Chapter 8

"Thanks to you, Matthew, we get to share in this honor, too! I never even dreamed of being able to partake in such precious wine."

"I have to take a photo of it and share it on my feed!"

While everyone else showered Matthew with flattery, he was utterly confused as well. The Carters were merely a run-of-the-mill wealthy family without much prestige. Meanwhile, the owner of Twilight Bar was a big shot in the criminal underworld.

They belonged to two entirely different social classes, so why was he being given such expensive wine?

"Hey, Matthew. Is this a sign that the Carters are about to make it big? Why else would the owner of Twilight Bar give you this wine?"

"Well, about that…"

Matthew didn't know what to say, but after a brief moment, he came up with an idea. Straightening up, he said with a smile, "Since this has happened, I won't try to hide it any longer. A few days ago, I had the honor of receiving the recognition of the chairperson of Avila Group.

"She said she was interested in partnering with me to set up a company or something if the right opportunity came along."

Everyone gasped at the revelation.

"The Avilas are no ordinary people!" Elara exclaimed in shock. "They were once the richest family in Verdura. Although they've lost some of their glory in the last two years, they are still an elite family.

"Rachel Avila, the chairperson of Avila Group, is able to command a corporation worth hundreds of billions at such a young age! It's a big deal to receive recognition from her."

Gideon opened his eyes.

The Avilas? Avila Group? Rachel Avila?

He wondered if they were talking about Simon's family.

"Is Rachel Avila the granddaughter of Simon Avila?" he asked.

Glancing at him, Elara retorted with a scoff, "I'm surprised that even someone like you who's been farming in the countryside knows that much. That's right. Rachel is Simon's granddaughter, and Simon was once the richest man in Verdura.

"However, he went missing two years ago and hasn't been heard from since."

Gideon fell in thought. Simon had asked him for a favor without going into much detail. He merely asked that Gideon hand a letter and a ring over to Rachel. Who knew what he was up to?

Thus, Gideon decided to find the time to drop by Avila Group.

By now, the wine had been opened, and Matthew said, "Since we're all friends, I've decided to help you guys out, too. Let's all make our fortunes together.

"Once Ms. Avila provides the funding for my new company, I'll give you guys a chance. You can also invest in my company and become a shareholder. That way, when the company flourishes, you'll be able to rake in the profits without doing anything."

"Are you serious, Matthew?"

"A promise is a promise!" Matthew replied.

Everyone was overjoyed. One of them even raised his glass and said, "Come, everyone! Let's all give a toast to Matthew and thank him for letting us benefit from his success! Let's thank him for the opportunity to enjoy such an expensive wine, too!"

As they all raised their glasses, a woman called out, "Hey, Gideon! Why aren't you moving? Hurry up and raise your glass to join in on the toast."

Gideon glanced over before saying indifferently, "I'm not interested in giving a toast. In any case, how sure are you that the bottles of Burrandi wine are for him?"

"What are you trying to imply?"

Everyone glared at Gideon in fury.

Upon seeing the displeased look on Matthew's face, Elara became worried that she wouldn't be able to invest in his new venture.

Enraged, she glared at Gideon and rebuked him, "Are you so reluctant to acknowledge the success of others just because you can't accomplish the same thing?

"Matthew has been acknowledged by Ms. Avila and established a connection with the Avilas! That alone makes him qualified enough to receive these two bottles of wine as a gift!"

Gideon shrugged, too lazy to give a rebuttal.

Smiling, Matthew said, "Calm down, Ella. Since Gideon isn't drinking, it's fine if he doesn't join the toast. Come. Let's drink."

While speaking, he held Elara and ushered her back down to her seat.

Gideon looked on with a frown, but he didn't comment on it.

He and Elara didn't have any feelings for each other. They were merely completing a task by going through with the marriage, and she was free to do whatever she wanted.

After three rounds of drinking, a young man remarked, "Matthew, I heard you scored big at the antiques market yesterday. Do you have it with you? Why don't you show it to us?"

"That's right, Matthew. Let us learn a thing or two from you, too."

Matthew smiled, his cheeks flushed. "It just so happens that I do have it with me. Since you're all keen to see it, you can all take a look together."

He took out a saucer the size of his palm. It was white and covered in an intricate pattern.

