All Chapters of Want Me Back? Ask My Brothers First: Chapter 31 - Chapter 40

~LORETTE~“Hi, Lorette. I just wanted to tell you that your performance was phenomenal. Try checking in at my gallery when you’re free this weekend, will you?”A man pushes through the crowd surrounding me outside the hall, slipping a business card into my hand with an eager smile.I offer him a small smile in return, carefully accepting it amongst the ridiculous number of business cards already piling up in my grip.“Thank you.” I say politely.The moment he leaves, another person approaches. Then another.Congratulations, praises and compliments pour endlessly.“You’re incredibly talented.”“We should collaborate sometime.”“Please, do you have social media?”By the time the crowd finally begins to thin out, my head is spinning.I almost want to tear my hair out.Needing a moment to breathe, I clutch my purse and hurry toward the restroom, hoping for at least five minutes of peace.The silence inside feels heavenly.I exhale deeply as I stand before the mirror, running trembling fin

~LUCAS~ “I placed a call to the hospital the moment I got your message. The issue should be sorted out by now.” Marcus’ voice comes through the massive television screen in the living room where Lucas sits with Hunter and Jace, all three brothers wearing identical serious expressions as the video call continues. Marcus leans back slightly in his seat, adjusting the sleeves of his dark shirt. “I also arranged for the best specialists around the country to monitor her foster mother’s condition,” he adds. “If there’s any chance of speeding up her recovery, we’ll take it.” Lucas finally exhales, some of the tension in his chest easing. “You’ve done well, brother.” Truthfully, relief had hit him the moment Lori mentioned the name of the hospital yesterday. Oasis Specialty Hospital. Marcus’ hospital. Out of all hospitals in the city, fate somehow chose one owned by their own brother. Marcus owns some of the biggest medical facilities both locally and internationally, an

~洛蕾特~ 我几乎一整天都把自己关在房间里，埋头创作比赛决赛的作品。 现在，我的手、衣服，甚至半张脸都沾满了颜料。几个小时没日没夜地工作，手腕酸痛难忍，但我顾不上这些。 明天就是决赛了，我可不能失败。这时， 有人敲门。 “嘿，我可以进来吗？” 我从画布上抬起头，看到艾拉站在门口，手里端着一个托盘。茶壶放在一盘饼干旁边。 我脸上露出了笑容。 “当然可以。” 我赶紧放下画笔，跳了起来，这才意识到我的房间已经变成了一片狼藉。颜料管、速写本和画笔散落得到处都是。 我的脸颊顿时发烫。“不好意思，弄得这么乱。” 艾拉似乎没注意到。她的目光落在了画架上的画作上。 她走近一些，默默地欣赏着。 “天哪，洛蕾特。”她的目光带着赞赏的神情扫过画布。“你真是太有才了。明天你肯定能赢。” 我轻声笑了笑。 “我会尽力的。” 艾拉终于把注意力从画上移开，转过身来看着我。 她脸上浮现出担忧的神色。 “哦，亲爱的。”她把托盘放在床上，走了过来。“你怎么了？” 她的目光从我眼下的黑眼圈移到我手臂上干涸的颜料。 “你看上去很疲惫。昨晚睡了吗？” 我点点头，但这完全是谎话。我整晚都在画画。 从艾拉的表情来看，她也知道。她叹了口气，双手叉腰。 “洛莉，你需要休息一下。” “我没事。” “不，你肯定有事。”她的语气不容置疑。“如果你在比赛前一天把自己累垮了，那就太糟糕了。” 说完，她的眼睛突然亮了起来。 “所以我们明天就要去给你买礼服了。” 我还没来得及反对，她就兴奋地说了起来。 “你知道吗，我听说艺术界的大佬们都会来参加决赛！收藏家、画廊老板、投资人、名人……应有尽有！” 我瞪大了眼睛。“真的吗？” “真的。”她从托盘里拿起一块饼干放进嘴里。 “所以，我绝对不能让你顶着一副要去超市的样子出现。去洗个澡，把身上的颜料都洗掉。然后我们就走。” 我想抗议，但内心深处，我知道她是对的。 如果我继续这样勉强自己，明天肯定会累得没法表演。 “好吧。”我投降了。 >>>>> 一小时后，出租车停在了目的地门口，我差点惊掉下巴。 这家精品店太大了！光滑的玻璃建筑直插云霄，与其说像服装店，不如说更像一家豪华酒店。 “艾拉。”我们穿过旋转门时，我的声音低得有些紧张。

~LORETTE~“B-Brother…” Bentley’s voice comes out shaky as she stares up at Nate as though he’s suddenly speaking a different language.Beside her, Ava looks equally stunned.To be honest, I’m not doing much better myself. Even Ella looks seconds away from bursting into laughter.“I recently reviewed your spending records,” Nate continues. “And after seeing the ridiculous amount you’ve wasted on unnecessary luxuries over the past few months, I decided it was time to step in.”Bentley’s face burns red.Around us, her friends immediately begin whispering.“How embarrassing.”“I thought she said nobody questioned her decisions.”“She acts like she’s untouchable.”Bentley forces a smile that looks painfully strained.“But, Brother… you’ve never done this before.”“And that’s exactly why I’m doing it now,” Nate replies. “I’ve realized we’ve spoiled you far too much. It’s time you got a job and learned the value of money.”“Nate, don’t be so hard on her.” Ava slips to his side, wrapping an a

~LORETTE~ Within minutes, everyone is seated and the hall falls into a tense silence as the final round officially begins. My heart is pounding so hard that I can barely hear anything else, but I still manage to keep myself together. Thankfully, Ella is beside me. She reaches for my hand beneath the table and gives it a reassuring squeeze, offering me a small smile. At the center of the stage, the host steps forward with a microphone. “As stated in the rules communicated to all finalists,” he announces, “all paintings were submitted yesterday and collected ahead of today’s event. To ensure fairness, every artwork will be judged anonymously, with only participant numbers attached to each piece.” Excited murmurs ripple through the hall. “No names will be revealed until the scoring process is complete. The judges will evaluate each painting based solely on creativity, execution, and interpretation of the theme: Time.” I swallow hard. Yesterday, after finishing my paintin