Quentin had not expected that a casual auction would attract Leo’s attention. He was lost in thought:
Ethan had fainted from anger, The Dragon Pearl had failed to sell, and the other antiques at the stalls were also bringing bad news. Few items were sold, and those that did sell went for far less than expected.
Quentin’s mind was racing. His entire fortune was tied up with Ethan in the Bonham Auction House; the auction house could not afford to fail.
Quentin called over a few auction house employees. Two stood in front of him: one was a middle-aged man with an honest face, and the other was a tall, thin man. Quentin whispered something to them.
The employees dispersed.
“How dare you act so high-profile on my turf! I’ll make sure you regret it!” Quentin turned to the screen, glaring at the smiling face displayed there.
“Hello, this is pottery excavated near Western Xia Capital. The original price is five thousand, but it’s now half off at two thousand five hundred,” Arlene loudly introduced to a customer.
The customer didn’t hesitate, counted out twenty-five hundred-dollar bills, slapped them on the table, took the pottery from Arlene, and left, holding it high to avoid it getting damaged in the crowd.
Although the crowd had thinned out a bit, Christine and her team were still just as busy.
Leo and Henry had come down from the stage and were helping at the small stall.
Suddenly, not far away, someone held up a piece of pottery and shouted, “Fake! This is fake! What Western Xia Artifact? Look at the writing on the bottom!”
A circle quickly formed around the man.
Leo and his team noticed the commotion. Hearing the word “fake,” those who had been eager to buy Western Xia Antiques stopped and looked suspiciously at the man.
Arlene recognized him as the customer who had bought the pottery for two thousand five hundred earlier.
She followed Leo and Christine over.
“You say this is fake. Do you have any proof?” Arlene asked angrily.
The man was in his forties, with an ordinary face that looked honest and sincere.
Reporters were already waiting nearby, aiming their cameras at the man and deliberately capturing the Spirit Moon Antiques banner.
Seeing the TV crew, the man gained confidence. He turned the pottery upside down to reveal a line of small text: “The Craftsman’s Guild Antique Reproductions.”
“What do you have to say now?” the man asked triumphantly.
Somehow, the big screen in Hall E also showed the camera footage, making everything clear to everyone. It was as if the TV crew was broadcasting live.
This was all pre-arranged by Quentin.
The TV crew was originally there to film Spirit Moon Antiques’ lack of customers, but it worked well here too.
Quentin lounged in his chair, rhythmically tapping his thigh, enjoying the chaos he had orchestrated.
The man was actually an employee of Bonham Auction House. Despite his honest appearance, he was devious inside and had been sent by Quentin to frame them.
He had done this kind of thing hundreds of times before. His questioning tone, facial expressions, and the angle at which he showed the pottery’s bottom to the camera were all perfect.
His honest appearance made him seem trustworthy at first glance. Combined with his acting skills, he quickly incited the crowd: “No wonder it’s so cheap; it’s fake!”
“Refund! Refund!”
“Trying to fool us with fake goods! Do you think we’re that easy to deceive?”
Arlene fumed, “Even if we were selling fakes, who would be so blatant as to leave the source of the fakes on them?”
“Who knows? Maybe you made a mistake,” another bystander chimed in.
Arlene was too angry to speak.
Christine shouted, “This isn’t something we sold at our stall.”
“You say it’s not, so it’s not?” another bystander retorted.
The man put on an innocent look. “I just bought it, and now it’s like this. What can I do?”
Everyone’s emotions were stirred up, and they started hurling insults at Arlene and her team.
Big Al and Little Al stood outside the circle, jumping up and down in frustration but unable to do anything.
David and Henry hadn’t expected such chaos at what should have been a smooth auction.
“If you suspect me of switching it, check the surveillance footage,” the man suggested.
“Right, check the footage!” Arlene agreed.
Leo had been observing the man closely during the conflict, saying nothing.
Despite his acting skills, Leo saw through him.
The man’s occasional glances and hidden joy were unmistakable.
The man called over a young staff member with acne who looked like a college student working part-time. Surrounded by people and cameras, he nervously said, “Uh… checking surveillance requires supervisor approval.”
“Fine, get your supervisor,” Christine said impatiently.
What had been a promising auction was now in jeopardy because of this man. Even if they resolved this issue, it would disrupt the rest of the event.
“Okay, okay.” The young employee squeezed through the crowd to find his supervisor.
Soon, he returned with a well-dressed man with a slight belly.
“You’re the supervisor? We need to check footage from about ten minutes ago in Hall E. We suspect he switched items to frame us for selling fakes!” Christine said.
Before she finished speaking, people started shouting again: “What framing? Thief crying thief!”
“You’re selling fakes and have the nerve to deny it!”
With a few people leading the charge, the crowd joined in.
The man stood silently with a wronged expression.
Leo scanned the crowd, memorizing the faces of those who had instigated the commotion first.
It was clear these people were organized and purposeful.
“The Craftsman’s Guild Antique Reproductions,” Leo muttered with a smile. “Interesting.”
The supervisor understood what was happening from Christine’s words and the crowd’s noise.