The vendor's face flushed with anger. "A copy?! No way! This piece was on an appraisal show, and every expert there vouched for its authenticity! Do you even know what you're talking about, lady?"The old man gave Madeline a surprised once-over but kept mum.Madeline offered a sheepish smile. She was messing with the vendor's livelihood, so his agitation was somewhat justified."The gentleman earlier pointed out the vase's features. Plus, the real deal's supposed to be heavier. This one is too lightweight."The forget must have wanted the vase to dazzle, to be the epitome of beauty and finesse, but they missed the mark on the subtle artistry that sets the real deal apart.The old man listened to her, and with a more scrutinizing look, he saw the truth in her words. The excitement that had lit up his face dimmed significantly.Madeline went on. "Also, the colors on the vase… They're kind of slapped on, you know? They don't have that crystal-clear, pure vibe."In short, the vase w
Stephen stood by Hector's car, a dark smile on his handsome face.Hector shuddered, pocketed his phone, and ended the call. With a sense of defeat, he opened the door and stepped out."Bro..."Stephen's laugh was icy. "Don't call me that. I'm not your brother."If Dallas had not called him, Stephen would have been clueless that Hector had sneaked three big items out of the storage."Why do you always have Madeline's back?" Hector blurted out, unable to contain his curiosity any longer.It seemed to him that Stephen's protective streak for Madeline went way beyond what he would expect for a sibling. Heck, even Sadie came in second to her.Stephen was not the type to lose his head over a crush.Stephen's eyes narrowed into slits. "Do you really want to know?"Hector nodded eagerly.With a mocking laugh, Stephen said, "Alright. You're into betting, right? Let's make it interesting."A chill ran down Hector's spine as he listened."If Madeline loses, I'll spill the beans and yo
The owner could not hold back and blurted out the question on everyone's mind.Madeline gave a small, knowing smile. "You need the cash for medical bills, and I just can't ignore that."The director sprang into action, quickly confirming the authenticity of the owner's item. It was the real deal, and the price matched Madeline's estimate almost to the dollar.The owner was gobsmacked.His treasured porcelain, which he was told was a fake, had him fretting over how he would pay for his wife's treatment.Then, Madeline told him his supposed fake painting was genuine.The highs and lows were overwhelming. He stared at Madeline, speechless.The online comments that had been slamming Madeline for shady dealings went silent.[Didn't they say Madeline was on the hook for someone's life? Why so quiet now?][She could've won but she chose not to. She's got a heart of gold.][To walk away from millions just like that... I don't know if I could do it. Hats off to her.][What does it ma
Sadie held three things.A large plate with a yellow background and blue peony flowers, a piece of bluish-white jade charm, and a chicken blood stone ornament she picked up without much thought at the end.The chicken blood stone, despite its attractive color, was practically worthless, especially when compared to the other two items. It was just there to fill out the count.Madeline's haul was even more comical. She did not even manage to gather enough items.She had just two things. A painting valued at 45 dollars and a jade bracelet worth 78 dollars.The director looked at Madeline, his face a mix of conflicted emotions. 'Couldn't you just randomly pick one more item to go with the 45-dollar and 75-dollar ones?'Madeline's face was slightly pale, but she managed a smile and stayed silent. She was simply exhausted.Trevon, standing on the outskirts of the crowd, saw Madeline's pallor and his expression turned grim.What was the museum thinking with that setup?Madeline arriv
Everyone's attention shifted their way.Sadie huffed. "What's up? You're not going to claim that painting's legit, are you? Can't handle a little defeat?"Sadie was not fooled. Madeline's chair was not like the rest.Madeline's seat was clearly cushier than the stiff wooden chairs they were stuck with.She had seen it with her own eyes, Trevon's assistant delivering the throne to Madeline.How could Trevon play favorites like that?They were all girls, all had shopped for the same two hours, so why was Madeline the only one who got to rest her legs?They brought her a chair, so why not one for Sadie too?She was left perching on that uncomfortable piece of wood, practically bruising her behind.To top it off, Trevon could not take his eyes off Madeline, which just added salt to the wound.It was Sadie who had triumphed, who had dazzled everyone!Madeline seemed taken aback by Sadie's snippy tone but did not dwell on it. She approached the painting and murmured, "The painting
Baxter was taken aback to see him. "Mr. Swanson, what brings you here?"The old man was none other than Jared Swanson, a retired bigwig from the Cultural Bureau.Jared let out a hearty laugh. "I've been here all along."He turned to Madeline and added, "You're quite the sensation, aren't you?"Madeline just smiled. "I guess I got lucky."Jared did not seem convinced and offered, "How about I witness this?"That would be fine.Baxter responded, "We'd be honored."Loads of shows would kill for a guest like Jared, and there he was, offering himself without them even asking.Sadie seemed to be the only one not thrilled about it, but she knew protesting then would be pointless, so she kept quiet.Since Oralia was close by, the group decided to head over there.Since Madeline's unveiling of the painting could not be broadcast, the live stream had to pivot to other topics to keep the audience engaged.After what felt like an eternity which was just an hour, the experts had finally
Spotting the genuine took more than just sharp eyes. It was about experience and secret family tricks of the trade.Baxter felt like he was overstepping, but curiosity was clawing at him. He was dying to know her secret and could only watch Madeline with hopeful eyes, swallowing his pride.Madeline was not fazed."There's an unwritten rule in the forgery game. Always leave a tell. No matter how slick the fake, there's got to be a giveaway."Baxter nodded as he remembered. "Ms. Sanders pointed that out once back at the auction with the Water Lilies."Jared shot Madeline a look of disbelief.Madeline kept going. "The technique in the forgery is actually pretty solid. In the less important areas, the strokes are super smooth. However, there are these parts that are just awkwardly done."Everyone glanced at the painting, quickly spotting the exact spots Madeline was talking about.Those awkward spots made the painting kind of... Well, hard to describe."He messed up those parts on
Madeline was just as shocked as she caught Sadie's eye, her heart going out to Stephen and the whole Ferguson family.The Fergusons had poured their hearts into running the auction house and building up Oralia's good name.Then, there was Sadie, blabbing away on the show without a second thought about the mess she could be making for Oralia and the auction house.Sadie clearly could not stand Madeline, and it showed.Madeline's smile turned into a playful smirk as she teased, "Ms. Ferguson, you know that poop reeks, right? Would you ever volunteer to make a mess?""Am I out of my mind?" Sadie snapped back, clearly annoyed.Madeline just shrugged and opened her hands wide, letting the comment hang in the air.The whole room got the joke and erupted into laughter at Madeline's cheeky remark.Baxter shook his head at Madeline, saying with a mix of exasperation and amusement, "You're something else, you know that?"He never would have pegged Madeline, the sweet girl she was, for s