Chapter 6 

The room fell silent in shock.

A fake? Did that mean Christopher's so-called million-dollar gift was a counterfeit?

James' words had turned Christopher into the center of attention, with all the Smith family relatives staring at him in disbelief.

Everyone knew that Charles had a passion for antique collecting. While he wasn't an expert, he had a decent reputation.

Giving him a fake wasn't just about the monetary value; it was an insult to his expertise in antique collecting.

"You're lying! I bought this antique from a legitimate auction house for over a million dollars. How dare you call it a fake?" Christopher's face turned red with anger as he defended himself. "I even had experts authenticate it. They all said it was genuine. How can you claim it's a fake?"

Despite not being formally trained in antiques, James had acquired knowledge over the years, driven by dreams of striking it rich during his financially troubled times.

To him, Christopher's antique wasn't even a good replica. It was something that anyone with a basic understanding of antiques could see was a fake.

Seeing Christopher's intense reaction only confirmed to James that he was right.

"Calling it a fake was my mistake." James glanced at Christopher and said nonchalantly, "This isn't even a decent replica. It's a poorly made forgery."

"James, you're just a nobody who hasn't seen the world. Stop pretending to be an antique expert!" Christopher lashed out, resorting to personal attacks. "Have you ever even seen a real antique? How dare you try to appraise one?"

James shrugged lightly. "No, I haven't seen many real ones, but I've seen plenty of fakes. And this one is a particularly bad fake."

Abigail, Christopher's wife, couldn't stand it any longer. Calling her husband's birthday gift a fake was also an insult to her.

"James, you don't even have a proper job. You're just a leech living off our family. What do you know about antiques?"

The Smith family's relatives suddenly understood. They had almost been fooled by James. If he really had the skills to appraise antiques, why couldn't he find a proper job?

Abigail cast a look of contempt at James and said to Mary, "Mary, stop him from spouting nonsense. It's one thing to say such things among family; but if he does this in public, he'll bring disgrace upon all of us."

Mary bit her lip. She knew nothing about antiques and couldn't tell if Christopher's gift was real or fake.

But she couldn't believe that James had any expertise in antique appraisal either.

"James, stop it. Haven't you embarrassed us enough?" Mary walked over to James and whispered harshly, not wanting him to make a bigger fool of himself in front of their relatives.

Christopher, feeling triumphant, said, "James, stop making Mary look bad. Admit you were wrong and apologize, and I won't hold it against you."

James remained calm and replied slowly, "Charles is an antique collector. He can tell if it's real or fake with one look. Let's have him settle this."

Christopher's heart skipped a beat. Though he said nothing, he was clearly nervous.

The antique vase wasn't from an auction but bought from an antique dealer for a few thousand dollars. The dealer had assured him it was genuine, and in a moment of excitement, he had believed it. Now, he was starting to doubt it.

But he had already made his claim and had to stick to it.

"What's all this noise? Have some decorum." Suddenly, a commanding female voice silenced the room.

Accompanied by Addison, Charles finally made his appearance.

James was always amazed by Addison, who, at 45, looked like she was in her early thirties, a testament to her impeccable self-care.

Addison wasn't just a beautiful woman who married into the Smiths; she was a formidable presence, owning a large clinic and commanding such respect that even Charles listened to her.

Christopher was quick to complain, "Mom, it's all James' fault. This idiot claimed the gift I got for Dad is a fake, and that's why everyone started arguing."

James remained unruffled. "It is a fake."

Mary was startled and quickly tugged at James' sleeve. "Can you stop talking? Haven't you embarrassed me enough?"

"What's the big deal? Bring it over and let Charles and me take a look." Addison glared at James with disdain and took a seat with Charles.

Christopher carefully presented the antique. "Mom, I bought this from an overseas auction. Experts have authenticated it as a museum-quality piece."

Addison's expression froze the moment she saw it. Though she wasn't into antiques, she had seen enough of Charles' genuine collection to recognize a poor fake.

Addison didn't particularly like Christopher, but she disliked James even more.

And this was happening in front of all their relatives. If word got out that Christopher had given a fake gift at the party, it would be a laughingstock.

Moreover, Christopher, as a construction company owner, was more valuable to them than James, who was seen as a good-for-nothing.

"It looks genuine to me. What do you think, Charles?" Addison asked, trying to keep her voice steady.

Charles, with a stern face, nodded in agreement. "I think it's real too."

James was taken aback. Addison's opinion was one thing, but Charles, with his expertise, should have easily recognized the poor forgery. Why was he lying?

