Chapter 283 Fake Fossil

Chapter 283 Fake Fossil

"The rules for tonight's auction are quite simple. Participants will offer their own items for live bidding. We're running both online and in-person formats. Online, collectors from around the world will submit their bids remotely, while those of you here tonight can raise your paddles. Whichever bid is highest wins the item."

The auctioneer's tone was warm and welcoming as he continued, "This is a charity auction, so the auction house takes no commission. All proceeds will be donated directly to various charitable causes."

"Thank you all again for being here tonight. Let the auction begin."

Instantly, everyone's attention turned toward the front. Auctions like this always featured top-tier items, so the crowd buzzed with anticipation.

Right from the start, bidding erupted both online and in the room. Prices multiplied rapidly, and the atmosphere grew electric.

Several items had already sold for staggering amounts, sending waves of excitement through the crowd. The auctioneer stepped forward again. "We've completed our first round of bidding. Next up is an exceptionally rare item, courtesy of Lady Wendy herself."

Hearing her name, Wendy rose gracefully to her feet. The auctioneer gestured toward her with a flourish. "What we have here is an animal fossil dating back over a thousand years."

The room erupted.

"An animal fossil? I've never seen one of those come up for auction at an event like this. That's incredible!"

"Animal fossils are almost never auctioned. They're nearly impossible to preserve properly, and most of the ones that survive end up in museums."

"You know, there's actually huge demand for fossils like this—collectors just rarely get the chance to buy one."

"My God, this is a blockbuster item. I did not see this coming!"

Hearing the gasps and exclamations around her, Wendy lifted her chin proudly. The auctioneer went on, "Furthermore, our experts have verified that this fossil belongs to an extinct species."

The entire room shot to its feet. People craned their necks toward the stage, voices rising in astonishment. "Oh my God, that looks like a four-winged avian! Those birds had four wings, but because of their large size and poor survival rate, they went extinct ages ago. To think there's a fossil of one—that's unbelievable!"

"No wonder Lady Wendy was so confident at the entrance. She really does have something extraordinary. There's probably only one of these in the entire world!"

The noblewomen seated near Wendy turned to her, eyes wide with admiration. "Lady Wendy, I had no idea your family possessed something like this. How impressive."

"I didn't know the Mason family had anything like this. Truly remarkable!"

Every eye in the room fixed on Wendy and the fossil.

Wendy tilted her head back, a cold, triumphant glance sliding toward Ivy, who sat in the front row. Her gaze dripped with disdain.

Ha. So what if she's wearing a nice dress? In the end, she can't compete with me. All eyes are on me now—I'm the star of this auction!

Her gaze drifted toward Philip. Just moments ago, he had glanced her way. That single look made her heart race.

Her palms grew damp with excitement. Mr. Philip Green actually looked at me.

That means I've caught his attention. If I make the right moves now, I might finally make a real connection with him!

The praise continued to pour in from all sides. Wendy straightened her back, eyes gleaming with pride.

Her family's heirloom was a four-winged avian fossil.

The fossil had been passed down from her grandfather's generation. Back then, the Mason family had been involved in mineral research, so they'd always had a keen interest in stones and fossils.

The Mason family still owned a collection of minerals and fossils handed down through the generations, but none were as precious as this four-winged avian specimen.

By bringing it out tonight, she'd gone all in.

There's no way this stunning piece loses to some girl named Ivy in a fancy dress.

"Oh my God, I want it! I want it! Start the bidding already!"

The room buzzed with energy as voices overlapped in excitement.

The auctioneer began calling out bids, and hands shot up immediately.

"Ten million!"

"Thirty million!"

"Fifty million! Fifty million!"

Bids flew back and forth until the fossil hit seventy million—the highest price of the night so far. Clearly, this fossil had captured the hearts of serious collectors.

Ivy's eyes locked onto the fossil. A cold smile tugged at her lips.

"Ha. A fake, and they're bidding it up to these ridiculous prices. I guess the auction house's appraisers are blind."

Philip blinked, slightly taken aback. "You're saying the fossil is fake?"

Ivy didn't hesitate. "If it were a real four-winged avian fossil, the sediment layers beneath it would be much thicker, and the color would be significantly darker. But look at this one—the color is too light. There's no sign of long-term sediment buildup. That means this fossil is a few hundred years old at most. Four-winged avians went extinct long before that."

Philip's eyes widened in understanding. "So this is a fake—probably pieced together and passed off as the real thing?"

Ivy's smile turned icy. "Exactly. They probably picked it up at some second-rate auction house. Those places don't exactly hire top-tier appraisers."

"Sure, the fossil itself might be a few hundred years old. Credit where credit's due. But seventy million? Whoever buys this is getting fleeced."

Philip frowned. "If you know it's fake, why not call it out right now?"

Ivy shook her head. "I'm not looking for trouble. The last thing I need is to get dragged into some public argument. Besides, the person bidding on this is a fossil collector. Once they take it home and run their own tests, they'll figure out it's fake soon enough."

Philip caught the implication immediately. If a buyer purchased a counterfeit at auction, they could demand compensation from the auction house—and the auction house would then go after the seller.

In a charity auction like this, the proceeds were transferred directly to charitable funds. If Wendy were held liable, she'd be facing double penalties.

Philip couldn't help but feel a flicker of admiration. Ivy's mind works faster than mine.