Chapter 128
The Remorseful Brothers
Chapter 128 Sharon glanced at Madeline, not anticipating the latter to look as calm as ever. Whereâd she get that confidence she mused before smiling. âYouâve come to the right place today, Mr. Perry. There appears to be a valuable sapphire here...â
âReally?â Dillon serined curious. âBut thereâs only one quite preeminent recently. Donât tell me thereâs another one?â
âThe one and onlyâthe Heart of Snow, was Sharonâs revelation.
That colored Dillon surprised. The Heart of Snowâ had been auctioned for 16 million dollars, and the bid was won by a mysterious big shot because, at that time, other tycoons showed reverence by not counterâbidding.
From Dillonâs perspective, âthe Heart of Snowâ could not possibly be in a place like where he was. He let out a gasp. âIs it really the Heart of Snow?â
âMaybe not, I guess, but Iâm not sure. Thatâs where you come inâ Sharon glanced at Gavin and added, âAfter all, we all know how valuable the Heart of Snowâ is. The chance of it appearing in Acocester is next to zero.â
Her speech came to a momentary hiatus before she continued, âI donât mean to doubt this lad, but itâs necessary to assume the worst, sometimes. We could even prevent somebody else from getting cornedâ
Dillon smiled, having gotten the hang of scenes like that, thus regaining composure at once. There mustâve been a disagreement over the authenticity of the gemstone, he mused.
However, Dillon had a prejudice that it was impossible for the Heart of Snowâ to be there, so he was not that interested in appraising it. It would be a different story, though, if he were to appraise other gems, Dillon shook his head and smiled helplessly. âLetâs have a look, then. The Heart of Snow is pure and free from impurities. Itâs not difficult to tell. I once saw it right before my eyes, so I remember what it looked like. Rest assured. I wonât make a mistake.
He had a habit of washing his hands before an appraisal. Hence, Charles got somebody to prepare hot water, clean towels, and sandalwood. Dillon washed and dried his hands before placing them over the sandalwood. Not until was he in tranquility did he begin appraising.
Interest piqued, Gavin whispered words to Madeline repeatedly, not bothered by the fact that his gem was about to be appraised as if things had nothing to do with him. He was calm because he reckoned the appraisal was redundant.
âTsk. I sold you so, Maddie. Watching clowns making a fool of themselves is fun. No kidding, right?â mocked Gavin Madeline shot him a glance. âDonât talk nonsense. Mr. Perry is good. We canât simply generalize all of them as such.â
âDidnât you say that Aunt Sharon of yours is but a lapdog of the Larson family? Gavin frowned slightly. âOopsie, my bad. We wonât see dogs in a Sharon was not deal. Hearing Gavinâs words, she felt that an arrow pierced through her heart. It was nothing lethal but insulting.
It made her seem like a drama queen seeking attention.
âWhereâs the gem! Please show me. Dillon gazed at the empty table.
Gavin fiddled with the box in his hand on that note. âHave you got my permission to appraise it?â
That almou defeated Sharon entirely. After all this, youâre freaking against the idea? So, what were you doing just now? Why didnât you say so? And there I thought you were calm. Calling it quits, now are we?â she secretly chided.
Charles smiled embarrassedly. âYou have a point. Forgive me for being full of myself, Mr. Newton Of course, itâs authentic when you say so. There should never be room for doubt!â
Gavin brushed Madelineâs long hair with his finger and sighed. âYou guys simply slandered a sunny boy like me. Ever think I might get hurt?â Deep down, Sharon was giving him hell. Are you even listening to yourself? Sunny boy, my ass! Donât flatter yourself âWhat do you want, then You claim that itâs authentic, but can you prove itâ siaron was as icy as the winter. âIf you refuse the appraisal, then admit that the gemstone is a fake.â
The only thing Sharon wished was to slap them in the face and return to the capital. No longer would she be setting foot in a seedy place like that again. Dealing with unreasonable, manipulative people only ruined her mood.
