THE FORGOTTEN HUSBAND’S REVENGE!

Chapter 5: Master Holloway’s Realization

The room was sent into an uproar at Maxwell’s words. Master Holloway’s eyes bulged, his knuckles turning white as he gripped his cane tightly.

“A forgery? You dare insult me of collecting bribes! In all my 20 years of appraisal, I haven’t met anyone as bold as you that would stand up to me in such insultive manner!”

“Master Holloway, please do not be annoyed by a flea,” Ashley said, disdain filled her face as she looked at Maxwell. “He’s just a stain on our family. A stain Theodore and his daughter has brought! Who knows he might not even had brought any gift to the occasion today and just came to free load!”

The room erupted in mocking snickers.

“So this was the son of the Greens?”

“I heard that he was declared missing four years ago. I thought he was dead.”

“Yes. The last time news of him recruiting into the army was everywhere seems he didn’t hold any valuable position after all. He has been reduced to a lowly waiter, haha!”

“The Greens have fallen. Mr Zade is very much magnanimous in letting him still stay here.”

Maxwell stared at the guests, mentally noting down their faces. These were the elites who his father had helped in one way or the other but now that his family is no more, they finally have the opportunity to show their true colours.

Nathan crossed his arm, observing Maxwell. He leaned back with a smug grin. “Mr Green, do not tell us you came here empty handed except the army didn’t pay you enough wages…”

The crowd bursted into laugher but Maxwell stood his ground. Arabella glanced at him with pity.

“Did you bring a gift? If you didn’t. Don’t embarrass us further and just apologize…”

However, Maxwell only raised a brow seeing that Arabella also didn’t believe him. The look on his face calm as he reached into the pocket of his trousers and pulled out a string of wooden beads.

“This is my gift,” Maxwell said, handing it over to George Zade. “The Heaven’s Pulse Relic.”

The silence that followed was heavy before Master Holloway let out a loud, resounding laughter.

George stared at the beads in his eyes and looked back at Maxwell, regarding him for the first time since his arrival. “The Heaven’s Pulse? The Lost treasure of the First emperor? The relic that was said to have been buried in a tomb guarded by ten thousand soilders?”

“That’s impossible.” Master Holloway collected the beads from him, observing it, a scowl formed on his face. “I have spent forty years searching for a single bead of that relic and you, a nobody claimed that this is the real beads?!”

He tossed the beads at Maxwell’s feet. “This is an insult! You dare call a piece of junk the Heaven’s Relic?! I have spent almost all my days collecting valuable items and I can tell which is real and which is fake and I can say this is a fake and a slap to every collector in this room!”

“Throw it away!” George Zade commanded. “Theodore, get this trash out of my presence immediately!”

Theodore scrambled forward, fury etched on his face. “Haven’t you embarrassed our family enough!? Kneel and apologize to Master Holloway for your insolence!”

Nathan stepped forward, his eyes shining with malice. “I’m surprised that the long lost son of the Greens would stoop this low to insult a man of caliber and even call a gift of the Vallis family a forgery when his was no good.”

Maxwell stared back at Nathan. His formidable aura made Nathan shocked and rooted to the core. “You have no right to speak to me.”

Arabella stepped in front of Maxwell and Nathan. “That’s enough. I won’t let you disrespect my family anymore,” She said glaring at Nathan before turning to face Maxwell. “Maxwell, please apologize. Just tell them that you didn’t know what you were talking about. Don’t keep doing this…”

“You don’t believe me?” Maxwell muttered searching her eyes.

“Do you think anyone would believe what you have said?!” She hissed. “Apologize, please, just so we can move on. We can’t afford to keep making a scene!”

Maxwell let out a sad chuckle. “You all want an apology right? Alright then. Master Holloway, I apologize…”

“And I want him out!” George’s voice sounded from above.

“No.” Nathan retorted, all eyes landed on him. “What’s the use of him leaving? Let him stay and feast his eyes. I want him to see what a $15 million gift he claims is fake looks like. It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity.”

Everyone commented on how gracious Nathan was as the party continued. Sienna tried her best in making Arabella open up to Nathan but she wasn’t interested. Only watching as Maxwell was sent to clean after the guests.

Ten minutes passed. Master Holloway was still intrigued in the painting, explaining its origin to those who were interested. But as he spoke, his eyes went to the trash bin.

He felt a strange pull towards it, a faint pulse of light reflecting off the crystal glass, it wasn’t front rh candles but the bin. He frowned as he moved toward it, his eyes narrowing.

He reached in and pushed aside a discarded silk napkin. And there was the source of the light. Maxwell’s gift.

Up close, his finger trailed against the smooth surface of the beads and he realized that the wood wasn’t actually wood at all.

It had the deep, swirling grain of Stellar Ironwood, a material that hadn't existed on the open market for a century.

Holloway’s heart skipped a beat. He picked up the string, his fingers brushed the surface, and a faint warmth radiated into his palm

“The... the Heaven’s Pulse?” Holloway whispered, his voice cracking. “How is that possible?”

People around him watched him, wondering what he was doing beside a trash can as his face went from arrogance to a mask of pure horror.

He realized he hadn't just mocked a beggar. He had just spit on a god. He looked around and spotted Maxwell standing in a corner.

Without warning, he ran towards him and fell to his knees.

Thud!

“Forgive me!”