Silveridge International Airport.


    As soon as the ne touched down and Briony and James stepped out into the arrival hall, they spotted Carney and Gwendolyn White waiting for them.


    "Professor, Mrs. Winslow," Briony greeted them with a warm smile.


    Gwendolyn couldn''t contain herself-she hurried over and pulled Briony into an embrace.


    "Let me have a look at you-much better color in your cheeks, but you''re still much too thin." Gwendolyn released her and gave her a thorough once-over, her gaze finallynding on Briony''s still-t stomach.


    "So it''s really twins?"


    Briony nodded with an easy smile.


    "Oh, I''m just so delighted!" Gwendolyn took Briony''s hands, gently patting them. "Come on, let''s get you home. I had Damaris make some chicken soup to help you and those little ones get your strength back."


    "Thank you, Mrs. Winslow."


    "Oh, hush, there''s no need for thanks among family!"


    "Exactly!" James chimed in, immediately seizing the opportunity to tease. "She thanks me for every little thing, too. I told her justst night to knock it off, and here she goes again! Mrs. Winslow, you''ve got to do something about her."


    Briony shot him a sidelong nce.


    James just raised his eyebrows, grinning. "I''m only telling the truth!"


    "Bryn, Mrs. Winslow and James are right," Carney said, looking fondly at Briony. "You know what they say-once a teacher, always family. If you still consider me your mentor, then you''re one of us. You don''t have to stand on ceremony. All this politeness just makes you seem like a stranger."


    Briony felt a wave of warmth settle in her chest. "Okay," she replied softly.


    ...


    After a cozy lunch at Carney''s house, he took Briony and James out for a drive. When they arrived at their destination, Briony finally realized who Carney had been referring to as "the big shot"—it was none other than ''Mr. Ferguson.''


    Carney made the introductions. "This is Mr. Garry Ferguson, founder of Westernmar''s Vanguard Conglomerate. He personally funded the repatriation of the stolen blue-and-white porcin artifact. Mr. Ferguson, these are my students, Briony and James."


    Garry was of Chinese descent, with warm olive skin and striking features-a ssic Western face with the charisma of a ''90s movie star.


    He was the first to extend his hand to James, greeting him with easy politeness. "Mr. Dney, it''s an honor to meet such promising young talent from my homnd."


    James shook his hand,pletely at ease. "You tter me, Mr. Ferguson. We should be thanking you for your invaluable support of heritage conservation."


    "It was the least I could do," Garry replied, turning his attention to Briony. "Ms. Kensington, I''ve heard so much about you."


    The moment their eyes met, Briony caught a fleeting, inexplicable glint in Garry''s gaze.


    But when she looked again, it was gone.


    She narrowed her eyes slightly. Truthfully, she had little patience for people who didn''t honor theirmitments, and Garry''s reputation preceded him in that regard. Still, he''d been introduced by her mentor, and his contributions to artifact preservation were undeniable, so she kept any trace of displeasure well-hidden.


    She offered Garry a polite, almost perfunctory handshake and smiled coolly. "Mr. Ferguson. A pleasure."


    Garry seemed to notice the restrained chill in her demeanor, but he only raised an intrigued eyebrow before turning to Carney. "Professor Winslow, shall we take a look at the piece?"


    Carney nodded. "Let''s."


    Recovering the blue-and-white porcin had been no small feat. Money was one thing, but it took abyrinth of connections to bring it home. A hundred million dors was a staggering sum, but the effort behind the scenes was impossible to sum up in a few words.


    Unfortunately, the artifact was now a disaster, thanks to Sophia''s botched restoration attempt.


    Carney''s face fell as soon as he saw it. "This is just outrageous!"


    James examined the mess, rubbing his chin before ncing over at Briony, his


    tone light but serious. "How long do you think it''ll take to fix this?"


    Briony''s expression was equally grave. "She used the wrong adhesive. Just taking it apart will take at least three days. After that... with just the two of us, we''re looking at a week, minimum, to restore it properly."


    "As long as you''re confident," James replied. "Just looking at all this gunk makes my head hurt!"


    Any restorer worth their salt would be horrified by such shoddy repair work.


    Briony was surprised, too-she hadn''t expected Sophia''s skills to be this abysmal. Clearly, all the Hudson family''s investment in her had gone into publicity, not actual training.


    But that wasn''t Briony''s concern. Her only focus now was to restore the porcin to its former glory.


    The real work would begin tomorrow, but for tonight, Garry insisted on hosting dinner for Carney and his two protégés.