Leo knew the old fox was mocking him and smiled indifferently. “Mr. Meredith, you’re too kind. It’s just a minor skill, nothing worth mentioning.”
Leo no longer called Josiah “uncle,” deliberately distancing himself from him.
The change in Leo’s address made a cold light flash in Josiah’s eyes, but his smile remained unchanged. He turned his gaze to Jacob and continued, “Mr. Jacob, what a coincidence. My father also invited a master today. He is an expert in both antique appraisal and geomancy.”
Jacob sneered, “So, the Meredith family is determined to get that final auction item?”
“Of course!” Josiah said confidently. “With the master we invited, it’s almost a sure thing.”
“May I ask the name of this master?” Jacob asked curiously, seeing Josiah’s confidence.
Josiah turned and pointed. “Here he comes.”
As he spoke, Josiah walked towards the master.
Leo and the others looked over curiously and saw a man with gold-rimmed glasses, a slightly overweight body, and a balding head, followed by a female assistant.
This man was none other than Master Obrien, a renowned expert in geomancy and antique appraisal, who had been driven away by Nicholas that morning.
Seeing Josiah approach, Master Obrien extended his hand for a handshake and smiled. “Mr. Meredith, I’m not late, am I?”
“No, no, the auction hasn’t started yet. Master Obrien, you came at the perfect time. Thank you for helping the Meredith family today,” Josiah said warmly.
“Mr. Meredith, you’re too kind. It’s my pleasure to work with the Meredith family,” Master Obrien replied with a smile.
However, Master Obrien’s smile quickly disappeared, replaced by a dark expression as he saw Leo and Jacob.
Noticing the change in Master Obrien’s expression, Josiah followed his gaze and asked tentatively, “Master Obrien, do you know them?”
Master Obrien snorted unhappily. “Mr. Meredith, to be honest, I was initially invited by the Bloomer family as their consultant for this auction. But they suddenly replaced me with a young upstart!”
“Really? I can’t believe such a prestigious family would break a contract like that. If word gets out, who would dare to cooperate with them in the future?” Josiah said with feigned surprise.
“What do you mean we broke the contract? You refused to work with us!” Jacob retorted angrily.
Master Obrien sneered. “You compared me to a young novice. Do you think I would work with you under such circumstances?”
“When the auction starts, you’ll see my true capabilities. I hope the Bloomer family won’t regret their decision this morning!” Master Obrien declared.
Josiah pretended to mediate. “Master Obrien, no need to get angry. In fact, I should thank the Bloomer family. If they hadn’t broken their agreement with you, we wouldn’t have had the chance to invite you.”
Josiah was telling the truth. He had sent an invitation to Master Obrien a few days earlier, but Jason had acted faster, so Master Obrien had declined the Meredith family.
After falling out with the Bloomer family, Master Obrien immediately called Josiah and offered to be the Meredith family’s consultant for this auction.
Firstly, Master Obrien was interested in seeing the final auction item. Secondly, he wanted to use the Meredith family to embarrass the Bloomer family and show them how foolish they were for not choosing him.
Josiah suddenly added, “Master Obrien, the Bloomer family mentioned that Dr. Leo has exceptional skills in antique appraisal. He might be your main competitor later.”
“Him?” Master Obrien said disdainfully. “I’ve seen too many young people who don’t know their limits. An empty vessel makes the loudest sound. Just wait; he’ll soon reveal his true colors!”
Josiah and Master Obrien’s conversation made Jacob very uncomfortable. He wanted to refute but couldn’t find an opening.
Although Jacob was an outsider in geomancy and antiques, he had heard of Master Obrien’s reputation.
In his mind, no one was more skilled than Master Obrien in antique appraisal and geomancy. If it weren’t for Old Bloomer insisting on Leo, he would have chosen Master Obrien just like Jason did.
Leo merely smiled at their conversation. Skills needed to be demonstrated rather than talked about. The deeper one hid their abilities, the more satisfying it would be when they finally revealed them.
Why play dumb if not for the thrill of surprising everyone?
Seeing that most of the guests had arrived, a short and stout man took the stage, grabbed a microphone, cleared his throat, and said, “Distinguished guests, please find your seats quickly as the auction is about to begin.”
As soon as he finished speaking, Nicholas and Jason walked over to Jacob and Leo.
When they approached, Jacob stood up and pulled Jason aside to whisper, “Jason, Master Obrien is here too!”
“Master Obrien is here? Where?” Jason asked in surprise, looking around instinctively.
Jacob sighed helplessly. “Jason, Master Obrien isn’t here to help us; he was invited by Josiah.”
“What? Invited by Josiah!?” Jason’s face turned grim. “This is troublesome. The Meredith family will likely win that final auction item.”
In today’s auction, the Bloomer family’s main competitor was the Meredith family.
Other families might give up competing out of respect for Nicholas, but the Meredith family had always been rivals with the Bloomer family and would compete till the end.
Now that Master Obrien had joined the Meredith family’s camp, it was like adding wings to a tiger in Jason’s eyes.
Thinking about their current situation, Jason sighed and looked at his father.
He couldn’t understand why his father insisted on choosing Leo. Was he really losing his mind?
“Jason, we shouldn’t underestimate ourselves. Maybe we’ll get lucky and win that item,” Jacob tried to comfort Jason while also comforting himself.
Jason said nothing more and just shook his head with a bitter smile.