Chapter 553 Manuel huffed, âThis is on you guys, you canât just dump this on me. I came for the painting, and now youâve made me a laughing stock. You owe me a decent compensation. You did say âtenfold compensation for a fakeâ, Ms. Beatrice. You gotta keep your promise.â
Beatrice stormed up, âYou nouveau riche, are you just looking to stir up trouble?â
Manuel hated being labeled as a nouveau riche, and Beatriceâs words hit him like fuel to the fire.
âAll of you, making money under the guise of charity, Iâm gonna sue.â
Laura could feel things spiraling out of control, especially with all the media around.
They were supposed to be witnesses, not the ones making headlines.
Then, out of the blue, Jared stepped up.
Jared said, âThe value of a painting lies in how people perceive it. Although this one isnât an original, itâs still a masterpiece. And letâs not forget, none of the experts here could tell it was a fake. Itâs not Ms. Beatriceâs fault that she got duped. Iâm willing to fork out $21 million for it in support of the charity. Anyone willing to top that?â
Every time Jared spoke, he caused an uproar.
This time, he was clearly defending Ms. Beatrice.
Even knowing the painting was a fake, he was still willing to shell out big bucks for it. That way, the painting is auctioned off like normal, and it wouldnât be a disaster.
As long as Jared bought the painting, Manuel had no reason to demand compensation here, unless he bid higher and competed with Jared.
But if he did that, he would be blatantly stirring the pot for his own gain.
His reputation would take a major hit.
Not to mention, Jared was the CEO of the Tim Group. His wealth was unparalleled.
Even if it cost 20 million, or even 200 million, he wouldnât bat an eyelid.
Manuel was well aware of that.
Now that Jared had stepped in, he didnât dare to confront him and left after muttering a few empty words.
The situation seemed to have taken another unexpected turn.
Compared to the shocking news of the fake painting, Jaredâs âheroic rescueâ story was more captivating.
Most importantly, the fake was exposed by Jaredâs exâwife, but in the end, Jared was the one who bought it for a hefty price.
Wasnât that a slap in his exâwifeâs face? And everyone got the message.
Between his new flame and old flame, Jared chose the new.
It seemed that Ms. Beatrice and Jaredâs relationship was pretty much set in stone.
Agnes watched it all unfold on the side. The moment Jared stepped in, she was reminded of the time he spent a fortune on Kingdom Heart to avoid criticism.
He was using the same old trick.
Agnes couldnât help but chuckle.
Jared, Beatrice, could this be more ironic?
Even though Agnes felt Jaredâs actions had nothing to do with her, she couldnât help but feel uncomfortable.
Beatrice, on the other hand, was different.
She never thought Jared would spend such a large sum of money for her.
It was such a pleasant surprise.
Had her years of dedication and sincerity finally paid off?
But why did Jared always look at Agnes? It seemed like he was only interested in Agnesâ reaction.