Chapter 89: The $30 Million Masterpiece and The Fake Accusation (Part - 2)

"Are you questioning my thirty years of flawless appraisal experience, boy?!" Mr. Harrison shouted back, offended to his very core. "I have vetted artifacts for the most powerful families in this city! I know an authentic dynasty piece when I see one, and that orb is the real deal!"

Preston puffed out his chest, leaning on his unearned corporate status to bully the old man into submission, since he firmly believed his VP title made him a god among mortals.

"I am the Regional Vice President of the Imperial Jade Hotel Group!" Preston boasted arrogantly, making sure the Patriarch heard his credentials again. "I navigate the absolute highest echelons of extreme wealth every single day! I know exactly what true luxury looks like, and I know exactly who owns the real treasures in this city!"

Preston turned his venomous glare back to Rick, a twisted, triumphant sneer crawling across his face, as his desperate brain fabricated a massive, fatal lie on the spot to destroy Rick’s credibility.

"I know this is a fake, because I personally saw the real Luminous Void Orb just last week!" Preston lied loudly, raising his chin in supreme arrogance.

"Our supreme CEO, Mr. Cheng Shuang, is a legendary collector of ancient artifacts," Preston continued, spinning his web of deceit for the gullible crowd. "He invited me to his private mansion to personally discuss my recent promotion, and he showed me the authentic Luminous Void Orb resting proudly on his office desk!"

Preston took a step closer to Rick, looking down his nose at the plain black suit Rick wore, adopting the tone of a righteous savior exposing a vile criminal.

"I saw the real artifact with my own two eyes, resting in the hands of a true billionaire titan!" Preston declared, pointing an accusing finger right at Rick’s face. "Which means this pathetic kitchen rat bought a cheap, hundred-dollar glass replica from a flea market!"

The courtyard erupted into chaotic whispers, as the easily manipulated relatives absorbed Preston’s confident lie, their frog-in-a-well mentalities finding it much easier to believe a line cook was a scammer rather than a hidden billionaire.

"He is a fraud!" Isabella shrieked in sudden malicious joy, her confidence returning in an instant as she clung to Preston’s arm. "I knew it! A peasant who chops vegetables could never afford a thirty-million-dollar gift! He is trying to scam the Patriarch to steal Elena’s inheritance!"

"Disgusting!" Aunt Sarah spat, glaring at Elena with pure hatred. "You brought a con artist into our sacred family banquet, Elena! You are trying to pass off fake glass as a national treasure to manipulate your grandfather’s will!"

"Preston is a high-level executive at the Imperial Jade Group, he interacts with CEO Cheng Shuang directly," Uncle Henry reasoned loudly, nodding his head in agreement with the mob. "If Preston says CEO Cheng owns the real orb, then it must be true! This boy is nothing but a dirty liar trying to steal our wealth!"

Patriarch Arthur’s greedy smile vanished, replaced by a dark, terrifying scowl, as he looked at the glowing orb with intense suspicion, his old mind swayed by Preston’s prestigious corporate backing.

"Is this true, Elena?" Arthur demanded in a raspy, unforgiving voice, his sharp eyes judging her. "Did you bring this street rat here to mock my intelligence with a cheap glass forgery?"

Elena’s face flushed a furious shade of crimson red, her ice-blue eyes blazing with pure anger, because she knew Rick possessed limitless wealth and would never stoop so low as to bring a fake gift.

"Grandfather, Rick is not a fraud, and Preston is blatantly lying!" Elena defended fiercely, stepping up beside Rick to face the crowd of judging relatives. "Mr. Harrison just authenticated the piece!"

"Harrison was bribed!" Preston sneered ruthlessly, dismissing the appraiser with a wave of his hand. "This street punk probably paid the old man a few thousand bucks to lie for him, hoping to trick the Vance family into handing over a massive dowry!"

"Security!" Isabella shouted excitedly, pointing toward the courtyard gates. "Throw this broke scammer out of our villa before he tries to steal the silverware! He insulted the Patriarch with his cheap glass toy!"

The surrounding guests began to mock Rick openly, calling him a pathetic beggar and a shameless con artist, demanding he get on his knees and apologize for attempting to deceive the elite Vance family.

Rick stood perfectly still in the center of the chaotic, screaming mob, but he did not panic, he did not argue, and he did not attempt to defend himself against the fabricated accusations.

Instead, a dark, wicked, and highly villainous smirk slowly stretched across Rick’s sharp jawline, his deadpan eyes locking directly onto Preston’s smug face, because the foolish VP had just handed him the ultimate execution weapon on a silver platter.

Preston claimed he was close friends with CEO Cheng Shuang, but Rick was the supreme, undisputed boss who legally owned a massive forty-two percent controlling stake in the Imperial Jade Group, and Rick knew for an absolute fact that Cheng Shuang was terrified of him.

"You saw the real orb resting on Cheng Shuang’s desk just last week?" Rick asked lazily, his deep voice effortlessly cutting through the noise of the barking dogs, carrying a heavy, lethal calmness.

"That’s right, you pathetic scammer!" Preston boasted proudly, puffing his chest out. "CEO Cheng and I are close colleagues! He trusts me implicitly, which is exactly why your stupid little flea-market trick failed!"

"That is very interesting, Preston," Rick mocked crudely, casually reaching into his tailored suit jacket to pull out his sleek titanium phone. "Because I happen to have CEO Cheng Shuang’s personal emergency number right here in my contacts."

Preston’s smug smile faltered for a fraction of a second, a tiny bead of nervous sweat forming on his forehead, but he quickly forced a loud, mocking laugh to hide his sudden hesitation.

"You have the personal number of a billionaire CEO?!" Preston wheezed, looking around at the crowd to encourage their laughter. "You really don’t know when to quit your pathetic lies, kitchen rat! Go ahead, call your imaginary friend, let us all watch you embarrass yourself even further!"

Rick tapped the screen, dialing the CEO’s emergency line, before pressing the speaker button and holding the titanium phone up for the entire quieted courtyard to hear, fully preparing to drop a nuclear bomb directly onto Preston’s fragile reality.