The First Heir

Chapter 34

A fake! The crowd in the gallery burst into an uproar. It was actually a fake!

“Impossible! How could this be a fake? We’ve all seen it before. It’s a genuine piece.” Charles quickly explained. “Although I’m not as famous as Master Russell, I can still tell a painting’s authenticity. How could this be a fake?”

Russell knew that Charles would be in denial, so he analyzed the painting on the spot. “This painting could be said to be mistaken for the genuine piece. It’s not surprising if you guys can’t tell. But if you all take a closer look, the lines on these few figures are not full enough. There is an obvious gradient shown on the lines and color. This is a defect caused by machines, and it’s very subtle so many people can’t actually tell…”

As the crowd listened to Russell’s explanation, they finally realized the truth.

“So, it’s a fake! Charles Johnston, you’re too much!”

“Yeah! After a whole day of suspense, you ended up showing us a fake instead! What gives?”

In an instant, the crowd started unleashing their dissatisfaction. Charles was now nervous and ashamed. How could it be a fake? How was it possible?

Aiden frowned hard as he stood aside, looking at Philip, who was still standing in a corner. Suddenly, he tugged Charles’s arm and whispered into the man’s ear, “Uncle Johnston, could Philip have taken the wrong painting?”

Took the wrong painting? Charles immediately came to his senses. It must be! Philip must have taken the wrong painting!

No sooner said than done, Charles ignored the criticism by the crowd. He hastened over to Philip, giving him another slap as he roared in anger, “Philip, did you bring that fake painting of yours over

instead?! Were you trying to embarrass me on purpose?” Content from NôvelDr(a)ma.Org.

Charles was furious. He had gone through so much trouble to plan this exhibition, hoping that it could raise his fame. But now, a colossal misunderstanding had occurred instead. This was just too embarrassing. Charles considered himself a little well-known in the collectors’ community, so he chose to vent his frustrations on Philip.

When Russell saw this, his anger flared up immediately. He wanted to go over to stop Charles, but Philip shot him a cold glare.

Philip then quickly said, “I’m sorry, Dad. I took the wrong one. I’ll go back now and get it again.”

“Go, now!” Charles was seething, his gaze ice-cold. How could he have such a useless son-in-law?

Aiden was standing behind Charles with a cold smile playing on his lip. The man was overflowing with provocative intentions. After Philip had rushed out, Aiden continued to whisper in Charles’s ear, “Uncle Johnston, the way I see it, Philip must have done it on purpose. It’s clear that he dislikes you, but you’re still his father-in-law no matter what. For him to embarrass you in such an important event is just…”

“Hmph! He’s a piece of trash! Once I get back, I’ll have Wynn divorce him immediately!” Charles cut off Aiden’s words, still boiling with anger.

Aiden was ecstatic. He had now reached his goal, so he quietly clenched his fists in victory. Haha, Wynn Johnston will soon belong to me!

After Philip left, Charlese apologetically said, “I’m sorry everyone, it was the wrong painting. I’ve already sent my son-in-law back home to get the correct one.”

As Charles kept apologizing, someone perked up and asked, “Charles, what do you mean by ‘wrong painting’? Do you actually have two of the same piece?”

Charles was about to speak up when Aiden cut in and explained with a laugh, “It’s like this. It was Uncle Johnston’s birthday a few days ago. Me and Uncle Johnston’s son-in-law, Philip, had both prepared a present each, which was the painting, Companionship at the Spring Mountains. This fake piece was bought by Uncle Johnston’s son-in-law from an antique market to give to Uncle Johnston. As for the real thing, I had spent two million dollars on buying it from a friend to give to Uncle Johnston. And that trash, Philip ended up bringing the wrong one…”

After that explanation, everyone seemed to have a better idea. In an instant, the people in the hall started dismissing Philip.

“There’s someone who would actually buy art from an antique market to give to their father-in-law as a gift! What a cheapskate.”

“Sigh, it’s not news. Charles’s son-in-law is publicly known to be a useless piece of trash.”

“I think Aiden is a nice young man, and Charles’s daughter is beautiful. They should become a couple instead.”

Among the crowd, Russell’s expression darkened as he listened to these discussions. These people did not know that Mr. Clarke was an elite, rich man who could afford to invest two billion without hesitation!

Russell had already figured out the situation by now from the explanations. The painting he had given Mr. Clarke was the genuine piece, but Charles Johnston, who had favored power instead thought the painting from Philip was a fake. The counterfeit was then treated as the authentic piece while the real thing was cast aside as a fake.

The painting that Philip was going home to take now was the painting Russell himself had given to him. Only, after Aiden’s words earlier, everyone now assumed that the one Philip had gone home to take was the one given by Aiden.

Russell stroked his chin as a faint smirk appeared on his lips. Alright, he would just put that impertinent brat, Aiden, to shame as a way of helping Mr. Clarke vent.

Soon, Philip had returned with another painting. By now, Theo was still mixed in with the crowd as he watched quietly.

Charles went over to Philip personally and snatched the painting from him while he berated, “Trash! Go stand in a corner! I’ll take care of you when I get back!”

Philip let out a helpless sigh and smiled dryly before returning to stand in a corner.

The painting was presented again. Charles immediately invited Russell to appraise this new piece. “Master Russell, please take a look at this. This is the real painting.”

Russell pretended to think out loud, nodding and praising as he looked, “Wonderful, now this is the real thing! It’s Tang Bohu’s authentic painting!”

Upon hearing this, Charles’s flurry of emotions finally calmed down, and he could not conceal the smile on his face.

However, Russell’s next sentence stunned everyone in the exhibition hall. “Mr. Grant, was it? Are you sure this painting is the one you bought from your friend?” Russell smiled at Aiden, who was looking to be very full of himself.