Filed to story: Disdained Son-in-Law, Destined Riches >>
“Thank you, Bella Walsh, for the pair of gold ingots!”
“Thank you, Ola Rivers, for the beautiful vase!”
“Thank you, Clinton Tucker, for your ten thousand dollars!”
The first few gifts, whether money or physical items, were mostly worth around one thousand dollars. Suddenly, when it came to Clinton, his ten thousand dollar monetary gift sent a shock wave across the restaurant.
Ten thousand dollars was a big amount for the opening ceremony!
Many people looked at Clinton with amazement and praised his generosity.
Clinton had a layer of smugness on his face. It seemed that he had easily become the icon of admiration among his old classmates.
Then, Lily continued, “Thank you, Joe and Claire, for the old painting!”
Sinister laughter echoed across the main hall upon her announcement!
Old painting? Was it even worth a hundred dollars?
Those two were a little too stingy, weren’t they? Douglas had prepared such a lavish banquet for the opening ceremony as well as the class reunion that cost a few hundred dollars per person, how dare they come with an old painting? How could they be so shameless?
Clinton started sneering. “Joe, you can afford a BMW 520 and its modification, why are you giving such a tattered thing on your old pal’s opening day?”
Joe smiled faintly. “You don’t even know its origin, why do you say it is tattered?”
“Don’t think I don’t know what you’re thinking about. You’ve bought the fake and nasty stuff to pass off as good stuff so we can’t figure out how much it costs!”
Then, he continued in an interrogative tone, “Honestly, how much did that old painting cost you? One hundred? Or eighty dollars?”
The faint smile remained on Joe’s face. “The painting is more valuable than the total amount of all the gifts today!”
“Hahahaha!” Clinton laughed wickedly. “Did you rehearse the bragging part before you came here? I gave them ten thousand dollars and we have about twenty-something classmates here. If each of them has given Douglas one thousand dollars, it would add up to twenty-something thousand dollars. Do you mean to say that the painting is worth more than thirty thousand?”
“More than that.”
“Hahaha!”
Suddenly, thunderous laughter amplified inside the restaurant.
All of them thought that Joe was too ignorant and pompous!
How dare he boast about the price of that and what’s more, in front of everyone? An ancient painting that was worth tens of thousands of dollars? Was he trying to fool them all?
Lily, who was standing on the stage, was annoyed and agitated by Joe’s reaction. She curiously asked, “Mr. Joe, I wonder whose painting you’ve given us that is so worthy?”
Joe answered in a monotonous voice, “A painter from the Dutch Golden Age, not very famous.”
Lily chuckled and said, “Oh, what a coincidence. My father is a renowned cultural relic appraiser, his name is Lawson Lewis, who knows his antique very well. I believe you have heard of his name before.”
Loreen exclaimed in surprise, “Lawson Lewis? The Lawson Lewis, the antique expert? I remember him, I saw him on TV! He’s your father?”
Lily smiled. “Yes, he is my father. He’s upstairs right now. Why don’t I ask him to come down and appraise this ancient painting that Joe has given us?”
Clinton stood up and uttered loudly, “Yes, please! Lily, please invite your father down and get him to help us identify the painting. If the value of that painting really exceeds the amount of all the gifts today, I, Clinton Tucker, will eat this table right away!”
When everyone heard that Lily’s father was a cultural relic appraiser, they immediately cast a contemptuous and sympathetic gaze at Joe.
All of them shared the same thought—Joe was so unlucky!
His show-off moment was interrupted by the presence of an expert! It was like a slap right across his own face!
It would be so humiliating if Lawson Lewis, Lily’s father, came downstairs!
Claire blushed timidly. She leaned closer to Joe and whispered, “So many people are watching you. You’d better not be stubborn, it would be so embarrassing otherwise!”
On their way here, Joe did tell her about the painting he bought but he said that it didn’t cost him a lot of money. Right now, however, he changed his attitude and claimed that it was very expensive. His sudden change of reaction made Claire a little doubtful and skeptical, figuring that Joe might have lied for the sake of his reputation.
On the contrary, Joe was indifferent. He blurted, “If you don’t believe me, let the expert do his job then.”
Then, he added, “Oh yes, by the way, everyone, remember what Clinton said, okay? He is so stubborn that he wants to bet with me again and this time, he’s going to eat the table.”
Clinton gritted his teeth in agony when the image of his burning car reappeared in his mind. He growled angrily, “Joe, you fucking snobbish dude! The racing thing was a trap and I’ve paid my price for it! I’ll do the same this time! If that painting of yours is really worth that much, I’ll eat this table right away! If it’s worthless crap, would you eat it?”
Joe nodded casually. “Alright, if it’s worthless, I’ll eat it.”
Although the painting was not a famous painting, it was indeed the work of the Dutch Golden Age painter Rachel Ruysch. Moreover, the antique store that he bought the painting from was a popular antique store that had franchises all over the country with genuine guarantees. Hence, he was certain that the painting was authentic.
Claire wanted to stop Joe, but he had already agreed to the bet before she was able to respond, so she could only sigh in desperation.
Loreen, on the other hand, was feeling rather odd and peculiar. Why did Joe seem so confident?
When she recalled the incidents that happened around him lately, she realized that the man was very mysterious and enigmatic. She was still very shocked after what happened in Heaven Springs the other day. The infamous Don Albert bowed at him like a lowly servant! Why? She hadn’t figured it out yet.
One thing she was certain—it must have something to do with his identity!
Clinton quickly blurted, seeing his chance to bounce back, “Okay, again, all of you be our witness! Let’s bring Lily’s father down and help us appraise the painting!”
As everyone focused their gazes on Lily, she took out her phone and made a call right away, “Dad, could you come downstairs for a while, please? Douglas’s friend gave us a painting and we want you to appraise it.”
A minute later, an old man slowly walked down the stairs from the second floor.
He was Lawson Lewis, the renowned cultural relic appraiser in Aurous Hill.
Today was the opening ceremony of his daughter and future son-in-law’s restaurant. He had invited an old friend for a simple gathering in a private room upstairs. When he heard that there was an ancient painting that needed to be appraised, he hurried down to take a look, a result of his work habits.
He walked swiftly onto the stage and Lily quickly handed him the gift box containing the painting. “Dad, please appraise this painting. Someone claimed that it is worth tens of thousands of dollars!”
She shifted her disdainful gaze at Joe while saying that.
Who would have believed that a deadbeat loser who mooched off his wife could afford such a pricey painting?
It must be fake!
Frankly, the rest of the attendees shared the same thought.
No one believed that Joe could actually buy such an expensive painting as a gift.