Begging for a Second Chance (Sienna Sloan and Jarred Sterling) novel Chapter 555

It's synthetic corundum, absolutely not a natural raw stone."

As soon as he said this, the crowd let out collective gasps.

Quentin Pierce continued leisurely, "Now look at the base of this gemstone. The metal was supposedly handcrafted during the Victorian era.

A genuine metal piece would retain subtle hammer marks from manual forging, and the oxidation would be unevenly mottled—a natural patina formed over centuries.

But this base was cast as a single piece by a machine. Its texture is too uniform and rigid, lacking the irregular marks of time's weathering."

As he explained, he gestured for several certified appraisers at the exhibition to step forward and take a closer look.

The appraisers gathered around, half-skeptical, holding up their magnifying glasses and checking the details Quentin Pierce had pointed out one by one.

At first, they still held out hope.

But following his guidance and clearly seeing the internal lines of the gemstone and the artificial aging marks on the metal base.

Their faces slowly drained of color. They looked at each other, their eyes filled with disbelief.

The lead appraiser swallowed hard and bowed his head in a public apology.

"It's true. My appraisal was too superficial. I only checked the exterior shape and completely ignored the internal inclusions of the gemstone and the trace elements on the metal base.

Every flaw Mr. Pierce pointed out is completely accurate. This sapphire necklace is indeed a top-tier counterfeit."

The other appraisers nodded one after another in agreement, all corroborating his judgment.

"I've been in the industry for years, and I've never seen such hyper-realistic forgery techniques."

"If Mr. Pierce wasn't here today, we all would have made a massive mistake!"

"You truly are a master, Mr. Pierce. Please accept our deepest respect."

The last shred of hope on Helena's face completely shattered.

Celeste, who had been by her side the entire time, kept her head tightly bowed, her eyes darting constantly as she scrambled to think of her next move.

Quentin Pierce merely waved his hand humbly, his gaze resting on Helena, his eyes holding the calmness of someone who had seen through it all.

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