Female Novel
Chapter 497
Thereafter, she turned to the crowd and declared at the top of her voice, “Bailey is trying to pass off afake as the real thing. What she's doing is unacceptable! What agenda is she harboring by doing this?Who gave her the gall? Bailey, you had better not go too far.
“Don't assume you're allowed to behave with impunity in Hallsbay just because of your achievements.The emerald seal is an important heritage of Chanaea and symbolizes the people's pride. There's noway we'll allow you to tamper with it. Bailey, you're heading to prison today. Don't think you can escapeyour fate by showing up with a lousy rock.”
Meanwhile, Bailey reached into the box in front of the cameras to retrieve the red emerald and fiddlewith it.
Thereafter, Raiden and the museum curator emerged from backstage.
Raising her brows at Raiden, Bailey spoke with an indiscernible smile. “Mr. Fletcher, I have found youthe emerald you've been looking for. However, everyone present doesn't seem to believe that it's real.I'll let you decide how you want to deal with this.”
Turning to the museum curator, Raiden asked in a deep voice, “What do you think?”
“Um...” The curator hesitated. “Mr. Fletcher, given that the experts have declared the earlier emerald asgenuine, I find it hard to believe that Ms. Jefferson's emerald is the real one.”
A frightening aura was abruptly released by Raiden as he gave the curator the side-eye, causing thelatter to stagger back in fear.
As the son of one of the nation's leaders and someone who wielded significant power, no one dared tofool around in his presence.
If it weren't for the red emerald, the curator wouldn't even be worthy of standing in his presence.
“Mr. Fletcher, why don't you tell us what we should do? I-I do not have the courage to make a decision,as the consequences are beyond my pay grade.”
Rubbing his forehead with his fingers, Raiden—wearing a wry yet apologetic grin—suggested, “Ms.Jefferson, why don't you suggest how we can resolve this impasse.”
Smirking, Bailey turned her gaze toward Lina and curled her finger at the latter. “Ms. Young, you haveaccused me of disparaging and maligning you. Since you were the one who appraised this redemerald, why don't you come up on stage so that we can resolve this matter?”
As Lina narrowed her eyes at Bailey, a sense of dread crept into her.
She looks so calm that it feels frightening. It's as if everything is under her control regardless of whathappens.
“Master Vespera, there's no need to fear her. Since she has challenged you, you should go on andteach her a thing or two.”
“Exactly! You should put the haughty Bailey in her place.”
“Don't worry. You have our full support. So what if she's really capable? She doesn't have absolute
authority in Hallsbay. What harm can she do?”
“Master Vespera, what are you spacing out for? She is walking all over you by calling you out. How canyou tolerate this?”
Clenching her fists, Lina was caught between a rock and a hard place.
If she accepted the challenge, she wasn't prepared for what Bailey was up to.
Doing otherwise would be the equivalent of admitting defeat.
After a momentary silence, the seething Lina finally decided to walk upstage.
She refused to believe that Bailey was capable of finding the red emerald in only three days.
On top of that, the emerald that she appraised might not turn out to be fake too.
“Now that I'm here, tell me how do you want to decide it?”
Bailey broke into a grin. “Let's use the most primitive method.”
Turning toward the curator, she added, “Can I trouble you to bring out two melting pots? The kind thatcan reach a thousand Celsius.”
No sooner had the words rolled off her tongue than everyone was shocked.
Has she gone mad? At a thousand Celsius, anything would melt into liquid.
Filled with astonishment, Lina asked in a trembling voice, “B-Bailey, what's wrong with you? At thattemperature, even metal will melt, let alone emerald. You really are a lunatic.”
“Are you afraid?” Bailey gave Lina the side-eye as she explained, “Legend has it that the red emerald isforged from the essence of the divine. Hence, it's not afraid of such a test. In fact, it is capable ofwithstanding heat that's ten times that.”
“Y-Y-You...”
Ignoring her, Bailey smiled confidently at Raiden. “This is the method I'm proposing. Do you agree to it?If you do, we'll be able to see the results in three minutes. If you don't, it's clear that you're just asguilty.”
“You...”
Narrowing his eyes, Raiden clarified, “Are you sure the emerald won't be melted?” novelbin
“It won't. The real emerald is made of a special material that doesn't degrade over a millennium. It's notsomething that an imitation can easily replace. Trust me.”
“Fine, we'll go along with your suggestion.”
The curator's expression drastically changed. Just as he was about to protest, a piercing glare fromRaiden caused him to hold his tongue.
Staggering back in shock, the wide-eyed Lina asked in a quivering voice, “M-Mr. Fletcher, what if theemerald is melted? You can't possibly go along with this ludicrous plan of Bailey's, can you? This is theemerald seal we're dealing with—”
“Enough. I have made my decision. Just do as Bailey says.”
With that, he ordered the curator to bring in the melting pots.
At that moment, one of the elderly experts came forward. “Mr. Fletcher, in the event the red emerald isdestroyed, are you going to bear the responsibility?”