âYou sure are a weird one: Gavin leaned lazily against the couch, âThe gemâs for Maddie, so how does it being a fake or not have anything to do with you? Why do you worry so mucht Those who didnât know better might start to think the gem is for you. How shameless you are!â
Seeing Sharonâs expression, Madeline could not hold back her joy. Lowering her head, she pursed her lips and smiled.
Layla, in turn, was filled with anxiety. âWhy are you being insensible, Maddie? Stop Gavin now! Weâre family. No point falling out with each other because of an outsider!â
Chapter 128 âEnough.â Thomas stopped his wife, for it was not a situation nobodies like themselves could intervene. âSince thereâs a misunderstanding. Maddie, why donât you let Mr. Perry clear it up?â
Nodding, Madeline was hesitant. âBut... But if Sharonâs wrong, sheâll have to pay the price.â
âWhy? They dare to lay a finger on me? This must be a ruse. That gem has to be fake, Sharon muttered inwardly. For some ro look made her think that the whole thing must be a false bravado.
reason, their confident Right then, Gavin got straight to the point. âIf my gem turns out to be real, then... youâll follow us home and clean up for us. It so happens that our toilet needs some plunging. Pretty easy, isnât it?â
âWhat the fuck? You want me to plunge your toilet?â Sharon could not help but swear. âDo you know who I am? How dare you your janitor Pausing for a bit, she nodded fervently and went on, âVery well, then, but if you lose the bet, you get out of Acocester!â
think of making me Shocked, Charles pondered. âWhat a vicious woman. They merely asked her to do some chores, but sheâs thinking of kicking them out altogether. Women are dangerous. He then called out, âMr. Newton...
âFine.â Gavin waved his hand. He handed the gemstone box to Dillon, who had been watching the drama unfold. âTake a good look.â
Helpless, Dillon glanced at Gavin and Madeline, secretly lamenting. These younger generations are too reckless. He was not looking down on them, but he was certain that âthe Heart of Snowâ was in a safe at Fairlake back in the capital.
An online search would have easily shown that the Heart of Snowâ could never appear in Acocester. Having been through way too many cases like that in his line of work, Dillon would not get carried away.
âExamine it closely. Mr.
Perry. Weâd better not slander this sunny boy.â Sharon smirked maliciously. âEven the dead deserve the truth.â
Dillon chuckled. âI only care about the authenticity of the gem, no personal interests involved. Donât worry, everybody. You have my wordâthis appraisal will be just Sharon bobbed her head at that. âWell, of course. We have complete trust in your expertise. The crowd all beheld Dillon âThere might be deviations if this were some other gems, but thereâs no way Iâll mistake the Heart of Snow With that, Dillon began to get down to business.
Charles stared over nervously, dreading that Dillon would pronounce the gem as fake. After all, Gavinâs mood would decide whether Charlesâ words carried any weight, should Gavin be in a bad mood, Charlesâ trip there would be for nothing.
He glared at his loser son, Bryan, and mused, From hero to zero, What rotten luck! Bryan sensed the glare from his father and winced silently. Thomas eyed Dillon but did not give a damn about the result. Still, wrapping things up proved to be tough. The only hope he had was for the matter to be settled to resolve the misunderstanding between both parties. Layla, for one, was curious about who told the truth.
Winslet looked at Dillonâs hands, wanting to urge him to hurry up. She had grown uneasy, seeing how Madeline and Gavin look so collected. âWhat if itâs real? It canât be... If so, Madeline will forever outshine me. It has to be fake. Iâll get to see what a disgrace she is today! was her thought.
Dillon opened the box and was astonished. âUh...â
Anxious, Bryan whispered to his father, âWhatâs this supposed to mean, Dad? Whyâs Mr. Perry looking so grim? Itâs not a fake, is it?â
Charles smacked his son on the head. âDonât be ridiculous!â
âMr. Perry, do you need professional tools for the appraisal? came Sharonâs question. She knew that some gemstones could never be appraised with naked eyes alone. âIf you do, we can do it somewhere else to avoid mistaking it...â