"Is that made out of the rare azure porcelain?" Elara exclaimed.

"It is," Matthew replied smugly. "In fact, it's made from the finest quality of azure porcelain and is about five centuries old."

"Goodness me! How much is it worth?"

"This much!" Matthew declared as he held his fingers up.

" Eight million dollars?"

"What the heck? You're so lucky, Matthew!"

Everyone was envious to no end.

"How much did you pay for it, Matthew?" Elara asked.

"100 thousand dollars!"

"What? You only spent 100 thousand dollars to get something worth eight million dollars in return? You're incredible, Matthew!"

Gideon couldn't help but snort at the sight of their endless stream of praise as they awed at the so-called treasure.

"Why are you laughing, Gideon? What are you up to now?"

"Sorry. I couldn't hold it in," Gideon said with a wave of his hand. "You guys go ahead. Ignore me."

"Hold it! You'd better explain yourself properly!" one of the guests insisted. "Earlier on, you doubted that the wine was for Matthew, and now, you're laughing for no reason when Matthew brought out this antique. Could it be that you're doubting the authenticity of the antique as well?"

"Well, I'll be honest with you. That's nothing but a plain old saucer worth two dollars at most. I can't believe you guys are treating it like it's some kind of treasure!" Gideon replied, much to everyone's shock.

Elara's temper flared up. She raged, "If you have nothing good to say, just keep your mouth shut. Gideon, what does a farmer like you know about antiques anyway? Since you're clueless, you should watch what you say! Don't be such an embarrassment!"

Matthew tugged on Elara and said pleasantly, "Ella, since Gideon said as much, I'm sure he has his reasons. Let's hear what he has to say."

Scoffing, Elara declared, "Gideon, if you can't explain yourself, you'd better apologize to Matthew right away!"

Gideon didn't bother to respond to her, but that only fueled the crowd's contempt.

"Go on! Talk! Why aren't you speaking? Cat got your tongue?"

"He was just trying to draw attention to himself. How disgusting!"

"Hurry up and apologize."

Vexed by their scathing remarks, he uttered icily, "If it's real, it won't be damaged by a little fire. Set it on fire."

"Set it on fire?"

Everyone was dumbfounded.

Matthew said, "I've tested it using the method you suggested, Gideon, and it has passed the test, proving that it's the real deal."

Gideon picked up a glass of wine from the table and poured it over the saucer before saying, "Set it on fire now. It doesn't need to be very hot—just enough to boil water. Then, we'll be able to see if it's the real deal."

"Hey, you bastard, it looks to me that you're just trying to cause a scene! Not only did you waste such an expensive wine, but you even got it onto Matthew. Are you asking for a fight?"

A few of the young men were outraged, but Matthew signaled for everyone to quiet down before he said, "Gideon, since you insist that I set it on fire one more time, I'll satisfy your wish. However, I'll say this first. If it's damaged because of the fire, you have to pay me back for the loss."

"If a regular fire is enough to damage it, that means it's a fake. What do you want me to repay you with, then? Shall I give you two dollars for it?" Gideon teased.

Matthew's expression stiffened. Without wasting any more of his breath, he had one of his buddies fetch a flamethrower to set the sauce on fire in front of everyone.

Elara was panicking hard. Keeping her voice down, she rebuked Gideon, "Are you trying to cause trouble for my family? If it gets damaged, you'll need to compensate Matthew with eight million dollars! Do you have that kind of money?

"Once that happens, it'll be my dad who has to fork out the money. You're such a jinx!"

Feeling rather speechless, Gideon snapped back, "Is there something wrong with your ears? Didn't I say that if it does get damaged from a small fire like that, it's clearly a fake? Why would I need to compensate him?"

"How can it be a fake—"

Before Elara could finish her sentence, someone cried out, "Oh, my goodness! Look!"

As the saucer burned in the fire, its lines slowly started disappearing. After ten minutes, it turned back into an ordinary white saucer—the kind that could be found in even the cheapest eateries!

Everyone's jaws dropped. Even Matthew was stupefied. He couldn't believe it. He'd spent 100 thousand dollars on that!

"You spent 100 thousand dollars to buy a saucer worth two dollars. Are you sure that someone of your wits would be recognized by the chairperson of Avila Group? I have good reason to doubt your claims!"