The Understated Dragon Lord novel Chapter 281

Mason was sure that his artificially aged vase would not be detected, believing the country boy would never find proof to the contrary.

"Fine!" Daniel agreed to Mason's challenge, then turned to Brittany and said, "Bring me a sharp knife, something really sharp."

Brittany was stunned and looked at Daniel incredulously, hands on her hips. "Country boy, are you ordering me around?"

"You're the one who wanted me to prove that this vase is a fake! So obviously, you need to assist me. If you don’t want me to expose this thing, then forget it. It’s not my vase anyway, and whether it’s real or fake doesn’t concern me one bit."

Daniel appeared utterly indifferent, which was only fair. It was Brittany who wanted to embarrass Emily, not him. She was the one in a hurry, not him.

Brittany, fuming with anger, glared at Daniel and barked, "You just wait!"

She soon returned with a sharp knife and brandished it in front of Daniel with a menacing threat: "If you screw this up, I will cut you!" Her eyes briefly darted to Daniel's crotch as she said "cut," scaring him into a shiver.

Brittany's target was unsettling, to say the least. Daniel dared not provoke her further; if she carried out her threat, his life would be ruined.

"Mason, are you sure you want me to examine this vase? If it turns out to be a fake, especially a worthless fake, it’s going to expose your lies."

Mason was taken aback by Daniel's words, reacting as if his tail had been stepped on. "What lies? I haven’t lied about anything! My vase is a genuine antique from five hundred years ago, worth a million. I have the appraisal certificate as proof. Are you saying that’s also fake? No matter how you check it, my vase is real, not a fake.

But let me remind you, this vase is a valuable antique, a million-dollar item. If you damage it with that knife, you won't be able to afford it!"

Suddenly, Mason had an idea. "Country boy, since you likely can't come up with a million dollars—even selling you would not fetch that price—I’ll make it easy for you, since you're Brittany's boyfriend. If you damage my vase, you can just hand over that wreck of a pickup truck to me. I can use it to haul bricks."

Emily immediately raised her hands in agreement. "Yes! If you damage our vase, your old truck will be compensation. We can use it to haul bricks!" While she didn't think the pickup was worth much, she estimated it at thirty to fifty thousand dollars. She wasn't about to turn down basically free money.

"So what happens if the vase is proven to be a fake? Are you going to give me that BMW X1? Brittany doesn't have a car, so you can give it to her."

Daniel had no interest in the BMW X1, so he figured he might as well offer it to Brittany instead.

"Deal! I accept!" Mason was confident that the country boy couldn't prove the vase was a fake. In his mind, this bet was a sure win.