That was why Tet had been exceedingly humble.


    For someone like Frank to be so aplished at his age, Tet scarcely dared to imagine the influence that backed him.


    Bowing his head to Frank, he said earnestly, "Apologies for trying to pull rank earlier, Mr. Lawrence. Please forgive my indiscretion."


    He had his dignity too, which was why he did not kneel and beg.


    For Frank''s part, he was no bully-he nodded as Tet apologized, epting the apology.


    Around them, the guests'' jaws dropped as they looked on. Many of them could still remember Hugh iming that Frank was just Vicky''s sugar baby!


    "Is that man really just some manwhore? How could he be so knowledgeable?"


    "Yeah... Could Hugh Turnbull have been lying?"


    "Hah! The magister himself confirmed that the pure jade vase is fake. Isn''t that a p to Mr. Pearce''s face?"


    "The way I see it, Hugh is just some frivolous character who yaps a lot to make himself look important."


    "He''s just a member of the Turnbulls'' branch family."


    "Branch family? The balls he had to strut..."


    The guests'' vocal disapproval left Hugh''s face ashen, and he could blow up right then.


    He was going to steal Frank''s thunder in the name of the Turnbulls, only for Frank to humiliate him instead!


    Just then, a mild-mannered middle-aged man with gold-framed sses quickly asked, "Ahem... Since the vase is proven to be a counterfeit, Mr. Pearce, the bids made earlier don''t count, right?"


    He was the one who made the hundred million dor bid, but at his question, the other bidders also started asking questions.


    "That''s right! We made our bids too, but we thought it was genuine. This makes it forfeit, right?"


    "Huh..."


    Gene made an awkward face and turned toward the silent Hugh beforeughing, "Of course it doesn''t. Let''s start over."


    He then turned toward Tet, intending


    for him to give a starting bid, but


    only for Tet to shake his head and turn toward Frank instead, clearly to push the task to Frank.


    Frank did not excuse himself. ncing at the ring Hugh on stage, he smiled. "Bid starts at one dor."


    The hall was left in an uproar-even if it was counterfeit, it was definitely worth more than one dor!


    Some were even holding back their


    as it was definitely


    to see an article being sold forious


    dor at Gene''s charity auction.


    "You mean to insult me, don''t you?!"


    Hugh snapped, finally having had enough. "The vase is worth a million even if it''s a fake! There''s no way it''s worth just one dor!" "Oh, but it is."


    Frank chuckled and pointed at the guests. "Everyone gathered here is either rich of important, and word would soon spread that they bought a counterfeit item at Gene Pearce''s charity auction. It begs the question-would anyone really willing spend millions on a vase


    everyone knows to be a counterfeit?"


    Hugh was left stumped by Frank''s question, though the ensuingughter from the guests basically answered his question.


    Frank was right—everyone here was either rich or important, so why would any of them willingly buy a fake?Content property of N?velDra/ma.Org.


    Forget one million-none of them would even buy it for a hundred bucks!