Chapter 12 Deception
Seeing the crowd egging him on, Mary felt as if she were sitting on pins and needles. Although she didn't know what gift William had prepared, he mentioned that it was a painting.
Mary thought that William had simply bought some cheap painting, nothing that could compare to Matthew Anderson's.
"It's just a gift, nothing worth making a fuss over," Mary said, defending William while giving him a fierce glare.
If she were to lose face in front of so many people today, she would hate William forever!
In such circumstances, she found herself unable to meet Matthew Anderson Allen's gaze.
"Cousin, you're wrong there; we can't let our brother-in-law's efforts go unnoticed."
Nancy said cheerfully, then walked over and snatched the long gift box that William had hidden under the table.
"Wow, it's a long box too. It couldn't also be a painting, could it?" Nancy deliberately drew out her tone, and her words dripping with sarcasm.
William didn't know what to say and kept silent.
"Your gift looks very cheap, probably not even worth a hundred dollars?" Nancy held up the gift box, mocking him.
"Found it at the Antique Market," William said.
At this remark, everyone in the private room cast strange glances at William.
Antique Market?
But that seemed too shabby, and everyone looked at William with mocking laughter.
Tyler felt a slight relief, and his impression of his son-in-law improved a bit.
This son-in-law knew his hobby. It was not bad.
But that was all; compared to the million-dollar painting Matthew Anderson had just given, something from the Antique Market was not worth mentioning.
"That's hilarious! Cousin-in-law, you scavenged from the Antique Market? You really don't take Tyler seriously."
Nancy's sarcasm was biting. "I've heard that things from the Antique Market are all fakes, and many are even tainted goods."
The word 'tainted' cut deep.
Tyler's face fell instantly; he understood the jargon.
Indeed, there were many tainted items at the Antique Market, and it was unlucky to accidentally acquire such things.
Thus, Tyler scoffed, and the slight fondness he'd felt vanished.
Mary hurriedly stood up, intending to snatch the gift box back from Nancy, saying, "Then let's not look at it."
"That won't do; we must see it. I'm quite curious about what our cousin-in-law has scavenged."
Nancy turned aside and quickly opened the gift box, taking out the scroll inside.
She looked at the amused expressions on everyone's faces and Mary's gloomy gaze. She couldn't help but laugh. Then, she unfurled the painting.
The scroll rolled out, and a painting appeared before everyone.
People craned their necks to look, initially attracted by the painting's exquisite beauty.
Rich character depiction, full colors, soft lines—a work of high quality!
But the more they looked, the stranger they found it.
"This is exactly like the painting Matthew Anderson brought!" A younger relative exclaimed with wide eyes.
For a moment, everyone realized that the two paintings were identical!
There must be a fake!
Naturally, everyone assumed William's painting was fake!
Nancy deliberately screamed loudly, "Cousin-in-law, how come your painting is exactly like Matthew Anderson's? It's not fake, is it?"
"How do you know it's fake?"
Suddenly, William's calm voice resounded in the private room.
Everyone was stunned, then looked at William incredulously.
This guy must be crazy.
Two paintings, one bought by Matthew Anderson for millions, and the other scavenged from the Antique Market—obviously, one was real, and the other was fake.
Mary also kicked William anxiously under the table, signaling him not to talk nonsense.
Bringing a fake painting as a real one was utterly humiliating!
Nancy immediately laughed. "Cousin-in-law, are you suggesting that your painting is real and Matthew Anderson's is fake?"
He was ridiculous!
"Who knows?" William continued, not caring about Mary pinching him under the table.
The group burst into laughter, shaking their heads helplessly and looking down on William even more.
Tyler, sitting at the head of the table, also snorted coldly, having seen through his son-in-law.
"Why not ask Tyler and the other uncles present to take a closer look and see whose painting is real?" Matthew Anderson suggested, his eyes brimming with confidence.
He was certain.
This painting had cost him over two million to purchase from a friend.
How could William's fake painting from the Antique Market, worth just a few bucks, compete with his?
In his dreams!
As soon as he finished speaking, Nancy eagerly took the painting to Tyler and the other collectors, saying, "Tyler, take a look."
