The millionaire bought his own portrait for several million dollars and hosted a lavish dinner to show off his purchase to his friends. But when a young cleaning lady looked at the painting and quietly said, “I could have painted you much better,” the whole hall burst into laughter. 😳
The millionaire pointed his finger at her and, barely holding back his laughter, replied:
— If in half an hour you paint me better than the artist I paid millions to, you can take all the leftover food from the table for your grandmother.
The guests immediately pulled out their phones, expecting another entertainment. But thirty minutes later, something happened that froze everyone in complete shock 😨
That evening, about twenty guests had gathered in Victor’s huge house. A few days earlier, the man had acquired at a private auction his own portrait, painted by a famous artist.
The painting had cost several million dollars.
Victor was so proud of the purchase that he hung it in the main hall and invited his friends to dinner.
Almost the entire evening, the guests discussed the painting.
— Stunning work.
— The artist perfectly captured your character.
— It will definitely be worth even more in a few years.
Victor smiled with satisfaction, listening to the compliments.
Meanwhile, Clara was clearing the empty plates from the table.
She had been working in the house for only four months. Her pay barely covered the bare necessities, and at home her elderly grandmother was waiting for her. For the past few days, the woman had eaten almost nothing, only stale bread and a little cheese.
Clara knew this, so when she saw how much food was left after dinner, she gathered her courage and approached the master of the house.
— Excuse me, may I take some of the leftover food home after dinner?
Victor looked at her in surprise.
— Why?
— For my grandmother.
Several guests turned around. Victor smirked.
— I pay you a salary. Isn’t that enough?
Clara blushed.
— It’s enough. I just thought that this food would be thrown away anyway.
— There’s no need to think for me, — the man answered coldly.
Clara said nothing and returned to her work.
Passing by the huge portrait, she looked at it again. She had been studying the painting ever since the day it had been brought into the house. And each time she noticed the same thing.
The proportions of the face were strange. The eyes seemed unnatural, the smile — foreign, and Victor himself in the painting barely resembled himself.
Clara stopped a little longer than usual.
— What is it? — Victor noticed.
— Nothing.
— You’ve been looking at my portrait for several minutes now. Don’t you like it?
Clara wanted to stay silent, but still answered:
— I think you could have been painted much better.
The room went quiet. And a second later, several guests burst out laughing. Victor laughed too.
— Really? And who would paint better?
Clara looked him straight in the eyes.
— Me.
The laughter grew even louder. One of the guests immediately took out his phone and started filming what was happening.
— Wait, this needs to be recorded!
Victor pointed his finger at Clara.
— Do you understand how much this painting costs?
— No.
— Several million.
Clara looked at the portrait once more.
— The price doesn’t always mean that the portrait turned out to be a good likeness.
After these words, the guests laughed even harder. But Victor suddenly decided to continue this game.
— All right. Paint me.
Clara was surprised.
— Now?
— Now. I’m giving you half an hour. If your drawing really turns out better, you take all the leftover food. You can even empty the fridge.
Someone clapped. Others pointed their phones at the girl. Clara was brought a large sheet of paper and a simple pencil.
She sat down at the table. Victor positioned himself opposite her and smiled smugly.
— The clock is ticking.
For the first few minutes, the guests continued to joke.
— Maybe we should bring her a coloring book?
— Don’t disturb the great artist!
Clara didn’t answer. She looked only at Victor.
However, half an hour later, something so unexpected happened that all the guests were left in complete shock 😳😱 The continuation of the story can be found in the first comment 👇👇
At first, barely noticeable lines appeared on the paper. Then the outlines of the head, eyes, nose, and lips. After ten minutes, the laughter became quieter.
After twenty minutes, several people were already standing right behind the girl’s back.
And the man who had been filming the whole time slowly lowered his phone.
Victor noticed the change in the guests’ faces.
— What’s there?
No one answered.
— Two minutes left, — someone said.
Clara made a few more quick strokes, then put the pencil down on the table.
— Done.
Victor got up and came closer. Clara turned the drawing toward him.
The room became completely silent. On the paper was Victor.
Not just a similar man. It was exactly him — with his squint, the slight crease near his mouth, the grey in his hair, and that very self-assured smile.
The portrait looked so alive that some guests, for a few seconds, shifted their gaze from the drawing to Victor and back.
Then someone looked at the painting worth several million hanging on the wall.
The difference was obvious. The expensive work suddenly seemed cold and foreign.
And the simple pencil drawing looked as if the man in it was about to speak.
Victor was no longer laughing.
— Where did you learn to draw like that? — he finally asked.
Clara was silent for a moment.
— I studied at an art school. Then I got into the academy. But when my grandmother got sick, I had to give it all up and go to work.
Victor looked at the drawing again. Now he understood why the girl had been studying his expensive portrait for so long.
She really knew what she was looking at.
Clara calmly got up from the table.
— May I take the food?
Victor nodded silently.
