A jolt of surprise surged through Liam at Adrian’s accusation before he masked his countenance with a scowl. “A fake necklace?” he scoffed. “Do you think I’m a cheapskate like you? I spent a lot to ensure that this necklace is the genuine Moonstone. So keep your lucid opinions to yourself!”The guests, completely swayed by Liam’s display of wealth, also murmured in agreement with him.“Why is this nobody so shameless? How can he say the Moonstone necklace is fake?”“He’s just jealous because he can’t afford such a gem in his lifetime!”“What a sorry excuse for a man. Too disgusting!”Regina’s expression also mirrored Liam’s as she glared at Adrian. “What could you possibly know about genuine jewelry when you’ve never seen one in your life? Just keep quiet and stop disgracing yourself with your ignorance!” She shifted her gaze back to Liam, the scowl on her face morphing into a smile. “Ignore this fool, my dear. Go ahead and place the necklace around Anita’s neck.” she urged him.Anita
“Wh-what?!” Liam sputtered incredulously. “That’s not possible! You probably made a mistake. Check again!”Gerald maintained his serious expression. “ I’ve been in the gemologist business for over two decades now. I can assure you that I didn’t make any mistake.”Everyone was surprised at Gerald’s remark. Could it mean that Liam really bought a fake necklace and Adrian was right?Regina spoke up in surprise. “Mr. Gerald,” she chuckled nervously. “I don’t mean to water down your expertise or anything, but, can you check the necklace again? I mean maybe you made a slight error somewhere.”“There is no error.” Adrian butted in, a confident smile playing on his lips. “The necklace is truly a ripoff. I’d detected some irregularities with the pearls and crystals which wasn’t supposed to be the case with an original Moonstone.” he explained.Regina narrowed her eyes at him, clearly still unimpressed. “No one asked you to interfere in this, and your opinions don’t matter. Remain silent!”She
Nigel slowly but steadily walked up to the center of the hall where the commotion was. Immediately Grandpa Lloyd and Grandma Esther saw him, their faces lit up with pleasant surprise. “Elder Nigel, you’re welcome!” they greeted in unison.Nigel let out a small smile on his lips. “Old friend, I heard your birthday was today and I decided to come and wish you well, and also present you with this 500 year old ginseng as a birthday gift.” he extended a small box towards Lloyd. “Who were you about to call security for?” he asked curiously. “Oh, it’s just that con artist over there…” Grandpa Lloyd pointed to Gerald. “…and that useless boy…” his hands moved to Adrian. “Con artist?” Nigel followed Grandpa Lloyd’s line of sight and when his gaze landed on Gerald, his eyes glinted with recognition. “Ah! It’s the famous gemologist, Gerald Stone!” Nigel chirped as he momentarily forgot what Lloyd had just said and approached Gerald for a handshake. “I didn’t expect to see you here! I was so imp
“B-but-” Robert and Tatiana stammered but their words were abruptly cut off by Grandpa Lloyd’s loud voice barking orders into the phone. “Security, your presence is needed to escort some unwanted guests out of here!”Within a few seconds, four security guards arrived at the scene. Robert, Tatiana and Tiffany spared Adrian a withering glare, then their heads slumped in embarrassment as they were each being led out by a security guard. “You, bastard!” Liam, who couldn't control his anger anymore, was about to lunge at Adrian when the last security guard restrained him. As he was being escorted out, he pointed a menacing finger at Adrian. “Don’t think for a second that you’ve won!” He snarled, thrashing against the security guard’s firm grip. “I would never let you win…” his voice trailed off as he was dragged out of the hall.“Good riddance.” Adrian mumbled under his breath, sporting an unreadable expression as he watched Liam go. However Liam tried to get back at him, he knew he would
The next morning, Adrian got dressed in a simple t-shirt and jeans, and headed for Crestwood Investment to sign and approve some contracts which included Anita’s proposal. As he rode his moped down the highway at a moderate speed, a black Porsche suddenly swerved into his lane and hit his moped from behind. The impact made him swerve abruptly and before he could regain control of the brakes, his moped collided with a curb and crashed next to a puddle of dirty water. Adrian groaned as he pulled himself up from the wet ground. The owner of the Porsche rolled down his tinted window and sneered at him. “Hey, you piece of shit!” The young man spat, his voice laced with disdain. “You’re extremely lucky my Porsche didn’t get scratched by that scrap metal of yours, or you would have been sorry. Get that thing off the road, it’s an eyesore! And you…” he eyed Adrian’s now stained clothes in disgust. “…are also an eyesore!” He rolled up his window and revved his engine, his tires spraying some
Kevin Larson, the assistant manager of Crestwood Investment was on his way out of the elevator when he heard the sound of voices coming from the reception. His forehead creased as he wondered who could be making such noise in the company so early in the morning. He made his way to the reception, his voice resonating throughout as he demanded to know what was going on. “What’s all this ruckus about?”All four pairs of eyes turned towards him as he strode towards the receptionist’s desk. Henry’s eyes lit up in familiarity. Kevin was his mother’s younger brother, and he saw his presence as an opportunity to teach Adrian a lesson. “Good morning uncle Kevin,” he began, feigning innocence. “Thank goodness you’re here. This skunk here…” he shot a finger towards Adrian. “is the cause of this ruckus. He keeps spouting gibberish from his mouth.”Evelyn also feigned innocence as she looked at Kevin’s face. “Henry’s right, Mr. Larson.” she supported. “This waste bag offended us and refused to ren
Martha ushered Adrian into her office and gestured for him to take a seat. Then, she reached into her file cabinet and produced a series of documents. “Sir, here are the contracts that require your signature of approval.” she explained, placing them on the table in front of Adrian along with a pen. Adrian scanned the names on the front page of each document, and when he saw Lilian’s name listed as a representative of Davies Designs, his face contorted into a frown. “Why is this document from Davies Designs bearing the name, Lilian Holt here?” he questioned in a sharp voice, “I thought I gave specific orders not to accept any documents from Davies Designs except the one with the name, Anita Davies.”Martha’s eyes widened in realization. “I apologize for that sir,” she mumbled apologetically.“Remove it from my sight and dispose of it in the trash.” Adrian commanded.“Certainly, sir.” Martha replied and wasted no time in grabbing the document and tossing it into the waste bin. “I'll h
The sound of Anita’s phone ringing caused a frown to etch itself on Lilian’s face. Why had Anita gotten a call at the exact moment she was expecting one from Crestwood Investment. Could it be? No way. She shook her head adamantly, willing the thought away. It was just a coincidence. She masked the worry gnawing at the back of her mind with a fake smile as she glanced expectantly at her phone.Anita, on the other hand, retrieved her phone from her bag and glanced at the Caller ID. It was an unknown number and, she hesitated a bit before answering the call.“Hello, who is this please?” she asked in a low but polite tone. “This is Timothy Burton from Crestwood Investment,” a male voice echoed through the other end of the phone. “Am I speaking with Anita Davies?”On hearing the caller was from Crestwood Investment, Anita rose up to her feet, her stance straightening unconsciously. “Yes, this is her,” she replied, her heart racing with anticipation.“Very well then. I’m pleased to announc