53. A Big Secret Exposed

Matteo's whole body was suddenly stiff and nervous after hearing the stranger's words. Matteo watched Diego's back and the stranger beside him walk away. In his mind, Matteo questioned who the stranger was who suddenly said the painting was a fake. "What did he say?" asked Eston, interrupting Matteo's thoughts. Matteo immediately smiled stiffly at Eston. Of course he could not let Eston be swayed by the stranger's words. "Sir, he may have just been joking," Matteo said, trying to reassure Eston. Eston shifted his gaze from looking at Diego and the stranger's backs, to looking at Matteo. The look of doubt on his face instantly faded and he returned to arching a proud smile. "That's right. Why should we think about it? It is also possible that Diego took the man away because he wanted to reprimand him," Eston replied, nodding his head twice. Hearing that suddenly made Matteo breathe a sigh of relief. Because Matteo would not have been able to evade if Eston had suddenly urged him to explain what the man had said. Matteo laughed once again. This was done to make his nervousness subside. "Yes, that's right. I was thinking the same thing, Mr. Eston," Matteo replied. "What does Mr. Eston think of this painting? Do you really approve?" Eston took a deep breath, put his hands on his waist, and let out a long sigh as a relieved smile curved his features. From the look in his eyes that sparkled at the painting on the wall, it went without saying that Eston did like the painting. Eston nodded his head. With that proud smile, Eston said, "Yes, of course. A painting that is beautiful and gives off an expensive aura cannot be wasted." Although he was nervous about the stranger's words, Matteo was at least relieved. Matteo assumed Eston did not know yet-as long as he kept Eston from suspecting, everything would be safe. Matteo nodded his understanding in reply to Eston. "Thankfully, I am glad to hear that. The process of smuggling that stuff is not very easy." "Yes, I know," Eston replied. "You must have felt tired after making sure the smuggled goods went smoothly." Eston's words were only met with a small laugh by Matteo. Throughout, Matteo was actually still trying to ease his worries. "So, now, you can go home. Your business is done here," Eston commanded in a firm tone. "I will reward you appropriately for your hard work." Matteo could not argue with Eston's order. After all, he needed to calm down after someone had complained about the painting he had brought. He nodded obediently. "Very well, Mr. Eston, I will go home," Matteo obeyed. "Thank you for your appreciation, sir." There was no conversation between Matteo or Eston. Matteo had already turned around and left the room. Meanwhile, Eston turned his gaze to the painting again after paying attention to Matteo earlier. Eston suddenly thought of the words of the stranger who met Diego earlier. For some reason Eston could not shake his curiosity. The painting was a fake. Eston thought that sentence over and over in his head as he watched the paintings. He did not know who the man who said that was. But Eston felt that the man did not say it casually. "Is this painting really a fake?" asked Eston, who was watching the painting in front of him more and more intensely. It was a pity that Eston didn't understand anything about paintings. All he understood was that the painting exuded an expensive aura and could bring in a lot of profit. "If this painting is a fake, then Matteo lied to me," Eston grumbled once again. He would be very upset if that happened. ----- Eston decided to catch up with Diego in the dining room-just moments ago, he had gotten the news from Fabian, Diego's confidant. Eston had taken a few steps before entering the dining room, but the sound of the conversation between Diego and the stranger he had met earlier made him stop. "Diego, why am I so sure that the painting is a fake?" came the voice of the stranger sitting across from Diego. Eston frowned. He still hadn't resumed his steps because he wanted to hear the rest of their conversation. In his seat, Diego just looked at him with astonishment. Diego remained still and looked incredulous for a few seconds. "Do you think the painting is a fake, Finnigan?" Diego asked back. Finnigan. The name immediately stuck in Eston's mind. Eston watched the two of them intensely. As long as they hadn't realized he was here, Eston just tried to listen to the continuation of the conversation about the fake painting. "Yes, I have no doubts at all. Diego, you know my experience is much more." Finnigan paused her words for a moment. "For now, I can tell if a painting is real or fake with just a glance." Diego was still confused. Because he had basically heard that the painting was fake. But he didn't understand which part of the painting was fake. "I don't doubt your ability to guess paintings, Finnigan. You've been at this for years," Diego replied, nodding in understanding. Eston, on the other hand, folded his arms across his chest and listened even more intently. "But, would someone dare to take a fake painting?" Diego continued to wonder. In the second of the conversation, Eston finally made his way to the dining table. As Eston walked, Diego and Finnigan were completely unaware of his presence. "I haven't stopped hearing the word fake painting mentioned," Eston said as he walked, intending to distract Diego and Finnigan. Sure enough. Eston's voice managed to make Diego and Finnigan immediately avert their eyes. Eston immediately curved his formal smile. Meanwhile, Diego and Finnigan looked rather surprised to realize Eston's arrival. "Can you explain why you're repeating the words fake painting?" Eston addressed the question to Finnigan. So was the direction of his gaze. Finnigan, who felt that Eston's question was for her, looked at Diego. As if asking for approval to answer. Of course, Diego agreed because he really wanted Eston to know. "Tell me slowly," Diego almost whispered to Finnigan, implying meaning. Finnigan understood why Diego said that. As a result, Finnigan's gaze immediately shifted to Eston. Right at the same