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
Nash was totally lost.When did the painting become Oralia's property? Was Madeline dodging the sale because she did not like the price?That seemed pointless. 12 million bucks was no chump change.Nash was flustered, clueless about his next move. He cast a desperate glance at Stephen, who had been spectating from the sidelines.Stephen was just as taken aback.Hector and Sadie had been flaunting Oralia's stuff for their own show, but there was Madeline, scoring the real treasure and dedicating it to Oralia.He had a soft spot for Madeline, and why should he not?Seeing Nash in a bind, Stephen could not just stand by. He walked over, ushering Nash and Jay aside for a more private chat.Madeline's eyes twinkled with mirth, utterly indifferent to whatever price they would hash out.Meanwhile, Jared was visibly intrigued, unabashedly tagging along to eavesdrop.The showdown was winding down, and with Raphael's masterpiece in her possession, Madeline was the clear winner.Sadie,
Was Stephen hinting that the two items Sadie stumbled upon were part of a setup?Madeline thought back to how Sadie had casually perused the market stalls and everything clicked. She had not really been choosing at all.That explained it.Madeline gave Hector a sly look. "Mr. Ferguson was a stand-up guy like the rest of us, but you, Hector Ferguson, I suppose... "Hector's face flushed a deep red. "What's it to you? In battle, anything goes!"Stephen's voice was icy. "You pulled out all the stops and still came up short."Willa snorted with laughter, which only made Hector glare at her harder.Scared, Willa bolted. "I'm off to make some coffee!"Madeline's gaze remained focused on Hector. "Mr. Hector Ferguson, you've lost. You know the deal. Stay out of Lydia's life and you don't get to see her again."So, that was the bet Madeline had made.Trevon and Stephen both looked down, their faces clouded.Hector was seething as he bit back his words.Madeline raised an eyebrow. "W
Hector was frantic, but even that could not stop his brother's declaration."He bet that if he lost, he'd be your nanny until your baby's born," Stephen announced.Madeline and Trevon were speechless.Trevon did not even think before he objected. "No way."Madeline waved it off too. "Don't bother."They both looked utterly repulsed at the thought of Hector helping out. It seemed more likely that Madeline would end up babysitting him instead.It was the last thing they needed.Hector was not keen on the idea either, but their disdainful looks suddenly made him defensive. "What's with you two? Do you even know who I am?"He flaunted his hand and added, "This hand? It's insured for a cool 15 million bucks!"Hector's hand was his tool for crafting breathtaking designs—a gem in the eyes of the world. "Me, taking care of you? That's a privilege!"Madeline rolled her eyes. "You can keep that privilege to yourself. Thank you."She shooed Hector away as if he were the last person on