Mary's face turned pale. She had held out a sliver of hope, but with Charles saying it was real, she and James were now thoroughly humiliated.

"Mom, James was just joking with Christopher."

Mary tried to find an excuse for James, but Christopher seized the opportunity to attack again. "Who jokes like that? Mom, James slandered me in front of everyone. You have to stand up for me!"

"James, today is your father's fiftieth birthday. I don't want any drama. Apologize to Christopher, and let's move on. No one is to bring this up again," Addison said firmly. She knew James was telling the truth but didn't want to cause a scene, so she gave him an out.

James' face grew serious. He had always endured, trying to avoid trouble.

But the more he endured, the more aggressive they became. Christopher kept picking on him, knowing he wouldn't fight back.

Since backing down didn't work, tonight he would stand his ground and show Christopher and everyone else that he was no longer a pushover.

"Charles, as an antique collector, you should know that vases like this usually don't have any markings on the bottom, right?" James asked, his voice confident.

Charles didn't answer, but Addison frowned and replied, "There are always exceptions. It's not unusual for one or two pieces to have markings."

James scoffed. It was clear Addison was determined to protect Christopher, so he wouldn't hold back either.

James stepped forward and, to everyone's shock, snatched the vase from Addison's hands, holding it up for the gathered relatives to see.

"Take a close look at the markings. Don't they look familiar?" James challenged, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

Mary squinted at the bottom. The markings were neat and square, like computer font.

"Christopher's vase is truly groundbreaking. Apparently, computers were invented in ancient times. This is a world-shaking discovery!" James sneered.

The crowd wasn't stupid. They quickly realized what was going on and looked at Christopher and Addison with newfound skepticism.

Christopher's face turned ashen, and Addison's expression was equally severe as James publicly humiliated them in front of the entire Smiths. Abigail gritted her teeth, glaring at James.

"Mom, Christopher doesn't understand antiques. He was tricked into buying a fake. He didn't mean to deceive you and Dad," Abigail tried to smooth things over. "James, even if we bought a fake, it was an honest mistake. But what about your gift?"

She picked up the small bottle James had brought and handed it to Addison. "Mom, take a close look. This is James' gift for Dad. I bet the wine inside isn't anything special. He's probably trying to poison Dad!"

Addison's face darkened. James's gift was a bottle of wine without a label. Even if it wasn't poisoned, it was likely fake.

She scoffed, "James, you call this trash a birthday gift?"

Mary's palms were sweaty. James had really messed up this time. Giving an unmarked bottle of wine would surely make the suspicious Addison think he had ill intentions.

"Mom, Dad, do you really think my gift is trash?" James asked, thoroughly disappointed with Charles and Addison.

It was one thing for them not to recognize the value of his gift, but they had chosen to overlook Christopher's obvious fake while giving him no chance at all.

Abigail sneered. "James, what else could it be if not trash?"

Christopher seized the opportunity to retaliate. "James, your gift is even worse than my fake. At least mine isn't harmful, but you're trying to poison them. Are you planning to get rid of Mary too, so you can inherit the family fortune?"

James couldn't be bothered to argue. He took out his phone and played a news clip from six months ago.

"Olivia from WH Group purchased a bottle of Hippocrates' wine for five million dollars. According to his descendants, this wine was personally brewed by Hippocrates and has been buried underground for thousands of years. It's the only bottle in existence. Over the millennia, the original large barrel of wine has condensed into this small bottle. Just one drop can make a whole barrel of fine wine!"

Brewed by Hippocrates thousands of years ago?

Everyone was stunned to see the small bottle in the video, identical to the one James was holding, especially with the same "brewed" inscription.

"James, let me..." Addison was about to ask for the bottle to examine it closely, but James uncorked it and drank it all in one go!

The room fell silent, everyone staring at James in shock.

"James, what the hell are you doing?" Mary whispered, her voice trembling.

James wiped his mouth and looked around the room. "You all think I'm worthless, that I can't contribute anything of value. Well, I just drank a five-million-dollar bottle of wine to prove a point. You can keep your fake antiques and your accusations. I'm done trying to prove myself to people who don't want to see the truth."

Christopher's face turned beet red, and Addison looked like she was about to explode. Charles, however, seemed to be deep in thought, his eyes narrowing as he studied James.

"James," Charles finally said, his voice calm but firm, "if what you say is true, then you've just wasted a priceless gift. But if you're lying, you've made a fool of yourself in front of the entire family."

James met his gaze steadily. "I guess you'll just have to decide for yourself, Charles. But I'm done playing these games."

With that, James turned and walked out of the room, leaving the Smith family in stunned silence.