Chapter 7 A Seductress

• Casper couldn't help but shudder upon hearing the seductive drawl.
• There was a musky scent in the air that wafted into Casper's nostrils.
• Before even seeing the woman in person, Casper could already imagine a vixen-like woman beaming at him.
• The burly men immediately lowered their heads fearfully when they heard the seductive drawl.
• Casper turned over slowly. Despite having prepared himself mentally, his eyes widened in astonishment when he saw the seductress standing behind him. It was obvious to anyone with eyes that this woman would be the belle of the ball no matter which era she graced with her existence.
• If Giselle was an elegant fairy free from worldly affairs, then Victoria would be a witch who could make one lose control easily.
• Sensing Casper's heated gaze, Victoria's lips curved into an amused grin. She stepped forward as a flash of her slender legs appeared underneath her black dress.
• Instantly, the heat in the room heightened. It was just a fleeting glimpse, but Casper couldn't stop himself from fantasizing.
• Damn, she's indeed a seductress. No wonder the taxi driver was so excited to talk about her. No normal man would be able to escape from her clutches.
• “Ahem, ahem!” Casper coughed twice and calmed down instantly.
• Victoria was taken aback when she realized his gaze had cleared swiftly.
• I've come across plenty of men in my life. There were tons of them who tried to pursue me, yet I've never met someone who could calm down this swiftly after seeing me. Even a famous gentleman showed his true colors in front of me years ago.
• “Ms. Stalling, may I know how my friends offended you?” Casper asked politely.
• They were in her territory, and it seemed like Felix and the others caused trouble after getting drunk, so Casper swallowed his pride in a gesture of conciliation.
• “Ha! These three drunkards are out of their minds. Do they not know where they are? After barging in to touch our stuff, they insisted our porcelain vase is a fake.”
• This time, it was a young man wearing glasses who spoke. He seemed like a gentle and bookish man, but there was a menacing gleam in his eyes.
• “You are?”
• “The manager of Victoria's Chamber, Steve Hopkins,” said the man as he puffed his chest up proudly.
• Many people would die for a chance to work for Victoria, as she was an infamous beauty.
• “Then how shall we settle this, Ms. Stalling?”
• “Three million and nothing less,” declared Steve as he held three fingers up.
• Victoria's brows knitted together as though she was upset at how Steve was acting presumptuously.
• “Casper, don't be fooled. That vase is fake! They are trying to scam us!”
• Before Casper could speak, a young man wearing thick black glasses hollered without warning. He looked like a nerd with his bowl cut.
• That young man was Colton Ziegler from their dorm. He had a youthful face, but in fact, he was a few years older than Casper.
• Not even Casper and the other roommates knew about Colton's background. However, they speculated that he was born into a scholarly family. Colton was a sophisticated young man until Casper and the rest influenced him.
• “Brat, if you continue spouting nonsense, I shall rip your face out!”
• Replica antiques were everywhere in the antique world, but Victoria's Chamber had gone through a lot to build up its reputation. If it was reported that they tried to pass off a copy as a genuine antique, their reputation would take a hit.
• Steve let out a roar and clenched his fist to give Colton a punch. Realizing what the former was going to do, Casper reached out and stopped him.
• “Mr. Hopkins, I apologize on behalf of my friend. Please forgive his recklessness. We shall compensate the three million.”
• It wasn't that Casper didn't believe his friend, as he even saw a flash of guilt in Steve's gaze.
• Still, he had to bow down because he was in the enemy's territory.
• After Casper agreed to pay the compensation, Felix and the rest lowered their heads guiltily, especially Colton, who was regretting his rash actions.
• “Ms. Stalling, since I agreed to pay the compensation, the porcelain vase is now mine. Could you perhaps give me the broken pieces of the vase?”
• Seated in a chair, Victoria scanned Casper carefully. She covered her mouth and let out a coy giggle before waving for someone to get the pieces of the porcelain vase.
• It seemed that Casper was talking to Victoria, but he kept an eye on Steve during the whole exchange.
• Indeed, when Victoria ordered someone to get the pieces, Steve panicked slightly.
• He soon calmed down and flashed a mocking smirk. Those young brats know nothing about antiques.
• After Casper received the broken pieces of the porcelain vase, he narrowed his gaze and studied them carefully. It only took him a short while to realize what had happened.
• As the saying goes, “buy gold in prosperous times and collect antiques in troubled times.” The Simpson family had been the wealthiest family in Chanaea for at least a thousand years. They had tons of valuable artifacts in their family that even the royal family couldn't afford.
• As a result, Casper was used to seeing valuable and rare antiques at home. It could be said that they owned more artifacts than a museum. Hence, he was rather observant now.
• All it took was one look from him to confirm Colton was telling the truth. The so-called expensive porcelain vase was a replica.
• Though Casper smelled something fishy, he didn't kick up a fuss like what Colton did earlier, as this concerned Victoria's Chamber's reputation.
• There was no way Victoria would allow someone else to destroy her store's hard-earned reputation.
• Casper glanced at Victoria, who was still lazing on her chair, before making up his mind.
• “Ms. Stalling, this vase is a replica.”
• Immediately, chaos broke out in Victoria's Chamber. Victoria reacted by straightening her back in her chair, her expression unfazed. On the other hand, Steve flew into a rage.
• Pointing at Casper angrily, he declared, “How dare you accuse us falsely? You have a death wish, huh?”
• “Mr. Hopkins, the vase is made of azurite. It is an imitation of the famous imperial vase. Yes, the shape and curve are perfect, but the material is somewhat lacking. Porcelain vases like this are made of imported material. It's a pity that this vase is painted using modern chemical products.”
• Victoria narrowed her gaze and gave Casper an emotionless look. Meanwhile, Steve was sweating profusely.
• “Ms. Stalling, if you don't believe me, you can get a reputable organization to authenticate the item. I can guarantee the broken pieces are less than ten years old.”
• Instead of replying to Casper, Victoria turned to look at Steve.
• Her gaze was no longer seductive. In its place was a deadly stare.
• A few seconds later, Steve dropped to his knees in front of Victoria.
• The locals had heard about how alluring Victoria was, but only those who worked under Victoria would know how vicious she was.
• “Ms. Stalling, I'm sorry. It was an impulsive decision—”
• “Take him away.”
• Casper had no idea how Victoria would punish Steve for betraying her, but judging from the latter's horrified wails, the consequences were terrifying.
• “Young man, you're quite the antique expert, huh?”
• Victoria had returned to her enchanting self as she inched nearer to Casper.