Chapter 6

Stella made sure her voice carried just far enough for the people around her to hear.

The owner’s expression soured immediately. He was about to snap at her when an elderly voice cut in.

“Oh? And what makes you think it’s a fake?”

The speaker was a white-haired man in a dark patterned blazer, linen trousers, and polished loafers. At first glance, he looked more like someone’s grandfather out for an evening stroll than one of the most respected figures in the antiques world.

But the moment he spoke, everyone around him straightened.

The owner quickly lowered his voice.

“Mr. Collins, don’t listen to her. She’s barely old enough to have seen any serious pieces. I had this professionally authenticated. It’s absolutely genuine.”

Someone nearby laughed.

“Exactly. Not everyone can be Claire Moore, spotting a fake from across the room.”

Stella ignored the condescension and gave Walter a polite smile.

“This gentleman said the painting dates to the mid-nineteenth century. But the paper has clearly been artificially aged, and the brushwork is far too stiff and uniform for the artist it’s attributed to. The signature was added later, and even the pigments are wrong for the period.

“It’s a modern reproduction. Nicely done, maybe, but it has very little collectible value.”

She paused, then looked at the owner with complete sincerity.

“The original is in Mr. Samuel Prescott’s private collection in the capital. If you’re interested, I can take you to see it sometime.”

That got everyone’s attention.

Samuel Prescott was one of the most respected private collectors in the country.

Born into an old-money family, he had spent most of his life studying art and antiques. His eye was legendary, and his opinion could make or destroy an attribution.

The way Stella spoke made it sound as though she knew him personally.

The crowd immediately looked at her differently.

Walter seemed surprised too.

“And how exactly do you know Samuel Prescott?”

“I...”

Before Stella could answer, a stir broke out near the entrance.

Claire entered in a pale blue fitted dress with a pearl-trimmed wrap draped over her shoulders, Lucas’s arm resting intimately around her waist.

Over the past two years, Claire had seemingly come out of nowhere to become one of the hottest young names in the appraisal world.

With her elegant features and polished, old-world style, she’d been heavily promoted on social media as a once-in-a-generation talent, the rare kind of expert who could identify a masterpiece at a glance.

No one would’ve guessed that the so-called genius had built her entire reputation on Stella’s expertise.

She took Stella’s eye for antiques and passed it off as her own.

Stella’s hand curled into a fist at her side.

Her face went cold.

The sight of Claire arriving on the arm of Lucas Lawson, the head of the Lawson family, drew attention immediately.

Her pregnancy was beginning to show. One hand rested lightly against her lower back as she approached with an easy smile.

“Mr. Collins, this is my assistant, Stella. She has a habit of showing off when she gets excited. I hope she hasn’t caused you any trouble.”

Walter blinked.

“She’s your assistant? No wonder she spotted the fake so quickly. You certainly surround yourself with talented people, Miss Moore. Looks like inviting you tonight was the right decision.”

Claire smiled and glanced casually at Stella.

“A fake?”

Someone nearby quickly explained what had happened.

The moment Claire heard Samuel Prescott’s name, she frowned and gave Stella a mildly reproachful look.

Stella really never knew when to stop.

Claire sighed as though she were dealing with a difficult employee.

“Stella, I usually let it go when you exaggerate or say things you shouldn’t. But Mr. Prescott is my mentor.

“Just because I once brought you along when I visited him doesn’t mean you can start pretending you have some special connection to him.”

Stella’s voice turned cold.

“Your mentor? You think you’re entitled to call him that?”

She had started training under Samuel Prescott when she was five.

When exactly had he become Claire’s mentor?

Lucas’s warning came from beside her.

“Stella. Enough.”

She ignored him and kept her eyes on Claire.

“Mr. Prescott has only ever personally trained two protégés. One is Vincent Wells, the well-known senior researcher at the National Museum. The other is...”

“The other is me, of course. Surely you’re not about to claim it’s you.”

Claire’s voice stayed gentle, as if Stella’s accusation didn’t bother her at all.

“I started training under Mr. Prescott when I was five and completed my apprenticeship at eighteen. People in the field were kind enough to start calling me one of the youngest authorities of my generation.

“Stella, have you forgotten that I’m the one who told you all of this?

“If you’re going to lie, doing it right in front of me is a little much. I suppose I’ve been too lenient with you.”

Stella’s eyes widened slightly.

If Claire hadn’t been describing Stella’s own life, the performance might actually have fooled her.

Anger surged through her.

She looked instinctively at Lucas.

The moment their eyes met, everything fell into place.

She had only ever told one person those details about her past.

Lucas.

She just hadn’t realized he could sink this low.

He’d even handed Claire her mentor and her history.

“Are you done making a scene?” Lucas asked coolly.

With one sentence, he made Stella sound like nothing more than a compulsive liar.

Then he turned to Walter and shook his hand politely.

“Sorry for the trouble, Mr. Collins.”

The way everyone looked at Stella changed immediately.

Mocking whispers rose around her from every direction.

And the man who had once promised to love her forever now stood in the middle of the crowd with his arm around another woman, watching like a detached spectator while everyone laughed at Stella and called her a liar.

He didn’t care what it did to her.

After all, he was the one who had put her there.

Stella slowly clenched her fists.

She forced down her anger and spoke calmly.

“As everyone here knows, Mr. Prescott once acquired two exceptionally rare antique cameos. They were nearly identical in value and provenance, and he later gave one to each of his two protégés.

“Vincent Wells is a well-known researcher at the National Museum, so everyone knows who he is. But Mr. Prescott’s other protégé has always kept a very low profile. Over the years, more than a few people have tried to claim that identity.”

Walter studied her a little more closely.

A faint smile touched Stella’s lips.

Very few people knew about the gifts.

Walter happened to be one of them.

Years ago, Samuel had even invited him over to examine the pieces.

Stella turned to Claire with a meaningful smile.

“Miss Moore keeps claiming she’s Mr. Prescott’s protégé, but anyone can say that.

“I’ve been your ‘assistant’ for quite a while now, and somehow I’ve never once seen your cameo.”

Walter’s gaze moved between the two women.

After a thoughtful pause, he nodded.

“Yes, I remember those. Extraordinary pieces. Among the finest examples I’d seen in years.

“Would I be fortunate enough to see yours tonight, Miss Moore?”

Panic flashed through Claire’s eyes.

She instinctively looked at Lucas.

He had never mentioned any cameos.

Still, she recovered quickly.

“It was a personal gift from my mentor, so naturally I keep it somewhere safe. I’d hate to damage something that meant so much to him.

“I didn’t bring it tonight, but I’d be happy to show everyone another time.”

Some of the warmth faded from Walter’s smile.

“I see.”

Stella suddenly laughed.

“Oh, wait. My mistake.”

Everyone looked at her.

She smiled innocently.

“They weren’t cameos at all. Mr. Prescott gave his protégés two Renaissance signet rings.

“Wasn’t that right, Mr. Collins?”

Claire’s expression changed.

Only then did she realize Stella had deliberately set a trap for her.

She immediately looked at Walter.

The old man still wore the same genial smile.

He glanced briefly at Lucas, then gave a vague wave of his hand.

“Oh, at my age, who can remember every detail?

“But whether they were cameos or signet rings, surely Miss Moore herself would know better than anyone.”

Claire’s face shifted several times before she managed a strained smile.

Everyone in the room was sharp enough to understand exactly what had just happened.

In an instant, every pair of eyes turned toward Claire.