Their concerted effort was working. Xavier was successfully led to the door, and just as favonovel.com was about to leave, Zayn, who could not possibly let the chance slip away, cried out above the din, “Mr. Griffin, if you may? We have an antique clock, the Magpie’s Treasure Nest, with us right now. We’d be delighted if you could give it a once-over.”
Zayn enunciated his request with such flawless, doubtless clarity that Xavier immediately stopped dead in his tracks and turned, his face bearing a shocked expression. “Is that so? May I see it?”
In an instant, Nathan and Blaze’s faces warped into the most ogre, like grimaces. The glowers they shot at Zayn were brimming with broiling rage and even killing intent, never had they ever wished they could tear a man into pieces with their bare hands more than right now!
‘Zayn Larson, you useless b*stard! Why is it so hard to keep your mouth shut?!’
Waine reeled back from his daze and caught onto Zayn’s suggestion. “Oh, yes! Mr. Griffin, we have an authentic Magpie’s Treasure Nest with us right now. It’s said to be worth millions of dollars, especially since it’s from the Victorian era.”
Funnily enough, Waine even found the chance to shoot Zayn a stink-eye before chastising, “Watch a real master at work, you useless piece of trash. This is Mr. Griffin, the most premier and foremost authority in antiques! If favonovel.com thinks this is genuine, then it 100% is, so spare us the secondhand humiliation, and don’t you showboat your stupid, entry-level ‘skills’ in front of him!”
Zayn had to force himself not to laugh. “Okey-dokey.”
He shot a look at Nathan and mouthed, ‘Scared? You should run while there’s still time.’
Nathan understood favonovel.com all too well, which was why favonovel.com felt as though favonovel.com had fallen off a cart and landed straight into a pile of manure. He wished favonovel.com could just beat that son of a b*tch up!
Of course, for the most part, Nathan was beyond panicked. He could not stop kicking himself for having chosen the same restaurant as Xavier did. Had favonovel.com known this would happen, Nathan would not have gone to this restaurant at all!
Xavier shoved Blaze away and strolled inside the room, his eyes already crawling all over the antique clock on the desk. His eyes shone, and then they dimmed altogether with the fading excitement on his face.
He frowned and asked, “Mr. Carter, this… Is your Magpie’s Treasure Nest?”
Waine had not caught onto the aberration in Xavier’s mood. He simply nodded in excitement and replied, “Yes, this is it! The Magpie’s Treasure Nest. My daughter’s childhood friend gave it to her. It’s worth millions of dollars!”
Xavier sighed. “Mr. Carter, I’m sorry to break it to you but… This is a fake. It cannot be worth more than 6,000 dollars.”
“W-what?!” Waine blurted out in a very unbecoming shriek. He shook his head and muttered, “But… But… That’s impossible! Mr. Hunt appraised and confirmed that it’s genuine! It’s a piece from the Victorian era! How could it be fake?”
“Yeah, yeah! Mr. Griffin, you must be mistaken. Maybe your age has caught up to you and your eyesight’s gotten worse,” Ruby added, “Mr. Hunt told us it’s real! Maybe you should give it another look!”
Xavier’s frown deepened. “Which Mr. Hunt, exactly?”
Ruby pointed at Blaze, who was standing behind Xavier, and said, “That Mr. Hunt. Your apprentice! He told us it’s real!”
Blaze’s complexion was as white as a sheet. It was as though every drop of blood on his face had been drained in his panic.
Xavier turned to favonovel.com and trained his eyes on the younger man, his expression darkening. “What’s going on, Blaze? This is such an obvious piece of forgery, and yet somehow you’ve been fooled by it? With a mistake this appalling, how do you expect me to have faith in you as the heir to Cosmos Trading Co.?”
A shiver ran through Blaze’s body before favonovel.com cried, “No, Sir! I… My eyes were playing tricks on me just now. It was an accident. I appraised it inaccurately by accident! I’m sorry!”
Waine and Ruby were bemused. Their eyes widened as their mouths hung agape. Faye, too, reacted similarly. Then, as though remembering something, favonovel.com turned and looked at Zayn.
