Chapter 333: Dare to Appraise It Again?

Chapter 333: Chapter 333: Dare to Appraise It Again?

After Evan Yeats finished shouting, Old Mr. Yeats opened his cold eyes.

Estelle Lockwood, however, shook her head at him. She wanted to resolve this matter herself.

On the surface, this was a personal grudge between Claire Yeats and her. But in reality, if she had to hide behind Old Mr. Yeats for such a trivial matter, she would forever be looked down upon in the Yeats family. Especially by idiots like Evan... If she did not provide substantial evidence, he would probably continue crying foul on Claire’s behalf.

Estelle smiled. "Why is Mr. Yeats so certain that this is authentic?"

Evan choked for a moment and knitted his brows. "Why else? How could Claire possibly gift a forgery? Claire grew up in the Yeats family and has done considerable research on traditional Chinese painting. She can certainly tell the real from the fake. Besides, she would never try to save a quick buck by buying a counterfeit."

Resting her chin on her hand, Estelle chuckled lightly. "Mr. Yeats, did you come up with that yourself, or did Claire tell you that?"

Evan frowned. Claire had indeed said something similar, though she had only mentioned it casually a few times during meals. She had talked about a friend who tried to save money on antiques, only to end up with a fake. Then, she mentioned spending a fortune on a painting by Old Mr. Quinn and even hiring a professional appraiser to authenticate it.

"Of course I came up with it," Evan stated with absolute certainty.

Estelle had truly rarely seen someone so foolish. She nodded. "Then Mr. Yeats can figure out how to explain himself later."

"What do you mean?"

Just as he spoke, a flurry of footsteps suddenly sounded from nearby. Claire seemed to have just heard the news. She hurried over, her small face slightly flushed with anxiety. "Evan! Es... Estelle..."

Estelle raised an eyebrow.

Biting her lower lip, Claire spoke with utter helplessness. "Grandpa, I’m so sorry. I originally planned to give you the gift later. I didn’t expect Evan to misunderstand my intentions. I’m truly sorry; I had no intention of stealing Estelle’s thunder."

Then, she bowed to Estelle. "Estelle, I’m sorry. Evan was just acting out of impulse. Please, let’s all forget what just happened. I am truly sorry."

"Claire! Why are you apologizing?" Evan shouted furiously. "Estelle claimed you gave Grandpa a fake! She’s slandering your reputation like this, and you’re still apologizing to her?!"

Claire swayed slightly, looking deeply hurt. But a moment later, she shook her head, choosing to look at the bigger picture. "It’s fine, Evan. There’s no need to explain too much. As long as I have a clear conscience, that’s enough."

With a conflicted expression, she finally sighed. "If Estelle says it’s a fake, then it’s a fake. Just assume I gave Grandpa a counterfeit. I won’t argue against it. However... however, I beg you, Grandpa, please show mercy and keep the painting. It absolutely, positively cannot be destroyed."

To the ears of the bystanders, her tone conveyed a monumental grievance. Sure enough, some people could no longer stand by and watch.

"Miss Yeats is thinking of the big picture and doesn’t want to make an ugly scene, but she can’t just take all the blame herself... It was clearly an act of filial piety, yet Estelle exploited it and caused Old Mr. Yeats to misunderstand. How... how could this not chill one’s heart?"

"And yet, Miss Yeats is still trying to save face for Estelle. If it were me, there’s no way I would abandon such an outstanding granddaughter to..."

Claire hurriedly shook her head, feigning helplessness. "Please don’t say that, everyone. Estelle just returned home, so we should be a bit more tolerant of her. Perhaps... perhaps it’s my presence that’s making Estelle feel threatened." Sounding as though she were consoling her, Claire added, "Estelle, don’t take their words to heart."

"It’s fine," Estelle said with a beaming smile. "They can keep talking."

The entire venue quieted down, descending into a brief and eerie silence.

Claire’s lips stiffened slightly. "Estelle, what did you say?"

"I said, everyone can continue their discussion. Say whatever you want to say," Estelle said, her gaze shifting with a half-smile. "For instance, you can go on about how understanding, accommodating, and considerate Miss Claire Yeats is toward Old Mr. Yeats. You can keep going; I’m listening."

The few people who had been whispering gossip just moments ago fell dead silent. They only wanted to curry favor with Claire and Evan, but they had no desire to offend Old Mr. Yeats. Whispering quietly was one thing, but now that they were being called out, there was no way they dared to be so insolent in front of him.

Claire could barely maintain her smile. "Estelle, what are you talking about... I’m doing this for your own good. I admit the gift I brought is a fake..."

"I don’t need Miss Yeats to do anything for my own good," Estelle interrupted coldly.

"Claire is trying to help you!" Evan shouted furiously. "Do you have any idea how many people will curse you behind your back if word of this gets out? They’ll call you vicious, jealous, and utterly intolerant!"

"True," Estelle nodded. "But all of that relies on the premise that I actually slandered Miss Yeats, and that Miss Yeats is genuinely ’suffering in silence for the sake of the big picture’."

"How is it not..." Evan started.

"But, Miss Yeats, hand on your heart, are you sincerely considering the big picture?" Estelle had no intention of letting Evan speak. She stared straight into Claire’s eyes.

"Or are you deliberately putting on a facade of tolerance, just to let everyone know that I, the legitimate daughter, am intentionally targeting you on my very first day back, trampling all over your good intentions?

"You act dignified, generous, and polite. You know full well that you’re being ’slandered,’ yet you still think of the big picture. In the eyes of others, you are ’truly worthy of being raised by the Yeats family, possessing such an incredible capacity for tolerance’."

The person who had just made that exact comment shrank back.

Estelle continued, "You set up a comparison between us, flawlessly trampling me underfoot to tell everyone that even though you aren’t the legitimate daughter of the Yeats family, you are still its most outstanding young lady—far superior to a jealous, vicious woman like me who only just returned.

"Isn’t that your ultimate goal, Miss Yeats?"

After she finished her speech, the venue plunged into a dead silence once more. Everyone was as quiet as a mouse. Only Old Mr. Yeats let out a soft chuckle.

Evan’s face flushed red with fury. Estelle Lockwood was simply... simply incorrigible! He stood firmly by Claire’s side. "It’s bad enough that you slandered her, but you actually have the gall to maliciously speculate about her motives! Estelle, only someone who truly wants to frame others would see everyone else as a villain! I’m talking about you!"

Claire snapped back to reality, her face turning from red to white, and then from white to a sickly green. But she quickly regained control of her facial expressions. "Estelle, I don’t know what you’re..."

"You don’t know what I’m talking about?" Estelle’s lips curved into a slight smile. "Miss Yeats, I already said it—the premise of all this is that the painting is actually authentic."

Her tone was airy as she shot back, "However, do you dare to let Grandfather authenticate it one more time?"

The air froze over once again.

Claire suddenly had a bad premonition. She realized that everything Estelle had said before was just noise; this single sentence was the real focal point. But... but how could she dare to let Grandpa authenticate it again? Because... because this painting...