A Warm Marriage After Rebirth

Michelle Galloway was arrogant and conceited, and her skills were nothing to write home about, but she was still extremely invested in her family’s business! She understood better than anyone the significance of this exchange event to the Galloway Family! This made her resent Seraphina Sterling all the more. If Seraphina hadn’t shown up, no one would have known that the appraisers at Serenity Antiques had mistaken a high-quality reproduction for a genuine artifact!

She glanced at the reporters. ’If this gets broadcast, how can our shop stay in business!’ she thought frantically. ’This meticulously planned event not only failed to boost Serenity Antiques’ fame, but it’s dealt us a heavy blow instead! It’s turned everything into a complete joke!’

Although Michelle Galloway was panicked, she couldn’t think of any way out of their current predicament. Miles Galloway, however, had been navigating the treacherous waters of the business world for many years. While the situation was tricky, it wasn’t something he couldn’t handle!

"Sterling, you have a remarkable eye. It seems I’ve underestimated the abilities of you high school students! I actually made a bet with Principal Marshall that even if I brought a counterfeit to this exchange, absolutely no one would be able to spot it! Even Michelle was fooled by this Purple Clay Teapot. I was certain I had the win in the bag, but I never expected your perception to be so sharp, Sterling. You’re practically on par with a professional Antique Appraiser!"

So Mr. Galloway knew the Purple Clay Teapot was fake all along! He was just testing their abilities!

The crowd, still reeling from Seraphina Sterling’s brilliant display, suddenly understood! They had finally found a plausible explanation for her incredible talent! Otherwise, they would have found it truly hard to believe that the owner of an antique shop could be bested by a high school student! That would have been far too astonishing!

Seeing that most of the crowd believed his story, Miles Galloway finally felt the tension in his chest subside. ’As long as I can protect the reputation of Serenity Antiques, I can earn back any amount of money I lose today! But the key is that this Seraphina Sterling keeps her mouth shut!’

"I believe that with time, Sterling, you will surely become an outstanding Antique Appraiser! If you ever want to pursue a career in this field, feel free to contact me. I’m fairly well-known in Sanford’s Antiques Circle, and pretty much every antique shop owner in Sanford is willing to do me a favor! I can certainly set you up with a good job!"

’What a cunning old fox, to come up with a tactic like that!’ Seraphina thought. ’While acknowledging my ability, he also salvaged the reputation of Serenity Antiques. And by dropping the name of Quentin Marshall, the principal of Sanford First High School, he subtly added credibility to his story!’

’His last few sentences sounded like he was looking out for me, but they were really just a display of his supposed magnanimity and, at the same time, a veiled threat! He’s making it clear that Sanford’s Antiques Circle is his territory, that he has immense influence here. If I dare to say the wrong thing, I can forget about ever making it in Sanford!’

’Conversely, if I don’t keep pressing the issue, he’s guaranteeing me a future job!’

’An old fox is an old fox. His words take more twists and turns than a mountain road! He must really think I’m brilliant, speaking so cryptically. Was he not afraid I wouldn’t understand?’ Seraphina Sterling simply ignored Miles Galloway.

"Simon, perhaps your view of Apex has changed a little now? In Apex, it’s not always the case that the older and more worn-out an item is, the more valuable it becomes! This Purple Clay Teapot would go for forty to fifty thousand at most on the open market."

Seraphina Sterling glanced at Simon, seated across from her, and explained softly. There was none of Michelle Galloway’s overbearing arrogance in her voice—just a simple statement of fact. Her calm demeanor made the truth much easier to accept.

Simon met her calm, tranquil gaze. ’She managed to defuse the crises I created, time and time again,’ he thought. ’Interesting. This is very interesting indeed!’ He was already starting to look forward to what other stunning feats she would perform next.