Chapter 125 The Second Disappointment
"We're just worried about being deceived, that's why your Grandma asked you two to stay," Hailey said. "Alexander, Leo, you must keep a close watch to prevent your Grandma from being fooled by that old expert online."
"An old expert? How old?" Alexander asked.
Mrs. Ashford blushed slightly and said, "He's the same age as me, and we've been online friends for half a month now."
"Oh my, could it be..." an online romance?
Leo didn't dare to say the last three words out loud, so he leaned in and whispered to Alexander, "Alexander, I think the shell appraisal is bogus. Meeting her online friend face-to-face is the real deal."
Hailey pulled Alexander and Leo aside and said in a low voice, "That person's online handle is 'Richard.' He has been chatting with Grandma for half a month, and only last night did he claim to be an archaeology expert. He even said he's the retired archaeology doctor, 'Richard Foster.'
"I checked online, and he is indeed an archaeology expert who was famous when he was young but disappeared for unknown reasons.
"I can believe that he is an expert, but I can't believe that Grandma's online friend is Richard. You must help Grandma discern the truth to prevent the Ashford family's assets from falling into the wrong hands."
Leo felt a sense of panic and whispered to Alexander, "Alexander, we really need to advise Grandma well. If that old man is a fraud and manages to deceive Grandma into marrying him, the Ashford family's assets will be at least halved."
Alexander also realized the seriousness of the situation and asked Mrs. Ashford, "Grandma, how much is the appraisal fee for this online expert?"
If the fee was high, it indicated that this person was just looking to make money. If the fee was low or even nonexistent, then it was a big problem. This old man's aim was the entire Ashford family!
Mrs. Ashford replied, "The expert who came yesterday charged Grandma a fee of fifteen thousand dollars for the appraisal. This online expert, however, considering that he's an online friend of Grandma, doesn't want a single penny. But he did suggest that after the appraisal, Grandma should make a donation to the orphanage, any amount she likes."
"Hmm, the orphanage is just an excuse," Leo concluded that this old online friend is a fraud and sat down on the sofa. "Fine, I'll wait with Alexander to see what kind of fraud he is!"
Considering that the broken shell fragment belonged to Ivy, Alexander discussed with Mrs. Ashford, "Grandma, can we have Ivy present at the scene? After all, she is the owner of the shell fragment."
"No!" Mrs. Ashford refused sternly. "I allow you to inform her of the results, but until the results are out, I won't allow her to set foot in this place."
She then added seriously, "I have also invited a few old friends who have brought antiques. They want to take this opportunity to have this expert appraise them. They will be staying for lunch, so you two need to prepare well."
Initially, Alexander didn't want to stay, but in order to determine the true value of Ivy's shell fragment and prevent Annabel from being deceived by her online friend, he decided to stay.
He had to send another message to Ivy:
[Ivy, I'm really sorry. An important business partner came to the company, so I have to accompany them personally. I won't be able to come to your place for lunch, but I'll invite everyone for dinner tonight as an apology.]
At that moment, Ivy was bustling around in the kitchen, too busy to check her phone or know about Alexander's message.
After busy preparations for over an hour, she cooked twenty signature dishes, with eight meat and eight vegetarian dishes, along with two desserts and two soups.
The table was set with abundant dishes, and everyone could smell the delicious aroma.
"Wow, it smells so good! Mommy, your cooking skills are amazing!"
"Yes, my mouth is watering."
The six little girls came over one by one, looking at the dishes with rich colors, flavors, and aromas, eager to start eating.
"Mom, do we still have to wait for Daddy?"
Log in with Google Account
Chapters
Favorite
Settings
