Chapter 88: The $30 Million Masterpiece and The Fake Accusation

"You really bark entirely too loud for a pair of disabled frogs," Rick mocked lazily, pulling the heavy mahogany box from under his arm. "Let’s see if your fragile little minds can comprehend what true wealth looks like."

Rick stepped right past Preston, ignoring the young executive’s venomous glare, as he walked up to the head table and placed the heavy wooden box directly in front of Patriarch Arthur Vance.

He pressed his thumb against the biometric scanner hidden on the side of the box, as a soft hydraulic hiss echoed through the tense courtyard, popping the heavy wooden lid open to reveal the dark velvet interior.

Resting perfectly in the center of the cushion was the Luminous Void Orb, catching the ambient light from the surrounding crystal lanterns, projecting a haunting, mesmerizing glow across the faces of the nearby relatives, since the trapped smoke and starlight within the flawless sphere seemed to possess a life of its own.

Isabella leaned forward to inspect the item, as her fake eyelashes fluttered in pure disdain, because her greedy, low-tier mindset only understood the value of flashy gold and heavy diamonds.

"A glass ball?!" Isabella shrieked maliciously, letting out a grating laugh that pierced the quiet courtyard. "You actually brought a cheap glass paperweight to the Patriarch’s eightieth birthday?! Did you buy this garbage from a street vendor on your way here, you broke peasant?!"

Preston let out a loud, obnoxious scoff, crossing his arms over his tailored designer suit, as he looked at Rick with unfiltered pity.

"This is exactly what happens when you let uneducated laborers mingle with the elite," Preston mocked loudly, ensuring every single guest heard him. "They lack the foundational breeding to understand high-society traditions, so they bring worthless trinkets and expect us to applaud their pathetic efforts."

"Elena, you have truly hit rock bottom," Aunt Sarah sneered from the sidelines, pointing a judging finger at the glowing orb. "Preston brings a flawless Ming Dynasty gold coin worthy of an emperor, and your kitchen rat brings a glowing marble. You have disgraced the Vance name tonight!"

But before the mocking laughter could spread through the rest of the high-society crowd, an older gentleman wearing a sharp tweed suit pushed his way aggressively through the tight circle of aunts and uncles.

"Stand aside, you ignorant fools!" the older man demanded in a raspy, commanding voice, practically shoving Uncle Henry out of his way to reach the mahogany table.

Elena recognized the man instantly, as she whispered softly to Rick, identifying him as Mr. Harrison, a highly revered and impartial antique appraiser who frequently vetted acquisitions for the city’s top billionaire collectors and shadow auctions.

Mr. Harrison’s hands were trembling visible as he pulled a specialized jeweler’s loupe from his breast pocket, leaning his face mere inches away from the Luminous Void Orb, ignoring the confused murmurs of the Vance family.

"Look at the depth... the flawless, unblemished clarity..." Mr. Harrison muttered to himself, sweat beading on his wrinkled forehead as he shined a small penlight into the crystal. "The smoke inclusion is entirely natural, defying all modern synthetic replication techniques... and the subtle dynasty markings etched near the base..."

"Mr. Harrison?" Patriarch Arthur asked in a heavy, raspy voice, his stern face showing a hint of genuine curiosity. "What exactly are you looking at? Is this item significant?"

Mr. Harrison gasped, dropping his penlight onto the table, as he took a staggering step backward, looking at Rick with eyes full of pure, unadulterated reverence, as if he had just witnessed a mythical god descending to the mortal realm.

"Significant?!" Mr. Harrison shouted, turning to face the Patriarch and the surrounding guests. "You blind frogs are looking at a literal piece of ancient history! This is the legendary Luminous Void Orb, a flawless crystal artifact that has been lost to the shadow markets for decades!"

"It is a true national treasure, rumored to ward off evil spirits and carry the immense fortune of the ancient emperors!" Mr. Harrison praised loudly, his voice cracking with sheer excitement.

Uncle Henry scratched his chin, his greedy eyes narrowing as he looked at the glowing orb, since historical significance meant absolutely nothing to him unless it carried a heavy price tag.

"Speak plainly, Harrison," Uncle Henry demanded impatiently. "We don’t care about ancient ghosts and emperor myths. What is the actual market value of this glass ball?"

Mr. Harrison scoffed in pure disgust, glaring at Uncle Henry like he was looking at an uneducated pig.

"If this authentic masterpiece were placed in an elite underground shadow auction tonight," Mr. Harrison declared, his voice echoing across the silent courtyard, "It would easily command a flat starting bid of thirty million dollars!"

The entire East Lake Villa went dead silent for exactly three seconds, before an explosive, deafening wave of gasps and frantic whispers erupted from the elite crowd.

Jaws literally hit the pristine stone pathways, as the aunts, uncles, and wealthy business tycoons stared at the glowing orb with wide, bloodshot eyes, their greedy minds short-circuiting under the crushing weight of that massive number.

"Thirty million dollars?!" Aunt Sarah shrieked, clutching her pearl necklace as her knees physically wobbled. "That is fifteen times the value of Preston’s gold coin! That is enough wealth to buy an entire luxury estate!"

"Elena’s boyfriend brought a thirty-million-dollar national treasure?!" Uncle Henry muttered in a daze, rubbing his eyes to make sure he wasn’t dreaming. "He isn’t a poor kitchen worker! He must be a hidden dragon from a supreme capital family!"

Patriarch Arthur Vance’s stern, judging facade cracked instantly, as his wrinkled hands shook with pure greed, reaching out to gently touch the edge of the mahogany box, looking at Rick with a newfound, immense respect that he usually reserved only for billionaire titans.

"Thirty million..." Arthur rasped, a greedy, satisfied smile breaking through his wrinkles. "You honor me greatly today, young man. This is a tribute worthy of true royalty."

Isabella stood frozen next to the head table, as her face turned a sickly, violent shade of pale white, her grand plan to humiliate her older cousin turning into absolute ash right in front of her eyes.

Her highly touted two-million-dollar gold coin, which had commanded the courtyard’s worship just minutes ago, now looked like a piece of cheap, discarded pocket change resting in the overwhelming shadow of Rick’s heaven-defying artifact.

"No... no, this is impossible!" Isabella panicked, tugging furiously on Preston’s tailored sleeve, her voice dropping into a desperate whine. "Preston, do something! This broke kitchen rat is stealing our face! He is making us look like fools in front of the Patriarch!"

Preston’s smug, condescending smile had melted off his face, replaced by a mask of pure, venomous jealousy and fragile ego, because a man whose entire identity revolved around his corporate status simply could not accept being outshined by a perceived laborer.

Driven by sheer desperation to reclaim the spotlight and protect his alpha image, Preston stepped forward, slamming his hand hard onto the mahogany table, pointing a shaking finger directly at Mr. Harrison.

"You are nothing but a senile old fool, Harrison!" Preston roared maliciously, attempting to use his loud voice to command the room’s authority. "Your eyesight is failing you, because that glowing piece of garbage is a complete fake! It is a cheap, mass-produced forgery!" ℯℯ𝑙.

The crowd gasped again, murmuring in confusion, as the aunts and uncles looked back and forth between the furious hotel executive and the respected appraiser, their greedy little minds unsure of who to believe.

Mr. Harrison bristled, his face flushing red with offended professional pride, as he glared at Preston.

"Are you questioning my thirty years of flawless appraisal experience, boy?!"