Filed to story: The Regretful Billionaire: An Unpredicted Reunion >>
Someone snapped, “Everyone knows that Mr. Birkett stopped auctioning off his artwork long ago. This can’t be his painting.”
“That’s right. Auctioning off a fake painting? Do you think we’re fools?”
Everyone who attended the auction today were all established figures. BQ Magazine couldn’t afford for them to get mad. Panicked, Mr. Nelson said hurriedly, “This painting by Mr. Birkett was sponsored by an anonymous person. That person has guaranteed that this is an authentic painting.”
“Just because that person says it is authentic doesn’t mean it is. Who’s going to believe it?” Someone refuted right away before they continued, “Who’s this anonymous person? Come out if you dare. Prove that this is an authentic painting.”
The attendees of this dinner sponsored all the auction goods tonight, so the anonymous person must be present. Were they auctioning off a fake painting using Mr. Birkett’s name? They wanted to see who this shameless person was. Gilbert frowned, looking upset. How dare they accuse Danika’s painting of being fake?
He was about to get up when Danika, who was beside him, got ahead of him.
“I was the one who sponsored the painting.”
Everyone else heard her voice and turned to look at her one by one. It was her! It was Gilbert’s sister and also the woman who infuriated Eustace.
“This painting is indeed Mr. Birkett’s painting. It’s not a fake like everyone claims it is,” she said calmly without any signs of panic.
“What proof do you have? The whereabouts of all the paintings that Mr. Birkett auctioned off are clear. This painting,” that person contemplated for a moment before saying, “This painting of yours has never appeared before. Could it be Mr. Birkett’s new work?”
“It is indeed,” Danika nodded. She thought to herself, “This person is quite familiar with Mr. Birkett’s artwork. He recognized that it was a new painting with just one look.”
Not only did she not refute, but she also admitted directly. Everyone looked at her as if she was mad.
“Mr. Birkett said earlier that he isn’t going to auction off any new paintings anymore. Before you use his name, you should at least get your facts right to avoid making a fool of yourself!”
“That’s right! Do you think we’re that dumb?”
The crowd started to speak their mind. They had already concluded that this was a fake painting. They even changed the way they looked at Gilbert. This was the person he brought along, so more likely than not, this was the kind of person he was involved with.
“Dr. Zellweger, although you have good intentions with your donation, this was inappropriate. Mr. Birkett is a renowned artist, and everyone likes his paintings. You’re going to cause outrage by deceiving the people with a fake painting. Just apologize.”
Faye seemed to be trying to help Danika with her earnest words, but she had indirectly deemed it a fake painting. Danika glanced at her and sneered, “We haven’t even confirmed the authenticity of the painting. and you already want me to apologize?”
“There’s no use in denying it. Many of the people here are fans of Mr. Birkett. They are familiar with his work. What’s the use of denying it?”
Even though she seemed worried for Danika, Faye was smiling inside. She had been stressed out trying to think of a way to humiliate Danika earlier. Who knew Danika had just made a fool of herself?
Danika didn’t entertain her. She scanned the crowd for a while before she turned her gaze to Mr. Nelson. She said calmly, “Since everybody doubts the authenticity of the painting, let’s get an appraiser. What do you think, Mr. Nelson?”
“Alright, alright. I’ll contact one right away.” Mr. Nelson nodded repeatedly. He was also feeling super anxious. If this painting turned out to be fake, BQ Magazine would become a joke. He could only pray that Gilbert was reliable. After all, he was the one who made the guarantee back then. Worst case scenario, Gilbert had also been kept in the dark about this.
Eustace and Paul watched the drama unfold from the second floor.
“Seems like the woman who made you lose control has gotten into trouble. Aren’t you going to help her?” Paul smirked as he glanced at the man beside him.
“Help?” Eustace sneered. He seemed to be enjoying the drama. “Why should I help her? We aren’t close anyway.”
“If that’s the case, why did you give her those 60-million-dollar earrings?” Paul chuckled.
Eustace’s expression shifted. Then, he replied, “I’ve already explained this. I wanted to thank her for saving Faye.”
Paul didn’t argue with him. Only Eustace himself would know the true reason. Soon, the appraiser that Mr. Nelson had contacted arrived. While waiting for the appraisal, the people whispered to one another. Faye was also waiting to watch the mayhem ensue.
In the crowd’s eyes, this was a fake painting. Danika was just in denial. It didn’t take long before the appraisal report was out.
“Let’s see how you’re going to deny it now!” someone roared as he looked at the appraiser. “Mr. Jones, this painting is fake, right?”
Mr. Jones didn’t speak. He looked at Danika, curious about this woman’s identity.
“Dr. Zellweger, what else do you have to say for yourself? The appraisal report is already out,” Faye couldn’t help but say. She didn’t understand why Danika could be this calm.
Danika shot her a glance as she answered calmly, “You’re being noisy.”
“You!” Faye got frustrated. Just as she was about to say something else, Danika got up and walked up to Mr. Jones.
“Hello, Mr. Jones,” she greeted elegantly with a smile.
Mr. Jones nodded before turning to the audience. “After finishing my appraisal, I conclude that this painting is authentic.”
In an instant, the dining hall was filled with sounds of exclamation. Everybody was in disbelief.
“This is impossible!”
“Sir, are you doubting my skills?” Mr. Jones’ face fell immediately. Even though he wasn’t as famous as Mr. Birkett, he was still pretty well-known in the appraisal industry.
“That’s not what I meant…” That person was tongue-tied. “I just feel like it’s impossible. Why would she have Mr. Birkett’s newest work?”
“More importantly, she even gave it away for charity. Does this woman know the value of this painting?” he thought.
“Why is it impossible?”
Suddenly, somebody pushed open the entrance door. A tall, huge figure walked in. Dressed in casual clothes, he seemed out of place at this dinner event, but nobody dared say anything.
“James Windsor!” someone exclaimed. “That’s Mr. Birkett’s mentee. Why is he here?”
James directly walked up to Danika and said in a somewhat accusing tone, “Why didn’t you contact me when you got into trouble? Do you not take your senior seriously?”
Senior?
The crowd was in absolute shock.
“James, don’t be mad. I just didn’t want to disturb you. It’s just a small issue. I can handle it myself,” She didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. She didn’t expect her senior to be alarmed as well. James was annoyed, but he felt sorry for her more. Who dared to bully his junior? The audacity!
He looked at the crowd and said coldly, “I heard that someone doubted the authenticity of my junior’s painting?”
The crowd remained silent.
“What kind of joke is this? If you had told us earlier that this was your junior, who would have dared to do so?” they thought.
“This painting was specially painted by my mentor and gifted to my junior. Other than the value it’s worth, it’s also significant.” He scanned the crowd with a cold gaze before it landed on Mr. Nelson. “Danika must have genuinely wanted to do charity. That’s why she sponsored it for the auction. Who knew it would cause such a huge misunderstanding!”
“It was all just a misunderstanding,” Mr. Nelson said, sulking. He didn’t know she was Mr. Birkett’s mentee.
“It’s fine, James. It’s normal for people to have doubts. After all, Mr. Birkett has indeed not come out with new artwork for many years.” She could understand why these people doubted its authenticity, so she didn’t feel angry.
Seeing that she was still so calm and unaffected, James couldn’t stay mad at her. After a while, he finally sighed. “I’ve told you before that you don’t have to solve everything alone. Mr. Birkett and I are here for you.”