“Alright, do you want to come with me to the security room, or should we display it on the big screen?”
Christine was about to suggest the big screen but hesitated, thinking that if something went wrong, there would be no way to undo it.
Just as she was about to say they should go to the security room, the people around them started stomping their feet and chanting in unison, “Big screen! Big screen! Big screen!”
The crowd, always eager for drama, quickly joined in, and soon everyone was shouting for the big screen.
Leo sneered at the supervisor. On the surface, he was giving Christine and the middle-aged man a fair choice, but how could regular surveillance footage be easily connected to the big screen?
This supervisor was likely in on it too.
Quentin’s smile was starting to look a bit stiff.
He hadn’t expected his hastily devised plan to work so well.
This success was also due to his usual “rigorous training.”
After Ethan and Quentin took over Bonham Auction House, they introduced many unscrupulous ways to make money. One of these was buying inexpensive antique reproductions from various places and then selling them as genuine items.
There were plenty of novices in the antique world who were easily deceived.
So, fake items were readily available, including that middle-aged man with excellent acting skills-they were all “outstanding employees” trained on the front lines.
As for the event supervisor, he had long been bought off by Quentin. Saying “bought off” isn’t entirely accurate because Quentin didn’t ask him to do anything excessive; he just asked him to connect the surveillance footage to the big screen so everyone could see it.
Even if Christine didn’t agree, it didn’t matter. When they went to the security room to view the footage, it would still be broadcasted on the big screen. By then, even if Christine realized what was happening, it would be too late.
Soon, the big screen flickered, white and gray lines moving up and down with a static noise, and then the surveillance footage from Area E appeared.
Spring Dawn Garden was one of the few venues with comprehensive surveillance and built-in audio recording, so its fees were particularly high. If events ran over time, additional charges applied.
Everyone looked up at the big screen.
They saw the middle-aged man squeezing in front of a booth, asking Arlene some questions.
Due to the noise and crowd, it was hard to hear what they were saying.
Then the middle-aged man cheerfully pulled out a wad of cash and placed it on the booth.
Arlene handed him a piece of pottery.
The middle-aged man, perhaps afraid of damaging the pottery in the crowd, held it high in his right hand as he made his way through.
People could clearly see the pottery passing over their heads, only briefly blocked by a tall man.
But in such a short time, it seemed impossible for the middle-aged man to have done anything tricky.
Then the middle-aged man reached a less crowded area and examined the pottery. When he turned it over, he found the mark “The Craftsman’s Guild Antique Reproductions.”
At this point, everyone knew it was impossible for the middle-aged man to have switched items.
Leo’s eyes quickly scanned the nearby crowd when he saw that tall man.
Sure enough, the tall man was standing not far away. Due to his height, he was quite conspicuous. Leo remembered that this tall man was among those who first started making noise.
“See? I told you I didn’t switch anything,” said the middle-aged man. He didn’t accuse Christine of framing him but simply explained that he hadn’t switched items.
This weak statement immediately drew sympathy from those around him: “He paid for something and then got accused of switching it. If you ask me, everyone should be careful when buying from Spirit Moon Antiques in the future. You might end up in jail after spending your money.”
“Yeah, so many eyes watching, and only they think it’s a switch.”
Arlene’s face turned pale, and Christine didn’t look much better.
They also realized that it was impossible for the middle-aged man to have switched items; there wasn’t enough time. The surveillance footage made everything clear-there was nothing left to argue about.
But if there was no switch, how did a reproduction appear?
All their goods came from Triple Element Commerce Association. Christine and her team had checked everything before purchasing. Could someone have planted this item?
Christine’s mind raced with various thoughts.
At this moment, that tall man in the crowd suddenly raised his fist and started chanting rhythmically: “Smash it! Smash it!”
Christine and Arlene shuddered. Arlene instinctively turned her gaze toward Leo-a habitual action whenever she faced an unsolvable problem.
David and Henry both took a step back.
Henry watched as people chanted “Smash it” under the tall man’s lead. He licked his lips and asked David, “Mr. Ball, do they mean smashing people or smashing the booth?”
“What do you think?” David replied nervously.
“Should we leave?” Henry felt that leaving now might seem disloyal, but life was at stake. If those people lost control and hit him a few times by mistake, it would be disastrous.
“Let’s wait a bit longer.” David’s eyes were also focused on Leo.
Despite the fake item issue, Leo had unusually remained silent.
Big Al and Little Al stood guard in front of the booth with fierce expressions, ready to attack anyone who dared approach.
Fortunately, although these people shouted loudly, they didn’t take action. Most were just there for the spectacle; they wanted more drama but weren’t willing to get involved themselves.
The big screen had returned to scanning Christine, Arlene, and Leo’s faces repeatedly. The middle-aged man now wore a smug smile, feeling victorious.
Spirit Moon Antiques trying to compete with Bonham Auction House? What a joke!
The middle-aged man felt a sense of collective pride as a key player at Bonham Auction House.
Suddenly, that tall man rushed out of the crowd and grabbed a chair to smash at the booth.
Big Al roared and prepared to punch but was stopped by someone grabbing his arm.
Big Al struggled but felt like his arm was caught in an iron grip-he couldn’t move.
It was Leo who had grabbed his arm. Meanwhile, the young man had already thrown the chair.
He didn’t dare get too close to the booth; Big Al and Little Al standing guard made anyone think twice before approaching.
So the chair tumbled towards the booth but was caught by Little Al and casually placed on the ground.
Seeing his first attempt fail, the tall man raised his arm again: “Smash this unscrupulous merchant!”
At this moment, Leo suddenly appeared in front of him like a ghost. His right hand swiftly pulled something from the tall man’s pocket before he could even lower his arm.
Leo’s image instantly appeared on the big screen. Everyone stared excitedly: “A fight’s about to start! A fight’s about to start!”