Chapter 34 A Reward for My Husband
Spurt…
Daniel spit the mouthful of vodka onto the statue. Brittany immediately yelled in exasperation.
“You good–for–nothing, you obviously can’t hold your liquor, taking such a big swig and then spraying it everywhere! That’s a five- thousand–dollar bottle of vodka you’re wasting! The company policy states that penalties are doubled for wastage! You owe me ten thousand dollars from your salary!”
When reimbursing expenses, claiming a three–thousand–dollar item as being worth five thousand was a common practice for Brittany. Daniel ignored her complaint and started rubbing his hands on the statue’s surface.
Crack… Crack, crack…
The surface of the statue cracked.
“Be careful not to hurt your hands,” Jessica quickly warned him.
“Are you worried about me?”
“Yeah, sure I am! It’s work hours, and I don’t want to end up having to pay you compensation for an injury!”
Jessica wouldn’t admit she was actually concerned about him.
“I come from the countryside; this thing won’t hurt me.”
As the outer layer continued to fall off, something inside the statue
began to reveal itself, stunning Hicholas He couldn’t believe the statue harbored such a secret.
Once the surface had completely fallen away, Daniel used the remaining vodka to wash down the statue. Then, a stunning new sculpture was laid bare before everyone.
Daniel handed the statue to Nicholas with a smile, “Smiley Nick, check out this statue. Is it from the Renaissance period?”
Nicholas took the statue, and upon examination, he could tell from its shape and material it indeed dated back to the Renaissance. However, upon further inspection of the sculpture’s patterns, he chuckled again.
“This sculpture is indeed from the Renaissance period, but it doesn’t count as something valuable. Look at the craftsmanship and the stone’s texture; it’s just work from an ordinary sculptor and not from an official kiln. You can’t solely measure a statue’s worth by its age. From the same era, sculptures made by art masters and those by ordinary people differ vastly in materials and craftsmanship. Consequently, the price difference is also immense.
If this statue were the work of a top artist, its value could truly be fifty million. But it’s clear this is merely an apprentice’s work, and not particularly good quality at that. However, one notable point is that a faux layer wrapped the outside, preserving it nicely. Thus, it might fetch a higher price due to its condition.
Altogether, this sculpture at most is worth five million.”
Nicholas’s assessment was fair and objective, considering the
sculpture’s value was just increased from one million to five million
under Daniel’s manipulation. He had to demonstrate his professional expertise in his field, especially since the bet with Daniel was for two even a value of five million for the statue would not affect
billion
the bet.
Jessica was delighted with how things turned out and nodded in satisfaction, “Daniel, well done. Your bonus for the month is doubled!”
Clear rewards and punishments were her consistent principles, and Daniel was, after all, her husband. She felt he deserved a reward in
such circumstances.
Upon hearing this, Brittany felt a twinge of jealousy.
