The Triplets My Ex Never Knew About

Chapter 111: Chapter 111: A Forgery? Noelle Lockwood, Yours Is the Forgery.

Soon, the butler returned with Noelle Lockwood’s gift.

Just like Estelle Lockwood’s, Noelle Lockwood’s gift was also packaged in a long, rectangular box. It was obvious at a glance that the gift was a scroll.

The butler opened the gift, and everyone was stunned—

It was also a "Purple Sun Mountain Residence Painting"!

It was identical to the previous one. Whether it was the size, color, or material, the two Purple Sun Mountain Residence Paintings were exactly the same.

But as everyone knew, only one such antique existed in the entire world. Therefore, one of these two had to be a forgery!

Estelle Lockwood narrowed her eyes.

Noelle Lockwood’s eyes lit up. She clearly hadn’t expected such a delightful turn of events. She’d previously assumed Estelle Lockwood had stolen her gift, but now, it was obvious Estelle had presented a forgery.

’This is a golden opportunity!’

Noelle Lockwood was eager to act, but she put on a surprised expression. "This... two Purple Sun Mountain Residence Paintings?"

She hesitated for a moment before giving a gentle reminder, "Yara, where did you buy this Purple Sun Mountain Residence Painting? If you need me to, I can help you call the police."

Everyone froze for a second, not quite understanding.

Estelle Lockwood, however, understood. Her gaze shifted, and she glanced at Noelle Lockwood. ƒreewebɳovel.com

Noelle Lockwood was implying that her painting was a forgery.

’But this painting was collected by Old Mr. Kendrick years ago. The Kendrick Family would never buy a fake... So, whose is the real forgery?’

Seeing Estelle Lockwood remain silent, Noelle Lockwood bit her lip and said with feigned concern, "Yara, I know forgeries are made so convincingly these days that a layperson can’t tell the difference. It’s not your fault. Just tell me who the seller was. No matter what, I have to help you recover your losses."

Only then did the crowd understand!

Oh, so Yara’s painting was the fake!

No wonder. They had been wondering how there could be two Purple Sun Mountain Residence Paintings in the world.

Besides, someone had just mentioned that Noelle Lockwood bought hers from Jade Pavilion. How could Jade Pavilion possibly sell a forgery? The owner of Jade Pavilion was the young master of the Capital City’s Kendrick Family!

Seeing Noelle Lockwood being so kind-hearted, the crowd started chiming in.

"It seems Miss Yara bought a fake. We can’t let something like this slide! Forging and selling antiques is illegal!"

"That’s right, Miss Yara! Where did you buy this painting, and from whom?"

"Tell us, and we’ll definitely get justice for you!"

Noelle Lockwood’s lips curved slightly as she said insinuatingly, "Yara, it’s alright. You don’t understand these things, so don’t take it to heart if you were tricked."

Laura Jennings was a different story. Having finally found an opportunity, she sneered loudly, "So it was a forgery!"

"Iris, what’s with you? The junior you thought so highly of actually gave you a forgery at your own birthday banquet!"

"Tsk, tsk. They say a layperson can’t tell the difference, but how is it that our Noelle managed to buy the authentic one, while the one Yara gave is a fake? It must be because Yara just wasn’t thoughtful enough!"

"If you ask me, when buying antique paintings like this, you should go to a reputable place. It might be a bit more expensive, but at least you can be sure it’s real. Yara, you didn’t try to save a little money, did you?"

Iris Sloan’s face turned pale. She looked at Estelle Lockwood, a flicker of worry in her eyes.

She didn’t suspect that Estelle Lockwood would deliberately buy a forgery; she thought Estelle had been scammed. But as long as the painting was a fake, Laura Jennings and Noelle Lockwood would have an opportunity to attack her!

After Laura Jennings finished speaking, she shot a meaningful look into the crowd.

A few people immediately picked up the thread.

"That’s right. Although it’s not Miss Yara’s fault for buying a fake, it does show she wasn’t thoughtful enough toward Miss Sloan."

"If she really cared, shouldn’t she have had it appraised by an expert after buying it? Shouldn’t she have purchased it through a proper channel?"

"If Miss Noelle hadn’t also happened to gift a ’Purple Sun Mountain Residence Painting’ today, Yara’s forgery would never have been exposed. Everyone would have thought she spent a fortune on this painting for Miss Sloan, and the Sloan Family would have been indebted to her. Wouldn’t the Sloan Family have ended up being the suckers!"

"Hey, now that you mention it, I’m starting to wonder if Yara even knew it was a fake. Maybe she bought a forgery for cheap, betting that Miss Sloan doesn’t know anything about antique paintings and wouldn’t be able to expose her."

"Tsk, tsk, tsk. Some people are just insatiably greedy. Thank goodness for Miss Noelle today..."

The murmurs grew increasingly nasty. Only then did Noelle Lockwood curve her lips into a smile and shake her head, feigning urgency.

"No, don’t say that. I believe Yara would never do something like that. She just doesn’t know the market and got scammed!"

After speaking, Noelle Lockwood turned and said quickly, "Yara, don’t take what they’re saying to heart. Anyway, Aunt Iris and I definitely believe you."

Hearing this, Iris Sloan felt that something was off.

Estelle Lockwood just smiled.

’Noelle Lockwood is a real expert at twisting the truth. With just a few simple words, she’s managed to pin the label of "gifting a forgery" on me.’

’But, is what I gave her really a forgery?’

Noelle Lockwood feigned magnanimity. "Alright, alright, let’s not talk about this anymore. Let’s have this forgery taken away first."

Even while pretending to be generous, Noelle Lockwood still made sure to heavily emphasize the word "forgery."

The butler looked at Iris Sloan and finally nodded. A forgery really shouldn’t be displayed here.

Just as the butler was about to step forward, Estelle Lockwood suddenly smiled. "Wait."

In an instant, everyone’s gaze shot toward Estelle Lockwood.

Noelle Lockwood said in a gentle, helpless tone, "Yara, is there something else?"

Estelle Lockwood didn’t back down an inch. "Are you sure this one is the forgery?"

Noelle Lockwood seemed to freeze for a moment. Then her eyes reddened slightly, as if her kind intentions had been completely misunderstood. She shook her head helplessly. "Yara, I know this is hard for you to accept, but there can’t be two Purple Sun Mountain Residence Paintings in the world, so..."

"Since there can’t be two Purple Sun Mountain Residence Paintings in the world, why must the forgery be mine, and not..."

Estelle Lockwood slowly raised her eyes, her gaze profound. "...yours?"

...

...

The surroundings fell silent. Everyone was dumbfounded.

What was Estelle Lockwood saying? Was she claiming that Noelle Lockwood’s painting was the fake?!

Laura Jennings burst out laughing, then shrieked, "Just as I thought, a country bumpkin who’s never seen the world! To actually think Noelle’s is the fake! Yara, I suggest you stop this desperate struggle. Just obediently admit your mistake, say you were scammed, and we might still forgive you!" ƒгeewёbnovel.com

"But instead, you refuse to admit it and even try to drag Noelle down with you!"

Noelle Lockwood’s eyes were red as she shook her head. "Yara... I bought this painting from Jade Pavilion. Do you even know what Jade Pavilion is?"

Estelle Lockwood found the words "Jade Pavilion" a bit familiar. She thought about it for a moment and suddenly remembered.

’Isn’t that one of the antique shops under my eldest brother’s name?’