Chapter 8: Yanis Is Ready to Sign the Papers

Neve walked up to Yanis with Zane on her arm, wearing a big smile on her face. "Miss Thompson, what are you doing here? Are you here for Zane?"

Yanis glanced up at Zane when she heard Neve's words. With a polite smile, she replied, "You're mistaken, Miss Bennett. I'm not here for..."

"It doesn’t matter if you want to talk to Zane. I can leave you two alone."

Before Yanis could finish her sentence, Neve generously interrupted her, but to Yanis, it felt like a dismissal.

Yanis looked at Neve and smiled. "Miss Bennett, I'm not here for Zane..."

"You're just in time. I also have something to tell you."

This time, it was Zane who interrupted Yanis.

Yanis looked up at Zane and said, "Sorry, I'm not available right now. Let's talk about it later."

Then she looked at Neve and added, "I'm not here for Zane, so please don't misunderstand."

"Yanis?" A male voice came from the side.

Yanis turned towards the voice and a smile lit up her face when she saw the person coming through the door. "Ivan!"

Ivan Baxter walked up to Yanis and gave her a warm hug. "I thought I had the wrong person."

Yanis returned the hug. "Why didn't you tell me you were coming back?"

Ivan chuckled. "It was a last-minute decision. I still have some business to attend to, so I'll be back in a few days."

Glancing at Zane and Neve standing beside Yanis, Ivan asked, "Are they your friends?"

Yanis nodded with a hint of embarrassment, and then she said softly, "Mr. Lawrence and Miss Bennett, we'll excuse ourselves."

With that, Yanis gestured for Ivan to follow her, and they walked away from Zane and Neve.

Once they were in the elevator, Ivan asked, "Why are you here alone? Where's Bonnie?"

Yanis replied, "Bonnie had some things to take care of at her studio, so she couldn't make it."

While Yanis was passionate about painting, Bonnie was dedicated to designing wedding dresses. When Yanis stopped painting and got married to Zane, Bonnie decided to pursue her passion and opened her own successful studio for wedding dress designing in Manches City.

Ivan nodded, "That explains why I didn't see her here."

As they talked, a young man approached Ivan and greeted him, "Hello, Mr. Baxter. When did you come back?"

Ivan smiled at him, "This morning. I was summoned here by my father as soon as I arrived."

The man glanced at Yanis and asked, "Is this your girlfriend?"

Ivan chuckled and skillfully changed the subject, "I heard Travis's student is going to do a live painting today, so I came to check it out."

The man smiled, "Travis's student is rumored to be as talented as him, or even better!"

Ivan laughed, "That's impressive. I'm looking forward to seeing it."

The man then shared how much his father admired Travis's work but was unable to obtain any of his paintings since Travis didn't sell them. He hoped that he could buy one of the paintings done by Travis's talented student.

Wishing the man success in acquiring the painting, Ivan then excused himself and joined Yanis as they moved to another part of the venue.

"Are you really going to do a live painting today?" Ivan asked Yanis.

Yanis nodded, "Yes, my teacher arranged for me to do it, and as a reward, Mr. Duncan will provide me with a new set of painting materials."

Ivan raised an eyebrow, "Mr. Cooke always looks out for you."

Yanis smiled and checked the time, "I should go find him."

Ivan nodded, "Alright."

Yanis turned and headed towards the lounge.

As soon as Yanis left, Neve approached Ivan.

Ivan took a glass of wine from a passing waiter and turned to face Neve, his expression inscrutable.

"You must know me, Mr. Baxter," Neve handed him a glass of red wine and said, her smile unwavering.

Ivan took a sip of the wine and replied in a composed tone, "And what makes you say that, Miss Bennett?"

Neve still wore a smile.

After all, as a famous actress, she could always keep calm.

Then Neve asked, "Mr. Baxter, you and Yanis must have known each other for a long time, right?"

Hearing this, Ivan smiled and looked at Neve. "What do you want me to say, Miss Bennett?"