Boris said it was a friend who needed help, but as it turned out, the matter was not as advertised after all. The friend turned out to be an art dealer who was selling a Renaissance sculpture to a few good interested buyers. “This, right here, is a Mannerist sculpture oozing with the aesthetic of the High Renaissance. How did this end up in my collection? Well, my great-great-great grandfather used to be quite the explorer, and during one of his travels, he found himself lending a hand to a local parisher in Hildegarde…”As the man began recounting the sculpture’s supposed history, Boris nudged Javier sheepishly. “Sorry I was not more forthcoming,” he muttered under his breath. “It’s not about my friend, see. I’m interested in this sculpture, but I can’t really tell if it’s genuine or not, so…”Javier empathized. He could not blame him for his fib. Purchasing antique artwork had always posed a large risk regardless of its potential large returns. One would always worry that somethi
The dealer was basically locked in his room, where angry buyers were making him eat the sculpture, so to speak. Any pleas simply fell on deaf ears, so he ended up wailing and howling like a banshee. Boris was quite interested in joining the carnival. The fact that he had come this close to parting with 750,000 had pissed him off!His wish was not granted. He caught Javier leaving by the door and hurried over, calling out, “Wait! I haven’t paid you your just reward!” Oh, god! Javier had forgotten about this. His mind had been too occupied with buying a suitable gift box for the pocket watch. Boris asked for Javier’s bank account number and transferred 75,000 straight away. He then stuck up his thumb before the latter’s face. “You are a god among men, sir! That is to say—you’re so good at what you do, you’re no different from a genuine psychic! Please impart some wisdom to a friend. How did you know it was a fake? What were the signs?”Cough, now that was an impossible question t
Don not seeing eye to eye with his sister-in-law, Joey, meant that his son, Eliott did not see eye to eye with Evanna either. If sarcasm did not drip from his words each time they met, Evanna herself might feel out of place.Evanna ignored Eliott and was about to carry the bonsai, when Javier got to it first.“It’s heavy, I’ll do it. Help me with that box instead.”Evanna nodded and retrieved the wooden box that housed the ruby and diamond pocket watch from the car.“Tch. Tch. The gifts you two brought… Even scavengers wouldn’t want to bend down to pick them up if they saw them.”Eliott shook his head after mocking them and headed inside the hotel with his chauffeur. The chauffeur was carrying something covered with a red cloth, so it was not clear what the item was in particular.Javier carried the potted plant, while Evanna carried Javier’s box as they headed to the hotel lobby.According to the local custom, there was a reception at the door where someone took a record of the
This was exactly the reason Evanna did not want to talk to Ruby. Don and Dahlia were siblings, and both of them had opinions about Joey being the assistant principal. As Dahlia’s daughter, how could Ruby actually be genuinely friendly to Evanna? Besides, Don was the one who had pulled some strings to get Steven his job at the ministry of education.Steven quickly spoke up after Ruby.“Ruby, it would not be difficult to get a full-time security chief position for Javier, but he’s too useless. He can’t even do anything. If I have to get a job for him, I could only look for one in the countryside, as management there is more lenient.“If there’s really a thief or a robber and Javier can’t catch them, no one will mind in that case, right?”Ruby nodded and kissed Steven on the cheek. “Your consideration is so well-rounded, darling.”After she complimented her husband, she turned to tell Javier, “Javier, we’re a family, but we ought to be courteous. You should thank Steven, don’t you th
The whole banquet hall lost their cool over the present and Jared.It was a sculpture made of pure gold that weighed 10 kilograms. Since when were presents made of gold being gifted in kilograms?!10 kilograms was 10,000 grams. Even if each gram was calculated based on the market price of 45 dollars, this was worth a whopping 450,000 dollars—without taking into account the fee of the workmanship. With all the miscellaneous fees added, it would go up to 600,000 dollars!The sincerity Jared showed while holding up the golden sculpture of the winged Victoria and bowing down to wish David a happy birthday was unparalleled.Eliott, who had been feeling triumphant at the table, dared not even make a sound. He was stunned by Jared’s actions, and Jared had stolen his thunder right off the bat!A few seconds later, voices full of envy and amazement slowly filled the hall.“It’s made of pure gold. Jared’s really giving it his all to woo Evanna, huh? That’s 600,000 dollars gone just like th
Steven grinned obsequiously and went forward to greet Boris warmly, his grin almost splitting his face in half. However, when he extended his hand in great joy, he did not even get Boris’ attention, as the latter shoved him away to stand next to Javier.Boris’ eyes brightened up at the sight of Evanna, but the moment he noticed Javier’s hand, which was interlaced with hers, he reeled in his captivated gaze. This was the master’s woman. He would not dare have any other thoughts about her!It was apparent that Boris was quite tactful—unlike someone else. Ruby, for example, admonished Javier when she saw that Boris was there. “Mr. Garrison is here, so piss off and give up your seat!”She was not being brazen. She was just doing her husband a favor, so she gave him a sh*t-eating grin.Once her supposedly pandering words left her mouth, however, Boris was angered.“Who do you think you are to speak so pompously?!”Boris’ comment stunned Ruby, who was totally befuddled. Why was she b
Asiel’s proclamation made David queasy. Asiel never made things up, which could only mean the master had sniffed something fishy. Not keen to see Eliott shamed in public—Eliott’s disgrace would be just as disgraceful for David, after all—he wanted Asiel to keep quiet and cover things up.Unfortunately, Asiel misread David’s expression and thought the latter wanted him to explain in detail. Thus, he obliged. “Look at the color. Soft and faded, this faint spot of blue indicates an anomaly in the glazing process. Porcelain ware sporting such features is rarer–and thus more of a treasure–than its more common peers. This is, in fact, a genuine historical artifact. One would even classify it as a Grade-1 historical artifact, such as paintings and sculptures of old artisans and masters found in museums. Though it won’t fetch the highest price out there, Grade-1 artifacts are considered protected by the state, so all legitimate sales of such items are prohibited. Of course, this doesn’t stop
The crowd gasped in shock, Jared most of them all. His golden Victoria was worth 600,000 dollars, but now, Asiel’s verdict meant that the little trinket’s price dwarfed the value of his pure-gold Victoria!“Impossible! He’s useless! He’s literally a good-for-nothing! There’s no way he could even buy something so beyond his means. This has to be a fake!” Jared cried. His disbelief was so great that he accidentally said that part out loud. Asiel shot him a look. “Please. Do you know the immense historicity and meaning behind the Fleur-de-lys, hmm? It’s the favored symbol of monarchies. It’s used by both royalty and saints. It’s religious, political, dynastic, artistic, emblematic, and symbolic. A favored emblem of royalty…It’s not something to be emblazoned on any item willy-nilly!” he pointed out. “And of course, what can we deduce from the liberal use of gemstones, especially in the past, when few people had access to such things? Diamonds, rubies, and pink diamonds…Do you honestly