Chapter 489: The Biggest Winner (5)

Chapter 489: Chapter 489: The Biggest Winner (5)

"Master Hale, Jacinta put a great deal of thought and effort into this gift. She spent the better part of six months asking around for it. As luck would have it, it turned up at The Hale Antique Collection, and she bought it without a second thought!" Zane Fenton was adept at reading people, so when he saw how pleased Mr. Hale was with the birthday present, he stepped forward to highlight the trouble Jacinta had gone through, hoping to score her some points.

"Jacinta, you’ve always been so thoughtful! I know perfectly well how rare an authentic work by Shan Franklin is. I’m impressed you managed to get your hands on it. It would have been impossible to find without all that hard work and dedication!" Mr. Hale exclaimed emotionally. ’A wish I’ve held for so many years has finally been fulfilled!’

"Grandpa, you have no idea! Mom only offended Miss Seraphina Sterling because she wanted to buy this *Ancient Plum Blossom Poems Collection* by Shan Franklin. Miss Sterling saw it first, but she didn’t have enough money, so she claimed Hale was being greedy and had priced it too high. Then Mom stepped in to defend Hale and bought it herself!" Shelby Fenton chimed in eagerly.

"Oh? The Sterling girl fancies this as well?" Mr. Hale was surprised. He’d heard bits and pieces of the commotion in the main hall earlier. He had thought his daughter and granddaughter were being thoughtless, causing such a scene at his birthday banquet, but he never imagined this was the root of it all.

Realizing his daughter had landed in this predicament out of a desire to honor him, any ill feelings Mr. Hale held toward the mother-daughter pair over the incident vanished. ’This *Ancient Plum Blossom Poems Collection* truly is a panacea!’ he thought. "You’re her elder, and the Sterling girl is still quite young. You should be more magnanimous. She’s young and doesn’t always know better, so as her senior, you should just indulge her a bit."

"I will, Father!" Jacinta Hale was overjoyed. Not only was her father not upset with her, but he had also helped her save face! ’With him putting it that way,’ she thought, ’my earlier apology now looks like an elder indulging a junior, not an admission that I was in the wrong!’

"Actually, I think Miss Sterling had a point. Hale, the manager of The Hale Antique Collection, is indeed quite greedy." A mellow voice cut in, once again silencing the room.

"Joel Xavier, what’s that supposed to mean? This is my father’s birthday banquet. I’d ask you not to stir up trouble here!" Jacinta Hale had a sharp memory and immediately recognized the speaker: Joel Xavier, the manager of Apex Antique Collections.

"You misunderstand me, Mrs. Fenton. Of course I know today is Master Hale’s birthday banquet. I am an invited guest." Joel Xavier offered a gentle smile. In another era, he would have been the very picture of a refined and modest gentleman.

"Then what did you mean? What do you mean, ’Seraphina Sterling had a point’? And what do you mean, ’Hale is greedy’? You’re just trying to discredit Hale and The Hale Antique Collection in front of everyone because you’re competitors, aren’t you?" Jacinta Hale planted herself firmly in front of Mr. Hale, her words sharp and cutting straight to the heart of the matter.

"You’re mistaken, Mrs. Fenton. It’s true that Hale and I are in the same business, but I would never discredit anyone. Besides, The Hale Antique Collection is backed by the Hale Group. My Apex Antique Collections is just a small operation in The Gilt Alley; it’s nowhere near as powerful as the Hale Group. I’m not crazy. Why would I pick a fight with the Hale Group? I simply can’t bear to see Master Hale be deceived."

A flicker of pity crossed Joel Xavier’s eyes, and his words were perfectly logical. Anyone with half a brain knew not to go head-to-head with the Hale Group. While Apex Antique Collections had a solid reputation and had enjoyed smooth sailing in the industry, it still paled in comparison to The Hale Antique Collection. After all, the latter had the mighty Hale Group backing it—a massive conglomerate, not some minor player.