Chapter 218 Expose
Catherine nodded slightly. "Thank you for your help."
"No problem at all—I'm happy to help."
Gabriel, who had been waiting nearby, broke out in a cold sweat.
How had Peter been taken away so easily? Most of what Peter had done was connected to him.
If they investigated Peter's actions, he wouldn't be able to escape either.
Gabriel had visited Elijah in his prison cell just a few days earlier, and the conditions there were unbearable.
The lights were never turned off. You had to sleep under harsh fluorescent bulbs, you weren't allowed to cover your head, and even using the toilet meant being watched under surveillance.
Freedom was out of the question—they were criminals stripped even of basic dignity.
Just thinking about it sent a chill down Gabriel's spine.
If Catherine discovered what he had done, he would undoubtedly end up in prison as well.
Gabriel swallowed nervously, silently praying that Austin wouldn't uncover the deception behind those violins.
Catherine stood nearby, calmly observing as Austin and his team carried out the authentication.
Half an hour later, Austin removed his gloves.
"Ms. Windsor, we'll need to send these samples to the lab for professional equipment testing. However, from what I can see so far, none of these violins are Vincent's work, and the jade carvings on them aren't Ryder's either."
Gabriel protested, "Austin, could you take another look? How could there be anything wrong with Ryder's work?"
Austin waved him off, his expression respectful yet firm.
"Ryder is my idol! I've studied all of her jade carvings in detail. The technique on these pieces is definitely not hers."
Austin was utterly serious—someone had actually dared to question his idol's work in front of him.
Catherine looked at Austin in surprise. The owner of the authentication center was actually her fan?
Austin pulled Gabriel aside and pointed out several issues in the jade carvings on the violins—subtle details that he knew by heart.
It seemed he truly was one of her most devoted admirers.
Catherine nodded. "Since they're confirmed to be fake, there's no need to send them for further authentication. These instruments may be old, but they have no real value—most likely they were bought at antique markets and passed off as genuine."
Now that they were confirmed as fakes, there was no reason to waste any more time on authentication.
Gabriel grew visibly anxious and hurriedly pulled out a handkerchief to wipe the cold sweat from his forehead.
"Ms. Windsor, the warm jade on these instruments is genuine. Even if the instruments aren't Vincent and Ryder's work, the jade itself is still valuable. I was deceived by Peter—each piece of this warm jade is worth two hundred thousand dollars!"
Catherine reached over, gripped one of the jade pieces, and forcefully tore it off.
Without the wood backing, the jade was fully exposed under the light, revealing countless impurities with no translucence—it was low-grade warm jade.
"Two hundred thousand dollars? For that price, I could buy you a hundred thousand identical pieces. I initially thought it might be worth two thousand dollars at best, but I overestimated its quality—and underestimated your audacity."
Gabriel hadn't expected Catherine to rip the jade off so decisively.
Even a layperson could judge the jade's poor quality at a glance.
The warm jade before them had dull color and coarse texture, heavily grained—no one would want it, even at the jade market.
Catherine raised an eyebrow at Gabriel.
"As the music store manager, you colluded with people from the authentication center to scam customers—declaring genuine items fake to buy them cheaply and resell them at a profit, and labeling fake items are real to charge excessive authentication fees. Your villa in the city district was probably obtained this way, wasn't it?"
"The salary of a music store manager isn't high enough to buy you a Lamborghini, yet you own three—each one a limited edition."
"Gabriel, you and Elijah really are cut from the same cloth—you might even end up sharing a cell."
Seeing the situation turn against him, Gabriel backed away, stammering excuses.
"You're talking nonsense! I earned this money through hard work. I've worked at the music store for years—even if Samuel himself came, he couldn't make me leave. Don't push it too far!"
Catherine looked at him with open disdain.
"Would you like to tell Grandfather what you've really done?"
Meeting Catherine's cold gaze, Gabriel shuddered and braced himself against the windowsill. Realizing the situation had turned against him, he suddenly climbed over and jumped down.
Nora gasped, covering her mouth. "Ms. Windsor, should we chase him?"
Catherine shook her head. "How far do you think a pig can run after jumping from the third floor? Besides, I had someone plant something in the flower bed downstairs earlier."
Outside the music store was a street-side flower bed planted with seasonal flowers for decoration, replaced every quarter.
Gabriel's agonized screams rose from below.
Nora rushed over to look—Gabriel's bulky body had been caught in the cacti in the flower bed.
Catherine said calmly, "Call the police and have him taken away."
"Yes! I'll contact the police right away!"
Those were giant spiked cacti specially transported from the desert by Galactic Aurora Collective last quarter for experiments. Gabriel had jumped without looking and was now painfully entangled among the sharp spines.
"From now on, you'll be the general manager. I don't want to see these mistakes repeated."
Nora's face lit up with excitement. "Thank you for the promotion!"
Catherine systematically dealt with the fake goods and reorganized the music store's work.
Austin, who had been waiting nearby, watched Catherine handle the staff with swift efficiency, his eyes filled with admiration and respect.
It seemed Catherine wasn't just Vincent's student—in business, like the Windsor family members, she was a genius as well.
"Austin, please authenticate all the instruments in the music store. We'll pay according to industry standards."
"No problem, looking forward to working with you more in the future."
With her status as Vincent's student and owner of Imperia City's largest music store, there would undoubtedly be many opportunities for collaboration between Austin's authentication center and her store.
Austin quickly got busy with his team of workers.
After handling the violin matter, Catherine turned around, and found Alexander leaning against the door, smiling warmly as he watched her.
He had watched Catherine work from beginning to end. This was her territory, and he simply observed as she gave orders, and managed the staff.
"Well done. You're so capable, Catherine, it puts pressure on me too."
"As a reward, would you like to stay and listen to me play a piece?"
Play a piece? As a reward for her?
"You play?"
"I've watched others play in my spare time and picked up a few things."
Alexander picked up a classical guitar from a nearby stand, took Catherine's hand, and walked into the office, pulling the door shut behind them.
Alexander sat down with the guitar and gently plucked the strings with his slender fingers. The notes resonated in the air, clear and melodious.
Catherine's eyelashes flickered. "Your wrist is injured—it's not suitable for playing."
Alexander chuckled softly, "It's fine, I can use my left hand."
"In school, I saw people use guitars to confess their feelings. I want to play a piece for my fiancée too—to let her hear how much she means to me."