Chapter 528 An Artist's Oath

It was too late. Rachel had already peeled off the white covering on the last drawing board. The portrait took her by surprise.

Who was the woman in the painting?

She had loose black hair that cascaded down her face and gave it a beautiful frame.

The girl in the portrait was blissfully lost in dreams, with a smile on her lips. She was naked except for the quilt that wound artfully around her body to hide her private parts. Her slim legs pushed out from under the quilt and her waist, shoulders and lower abdomen were crafted onto a curvy body.

The aesthetic value of the painting was astounding. Marcus had an excellent skill in painting and this portrait could easily be a masterpiece. The woman in the painting was life-like and every inch of her body had been painted exquisitely.

If...

If the woman in the painting had not been her, Rachel would truly have been able to appreciate the work of art.

The white covering that Rachel held slid to the floor. Without saying a word she turned around and walked to the door. Just as she neared the door, she felt Marcus's hand close around her wrist.

"Don't avoid me. I have painted just one portrait like that, and no one has seen it. I promise that I will not paint you like that any more!" Marcus apologized for his painting.

In the eyes of the painter, the human body was a beautiful piece of art. The painting flowed out of Marcus's expert hands, without any adulteration of colours or intent. He had never even thought of exhibiting the painting to the public. This painting was flawless and pure and Marcus would not allow the eyes of other people to profane it.

"Release my hand."

Rachel said coldly. "You say you wouldn't. But who knows? I can't control your hands if you choose to paint like this. You might draw another naked picture of me again, and I will never know about it. Maybe you will even make it bolder or more obscene?"

Marcus didn't release her hand. Instead, he raised his other hand like a pledge, and said, "I, Marcus, swear that I will never paint Rachel Ruan this way again. And that I will never allow another soul to know about this painting. If I break this vow, may God curse me with a violent death!"

Rachel paused for a second, startled by his actions. She had never thought that Marcus would swear on his life. She slowly withdrew her hand from his grasp and opened the door.

Just then, Celine and Unna, who had been eavesdropping from the keyhole, stood up straight as a rod as if nothing had happened.

"Rachel, has Marcus looked around the house yet? Is he satisfied with the decoration?" Celine deliberately asked Rachel a question to avoid embarrassment. Unna quickly ran upstairs.

Rachel glanced at her and didn't say a word. She walked over to the sofa, took out the file and pen from her handbag and walked back to the

Falling from nobility, Zen Luo became a humble slave and served as a human punchbag for his former cousins. Inadvertently, he found a way to refine himself into a weapon and a legend started because of that. With a strong belief in never surrender, he strove for revenges and pursued big dreams. Warriors from various clans contended for hegemony and the world was stirred. Relying on the body that was comparable to a powerful weapon, Zen beat his numerous enemies on his way to the immortality. Would he succeed eventually?

has been acquired by an outsider!" replied the first voice.

"Three big groups? What are they? Why are they working against Streams Company?" asked the second voice.

"Who knows! I just know that the Li family group is one of the three groups. Although it is a third-tier group, it is still powerful. It is said that the group of Cheng family is also one of the three groups. It is one of the biggest companies in our country!" said the first voice and continued, "That's all I know... I have no information about the last group."

"Eh? As per your account, I have to say that Streams Company is really facing a huge hurdle. Although each of the three groups can't rival the Streams Company individually but if they combine they may make the outcome of the war more unpredictable."

"Alas! It's hard to tell whether the Streams Company can survive this war or not..."

Rachel was wracked with nervousness when she heard the women discussing the matter.

Celine, who had also heard the women, tried to reassure Rachel in a low voice, "Rachel, keep calm. Maybe this is just gossip because even you haven't heard about this before. How is it possible that they know?"

Rachel shook her head. She had sensed that something was amiss over the last few weeks. "No, I am afraid that it may not be gossip. Hiram has been working overtime these days. He mentioned that this was because he had to deal with something else.

I didn't think too much about it. I assumed that he was busy with the usual work in the company. I had never imagined that he may be facing something of this magnitude... "

She had limited knowledge about the Streams Company so she seldom asked Hiram about it. But this time she felt that this hearsay may have some truth to it.

"Well, Rachel, what are you going to do?" asked Celine with concern when Rachel confirmed that the statements of the women might be true.