Chapter 269 Laura's Speculation

Just then, the TV flickered to life with a news broadcast.

The host said, "Morning, folks. Here's what's buzzing today. At 8 AM, Finnian Locke, the curator of our city's museum, dropped by The Golden Elm Bistro in Willowbrook. He was greeted by the bistro's general manager, Atticus."

Laura and Joe couldn't believe their eyes as they saw this news.

The news was about Atticus, the guy they had a run-in with last night.

As the host kept talking, the screen showed Atticus chatting it up with Finnian, the curator of the Lumina City Museum.

The host's voice cut in again. "Reports say Atticus, the GM of The Golden Elm Bistro, is donating an antique vase to the Lumina City Museum. Let's check it out!"

The screen then showed Atticus handing over a gift-wrapped vase to Finnian.

Laura and Joe were floored. The vase Atticus was donating looked just like the one Joe had broken yesterday.

There were two vases at The Golden Elm Bistro, and Joe had smashed one of them. So, the one Atticus was donating had to be the other one.

It wasn't weird for Atticus to donate his antiques. Rich folks did that all the time to boost their clout in Lumina City.

But what really threw Laura and Joe for a loop was that Atticus had said the vases were fakes last night.

So why was he giving a fake vase to the museum?

Was Atticus really donating a fake vase?

Laura and Joe were full of questions.

Meanwhile, the screen showed the host with a mic next to Finnian, asking, "Finnian, could you tell us what kind of vase Mr. Hayes is donating?"

"It's a valuable medieval antique. This vase has a long history and significant historical value. I estimate its current market value to be around forty million dollars. Unfortunately, this vase should be part of a pair, but Atticus accidentally lost one. Otherwise, the pair would have even higher research value," Finnian said calmly.

The reporter then handed the mic to Atticus, asking, "Since it's such an expensive vase, why are you donating it, Atticus?"

"I think... I can't keep them for myself. I want more people to appreciate the beauty of Serendara's history!" Atticus replied passionately.

Laura and Joe stared at the TV, totally stunned.

Finnian had just confirmed that the vase Atticus donated wasn't fake.

So, was the vase Joe broke last night real or fake?

If it was real, why didn't the thief take both? No one would be dumb enough to leave money behind.

But if the vase Joe broke was real, why did Atticus say it was fake?

Joe and Laura exchanged glances, sensing something was off.

"Could this have something to do with James?" Laura whispered.

Joe, frowning, slowly said, "Laura, whether the vase I broke was real or fake, it's all in the past. Let it go!"

"Dad, why? If the vase you broke was real, it means James and Atticus are hiding something from us. That's why Mr. Hayes threw us off by saying the vase was fake!" Laura shot back.

"But it's all in the past now," Joe said, sounding defeated.

"Laura, are you nuts? Mr. Hayes wouldn't even give your dad the time of day; do you think he'd respect James? No way. The vase Mr. Hayes donated might be fake too!" Isolde shouted, then turned to Joe. "Alright, that's it, let's get moving!"

"Okay!" Joe nodded and started packing.

A few minutes later, Joe and Isolde left the hotel, leaving Laura alone in the room.

Laura was still mulling over last night's events, feeling something was definitely wrong.

Even though Isolde thought James couldn't possibly know someone like Atticus, Laura wasn't so sure. She knew how Charles treated James.

Since James could know someone like Charles, it wasn't impossible for him to know Atticus.

Plus, during dinner last night, everyone thought Atticus gave them a new room and wine because of Leander.

But Atticus didn't know Leander, so after learning the truth, they thought it was because of Laura.

But Laura knew she had no connection to Atticus; they had just met for the first time. Atticus only found out Laura was Charles's partner after the incident.

This meant that when they were dining, Atticus didn't know who Laura was, so the idea that he sent wine because of her didn't add up.

"Could it all be because of James?" Laura muttered, squinting her eyes as she started piecing things together. "It must be because Atticus knows James, which is why he was so nice to us. My dad's incident must also be related to James!"

Thinking this, she felt even more puzzled.

She couldn't wrap her head around who James was and why he knew so many important people.

Laura couldn't figure it out, so she got up and headed to James's room, determined to get to the bottom of it.

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