The Million-Dollar Heart Novel Episode
Chapter 203

With a nonchalant expression on his face, Percival pushed a cup of freshly brewed tea towards Eric.

"Tea sets are meant for making tea, aren't they?"

"But this is an antique! An antique!" Eric glared at Percival in resentment, but he couldn't resist picking up the cup of tea and taking a sip.

The delicate and distinctive fragrance of the tea almost made him sigh in contentment.

He had been longing for this tea, which was produced by the eighteen tea plants in the Royal Tea Garden.

However, its annual yield was only about 50 grams, and even before the leaves were picked, they were already ordered by the big shots. He didn't even have the chance to get a whiff of its aroma. Unexpectedly, it was Percival, the man he currently despised the most, who had made this dream come true.

As he savored the tea, he carefully admired the intricately carved cup in his hand.

The small cup was adorned with stories related to tea. It told stories of its cultivation, picking, processing, selling, brewing, and serving. All expertly carved by Yacob.

It was a one-of-a-kind masterpiece, making whatever set he had look like junk in comparison.

Such a precious item should be stored in a safe and admired, shouldn't it?

But this infuriating man had just casually brought it out for use.

Vivienne couldn't help but laugh at the sight of Eric's jealous face. He looked like he wanted to bite Percival to death.

"Vivienne." As soon as Vivienne came down, Dorian and Cordelia hurriedly called her over.

"Do they have a grudge against Percival?" Cordelia asked in a low voice.

From their perspective, it seemed like the men were just making tea, but it felt like they were on the verge of a fight.

Vivienne smiled and patted Cordelia's back to reassure her.

"Vivienne, come and sit here." Jerry and the others immediately made room for her as soon as they saw her.

Before Vivienne could react, Percival stood up, took her hand, and led her to sit next to him. He raised his eyebrows at the eight disgruntled faces across from them.

He then brewed another cup of tea for Vivienne and handed it to her. He glanced disdainfully at Eric's useless tea set and said scornfully, "Next time, keep this trash to yourself."

It was just round one, but Eric was utterly defeated.

Jerry and the other men exchanged glances and pulled out a long box that had been by their side. They took out a scroll from the box and handed it to Dorian.

With Brian's help, Jerry unrolled the scroll, revealing a stunning landscape painting.

"Dorian, Cordelia, we weren't sure what to bring as a gift for our visit, so we prepared a painting by Gustaf, the most famous painter our country has ever had, titled 'Thousand Hills in Late Snow."

Dorian and Cordelia gasped in surprise as they looked at the painting. They had seen this famous painting in the news before. It was said to have been auctioned for a staggering 3 billion dollars. It was bought by a mysterious buyer, who turned out to be Jerry.

Just now, the extravagant tea and tea sets had already made Dorian and Cordelia feel like they were on pins and needles. Now, Jerry was presenting them with this priceless painting as a gift. They were so stunned that they forgot to refuse the gift.

Were all the disciples of the Emerald Monastery this rich? They couldn't help but wonder.

"Huh." Percival glanced at the painting and sneered at Jerry. "Jerry, I heard that you were a connoisseur of great paintings. How come you didn't realize that this painting is a fake?"

"Mr. Ellington, if you don't understand art, don't talk nonsense." Jerry's face turned cold. "This painting by Gustaf has been appraised by several domestic experts."

"They are just self-proclaimed experts." Percival said dismissively. "There are plenty of cases where ignorant experts have ruined precious antiques."

"Isn't it you who is pretending to know anything about art?" Jerry retorted coldly. "You say this painting is a fake, but do you have any proof?"

"The silk used in this painting." Percival pointed at the painting. "This type of silk only started being produced 40 years ago. How could Gustaf make this when he died nearly 80 years ago?" Jerry's face turned pale as he looked at the painting in disbelief.

"You can have it tested." Percival suggested.

"How do you know this so clearly?" Jerry asked, still in disbelief.

Percival signaled to Thomas, who handed him a long box that he had been holding under his arm. He took out a scroll from the box and, with Thomas's help, unrolled it.

A painting identical to 'Thousand Hills in Late Snow' was displayed in front of everyone.

"Because the real painting has always been in my possession." Percival's lips curled up in a smug smile.

Jerry was shocked. He stepped forward to examine Percival's painting carefully. The more he looked at it, the more his heart trembled.

By just looking at the painting, he could recognize Gustaf's distinctive brushstrokes. He couldn't believe that he had spent 3 billion dollars on a replica!

"Don't be disheartened, Jerry." Percival said, feigning sympathy. "Although your painting is a replica, it's still a rare masterpiece and quite valuable."

In round two, the disciples suffered another defeat.

Jerry was so stunned that he couldn't speak. He could only watch as Percival rolled up the authentic 'Thousand Hills in Late Snow' and presented it to Dorian and Cordelia. "Father-in-law, mother-in-law, this painting is my gift to you."

Dorian and Cordelia didn't dare accept it. They didn't know what to do.

"You can consider it as a gift for Vivienne. Just accept it on her behalf." Percival took Vivienne's hand and held it in his. "We're getting our marriage license soon."

Vivienne was taken aback.

What was he talking about?

She only agreed to not call off their engagement, but how did it turn into getting a marriage license?

Vivienne's silence, in Dorian's eyes, was her tacit agreement to the idea of getting a marriage license. In an instant, he found himself even more irritated with Percival. "Accept the gift for Vivienne; we'll consider it part of her wedding gift." He said to Cordelia.

At this, Jerry and his fellows all suddenly wore grim expressions.

Dawson, who had been hobbling down the stairs from the second floor, overheard this and exclaimed, "What wedding gift?! No way! I don't agree!"

Dorian and Cordelia furrowed their brows at him. What business was it of Dawson's what they planned for their daughter's wedding gift?

Under the confused gaze of the couple, Dawson fell silent. Only after a while did he finally stutter out, "I mean, the interior of this villa is quite nice; I don't agree with changing it."

"Mr. Dawson, did you doze off?" Dorian stood up to offer Dawson a seat. "I called you down for tea, but you didn't respond."

Dawson, not daring to take Dorian's seat, sat down in the vacant spot next to Eric. He couldn't help but gasp as he glanced resentfully at Vivienne, who was sipping her tea across the table. His dear Vivienne had been ruthless earlier; he ached everywhere, yet there wasn't a scratch to be seen on him.

Vivienne, with her porcelain fingers delicately cradling a cup of tea that Percival had brewed, was serenely tasting it, completely ignoring Dawson's bitter gaze.

Left with no choice, Dawson turned his attention to Jerry, whispering, "What's happening? I thought we were trying to get rid of the jerk? How did we get to dowries?" Jerry gave him a look that spoke volumes, but he chose to remain silent.

How could he tell Dawson that he and Eric had attempted to outclass Percival but had ended up utterly defeated?

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