The Founder's office was calm, but never truly soft.
It carried the kind of silence that felt designed like even sound needed permission before existing inside the room.
Le Foudateur sat at the head of the long marble table, relaxed in posture but sharp in presence. Principal Lawrence stood slightly behind him, observant and quiet.
On one side sat Isabella, composed as always, her expression unreadable but attentive.
Opposite her sat Hajiya Amina, arms folded tightly, her patience already worn thin.
Far from the main table, near the side wall, stood ZaraBliss, the health senior prefect. Not part of the discussion. Just there to assist if called. And right now, she simply watched.
Le Foudateur leaned back slightly and sighed.
"Ah…" he said softly. "Aujourd'hui, l'art veut nous causer problème."[1]
A faint pause.
Then he added with a small smile:
"Très courageux de sa part."[2]
No one laughed.😐
But the tension shifted slightly because nobody was sure if he was joking or warning them.
Hajiya Amina spoke first.
"I want my son's painting back."
Her voice was firm.
Isabella responded without looking away.
"I bought it legally. It is mine now."
Silence followed.
Heavy again.
Le Foudateur tapped the table once.
"Hmm…" he murmured. "We are already repeating ourselves. And I do not like repetition."
He turned slightly.
"Zara."
Zara stepped forward immediately.
"Yes sir."
"Go and call Halija Amina's son, his name should be Danladi."
She nodded. "Right away, sir."
As she turned, he added casually:
"And ask the secretary to bring the painting."
Zara paused for half a second, then nodded again.
"Yes sir."
She left.
The room stayed still.
Too still.
A few minutes later, the secretary entered carefully, holding a framed painting covered in protective cloth.
He placed it gently on the table.
Everyone leaned slightly forward.
A few moments passed.
Then the door opened again.
Danladi entered.
He paused briefly when he saw everyone seated.
"Sir…" he greeted softly.
Le Foudateur studied him for a moment.
"Your painting has caused a small international crisis," he said flatly.
Daladi swallowed. "I didn't intend for that to happen."
Hajiya Amina leaned forward immediately.
"It is my son's work and we demand a return."
Isabella didn't look at her as she responded.
"Ma'am, it seems like you can't comprehend what I've been saying... this us a fair and I purchased it legally. It belongs to me now,you should be begging me."
The tension returned instantly.
Le Foudateur raised a hand slightly.
"Enough," he said calmly. "We are not kids or neither in a marketplace. We are in a solution."
He leaned back slightly.
"Let us understand the problem first."
Daladi hesitated, then spoke.
"It's not just a painting sir."
Everyone turned toward him.
"It's actually layered."
Isabella's eyes sharpened.
"Explain in details."
Daladi exhaled.
"When you look at it under normal light, it shows a portrait as we can all see."
The cloth was removed.
A natural painting appeared.
A calm landscape, an ocean spread across the center, soft waves resting quietly, surrounded by trees forming a peaceful frame around it.
Beautiful. Ordinary at first glance
Hajiya Amina's expression softened slightly.
"But that is only the surface."
Le Foudateur's gaze narrowed with interest.
"Continue."
Daladi stepped forward.
"The painting reacts to light direction."
Zara blinked. "Reacts how?"
"If you turn off the lights and use a focused torchlight at a specific angle… another image appears underneath."
Silence dropped instantly.
Even Principal Lawrence shifted slightly.
Le Foudateur spoke quietly.
"Show us."
Zara followed the instruction and switched off the main lights.
Darkness filled the room.
For a moment, nothing moved.
"Torchlight," Le Foudateur ordered.
A narrow blue beam hit the canvas.
At first, it looked unchanged.
Then slowly…
The colors began to shift.
The blues deepened.
The greens connected differently.
The entire landscape started to behave like it was hiding something beneath its surface
Then...
It shifted.
A second layer began to surface beneath the visible image.
A woman's face formed inside the painting emerging through the way the ocean, trees, and colors aligned under the light.
Gasps filled the room.
Zara stepped closer without thinking.
"What… is that?" she whispered.
The hidden layer fully emerged.
Hajiya Amina's eyes softened slightly.
"That… is me?" she whispered.
Isabella studied it carefully.
"It looks simple, professional artists use professional ways but this is new and unique" she said.
Le Foudateur tilted his head.
"Ah… nothing is ever just simple in ASF."
Isabella's expression changed immediately.
"This is not normal painting technique though…"
Daladi stood quietly near the table.
"It is not meant to be normal, I learnt it on YouTube."
Le Foudateur watched closely.
"Hmm…" he murmured. "Une peinture qui cache une vérité."[3]
He looked at Daladi.
"You did this?"
"Yes sir."
Hajiya Amina's voice trembled slightly, no longer angry.
"Why would you hide my face inside an ocean?"
Daladi hesitated.
"It may sound crazy but it's because you're my ocean, the calm behind my chaos" he said quietly smiling. "It is what the painting means."
Silence.
Zara blinked.
"So it only appears with the blue light?"
Daladi nodded.
"Yes. Normal light only shows the surface."
Le Foudateur leaned back slowly.
"Ah… les artistes."[4]
A faint pause.
"Always speaking in secrets."
Isabella spoke again, softer now.
"I bought this thinking it was a landscape."
Daladi replied immediately.
"It is ma'am."
He paused.
"But also more."
Silence stretched again but this time it was thoughtful, not hostile.
Le Foudateur finally spoke.
"This is no longer a dispute."
He looked between them.
"It is understanding, there has to be understanding and consideration therefore."
Isabella exhaled slowly.
"I will withdraw my claim on one condition."
Hajiya Amina turned slightly, surprised.
"If he can create a similar painting of this of my son who passed away," Isabella added.
Her gaze shifted to Daladi.
"Can you?."
Daladi lowered his head slightly and nodded in agreement.
Le Foudateur gave a small nod.
"Bien."
Then softly said:
"Art is not property when it carries truth and feelings, thank you so much for this."
A quiet pause.
The tension in the room finally dissolved.
Not fully gone…
But settled.
As everyone began to relax slowly, voices outside the office could be faintly heard again, the sound of movement, celebration, life returning to the school grounds.
Zara glanced toward the window.
The sun was still high.
Outside, students were still moving between displays, music still played faintly from the hall.
And as the conversation inside the Founder's office quietly came to an end:
the Art Fair and Cultural Exhibition was a success for the day after many hours after. 🎨✨
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Hello ! I'm Dolly Rae, a new author on Webnovel, and I'm excited to share my debut story with you Z-CODE ELITES.
It's a refreshing take on elite Nigerian teens navigating friendship, power, and purpose in a world of luxury and pressure.
I hope you follow along and enjoy every twist, vibe, and moment this story brings
Also, I recently opened a TikTok page for the story
If you'd like to see visual inspirations for the characters, aesthetics, scenes, and overall vibes of the novel, you can follow DOLLY RAE on Tiktok as well.
Thank you again for reading, supporting, and staying with the story
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[1] Today, art wants to give us trouble
[2] very brave of it
[3] A painting that hides a truth.
[4] Ah...artists