Chapter 299 Something Happened
Daniel's outburst seized the attention of the visiting dignitaries, diverting all gazes towards Caleb.
Caleb's face changed under the scrutiny of the crowd. He shot Daniel a warning look before softening his expression and saying, "Daniel, I know you're anxious about your family matter. I've already asked someone to help you with it. Go wait for me in my office, and we'll talk later. The leaders have other things to attend to after their inspection."
Daniel was sure that Caleb had seen the glance he gave Winona earlier. He believed Caleb was doing this to shield Winona.
'By protecting her so much and thinking of her for every good opportunity, there's probably some unsavory relationship we don't know about.' Daniel thought to himself.
In their line of work, it was always the experienced guiding the new. Someone Winona's age would be lucky to even get hands-on experience, let alone be qualified for a rating or involved in such important restoration work.
This time, he was determined to get rid of this person who was ruining the industry's standards.
"Director, it's not about my family," Daniel continued bluntly, "It's something Winona repaired that has gone wrong."
He glared at Winona, full of righteous indignation. "I've told you that someone as young as her couldn't handle things on her own, but you wouldn't listen. Now look, something's gone wrong."
Winona, who had been sitting up straight listening to the leaders' speech, relaxed into her chair, completely ignoring the glances being thrown her way.
When Daniel first looked at her, she was a bit puzzled, but after hearing his accusations, she showed no reaction.
Caleb's face turned green with anger, and he wanted to lash out at this madman. "That's enough! Your outbursts have limits. How dare you disrupt our proceedings before these important guests? Leave."
"I think you're just trying to cover for her," Daniel persisted stubbornly.
Caleb was about to call someone to throw him out when one of the leaders spoke up, "Let him speak. These are irreplaceable cultural treasures, and we can't afford any mistakes. This kind of commotion could damage our reputation."
Forced to relent, Caleb grudgingly relented, "Fine, spill it."
His voice was full of impatience.
Everyone knew that Caleb was truly angry this time. Once the leaders left, the future seemed uncertain for Daniel.
"Everyone, let's go take a look at the Aveiro hairpin Winona restored."
Caleb glared at him angrily. "Couldn't you just bring it here?"
"I don't dare touch it. What if it gets damaged and you say it's my fault?"
So, the group followed Daniel to see the problematic hairpin.
The hairpin had just been restored and hadn't been submitted yet. It was kept in her personal locker, in a box labeled with her name.
Looking at the cabinet door, which was usually locked securely but now stood wide open, Winona raised an eyebrow and asked, "Did you pry open my cabinet?"
Daniel lifted his chin, not feeling any guilt. "I received a report that you damaged the item. To avoid falsely accusing you, I had to check first."
As he spoke, he opened the box.
Inside was a woman's hairpin, bright in color, intricately crafted, and beautifully designed. But its shiny, flawless appearance made it look like it had just been bought from a jewelry store last month, not something buried underground for hundreds of years.
Daniel said, "Everyone knows that artifact restoration must follow three principles: minimal intervention, reversible materials, and recognizability. Whether damaged or intact, we try to maintain the original appearance. Look at this. What has the restoration turned it into? Can you even tell it's an artifact?"
He spoke righteously, looking at Winona with a mix of pride and disdain, eager to expel her from the field.
Caleb didn't dare look at the leaders' faces. "Winona, you shouldn't be making such a basic mistake."
Turning old items into new ones defeated the purpose of artifact restoration. Such errors were only made by those without proper training.
Winona remained calm. "I did restore this hairpin, but I followed the rules. As for why it turned out like this, I suspect someone tampered with it."
"Your locker, only you have the key. Who could take something out without you noticing for days?" Daniel pressed on, "Restoring an antique hairpin like this ruins it from an artifact perspective. But some wealthy people have unusual tastes. They don't like new things, but only those from tombs. You've been doing private work for years and must have some connections."
"Then let's check the surveillance footage."
Winona suggested, although she didn't have much hope. If someone was bold enough to frame her, they wouldn't leave any evidence.
As expected, the person checking the footage returned soon, looking grim. "The footage from the past few days is missing for some reason. The security is trying to recover it."
Although artifacts were valuable, they were hard to sell by ordinary people. Moreover, the entrance had detectors, and most items in the museum were burial objects, which people generally avoid. So, this situation had never occurred before, and the security wouldn't pay much attention to old footage.
Daniel said, "So there's no evidence now. Such a grand scheme, an ordinary person couldn't pull it off. I heard Winona's ex-husband is from the Bailey Group," he remarked meaningfully, "He's a powerful figure who has resources to sell artifacts."
His insinuation cut deep, targeting not just Winona but those associated with her. A shadow crossing her features, Winona countered, "Funny you should mention it. I have my surveillance."
She waved her phone. "I have paranoia, so I installed a camera on my phone case a few days ago. It only monitors me, nothing else."
Log in with Google Account
Chapters
Favorite
Settings
