Dumping Him for His Uncle (Natasha and Zachary) novel Chapter 40

Nicole was on the verge of lashing out, but she knew she wasn't in a setting where she could not lose her temper.

"What do you mean by that?"

When Hayden put the necklace on, she did not notice anything strange about it. Given her experience appraising gemstones, she had never misjudged anything before.

"If you don't believe me, I can show you by removing the color from the gem's surface."

It was but a simple little chemical reaction for Natasha. The hard part was whether or not they would believe her.

"Mom, let's not ruin such a perfectly fine necklace. By the time we prove it's the real deal, it won't be the same anymore, even if we get someone to fix it!"

Matthew had a vague feeling of uneasiness about the matter based on what he knew about Natasha.

He knew she would not say something so bold before a crowd unless she were 99% certain about it.

Nicole wanted to fight back, but Matthew shot her a look to tell her to stand down.

Unable to hold herself back, Nicole threw Natasha's gift onto the ground and stomped on it a couple of times. "My gift is still way better than your ragged, used scarf."

It was supposed to be a gift from Natasha to Hayden. Nicole's actions and behavior regarding something unrelated to her were clearly out of line.

Natasha did her best to suppress her anger. She had already given the gift to Hayden, and whatever happened to the gift afterward was not her concern.

Hayden explained, "I'm actually interested in knowing whether the necklace is real or fake. Since Natasha knows how to prove it, I'd like her to show me how it works."

Repair costs were no issue for Natasha regarding the necklace; however, its authenticity was crucial. She dreaded the prospect of wearing it with pride, only to have others expose it as a fake.

Matthew's grip on Nicole's hand tightened as his expression turned grim.

Just then, Molly's voice rang out from the doorway and instantly drew everyone's attention. "What's going on? Isn't this supposed to be a birthday banquet? I would've thought that I walked into the wrong place if I didn't know any better."