Chapter 650 - 646: All Determinations Must Be Substantiated

"Miss Sterling, we will meticulously pack all the products you’ve selected and provide fully insured, damage-free delivery. Please write down your home address here, and the items will arrive within three business days."

"Can you deliver them to different addresses?"

"Of course. Just specify which products go to which address, and we’ll deliver them accordingly."

Cecilia Sterling did as they said, writing a separate entry for her aunt’s house and having the rest sent to Hearthstone Villas.

Seeing that they were nearly finished with their lunch, the salesperson thoughtfully inquired, "Would you like anything else? We also offer dessert."

"No, no, we’re full, thank you," Yvonne Sterling said, quickly shaking her head.

Seeing this, Cecilia simply asked for two desserts.

"Cecilia, you spent so much money on just some crystal. My heart is still pounding just thinking about it."

Yvonne Sterling still hadn’t quite processed it. She had glanced at the total when Cecilia was paying and gasped in shock.

Cecilia wiped her mouth, then looked at her aunt with a knowing smile. "Auntie, a nice house needs some high-end things to decorate it. Besides, you’ll have to get used to this. This is just the beginning."

The words had barely left her mouth when her phone rang. Cecilia answered; it was the people from the appraisal agency.

The group walked back across to Lalique. The manager’s expression was a colorful picture. She had been watching the entrance of Valoria across the way, and when Cecilia’s group didn’t come out for a long time, she had gone over to ask.

As it turned out, the staff at the other store informed her that the beautiful young woman had just purchased over a dozen crystal pieces and was currently dining in their VIP room!

Seeing Cecilia again now, the manager was nervous and embarrassed, and even felt a little guilty.

’With that kind of financial power,’ she thought, ’perhaps an item worth over four hundred thousand really is nothing to her.’

"These two gentlemen are from the NGTC inspection center. It’s no exaggeration to say this is the most authoritative appraisal agency in the country. Your company has no objection to them conducting the appraisal, correct?" Cecilia said, looking at the manager.

The manager took a deep breath and silently nodded.

Seeing this, Cecilia signaled to the two men. "You can begin. Thank you for your trouble."

The two men, dressed in work uniforms, gave a slight nod and opened the rolling toolbox they had brought with them.

A "scratch appraisal" isn’t as complex as a "composition appraisal." It doesn’t take very long, and as long as both technicians agree on the findings, the accuracy rate is over ninety-eight percent.

After a series of professional operations including scanning, magnification, and observation, the two men exchanged a few whispered words and both nodded.

The manager and the young salesgirl watched them nervously. Even a few passing customers and employees from Valoria across the way gathered around curiously to see what was happening.

"Are you finished?" Cecilia asked.

After packing up their tools, one of the technicians looked at Cecilia and said, "The appraisal is complete. The scratch on this crystal has been identified as ’recent.’"

’Recent?’

Hearing that word, Yvonne Sterling and Brendan Harris’s hearts sank. It seemed the scratch really was her fault after all.

The manager and the young girl, in contrast, let out a long sigh of relief.

Only Cecilia remained calm. She had already said that if it was their fault, she would admit it and pay for the damage.

But then, the technician continued, pausing for effect, "A ’recent’ scratch refers to one made within the last seven to fifteen days."

"Seven to fifteen days?"

"Yes. Scratch age appraisal is divided into different grades. Based on the characteristics of the scratch on this Crystal Coral, it was most likely made seven to fifteen days ago. It is not a ’brand new’ scratch."

At his explanation, the expressions on both sides instantly swapped.

Cecilia also smiled, satisfied. She knew she shouldn’t have conceded so easily.

"Auntie, did you hear that? The scratch on this has nothing to do with you."

Yvonne Sterling smiled happily, the pressure in her heart vanishing completely.

If she had really been the one to do it, even if Cecilia could afford to pay, she wouldn’t have been able to let the matter go. She would have blamed herself indefinitely.

"You heard him too?" Cecilia said, turning to the manager and the salesperson. "It seems your professional negligence isn’t an isolated incident. I’m afraid you’ll have to do a proper search for the person who caused this scratch. But for now, I want you to apologize to my aunt and uncle for what just happened."

"I-I’m sorry."

The manager’s attitude was acceptable. He had fully experienced how formidable Cecilia was and didn’t dare to defy her in the slightest. He immediately bowed his head and apologized sincerely. "On behalf of myself and the company, I apologize to you both for what just happened. I hope you can find it in your hearts to forgive us."

The young salesgirl was a beat behind, perhaps too proud and young to react quickly. Her face flushed bright red as she apologized. "I’m sorry. My attitude earlier was out of line. I apologize."

Yvonne Sterling nodded with a helpless look, accepting their apology.

Seeing this, Cecilia let the matter drop. She just looked at the two men from the appraisal agency and reminded them, "Settle the appraisal fee with them. It’s their responsibility to cover it. You can issue the report to them as well. If they find the perpetrator, this will serve as powerful evidence."

With that said, Cecilia didn’t utter another word and left with her aunt and uncle without a backward glance.

"Cecilia, how did you know your aunt wasn’t the one who made that scratch?" Brendan Harris couldn’t help but ask once they were back in the car.

Yvonne Sterling also looked over, her face full of curiosity.

At their question, Cecilia looked at them with a helpless smile. "I’m not a psychic; of course I didn’t know. But to determine the nature of any issue, you need a professional assessment. You can’t just take their word for it. We’re not talking about pennies here. An item worth over four hundred thousand is no small sum to anyone. How could we just agree to pay for it without question?"

"Auntie, Uncle, if you encounter something like this in the future, don’t panic. First, think about the cause and effect, and whether the other party shares any responsibility, just like I did today. Even if we had ended up having to pay, they would still have had to bear a certain amount of responsibility. If you really don’t know how to handle it, contact me immediately."

Brendan Harris nodded in admiration. "Cecilia is the smart one."

"Alright, let’s not think about this anymore. I’m taking you two to buy some clothes now. The mall is very close to my mom’s company. You’ve never been, have you? I’ll take you to see it after we’re done shopping."

"Oh, that’s great! I was just thinking about going to see it a couple of days ago, but your mom said she was busy and told me to wait a few days."

"She is. She’s busy with the opening of the new branch." At this, a thought struck Cecilia. She turned to her aunt and asked, "Auntie, once you’ve recovered from your illness, how about you learn about business from my mom? She’s definitely going to open more than one branch; the plan is to eventually cover the entire Lorcain market. You might be able to help out in the future."