Jared Farrell calmly pushed a cup of freshly brewed tea towards Damian.


    “Teaware is naturally meant for brewing tea.”


    “This is an antique!” Damian red at Jared Farrell but couldn’t resist taking a sip. The unique, subtle fragrance of the tea made him almost sigh in contentment.


    He had coveted this tea from the Imperial Tea Garden for a long time. Each year, only a few ounces were produced, and they were always pre-ordered by the elites before even being harvested. He never even had a chance to smell it.


    Unexpectedly, it was now his most hated rival who fulfilled his wish.


    As he savored the tea, he carefully yed with the intricately carved white porcin teacup in his hand. The cup, crafted by Shawn Westwood, depicted stories rted to tea-nting, harvesting, processing, selling, brewing, and tasting.


    Such exquisite craftsmanship made his own white jade teaware look like trash.


    Shouldn’t such a precious item be kept in a secure cab?


    Yet this man was using it so casually!


    Tina nced at Damian’s face, filled with jealousy and anger towards Jared Farrell, and couldn’t help butugh.


    “Tina,” Hugo and Jennie called her over as soon as they saw here down. Jennie whispered, “Do your brothers have a grudge against Jared?”


    Watching from the side, it seemed like they were just making tea, but it felt like they might start fighting any second.


    Tina smiled and patted Jennie’s back reassuringly.


    “Serena,e sit here,” Dexter Brookes and the others immediately made space for her when they saw her.


    Before Tina could move, Jared Farrell stood up first, took her hand, and led her to sit beside him. He raised an eyebrow at the eight people opposite who looked displeased.


    He brewed another cup of tea for Tina and handed it to her. Then he nced disdainfully at Damian’s white jade teaware and said, “Don’t bring out such things next time.”


    First round: Damianpletely defeated!


    Dexter Brookes exchanged nces with his brothers and took out a long brocade box that had been by his side. He handed it to Hugo.N?velDrama.Org is the owner.


    With Liam’s help, he unrolled a painting inside-andscape painted in varying shades of ink.


    “Mr. Reed, Mrs. Reed, we didn’t know what gift to bring for our visit, so we prepared Wesley ckwood’s ‘A Thousand Mountains in Snow.''”


    Hugo and Jennie gasped at the sight of the painting. They had seen it in the news before; it was said to have been auctioned for three billion dors and bought by a mysterious collector. They never expected that collector to be Dexter Brookes.


    The antique teaware and Imperial Tea Garden tea had already made Hugo and Jennie uneasy. Now Dexter Brookes was presenting them with such a priceless painting.


    The couple was so shocked they forgot to refuse.


    Are all disciples of Serenity Ridge this wealthy?


    Jared Farrell nced at the painting and sneered at Dexter Brookes. “I’ve heard Mr. Brookes is an expert in ancient paintings. How could you not recognize this as a fake?”


    “Mr. Farrell, if you don’t understand art, don’t speak nonsense,” Dexter Brookes said coldly. “This ‘A Thousand Mountains in Snow’ by Wesley ckwood has been authenticated by several experts.”


    “Just chatans,” Jared Farrell said nonchntly. “Experts pretending to know what they don’t often ruin precious artifacts.”


    “Mr. Farrell, you’re the one pretending to know,” Dexter Brookes retorted angrily. “If you im this painting is a fake, where’s your proof?”


    “The fabric used for this painting,” Jared Farrell pointed out. “This type of fabric only appeared recently. How could Wesley ckwood have used it?”


    Dexter Brookes’ face changed as he looked at the painting in disbelief.


    “You can have it tested,” Jared Farrell suggested.


    “How do you know this?” Dexter Brookes still couldn’t believe it.


    Jared Farrell signaled to Nathan Lehman, who handed him another long brocade box. Jared Farrell unrolled an identical ‘A Thousand Mountains in Snow.’


    “Because-the original has always been with me,” Jared Farrell said with a smug smile.


    Dexter Brookes was stunned. He stepped forward to examine Jared Farrell’s painting closely. He could see Wesley ckwood’s distinctive brushwork habits that confirmed its authenticity. He had spent three billion dors on a forgery!


    “Don’t be disheartened, Mr. Brookes,” Jared Farrell pretended to console him. “Though it’s a fake, it’s still a fine piece worth quite a bit.”


    Second round: anotherplete defeat!


    Dexter Brookes was speechless as he watched Jared Farrell roll up the genuine ‘A Thousand Mountains in Snow’ and present it to Hugo and Jennie.


    “Mr. Reed, Mrs. Reed, this is my gift to you.”


    Hugo and Jennie didn’t dare ept it. They had only asked for eighty-eight thousand dors as Tina’s dowry, and now Jared Farrell was giving them a painting worth three billion dors.


    “You can consider it a gift for Tina,” Jared Farrell said, holding Tina’s hand in his. “We will be getting married soon.”


    Tina was taken aback.


    She had only decided not to break off the engagement for now; how did it turn into getting married?


    Tina’s silence seemed like tacit approval to Hugo, who suddenly found Jared Farrell annoying again.


    He told Jennie, “Let’s ept it for Tina and include it in her dowry.”


    Dexter Brookes and his brothers looked grim.


    James Heart, limping down from the second floor, overheard this and eximed loudly, “What dowry?! No way! I don’t agree!”


    Hugo and Jennie frowned at him. What did their daughter’s dowry have to do with James Heart?


    Caught off guard by their puzzled looks, James Heart stammered, “I mean the vi’s decor is nice; I don’t agree with changing it.”


    “Mr. Heart, were you asleep just now?” Hugo stood up to offer James Heart his seat. “I called you down for tea, but you didn’t respond.”


    “No need, no need; you sit,” James Heart hurriedly declined. He sat next to Damian and couldn’t help but wince in pain as he looked at Tina drinking tea across from him.


    Serena had shown no mercy earlier; he was in pain all over despite having no visible injuries.


    Tina sipped the West Lake Longjing tea brewed by Jared Farrell, ignoring James Heart’s pitiful gaze.


    James Heart reluctantly looked away and whispered to Dexter Brookes, “What’s going on? Weren’t we supposed to get rid of that man? How did it turn into talking about dowries?”


    Dexter Brookes gave him aplicated look but said nothing.


    He couldn’t possibly tell James Heart that he and Damian had tried to outdo Jared Farrell in wealth and taste but ended up utterly defeated.