Chapter 112: The Appraisal Begins! He Believes in Estelle Lockwood

Chapter 112: Chapter 112: The Appraisal Begins! He Believes in Estelle Lockwood

The socialites around Noelle arrogantly chimed in to explain.

"It’s normal for Miss Yara not to know about Jade Pavilion. After all, Jade Pavilion has always been open only to high society."

"Jade Pavilion has been open for ten years with an excellent reputation. They have never sold a single counterfeit! Moreover, Jade Pavilion is backed by a century-old wealthy family in the Capital City!"

"Yara, I can’t believe you’re claiming Jade Pavilion sells fakes. Hahaha, that’s hilarious!"

Listening to them, Noelle laughed as well. "Yara, you might not know this, but the manager of the Jade Pavilion branch is here today. He also brought a distinguished guest. If you’re still not convinced, why not have the manager appraise it on the spot?"

Iris furrowed her brows. "No, what if things blow out of proportion?" she worried.

She quickly turned to look at Nathaniel, wanting him to step forward and stop this, but she saw him shake his head at her.

"What does this mean?" Iris wondered. "Is Nathaniel not going to stop them? But..."

Nathaniel’s light-colored eyes remained calm, but... for some inexplicable reason, he believed Estelle. He knew how much Estelle cared about his aunt; she would absolutely never gift a counterfeit.

Estelle nodded. "Sure."

Everyone gasped. This Yara truly wouldn’t give up until it was too late! To question Jade Pavilion for selling fakes, and now to agree to an appraisal! Everyone knew the appraiser from Jade Pavilion had a notorious temper!

This was exactly what Noelle wanted. She curled her lips into a smile, feigning helplessness as she instructed a nearby servant, "Go invite Mr. Carter from Jade Pavilion and Mr. Morgan over."

Mr. Morgan was that renowned master appraiser.

Soon, Mr. Carter walked over with a stern face. "Miss Noelle, I heard someone is questioning if the antiques sold by my Jade Pavilion are fakes?"

Mr. Carter had dealt with the powerful and elite of high society for years. He was well-connected, and many recognized him. Because of the century-old wealthy family backing him, everyone showed him a great deal of respect. Seeing his displeased expression, the crowd felt that Estelle was doomed.

Noelle smiled and said, "Yes, Yara also has a Purple Sun Mountain Residence Painting. But as you know, I just bought the Purple Sun Mountain Residence Painting from you a few days ago, so..."

Mr. Carter immediately became furious upon hearing this. "What a joke! How can a Purple Sun Mountain Residence Painting bought elsewhere be compared to the one from our shop? Our shop has professional appraisers and never sells fakes!"

Noelle sighed. "That is true, but Yara... Please don’t be angry, Mr. Carter. It’s just that she bought a fake and can’t accept it. I heard Mr. Morgan is also here, so I’d like to ask him to do an on-site appraisal. That way, Yara can accept reality."

"Hmph!" Mr. Carter sneered coldly. The more he looked at this woman named Yara, the more he disliked her. He had been a branch manager for ten years, but he had never met someone like this! "Fine, then let’s shatter her delusions!"

After saying that, Mr. Carter looked fawningly at the man beside him. "Mr. Morgan, I will have to trouble you then."

Estelle looked up. She had never seen this manager or this Mr. Morgan before. However, she had heard of Mr. Morgan’s name.

He was a professional appraiser hired by her eldest brother. His reputation was widespread, even extending overseas. He had a piercingly sharp eye for details. When appraising certain calligraphy and paintings, he would also take into account the era of the artwork and other historical factors. For example, there was once a painting rumored to be over a thousand years old, yet the paper looked brand new. Everyone else thought it was a fake, but Mr. Morgan could tell at a single glance that the ancient artwork had been preserved in a perfectly dry tomb.

Mr. Morgan looked to be in his early forties, with the appearance of a stern, unsmiling scholar.

Two seemingly identical copies of the Purple Sun Mountain Residence Painting were laid out on the table.