Tyler accepted it with disdain, glanced at it, and his eyes widened!
The other friends also took a few looks and then hurriedly picked up magnifying glasses to examine it closely.
The more they looked, the more astonished they became.
This painting seemed to be real, too.
It was strange; the two paintings were so similar as if they had been copied by a machine.
Tyler and his old friends exchanged glances, then bent down to scrutinize the painting once more, not missing any detail.
This scene surprised everyone; could it be that William's worthless gift was actually real?
Matthew Anderson also felt a bit panicked as Tyler seemed to recognize a genuine piece.
Impossible, he had spent two million; it couldn't be fake.
Mary's heart was in her throat, and she glanced at William, who sat silently, seemingly unconcerned.
"William, where did you scavenge this painting from? It's a good imitation, almost indistinguishable from the real thing." Tyler said with narrowed eyes.
"This imitation is indeed excellent. If it weren't for us here, it could have been passed off as real." Tyler's old friends also chimed in.
Honestly, they were still uncertain, but they naturally leaned towards Matthew Anderson's painting because it was more expensive.
Hearing this, everyone breathed a sigh of relief, but they looked at William with even more contempt.
It was indeed a fake.
Matthew Anderson also relaxed and looked triumphantly at William.
William frowned, and his expression became unnatural.
A fake painting from Rex? That was impossible.
A perfect imitation?
Suddenly, William realized that his father-in-law and the others had seen the resemblance, but they were biased towards Matthew Anderson's painting.
Because Matthew Anderson was rich, and he was just a poor son-in-law, how could he possibly gave a real painting?
Thinking this, William also helplessly shook his head, not caring anymore.
However, Nancy laughed mockingly. "Cousin-in-law, that's quite something.. You’re bringing a fake painting. Who are you trying to fool?"
At the same time, she mocked Mary, "Mary, your husband is really something. I thought he had actually found a real piece."
But for the first time, Tyler defended William, "Alright,Nancy, you can't blame William. He scavenged it; how could he know if it's real or fake?"
No one else said anything, but they distanced themselves even more from William. Eating with such a person was a loss of face.
Mary couldn't eat anymore and pulled William up to leave in anger.
"What are you up to? Why did you buy a fake painting as a gift? You've utterly embarrassed me!" Mary accused furiously.
William could only reply with his head down. "I'm sorry."
"I'm so annoyed. The more I see you, the more I get annoyed. Go back and take care of Sarah ," Mary said through gritted teeth, then turned and went back to the private room.
William watched her disappointed back and sighed silently.
‘Mary, my painting is the real one. A bunch of ignoramuses.’ He pondered.
When Mary returned to the private room, everyone saw that William hadn't come in, and Margaret asked, "Where's William?"
Mary forced a smil., "Sarah is still in the hospital; he went back first."
Probably he ran away in embarrassment.
Just then, the door of the private room was pushed open, and Eugene entered with seven or eight waiters, each carrying an array of exquisite dishes and expensive wines.
"You must be Tyler." Eugene immediately went up to Tyler and shook his hand politely.
"And who are you?" Tyler was stunned; he didn't recognize this man.
"I'm the boss of Alinea Restaurant, Eugene. Today is Tyler's birthday, and I've brought specialty dishes prepared by chefs from France, Germany, and the UK, as well as these eight bottles of 1982 Lafite," Eugene said with a smile.
Everyone was astounded as they watched the dishes and bottles of fine wine being placed on the table, shocked beyond words!
The boss of Alinea Restaurant personally delivered gifts, which was simply too astonishing.
"Here's a platinum membership card as well, a small token of my appreciation for Tyler. Next time you dine, you'll have a special private room and a 50% discount." Eugene pulled out a membership card and handed it solemnly to Tyler.
Tyler was already too shocked to speak, tremblingly taking the card, and asked, "Mr. Boss, I really appreciate it, but we're not acquainted. Who asked you to bring this?"
"Isn't Mr. Jones here?" Eugene asked, looking around the room without spotting William.
Mr. Jones?
Tyler was stunned; There were no individuals bearing the surname "Jones" in this particular compartment, and no one else thought of William.
Mary was taken aback, but she immediately thought of William, which seemed impossible.
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