Chapter 218 Exposed
Catherine gave a slight nod. "Thanks for the effort."
"Just doing my job," Austin replied.
Nearby, Gabriel was sweating bullets, thinking, 'How the hell did Peter get nabbed so easily? Most of my shady stuff is tied to him. If he spills the beans, I'm toast!'
Gabriel had visited Elijah in his cell a few days ago, and the place was a nightmare.
The lights were always on, even when you tried to sleep, and you couldn't cover your head. Even bathroom breaks were under surveillance, with everyone watching!
Forget about freedom; they were all treated like dirt.
Just thinking about it made Gabriel shudder!
If Catherine found out what he had done, he'd be in the slammer too.
Gabriel swallowed hard, hoping Austin wouldn't notice the tampering on the violins.
Catherine stood by, quietly watching Austin and his team do their appraisal.
Half an hour later, Austin took off his gloves. "Ms. Windsor, we need to take these samples back for a detailed check, but for now, these violins aren't Vincent's work, and the jade carvings aren't Ryder's."
Gabriel gritted his teeth. "Mr. Perry, could you take another look?"
Austin waved him off, his face turning serious. "Ryder is my idol! I've studied all her jade carvings closely, and the technique on these is definitely not hers!"
Austin was dead serious; how dare someone question his idol in front of him!
Catherine looked at Austin, a bit surprised, realizing this appraisal center owner was a fan of hers.
Austin pulled Gabriel aside and pointed out several tiny issues with the jade carvings on the violins—details he knew inside out. He really was a fan.
Catherine nodded. "Since it's clear they're fake, no need to send them for further appraisal. These violins are just old junk, probably bought from antique markets to pass off as genuine."
Gabriel, getting desperate, pulled out a handkerchief to wipe the sweat off his forehead. "Ms. Windsor, the nephrite on these violins is real. Even if the violins aren't Ryder's or Vincent's work, the nephrite is valuable. I was duped by Peter; each piece of nephrite is worth two hundred grand!"
Catherine placed her hand on one of the pieces of nephrite and, with a forceful move, pried it off!
Without the wood as a backdrop, the nephrite was fully exposed under the light, filled with impurities, not letting any light through—a worthless piece of nephrite.
"Two hundred grand? Give me two hundred grand, and I can buy you ten thousand pieces just like this. I thought it might be worth two thousand at best, but I overestimated its quality and underestimated your nerve," Catherine said.
Gabriel never expected Catherine to just pry off the nephrite!
Even a layperson could see the nephrite was junk. It was coarse and grainy, something no one would want in the jade market!
Catherine raised an eyebrow at Gabriel. "As the manager of the violin shop, you conspired with the appraisal center to scam people, calling genuine items fake to buy them cheap and sell them high, and calling fake items genuine to charge high appraisal fees. Your mansion in the city must have come from this, right? The salary from the violin shop isn't enough to buy you a Lamborghini, but you have three different ones, all limited editions. Gabriel, you and Elijah are truly family; I bet you'll end up sharing a cell."
Seeing things go south, Gabriel started to back away, arguing, "You're talking nonsense! I earned this money through hard work. I've been with the violin shop for years, even Mr. Martinez can't make me leave. Don't push it!"
Catherine's eyes were filled with disdain. "Do you have the guts to tell Samuel what you've done?"
Facing Catherine's icy stare, Gabriel shivered, leaning on the windowsill. Seeing no way out, he jumped!
Nora gasped, covering her mouth. "Ms. Windsor, should we go after him?"
Catherine shook her head. "How far do you think a chubby guy can run after jumping from the third floor? Besides, I had something planted in the flower bed downstairs earlier."
Outside the violin shop was a flower bed along the street, filled with seasonal flowers and plants, changed every quarter.
Gabriel's screams echoed from downstairs.
Nora ran to look and saw Gabriel's chubby, greasy body caught in the cacti in the flower bed!
Catherine said calmly, "Call the police and have him taken away."
"Yes! I'll contact the police right away!" Nora said.
Those cacti were giant spiny ones brought in from the desert by the Galactic Aurora Collective for experiments last quarter. Gabriel jumped without looking and got himself impaled!
"From now on, you are the general manager. I don't want to see the same mistakes again," Catherine said.
Nora was thrilled. "Thank you for the promotion!"
Catherine efficiently dealt with the fake goods and reorganized the violin shop's operations.
Austin, who had been watching Catherine handle the situation so swiftly, was full of admiration and respect!
It seemed Catherine was not only Vincent's student but also a genius in business, just like the Windsor Family members!
"Mr. Perry, please appraise all the violins in the shop. The fees will be according to the usual rates," Catherine said.
"Of course, we look forward to working with you more in the future."
With Vincent's student status and as the owner of the largest violin shop in Imperia City, there would be plenty of opportunities for Austin's appraisal center to collaborate with Catherine's violin shop! Austin quickly got busy with his team.
After handling the violins, Catherine turned around and saw Alexander leaning against the door, smiling at her.
He had been watching Catherine work from start to finish, admiring her as she commanded and reorganized the staff! "Well done, Catherine. You're so capable; it puts pressure on me too. As a reward, would you like to take some time to listen to me play a piece?"
'Play a piece? As a reward for me?' Catherine wondered. "You can play?"
"I've watched people play in my spare time and learned a bit." Alexander picked up a classical guitar from a nearby stand, took Catherine's hand, and walked into the office, closing the door behind them.
Alexander sat down with the guitar, his long fingers gently plucking the strings, making the air vibrate with beautiful sounds.
Catherine's eyelashes fluttered slightly. "Your wrist is injured; it's not suitable for playing."
Alexander chuckled. "It's okay. I can use my left hand. I saw someone express their love with a guitar in school, and I wanted to try playing a piece for you."
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