Mr. Morgan stepped forward and said calmly, "Everyone knows my rules for appraisal."

Mr. Morgan cherished antiques deeply, and the thing he despised most in his life was the existence of counterfeits. If something was a replica, one should openly state it as such, rather than selling it under the guise of an authentic piece. Therefore, after an appraisal, if an item turned out to be a fake, he would upload both the owner’s name and the counterfeit to the official antique website. In a way, this was to warn others that the antique owned by this person was a fake and to not be fooled. Once a name was uploaded, it would be a complete loss of face!

This was precisely the effect Noelle wanted! She wanted Yara to be humiliated!

Thinking of this, Noelle smiled softly and said deliberately, "Yara, it’s not too late to refuse. I believe Mr. Carter and Mr. Morgan won’t make things difficult for you. After all, those who don’t know any better are innocent."

Mr. Carter scoffed contemptuously. "I’ve seen plenty of people like you. You spent a fortune buying a fake, and now you’re indignantly refusing to accept it."

Mr. Morgan, however, didn’t say a word. He put on his gloves and stared calmly at the two paintings in front of him.

Estelle’s expression was languid. "It’s fine. Go ahead and appraise them."

Mr. Carter fawned over Mr. Morgan, saying, "Well then, Mr. Morgan, please don’t hold back!"

Mr. Morgan didn’t even look at him. His tone was as flat as if Mr. Carter were a complete stranger. "When it comes to appraisals, I am naturally thorough."

Mr. Carter felt the awkwardness of having his flattery met with a cold shoulder. However, Mr. Morgan never made a mistake, and both he and Miss Noelle were counting on the appraiser to help them slap this woman’s face, so he swallowed his pride.

Noelle couldn’t help but look at Estelle. "Let’s see how you can still smile later," she thought.

Laura Jennings also laughed inwardly. "Hilarious! What a naive, ignorant fool!" she sneered in her mind.

Time ticked by. The appraisal process was tedious and lengthy. To ordinary people, the two paintings looked identical; they really couldn’t tell the difference. They could only watch Mr. Morgan pick up one tool one moment, and a custom magnifying glass the next. He frowned at times and nodded at others, leaving everyone utterly clueless as to what he was discovering.

Iris couldn’t help but worry. "Yara..."

Estelle gave her a reassuring look. "Don’t worry."

Two hours later, Mr. Morgan suddenly put down his tools. "The results are in."

Noelle and Laura’s eyes lit up. Laura couldn’t wait. "Yara, just you wait!"

Mr. Carter also stepped forward. "Mr. Morgan, which one is the fake?"

Everyone waited with bated breath, but Mr. Morgan merely looked up calmly. "Which one of you is Noelle Lockwood?"

Hearing Noelle’s name, Laura beamed with joy. It seemed Noelle’s was the authentic piece! She hurriedly pushed Noelle forward. "Mr. Morgan, this is Noelle! She spent a fortune buying this Purple Sun Mountain Residence Painting from Jade Pavilion as a gift for her aunt. Unfortunately, some people would rather have a counterfeit than Noelle’s authentic piece!"

Iris let out a cold sneer.

Mr. Morgan nodded. "I’ll remember you."

Everyone was extremely envious. Although Mr. Morgan seemed unassuming, he was backed by the Morgan Family and had countless ties to that wealthy family in the Capital City. To be remembered by Mr. Morgan... it was something others couldn’t even dare to dream of.

Noelle’s heart leaped. She couldn’t resist shooting Estelle a boastful glance before saying shyly, "Thank you, Mr. Morgan... Yara, why don’t you apologize to Mr. Morgan?

"Because of your unreasonable behavior, Mr. Morgan had to work hard for over two hours on this appraisal. Now that the truth is out, the facts have proven that your Purple Sun Mountain Residence Painting is a fake..."

The bystanders also jeered. "That’s right, apologize! You wasted our time!"

Estelle raised an eyebrow, meeting Mr. Morgan’s eyes.

Mr. Morgan looked puzzled. "Apologize?"