Page 53 of The Prize
I deserved that as most women didn’t have priceless artwork tucked away in their bedrooms.
My gaze returned to the hologram. “I think I’d have liked her very much.” My eyes wandered over her face, those kind eyes and that smile, and I pulled back a little to take in the canvas, recognizing the detailed touches and enthralled by the idea it would be re-created by using da Vinci’s exact methods garnered by Tobias’s AI. “I need to go back to the Louvre so I can spend time with the realMona Lisa.” I let out a sigh. “Leonardo only worked on a classic Renaissance ground of white. So you will have to find paint that matches that era. No small task.”
“I know.”
“Look at her. She’s sensual. Carries a certain wisdom.” My gaze locked with his and a moment passed between us, a deep connection contradicting our current standoff, and I read what could have even been love.
Love, from the man whose presence burned me up from the inside out, and this more than anything scared me.
My stare shot back toMona Lisa. “What was your first instinct when you saw her just now?”
He looked thoughtful. “Hard to describe.”
“She beckoned you?”
“Yes, she’s mesmerizing.”
“There’s a subtlety stirring an instinctual feeling hard to articulate. I always trust this. In the original painting hanging in the Louvre,Mona Lisaconveys aloofness. Her smile belongs to her.”
“Impressive.”
I strolled around the portrait, surprised to see Tobias had managed to capture a realistic backing. “Can you increase this?”
He flicked his fingers over the image and enlarged it to such an extent it looked like it had doubled in size.
I pointed to the edge. “How did you capture this backing?”
“I accessed photographic records from the Louvre. The backing doesn’t have to be exact. Different painting. Different frame.”
“Same master.” I threw him a disapproving glare.
“I’m enjoying watching you look at her. There’s awe in your expression, Zara. Coming from you, that is a compliment.”
I strolled around to face her again and breathed in an admiring sigh.
Tobias straightened his back. “Burell will be falling over himself to own her.”
“Because she’s one of history’s greatest treasures.”
He brought our drinks back over. “What’s the verdict, Leighton? Will she pass if we create her from this?” He raised his glass in a toast.
I accepted my cocktail from him. “There’s a flaw.”
He stared at me for the longest time. “What’s the issue?”
“I’m not going to tell you.”
“If it’s because of the eyebrows and eyelashes being present, I’ll be making sure those have disappeared from sight due to either overcleaning or time passing.”
Just as the original—where most people didn’t even notice Mona Lisa’s eyebrows were missing.
“I guessed you’d know that. However, that’s not the issue. If your painting is created off this image it will not pass scrutiny.”
“Why?”
I took a long deep sip. “Look at her again and tell me what you sense.”
“The uncanny valley?”
