?Chapter 96:
A fake?
Haley’s face twisted in outrage. “What are you talking about? Don’t be ridiculous! I spent a fortune on that! There’s no way it’s fake.” She turned to Saul, trying to reel him back in. “Mr. Vance, she’s just talking nonsense. She’s not even an expert. Don’t let her fool you!”
In her mind, Ste was just jealous—trying to ruin her moment, especially in front of Saul. But Saul? He looked at Ste with nothing but admiration.
He’d been watching everything from the lounge, including the moment Ste pped Haley three times. And he didn’t think she was being petty—he thought she had excellent judgment. She struck when she needed to, kept calm when it counted, and handled herself far better than Haley ever could. It wasn’t hard to see why William was backing her.
Haley, seeing that Ste hadn’t fired back right away, kept pushing. “Ste, today’s Mr. Vance’s birthday. I don’t want to cause a scene, but you’re out of line. You’ve got no proof. How can you say my gift is fake without evidence? You’re just trying to embarrass me. Mr. Vance, she’s clearly trying to stir trouble!”
All eyes turned to Ste, waiting to see what she’d say next. Standing under the weight of everyone’s stares, she looked Haley dead in the eye. “I can prove it. Mr. Vance, if it’s alright with you, could you bring the pipe out for inspection?”
Saul already knew it was fake—William had given him the real one ages ago. But he was curious how Ste had figured it out with just a quick nce. How could she be so sure?
He gestured calmly. “Bring it over.”
The box was brought out and opened. Inside was the pipe. Ste stepped forward, pointing at specific spots.
“From the outside, it looks old. But real pipes from the Middle Ages have distinct features. This one doesn’t match any of them. For starters, real medieval pipes were almost always carved from wood. This one is supposedly made from briar, but that’s not the natural color of briar wood. Whoever faked it clearly didn’t know…”
“Much about the material. Also, the shape is just… wrong. Look at the angle—it’s off. And the sides aren’t even symmetrical.”
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Saul listened quietly, clearly impressed. He loved antique pipes. And everything Ste said? She was spot on. Real antique pipes were meticulously crafted. The bowl was never perfectly vertical, and when split down the middle, the two sides were usually minor images. They were handcrafted, demanding high craftsmanship.
But this one? The color was off, the angle awkward, and the symmetry—nonexistent. Anyone who actually knew about pipes would spot it immediately. Who would’ve thought Ste knew her antiques so well?
The pipe was ced on the table for everyone to see. One by one, people leaned in to inspect it based on Ste’s points. Sure enough—the ws were obvious. This pipe really seemed to be fake.
“This pipe really does look fake. No wonder Mr. Vance didn’t look impressed when he opened it earlier.”
“Exactly. He’s a collector. He must’ve noticed but didn’t want to embarrass Haley right away.”
The whispers around the room hit Haley like ps. Her ears burned with shame. She didn’t even know it was fake.
Haley turned toward her mother, silently begging for help. With the situation having escted to this point, she didn’t know what to do.
Beatrice caught her look and quickly stepped forward, putting on her best smile. “Mr. Vance, there must’ve been some mistake. We had no idea the pipe wasn’t genuine. But our intentions were sincere. When you stayed in Achury, we took such good care of you—surely you don’t think we’d do something underhanded? Today’s your birthday. Why let someone from outside the family stir up drama? Isn’t that what’s really going on here?”
She dropped the “Achury” reference deliberately, hoping Saul would soften up. After all, they were technically rtives, and she was reminding him they’d once hosted him generously—hoping he’d return the favor with some leniency.
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