Leo stepped back and read the business card he had just taken from the tall man’s pocket.
“Bonham Auction House, Sales Specialist, Luther Ford.”
The cameraman zoomed in on the card in Leo’s hand, and it was displayed clearly on the big screen.
The crowd saw it and began to stir.
Leo smiled, “This brother from Bonham Auction House, you’re so concerned about Spirit Moon Antiques! You keep saying you want to smash our store. Is this a personal vendetta?”
“Nonsense! I’m just sick of you selling fake goods!” Luther tried to act like a righteous young man standing up for justice.
“Is that so?” Leo ignored him and walked over to the middle-aged man.
Seeing that the tall man was an employee of Bonham Auction House, the onlookers grew suspicious.
People from Bonham Auction House were acting so urgently; they didn’t want to be used as pawns.
The noise gradually died down.
Everyone watched as Leo and the middle-aged man appeared on the big screen.
Leo took the ceramic piece from the middle-aged man’s hand, turned it over, and revealed the inscription “The Craftsman’s Guild Antique Reproductions,” along with some numbers and letters.
Leo asked the middle-aged man, “You said it was like this when you brought it over. You didn’t switch it, right?”
If it had been earlier, Leo would have been drowned in spit for asking such a question.
But after revealing the tall man’s identity, everyone quieted down, sensing there might be more to this fake goods issue. They all held their breath and watched Leo question the middle-aged man.
The only sound in the entire venue was Leo’s voice on the big screen.
“Of course not,” the middle-aged man replied, less confidently now.
Leo grinned, showing his white teeth in a bright smile but said nothing, just kept smiling.
Though his smile seemed annoying, Arlene suddenly felt at ease because she knew Leo must have a plan.
The middle-aged man, however, was terrified and didn’t know why Leo was smiling.
“What… what are you laughing at? If you sold fake goods, just compensate me. Why waste time here?” The middle-aged man sensed something was wrong and wanted to end this quickly.
Some voices in the crowd echoed his sentiment. Leo glanced around and met their eyes, silencing them immediately.
Leo held up the ceramic piece to the camera and said loudly, “This ceramic piece is indeed from The Craftsman’s Guild.”
The middle-aged man didn’t know what Leo was up to but instinctively felt he should stop him. He cleared his throat and was about to speak.
Leo moved his finger to the numbers and said, “As far as I know, every product from Antique Reproductions has a unique code.”
“With this code, you can find all information about the product: production date, operator, polishing process, original piece information, quality inspector, and even the buyer’s information.”
The middle-aged man and the tall man were confused, not understanding what Leo was getting at.
In the control room, Quentin grew nervous. When he heard about the buyer’s information, he sensed something was off.
This item was actually bought by Bonham Auction House and disguised as an original piece for sale. It hadn’t been modified yet and was given to the middle-aged man to frame Spirit Moon Antiques. But who knew Leo would know so much?
“I don’t believe you can find out who bought this ceramic piece!” Quentin clenched his fists, veins bulging.
“Coincidentally, I know the owner of The Craftsman’s Guild,” Leo’s innocent smile looked particularly genuine on the surveillance screen.
Quentin felt like he had been struck dumb, sitting frozen in his chair as Leo’s words echoed in his ears: “I know the owner of The Craftsman’s Guild!”
How… how could that be!?
Quentin roared internally, using all his strength to suppress his impulse.
In the venue, the middle-aged man and the tall man were also stunned.
No matter how hard they thought, they couldn’t have anticipated this outcome.
“You know the owner of The Craftsman’s Guild?” The middle-aged man swallowed hard and asked.
The tall man suddenly stepped forward, “Paul, don’t listen to him. He’s definitely lying!”
Halfway through his sentence, the tall man stopped. His finger still pointed at Leo, but all eyes were now on him.
There was disdain, anger, ridicule, and pity.
“Oh, so your name is Paul. Do you two know each other?” Leo asked deliberately.
Even Arlene noticed something fishy and couldn’t help but laugh out loud.
David and Henry exchanged a glance and calmly returned to their booth. The fox’s tail had been exposed.
Now, even those Bonham Auction House employees hidden in the crowd ready to cause trouble didn’t dare make a sound.
Everything was displayed on the big screen. Even a fool could see that Bonham Auction House was deliberately trying to frame Spirit Moon Antiques.
Paul was furious and said, “Whether we know each other or not has nothing to do with you selling fake goods! If you can’t provide evidence, I’ll smash your store. This venue is booked by Bonham Auction House.”
Paul immediately changed his demeanor, looking like a thug instead of his previous honest self.
This was Paul’s tactic: first act honest to lure people in; if that didn’t work, turn into a thug; if that still didn’t work, then run away.
The tall man echoed, “Yeah! Stop changing the subject. Show us the evidence!”
Leo shook his head. “You really won’t shed tears until you see the coffin. Just wait.”
Leo took out his phone and opened WhatsApp for a video call.
“Hello, is this Gilberto?”
Leo contacted Gilberto Gardner, an antique shop owner he met while traveling with Sophia in Seattle to buy red threads.
“Leo? Hey, where are you? Why so many people?”
“Gilberto, you run a craft factory called The Craftsman’s Guild in China, right? I need your help with something. I have a product here that needs checking. The code is…”
After giving the code, Leo pointed his phone screen at the camera. Gilberto Gardner appeared on the big screen.
“Hold on; I’ll check it for you,” Gilberto Gardner said as he walked off-screen.
After a while, Gilberto Gardner’s face reappeared on screen. “Leo, where are you?”
“Langstel, Spring Dawn Garden. Someone used your product to frame my friend’s antique shop for selling fake goods,” Leo explained briefly.
Gilberto Gardner jumped up angrily and shouted, “Is that so? Which bastard is so bold! Wait a minute; this product was ordered by a local customer in Langstel…”
Paul and the tall man’s faces changed repeatedly.
They weren’t responsible for procurement, so they didn’t know if this Gilberto Gardner was real or not.
But if he were fake, where did Leo find such a counterfeit?