Just then, an old man in traditional clothing walked into the manor with a smile while
holding two bottles of wine.
âHey Bardot! Your old pal is here to see you! Just look at what Iâve brought you, itâ s the
thirty-year-old Dalva tawny port!â
Upon hearing the old manâs voice, Aidan immediately rushed up to him while donning a
bright smile. âLawrence, didnât you say that the Archaeological Society will be having a
meeting today? Why did you rush over here then?â
This old man was Christopher Lawrence, he used to teach History back in the same
school as Aidan. However, this old man joined the Archaeological Society later on. Now,
he had a different position as an official in the archaeology industry. Naturally, Aidan
was overjoyed to see him.
Christopher smiled as he said, âI came as soon as the meeting ended.â
Just then, he took a glance at the ground and noticed The Landscape that had been
stomped by Claire. Although he could only see parts of the painting, he was able to
identify it.
Christopher was shocked all of a sudden. After placing the wine on the ground, he
picked up the painting. âBardot, this is⦠Isnât this, The Landscape?â
His heart sank with restlessness. The more he looked at the painting, the more upset he
looked.
Aidan smiled and said, âOh Lawrence, just look at how panicked you are over a fake
painting of The Landscape. Itâs just a faux given by a loser. Youâre an archaeologist for
godâs sake. Just look at the area with the stamp, it has been burnt off. They are too
clumsy and couldnât even get the stamp right, itâs clearly the fakest of fakes.â
âYouâre calling this a fake?â Christopherâs eyes widened in anger, even his beards stood
up.
Claire, who rushed over, pointed at the painting and said, âMr. Lawrence, of course this
is fake! Itâs a gift from my useless son-in-law. No wait, from my ex son-in-law! How dare
he present a fake painting to my father?
Thatâs why I tore it apart and stomped on it
twice in front of him, just so this canât be used to scam others.â
âYou tore it apart and even stomped on it twice?â
Grimaced in intense anger, Christopher slapped Claire across the face.
Claire was stunned.
âMr. Lawrence, why did you slap me?â
Christopher was heartbroken. âYou dumbass! You absolute idiot! Youâve ruined a
beautiful art piece! Who told you that this was a fake? This is the original copy of The
Landscape by Jean Pucelli!
Itâs one of his priceless works that has been passed down!
Itâs priceless, you hear me?! How, how dare you tear it apart?! Youâll be condemned
through the ages!â
Tears started trickling down Christopherâs face. For an archaeologist, nothing was more
painful than seeing a priceless treasure getting ruined by fools.
Everyoneâ s chest tightened in shock and thought, âIf this is the real copy of The
Landscape, what about the one that Edison presented?â
Aidan frowned and said, âLawrence, are you sure this is the original copy?â
Christopher replied, âOf course, thereâs no doubt about it! Do you think itâs a fake
because of this burnt area?
I guess youâre a fool too. Thatâs because the painting had
experienced a fire when it was passed down. It took tremendous effort to save the
painting back then, I didnât expect it to get ruined by your daughter!â
Adrianna immediately snatched the drawing given by Edison. âMr. Lawrence, you must
be mistaken. Look, this is the original copy of The Landscape by Jean Pucelli. My
son-in-law bought it with ten million dollars in an auction.â
After taking a glance at the painting, Christopher spat on it. âThis is a fake painting!
There have been a few fake copies of Jean Pucelliâs arts lurking in the counterfeit
market lately. They are all cheap counterfeits, printed digitally. This is one of them, it
costs a hundred dollars at most.â
âWhat? A hundred dollars?!â Everyone was shocked.
Claire, who felt hard to breathe due to anxiety, immediately asked, âMr. Lawrence, then
how much does this original copy cost?â