A Warm Marriage After Rebirth

"Dad, I’ve been around antiques up close since I was a child. You could say I was raised surrounded by them. Talking with the appraisers in our shop is completely normal for me! But not everyone has the same amazing learning opportunities! For Seraphina Sterling, receiving guidance from an appraiser at such close range is a once-in-a-lifetime chance. You should just let her have it!"

Michelle Galloway shot Seraphina Sterling a haughty look, already unable to wait to see the expression on her face after she was defeated!

Crystal Marshall was at a loss for words. She had only wanted Seraphina Sterling to step in and help Michelle Galloway save face, not to have her pick a fight with Michelle—and with Serenity Antiques itself! ’What on earth is she doing?’

Genevieve Churchill didn’t know the first thing about any of this, but she wasn’t the least bit worried. Seraphina Sterling had told her from the start that Michelle Galloway would make a fool of herself, and this so-called challenge to Serenity Antiques was something Seraphina herself had orchestrated! Far from being worried, Genevieve was actually getting a little excited. She had a feeling something big was about to happen!

Logan Grant simply kept his eyes locked on Seraphina Sterling, her audacious smile from moments ago replaying in his mind. ’Why does it feel so strangely familiar?’

As for the Marshal, he felt the situation had already slipped from his control. All he could do now was wait quietly and see what happened next. There was no longer any room for him to intervene.

Simon, however, watched with keen interest. He was eagerly awaiting Seraphina Sterling’s next move. Of all the people here, only she was able to provide him with a bit of amusement.

Seraphina Sterling walked up to the age-worn Purple Clay Teapot and said something that stunned everyone. "I believe this so-called Mengchen Holloway Purple Clay Teapot that Miss Galloway speaks of is merely a high-end imitation, not the handiwork of Master Mengchen Holloway himself!"

Now everyone, Simon included, stared at Seraphina Sterling in astonishment. ’A high-end imitation? Not genuine? A fake?’ What kind of joke was this? They had spent the better part of the afternoon here, listening to a detailed lecture on the teapot’s craftsmanship. And now she was telling them they had wasted all that time on a forgery? A collective sense of indignation washed over the crowd.

Seraphina Sterling merely swept her gaze over the crowd before fixing it on Simon. "Because this Purple Clay Teapot is, in fact, a fake—just a high-end imitation—it doesn’t possess the high value that Galloway estimated," she continued. "And that means Simon’s assertion that in Apex, the more worn-out something is, the more valuable it is, falls apart on its own."

The crowd erupted in murmurs. So that was how you could solve the problem! Lacking a solid argument to refute Simon’s conclusion directly, Seraphina had instead attacked the very foundation of the premise, completely invalidating everything. She hadn’t even left Simon an opening for debate!

Brilliant!

Truly brilliant!

At this point, no one even cared whether the Purple Clay Teapot was fake or not. They all gazed with admiration at Seraphina Sterling, who stood in the center of the hall. While praising her, they couldn’t help but marvel at her mind—to even come up with such an approach! It was truly incredible!

Of course, this wasn’t to say there were no intelligent high schoolers in Apex; it was simply that most weren’t familiar with antique appraisal. People are most inclined to admire those who excel in fields where they themselves are unskilled. Seraphina Sterling was now in that exact position—the object of everyone’s admiration.

However, not everyone felt that way. Especially not the daughter of Serenity Antiques’ owner—Michelle Galloway.

"Seraphina Sterling, are you blind? You’re saying this Purple Clay Teapot is a high-end imitation? What a joke! That’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard! Let me tell you, that is absolutely impossible! I might—just barely—believe you if you claimed any other antique in this shop was a forgery. But this Purple Clay Teapot? It is absolutely, positively not a forgery. I guarantee it!"