Chapter 432: The Decline of The Matthews


    Leo had paid a hefty sum for the painting "Gray Tree," and after countless inspections, he was


    confident it was the real deal—an authentic Piet Mondrian.


    N?velDrama.Org holds this content.


    Fuming yet certain, he turned to Gary Smart.


    "Gary, you saw this Mondrian''s ''Gray Tree''st time you dropped by," Leo mentioned pointedly. "You


    dered it genuine, willing to shell out fifty million to make it yours. Though, just to be safe, you


    insisted on a master''s appraisal first."


    With a nod toward Xavier, Leo asked, "This gentleman here, he''s the expert you brought along,


    right?"


    At Leo''s words, Gary beamed triumphantly. After all, the lovely Be was watching, and he had to


    show off his chops. Secretly, he longed to marry Be, the granddaughter of the Matthews n and


    one of New York''s top beauties.


    But the Matthews wouldn''t agree to marry off Be to him, so he set his sights on Jessica, Be''s


    cousin. That didn''t mean he would turn down a fling with Be if the chance arose. His ultimate


    dream? To win over both Jessica and Be—why choose if you don''t have to?


    "Do you know who this is, Leo?" Gary boasted. "This is Xavier, the chairman of the American


    Antiques Association and the premier appraiser in the USA!"


    Gary''s chest swelled with pride as he introduced Xavier.


    "Xavier? You''ve actually managed to bring Xavier here? That’s incredible! Xavier gracing Fortune


    Antiques with his presence is a true honor. I''ve heard getting him is tougher than calling on heaven


    itself!"


    Leo''s words gave Gary just the opening he needed to strut his stuff.


    "That''s right," Gary quickly replied. "Xavier is no easy man to summon. Justst year, the Matthews


    family head wanted his consultation, and Xavier turned them down t. Mind you, the Matthews


    rank third among New York''s eight prominent families—even if they fall short of the Evans—still a


    dynasty of repute."


    At this, Be''s face darkened, and she asked coldly, "What are you implying, Gary?"


    "I''m just stating facts,” Gary shrugged. "The Matthews, despite their rank, have been losing


    influence. Otherwise, why would they fail to engage Xavier? They’re only holding onto third ce


    because the other elite families respect the old man Matthews'' dignity. Sadly, the descendants of


    the Matthews are...cking."


    Be stamped her foot, frustrated and without aeback.


    The Matthews were indeed on the decline, their next generation not quite living up to the legacy.


    Be, despite being a woman, was the most capable of her generation. And as for her father''s


    generation, their infighting had thrown the family into chaos.


    Daniel watched the drama unfold with hands in his pockets, amused. He was genuinely curious


    whether Xavier,uded as the top appraiser in the USA, truly had the goods or was all talk. The


    "Gray Tree" on the table was a forgery—a very convincing one, capable of deceiving even a


    seasoned expert. After all, even those with real talent could sometimes be fooled.