Anita’s eyes widened at her father’s revelation. “So, they basically deceived you into forging famous artworks for them?” she repeated in a hushed whisper.Vincent nodded, a look of defeat crossing his face. “They did, but that’s not all.” he continued. “One of the buyers of the recently forged paintings happened to be a famous art collector in Wibston named Jonathan Reid. When Jonathan bought the painting, he took it to Nigel Hunter, the renowned herbalist and expert antique/art appraiser to verify its authenticity—something he always did in order to avoid being scammed. Nigel detected the irregularities with the paintings and told Jonathan that it was a fake. Jonathan then confronted the Oasis’s owner who claimed to have nothing to do with it and accused me of the crimes. It seems he had planned to frame me all along, and even forged my signature on the documents which approved the sale of the fake paintings. That’s why I got arrested. We have to find evidence that I was framed befo
In the evening of the next day, Anita was just about rounding up from work, when she received a call from the police station regarding her father’s release. She suspended the remaining work she had left and rushed to the police station. Vincent was patiently sitting in the waiting area when she arrived and her eyes lit up when she saw him. “Dad,” she exclaimed in relief and rushed to his side. “You’ve been released!” “Quiet down, you’re at a police station not a market!” The stern faced female police officer at the front desk shot Anita a warning glare. “Oh, I’m sorry,” she mumbled sheepishly before returning her attention to her father and lowering her voice. “I’m so relieved you don’t have to spend another night alone in this place.” Vincent nodded with a weak smile. “Yeah…but the case is still on, so I have to prove my innocence or I might face trial.” “Don’t worry dad, Adrian has got a plan to expose Thomas Hardy and the other person who framed you.” She assured him and
Liam had a mocking smile on his face as he approached Adrian. “This event is not for losers like you, so I suggest you save yourself from further embarrassment and leave.” “Liam,” Adrian muttered dryly. “Don’t interfere in this. It’s none of your business.” Liam snickered as a distasteful expression settled on his face. “A loser like you cannot tell me what to do, so I’ll interfere if I want to.” He leaned in closer to Adrian and gritted in a menacing sneer. “Don’t think I’ve forgotten the humiliation you caused my family at Lloyd Davies' birthday party. If I didn’t have something else to handle tonight, then I’d have made you pay for what you did.” After saying this, he drifted his gaze to Bright Peters, who greeted him enthusiastically. “Mr. Muller, it’s a pleasure you’re here. My name is Bright Peters, the curator of this antique gallery. Don’t let this loser” he glared dismissively at Adrian. “…ruin your mood. Please hand me your invitation so we can verify it.” Liam let ou
Nigel’s gaze flickered to Liam for the first time since he arrived at the scene. His eyes narrowed a bit as he found him familiar and tried to remember where he had seen him before, then, it clicked in his head. “You’re that brat who insulted the sacredness of the 1000 year old ginseng root by calling it fake at Lloyd Davies birthday party, are you not?” Liam suddenly became uncomfortable under Nigel’s stern scrutiny. He cleared his throat to steady his voice as he replied. “Well, yes I am, but that was because I didn’t know the real ginseng root would be so…ugly and that this loser,” he gestured towards Adrian. “could afford it.” “Hmmm,” Nigel Hunter hummed as his lips pursed into a tight line. He contemplated throwing Liam out of the auction but then, he remembered that Liam had an integral part to play in his and Adrian’s plan for the night, so his face stretched into a smile instead. “Alright, I won’t blame you for being so ignorant. Regarding the invitation, you’re right, a gu
Nathan's face twisted in rage as he spun around to glare at Adrian. "What do you think you're doing, you piece of shit?!" he hissed, his voice low and venomous. "How dare you try to outbid me?! That jade pipe is mine, so stay out of it!" Adrian blatantly ignored Nathan’s outburst and kept his gaze on the host, who had a high pitch to his voice as he announced. “1 million dollars going once…going twice…” Nathan ground his teeth as he raised his placard and declared before the host could finish counting. “1.1million dollars!” “1.2 million dollars!” Adrian countered almost instantly in a confident voice and Nathan became more agitated. How was it possible that Adrian was bidding on the jade pipe, when he obviously couldn’t afford it…or could he? He shook the thought from his mind and raised his placard again, determined to get the jade pipe at all cost. “1.5 million!” The host’s gaze flickered between Nathan and Adrian, and he could sense the tension rising between the two men. H
“Thanks, Partner,” Liam sent his reply to Thomas’s text and slipped his phone back into his pocket. At this time, the guests had already begun bidding for the painting and the current bid was $160 million. Liam casually raised his placard and declared his own bid. “170 million!” “180 million!” Another guest, a well dressed elderly woman countered immediately, a haughty smile playing on her wrinkled lips. Liam didn’t seem fazed at all as he raised his placard again. “200 million!” He had prepared for this particular bid and wouldn’t let the old hag deter him. Adrian observed Liam’s confident demeanor with a mischievous smile on his lips. Although he wasn’t interested in getting the painting, he decided to place a bid just to rile Liam up. “210 million!” he announced, raising his placard. Liam’s jaw clenched and his eyes flashed with irritation towards Adrian. “Hey you idiot! Don’t try what you did to Nathan with me.” he growled, but quickly composed himself when Jonathan gave h
Liam’s jaw nearly dropped to the floor at Adrian’s revelation. How had he discovered that he was Mr. M? His eyes flickered towards Thomas Hardy, who mirrored his expression as the guests’ attention became fixated on them. Thomas gave him a signal to do something, and Liam regained his composure, his lips pursing into a thin line as he glared daggers at Adrian. “That’s a lie!” he defended, pointing a finger at Adrian, then at Jonathan Reid. “The both of them, who happen to be close acquaintances with Nigel Hunter, are just making up stories against me and Thomas Hardy, someone I just only met at this event.” A devious grin appeared on his lips as a plan to turn the tables against them formed in his head. “As a matter of fact,” he continued, while still glaring at Adrian. “I’m very sure they are in cahoots with Nigel Hunter, who is the actual fraud here! The artist who had forged this painting in question happens to be the father-in-law of that man over there,” he pointed specifical
Adrian pressed play on the tape recorder, and everyone listened in as two unmistakable voices echoed through the speaker. FLASHBACK TO EARLIER THAT DAY Adrian had just returned from visiting his mother at the hospital, when Jonah Leigh called him with information regarding the instructions Adrian had given him. “Good morning, young master.” Jonah greeted respectfully. “I’ve been able to reach out to the police officer who will facilitate Vincent Davies’s release. He assured me that Mr. Vincent would be released before the day ends.” Adrian nodded, a small smile playing at the corner of his lips. “That’s good, Jonah. What about the evidence I asked you to find against Thomas Hardy and his partner?” “I was also able to get it, young master.” Jonah replied curtly and began explaining. “I hired a private investigator to keep an eye on Thomas Hardy, and they discovered he had frequently been in contact with a particular someone, whom he also met with at a restaurant yesterday. My priv