บททั้งหมดของ The Ace at the Apex: บทที่ 811 - บทที่ 820

There was no such person as an amateur clockmaker called John Barnum. Javier had made it up, which clued Barney into realizing that Javier did not know what he was talking about at all.It also made the less-than-fetching 450-dollar bid a bit easier to swallow. This was a dumb*ss who did not know anything about art, man. Just the reminder that this clock had been bought at the economical price of 30 dollars was enough to make 450 dollars seem like an absolute win. Of course, no antique-based conman worth his salt would say yes to a bargain-bin price so quickly. Barney had to go through the motions, mumbling about how hard it would be for him to part with his crown treasure, before finally agreeing to sell it for 450 dollars with a convincing wince. After Javier wrapped the clock with newspaper and left with his loot, Barney reclined into his lounge chair, a cigarette between his fingers and a cup of Earl Grey in his other hand. Life was good when one knew how to take a little adva

Boris said it was a friend who needed help, but as it turned out, the matter was not as advertised after all. The friend turned out to be an art dealer who was selling a Renaissance sculpture to a few good interested buyers. “This, right here, is a Mannerist sculpture oozing with the aesthetic of the High Renaissance. How did this end up in my collection? Well, my great-great-great grandfather used to be quite the explorer, and during one of his travels, he found himself lending a hand to a local parisher in Hildegarde…”As the man began recounting the sculpture’s supposed history, Boris nudged Javier sheepishly. “Sorry I was not more forthcoming,” he muttered under his breath. “It’s not about my friend, see. I’m interested in this sculpture, but I can’t really tell if it’s genuine or not, so…”Javier empathized. He could not blame him for his fib. Purchasing antique artwork had always posed a large risk regardless of its potential large returns. One would always worry that somethi

Don not seeing eye to eye with his sister-in-law, Joey, meant that his son, Eliott did not see eye to eye with Evanna either. If sarcasm did not drip from his words each time they met, Evanna herself might feel out of place.Evanna ignored Eliott and was about to carry the bonsai, when Javier got to it first.“It’s heavy, I’ll do it. Help me with that box instead.”Evanna nodded and retrieved the wooden box that housed the ruby and diamond pocket watch from the car.“Tch. Tch. The gifts you two brought… Even scavengers wouldn’t want to bend down to pick them up if they saw them.”Eliott shook his head after mocking them and headed inside the hotel with his chauffeur. The chauffeur was carrying something covered with a red cloth, so it was not clear what the item was in particular.Javier carried the potted plant, while Evanna carried Javier’s box as they headed to the hotel lobby.According to the local custom, there was a reception at the door where someone took a record of the

The whole banquet hall lost their cool over the present and Jared.It was a sculpture made of pure gold that weighed 10 kilograms. Since when were presents made of gold being gifted in kilograms?!10 kilograms was 10,000 grams. Even if each gram was calculated based on the market price of 45 dollars, this was worth a whopping 450,000 dollars—without taking into account the fee of the workmanship. With all the miscellaneous fees added, it would go up to 600,000 dollars!The sincerity Jared showed while holding up the golden sculpture of the winged Victoria and bowing down to wish David a happy birthday was unparalleled.Eliott, who had been feeling triumphant at the table, dared not even make a sound. He was stunned by Jared’s actions, and Jared had stolen his thunder right off the bat!A few seconds later, voices full of envy and amazement slowly filled the hall.“It’s made of pure gold. Jared’s really giving it his all to woo Evanna, huh? That’s 600,000 dollars gone just like th

Asiel’s proclamation made David queasy. Asiel never made things up, which could only mean the master had sniffed something fishy. Not keen to see Eliott shamed in public—Eliott’s disgrace would be just as disgraceful for David, after all—he wanted Asiel to keep quiet and cover things up.Unfortunately, Asiel misread David’s expression and thought the latter wanted him to explain in detail. Thus, he obliged. “Look at the color. Soft and faded, this faint spot of blue indicates an anomaly in the glazing process. Porcelain ware sporting such features is rarer–and thus more of a treasure–than its more common peers. This is, in fact, a genuine historical artifact. One would even classify it as a Grade-1 historical artifact, such as paintings and sculptures of old artisans and masters found in museums. Though it won’t fetch the highest price out there, Grade-1 artifacts are considered protected by the state, so all legitimate sales of such items are prohibited. Of course, this doesn’t stop