Chapter 3

When Chase's appraiser arrived, he immediately picked through the scattered gems on the floor.

Unlike the tense, expectant looks on the other students' faces, Chase wore a triumphant grin.

Leo bit his lip and whispered to me:

"Sean, this started because of me. If someone has to kneel, let me do it for you!"

Looking at my worried roommate, I patted his shoulder reassuringly:

"Don't worry. Just wait and watch Chase crawl on his knees."

As the final piece was inspected, Chase loudly demanded:

"Appraiser, announce the results! I can't wait to see Sean on his knees!"

Urged on by Chase, the appraiser declared loudly:

"After my thorough inspection, none of these are real jewels. They're just cheap costume jewelry from flea markets!"

The moment those words dropped, a chorus of boos and cheers erupted from the crowd.

"Kneel! Kneel! Kneel!"

Amid the chanting, Chase strutted over, spread his legs, and looked down at me smugly:

"The verdict is in, Sean. What are you waiting for? Crawl through my legs!"

Chloe stomped her heel right onto a large sapphire closest to her, shattering it into pieces.

"Fakes like this? I could crush thousands of them and still pay without blinking!"

Seeing them pressuring me, Leo stepped forward to drop to his knees for me.

Before his knees could hit the ground, I grabbed his arm and yanked him back:

"Who said the bet was over? Since when does a two-bit hack qualify to appraise my collection?!"

"Sean, you're just a sore loser!" Chase barked, signaling his goons to force me down.

Just then, a man in a bespoke tailored suit appeared at the classroom door:

"Young Master Vance, I am Eric, Chief International Appraiser. I have arrived to appraise your jewelry."

Hearing that Eric was hired by me, Chase's smug face suddenly twitched.

Especially after Eric swiftly inspected the pieces, his face twisted in deep heartbreak:

"Young Master Vance, every single one of these gems was crafted from top-tier, museum-grade rough stones. How on earth did they get ruined like this?!"

"The total estimated damages... amount to at least fifty million dollars!"

The classroom fell dead silent, followed by Chase's panicked roar:

"Bullshit! My appraiser already proved these are fake! You're just an actor Sean hired!"

"Sean, do you really think cheap parlor tricks can fool us?!"

Hearing Chase question his credentials, Eric turned his icy gaze toward the other appraiser:

"With fire and brilliance this unmistakable, you dared to call them fakes? If word gets out that you're this blind, do you think you'll ever work in the appraisal industry again?"

Others might not know who Eric was, but as an appraiser, that hack knew Eric could crush his entire career with a single phone call.

Terrified, the hack not only flipped his story, but blurted out the truth:

"They're real! They're all real!"

"Chase paid me to lie! I didn't misjudge them on purpose..."

I raised an eyebrow at the stunned Chase:

"Chase, you really would do anything to win, wouldn't you?"

"Now that the truth is out, isn't it time for you to fulfill your side of the bet?"

I spread my legs slightly and smirked:

"You're not backing out, are you?"