second, Eston had taken one of the leftmost seats. "I'm sorry I startled you guys. I also heard your brief conversation earlier," Eston spoke with a firm voice and upright gesture. This time Eston's gaze focused on Finnigan. His curiosity radiated strongly from his eyes. "So, how can you explain to me, Finnigan?" asked Eston who called Finnigan's name with respect. Finnigan thought about how to explain. But after a few seconds later, Finnigan cleared her throat briefly. "Look, Mr. Eston. Before, you probably didn't know who I was until you said the painting was a fake." Finnigan prepared as if she was going to introduce herself. "I am a painting appraiser with more than five years of experience. Diego called me here because he wanted to have a casual chat as an old friend. However, after seeing the paintings on display earlier, I have a feeling that they are fakes." After Finnigan spoke for a while, Eston seemed to think about something for a moment. Eston digested Finnigan's explanation, but his curiosity still showed on his face. "How about we prove whether the painting is really a fake or not?" Eston offered. Between belief and disbelief, Eston couldn't believe Finnigan's words. Hearing Eston's question, Diego and Finnigan suddenly looked at each other. Diego didn't mind at all if Eston wanted it done. So Diego just lowered his shoulders and left the choice of answer to Finnigan. "That's fine, Mr. Eston. I'm just explaining what I understand and learn, as well as my strong hunch," Finnigan replied happily. "If Mr. Eston doesn't believe me, you can call another trusted painting appraiser. They will definitely be able to appraise the painting," Finnigan continued her previous words. Then without saying anything else, Eston called one of his bodyguards. After the bodyguard arrived, Eston whispered to ask to call one of the other painting appraisers. "There will be another painting appraiser coming today," Eston said after telling his bodyguard. Waiting for almost two hours, the appraiser Eston had called for finally arrived. The appraisal man gathered with Eston, Diego, and Finnigan in the room where the paintings were. "Tell me, do you think this painting is a fake or not?" Eston asked the painting expert. There was a pause for a few seconds for the painting expert to observe the painting in question. He looked surprised several times, thought, then sighed heavily. Like someone who had just had something bad happen to them. "Mr. Eston, the painting you are referring to is indeed a fake," said the painting expert. Eston, who initially didn't believe it, was shocked. Suddenly his confidence was broken. Eston froze with an uncertain look at the painting. "That painting turned out to be a fake..." Eston said quietly. He immediately thought of Matteo who had convinced him about this painting. "How so?" Eston asked the painter beside him. The painter then explained the details that he thought were the clue points. Throughout the explanation, Eston, Diego and Finnigan listened intently. "All the points said by this master are exactly the same as the assessment from my point of view," said Finnigan. Distracting Eston's attention. Then Finnigan pointed her index finger with a serious face at the painting in front of the four of them. "I've seen this painting before, Mr. Eston. There, if you look more intensely, the color of the painting looks strange. If it's reflected in the light of this room, the colors shouldn't be shaded like that." Finnigan explained at length. Not only Finnigan, but the painting expert called Eston also chimed in with explanations. Gradually, as they finished explaining in detail, Eston doubted his own beliefs more and more. Over and over again, Eston showed anxiety on his face. Diego was well aware of this. That's why Diego secretly felt a great sense of satisfaction that his plan had succeeded. "Well, thank you both for your explanations," Eston said afterward. He looked at Diego after that. "Diego, I think we need to talk about this later." At Eston's words, Diego quickly agreed. How could he not? Diego couldn't wait to talk about the fake painting and Matteo's cheating. ----- "Mr. Eston, are you sure of your feelings? I don't think the curator of the painting would dare to do that to you." Diego deliberately pretended that he was on Matteo's side. Diego could not aggressively argue that Matteo was at fault. In front of Diego, Eston was already visibly upset. From the moment he heard Finnigan's and the painting expert's explanations, there was no longer any belief that the painting was genuine. Even after Diego tried to convince him now, Eston remained skeptical. "I don't know, Diego. I don't understand, it's possible that the curator dared to do it without my knowledge. Who's to say he's honest?" Diego was actually secretly very relieved that Eston had been successfully instigated. But Diego tried to remain calm, because his core plan to incite Eston about Matteo's guilt had not yet materialized. "The curator may have done it on purpose, Mr. Eston," Diego replied, placing his arms crossed on the table. "But I can describe to you the other possibilities." "Yes, go ahead and describe it. What are you thinking?" "The first possibility is that the curator of the painting in Bolivia actually did sell Mr. Eston a fake painting," Diego said, starting to explain slowly. "Then, the second possibility-this is the most important and frequent one, someone swapped the paintings during the delivery from Bolivia to Vomero," Diego continued, his tone more serious and emphasized this time. Eston was silent. Hearing Diego's explanation made him think of something. "The only possible perpetrator is Matteo..." "Sir, don't jump to conclusions," Diego quickly interrupted, feigning defense. "Then who else?" Eston began to sound agitated. "The one who delivered the goods was Matteo. I'm pretty sure he switched the paintings on purpose!" "Mr. Eston, I'm just explaining the possibilities." Diego tried to calm Eston down. Eston still shook his head stubbornly. "Your explanation makes sense. I now feel that Matteo may have certain intentions towards me."