some new ones, and we can use them as inspiration for new designs p>
“And as always, we’ll do a collab, that will be yours p>
I knew Veronica’s paintings had given Harmon Designs a new creative direction, and the designing team was also full of praises back then.
I looked up at Jonathan with a composed expression, and nodded as if I totally agreed with him.
However, inside…my thoughts were like a wildfire.
Again I realized my plan had more flaws than I realized.
Not only biometric, not only habits, but now painting too?
Again I was faced with a side of Veronica that I could never copy.
“I can’t wait to see what you’ll paint this time,” Jonathan smiled as he got up and left.
From there, I took my leave and went over to Rollings Arts, as that’s where her studio was.
Rollings Arts
As I entered her studio, all I could see were canvases, brushes, paints and unfinished paintings and sketches sprawling around.
There were paintings on the wall, but each of them was already used in collections.
“Couldn’t you leave some things for me?” I said to myself.
“Okay, what’s the big deal in painting p>
“Isn’t it just some lines here and there p>
“What’s so big about that p>
I picked a pallet and a brush.
Walked over to an empty canvas.
I first took a look at some of her geometrical works.
“Like I said, lines, that’s easy p>
I picked a brush and put water on a color.
“Damn p>
I ended up putting in too much.
“Let’s put drops p>
“There, now I have a color ready p>
I glanced at her work, then tried to paint myself.
After a while, I glanced at them.
Her’s was…art.
Mine was a mess.
My confidence crumbled as I realized art is truly a thing you have to be born with.
I dropped the brush.
“How can I paint p>
“Hi,” I said on the phone.
“I need a painter, someone who can replicate another painter’s work p>
“Send him over to Rollings Arts, I’m waiting p>
The wait seemed like eternity, but he finally came around.
“These are the paintings Veronica used in her twenty twenty five collection p>
“Make me new based on this exact style, but new p>
He studied her work without saying a word.
“The pay will be generous, and if the collection is a success, I’ll pay more p>
I only hoped money could buy a hand that can paint like Veronica.
But the uncertainty in his eyes was saying elsewise.
“You are Veronica, then why can’t you paint them p>
“I had an accident so I don’t seem to remember much, painting is one of them p>
“I don’t know if I should say this, but I would doubt you were Veronica p>
“What do you mean by that?” I made myself sound hurt.
“Every painter has his own style, their own instinct and emotions p>
“Like, I know in the wedding collection, you used your emotions for your husband p>
“What you just said about forgetting p>
“An artist never forgets p>
“He may forget he was a painter p>
“But forget painting p>
“That’s not possible, a little flaw maybe, because the memory is fuzzy, but do not forget p>
“Matter of fact some forget they ever drew, question themself when they paint like a professional p>
He was the first person, whose words sounded like an accusation to me.
The talent I assumed I could borrow, was something she was born with.
“Even if I do manage to draw the same p>
“Your husband, her fans, and most important, her daughter whom she trained will know p>
“And if I’m caught, I’ll lose my career over some extra cash p>
“A million, ten million, okay fifty million,” I said.
“Just paint the damn painting, will you p>
“Sorry, no can do p>
“What you’re asking is something I cannot give you p>
“If these paintings are released beside the jewelry at the collection, even a normal art fan will notice the difference p>
“And telling you forgot p>
“Won’t work Mrs Rollings p>
“I’m sorry, but I can’t take the risk p>
As he left, I stared at the blank canvas before me and the one I painted, the mess one.
I felt trapped in my own plan.
The more I tried to appear normal, the more I was failing.
My phone’s ring startled me.
“Hey, how’s it going p>
“Oh, fine,” I said.
“It’s just I don’t remember somethings like color combinations, so am facing a little problem p>
“But I’ll manage p>
“You can ask Janet to help you p>
“No, this is our wedding collection, I’ll manage on my own p>
“Okay, let me know if you need anything, and don’t exert yourself p>
“There’s no hurry to release p>
His patience should have assured me, but it only made me more anxious than I already was.
I knew these paintings could be my grave.
“No, I can’t lose after coming so close to being his wife and losing my face to become Veronica p>
I looked at the messed up canvas and walked over to another empty one.
“I can’t give up p>
I tried to copy the circles, the lines she drew in her canvases.
Even a simple square looked horrible when I painted it.
I couldn’t even mix the colors properly.
My frustration only grew with each failed attempt.
It wasn’t long before my fear turned into anger at none other than Veronica.
It wasn’t enough, she was Jonathan’s love, she had to be so talented, such, no matter how I try, I find myself inferior to her.
Suddenly in a burst of anger, I flung the paintbrush across the room.
The brush struck a glass vase on the shelf, falling towards the floor.
I stepped forward to grab it before it hit the ground making a noise,
But I failed.
Instead glass pieces ended up cutting my hand.
I gasped as the blood began to flow from my palm.
For several seconds, I just stood there in shock.
“Veronica?” Jonathan’s voice from outside got me out of my thoughts.
I walked over and unlocked the door.
“Are you alright? I heard glass shattering,” He said, then suddenly he gasped.
“What??” He said as he held my hand and grabbed my hand and pulled me towards a chair.
He made me sit and wrapped it with a cloth, and quickly took me to the hospital.
Pearl River Hospital
“She’ll need to rest that hand for a while,” the doctor said as he was writing some medicine for me.
I exhaled in relief as this accident gave me the excuse I needed to not paint.
“Doctor, can her memory loss affect her painting?” Jonathan’s question was a shock for me.
Why’s he asking that?
“Well, for someone of Mrs Rolling’s talent, it shouldn’t, maybe some important deadline but how to paint? Impossible p>
I froze on that as I knew Jonathan had seen the messy painting in the studio.
“When will she be able to paint again?” Jonathan asked.
“I mean the collection is important for the business p>
His concern was sensible, but it was unsettling for me.
I needed him to believe I did forget how to paint, but everyone was making him believe elsewise.
I thought he would take me back home to rest, but he brought me back to the studio.
Rollings Arts
“So, this is what you painted today p>
“Oh, this,” I said as I tried to cover it, but he stopped me.
“It was a rough draft, I was going to paint the original p>
“Since when did you or any painter first paint a draft and then the original p>
“My hand has been hurting so p>
“Why didn’t you tell me p>
“I could have taken you to the hospital before p>
Just then his glance fell on the peeled shrimps on the table.
“You can peel shrimp to eat, but are having pain while painting p>
I felt this is it.
Now he’ll say, ’Who are you?
“Okay, let’s get your hand treated first p>
“You can always paint again p>
“And thankfully, it’s the left hand p>
“I think with a little help from Janet, you should be able to paint one p>
“After all, I’ve always seen you painting with your right hand p>
“I’m sorry, there are lots of things I don’t remember p>
“Really?” Jonathan said.
“Somehow, other things you eventually remember p>
“Painting is the only thing you have completely forgotten p>