Chapter 27
Having said her piece, Yvette Larson turned to take her leave, not giving her husband any time to explain himself.
Finn Taylor put the incense down and chased after her.
Finn Taylor and Yvette Larson’s departure didn’t cause much of an uproar to the party.
When the Larson family’s Old Master, Joseph Larson, found out that Finn Taylor had given him a broken incense burner, he was so furious that he chased Francis Larson and Linda James away from the main table.
“Brother Joseph, don’t get upset.” Just then, a thick and resonant voice sounded out.
Everyone turned to look in the direction of the voice, only to see an old man with long, white hair and a baby face.
“Jacob Jensen, you’re here too.” Joseph Larson became emotional upon seeing the old man and personally welcomed him.
This was the first time he had done so amongst all his guests.
This guest was indeed worthy of Joseph Larson’s actions. Jacob Jensen was a legendary figure in the whole country.
He had once found a precious ancient relic.
“Of course, I had to come and visit you now that you’re out of the hospital. I want to see when you’re going to die.”
This was how Jacob Jensen and Joseph Larson communicated. Nobody else dared to speak to the both of them in this way; it would be no different from seeking death.
“Come on, the main table is here.” Joseph Larson invited his old friend to the main table.
Just then, Jacob Jensen’s gaze landed on the incense burner in the corner.
“Wait!” Jacob Jensen yelped out in surprise before rushing over. He examined it closely and even put on his white gloves before picking the incense burner up.
“I must say, Jacob, your workaholic nature is showing up again. Some insensible relative of mine gave it to me. Don’t you think he’s being shameless by giving me such a stupid incense burner after I was finally discharged from the hospital after a serious bout of illness?”
Jacob Jensen ignored his friend, focusing all his energy on the incense burner.
His strange behavior naturally attracted a lot of attention.
Everyone in the Larson family was starting to whisper amongst themselves.
Eleanor Larson walked up to her cousin and muttered in a low voice, “Could something be wrong? Jacob Jensen is examining it so meticulously. Could that incense burner really be a treasure?”
Quince Larson was on tenterhooks. Nonetheless, he acted calm and collected. “That’s impossible. That piece of trash only spent 300 dollars on this, so how valuable could it be? Mr. Jensen is too much of a workaholic, and that’s why he thinks that it could be a treasure even though it’s obvious that it’s just a broken incense burner.”
Quince Larson’s words comforted Eleanor Larson, but the eyes of all those present in All Stars Hotel were fixated on the incense burner.
Then, the topic naturally drifted to Finn Taylor.
When they learned that it was the infamous, good-for-nothing matrilocal son-in-law who had given the Old Master this gift, it all seemed too clear to them.
Initially, they had been wondering if they would see the birth of a treasure. But now, the possibility of that seemed close to zero.
After what seemed like an eternity, Jacob Jensen finally looked up and took a deep breath. “Joseph, do you know the story behind Kaelan Hadley?”
“Kaelan Hadley?”
“In the tenth century, the Toltec army often invaded the Mayan territories. Kaelan Hadley was thus ordered to invade Toltec territories. At that time, the Toltec army used a strategy termed as ‘End of Heaven and Earth.’ Unfortunately, the Mayan army at that time was full of cowards.”
“In the end, Kaelan Hadley set out alone to reconnoiter the land. Along that journey, he was almost fatally injured. Thankfully, he survived. He rode through the night, enduring his injury, and arrived at a temple named Tulum.”
With that, Jacob Jensen walked forward and placed the incense burner in front of Joseph Larson.
Everyone turned their eyes to the pair, only to see the words ‘End of Heaven and Earth’ on the front of the incense burner and ‘Tulum’ on the back.
“The design, pattern, and material of this incense burner are characteristic of the Post-Classical Mayan period. With these eight words, it’s almost certain that this incense burner is associated with Kaelan Hadley. This incense burner is worth at least 15 million dollars.”
“Brother Joseph, didn’t you say that a relative gave you this incense burner? Is he around? I’d like to have a chat with him.”
At the mention of 15 million dollars, the entire Larson family and everyone in All Stars Hotel fell silent.
Quince Larson and Eleanor Larson’s faces flushed red. However, it wasn’t just the two of them.
Even Joseph Larson’s expression had fallen. “Brother Jacob, don’t joke around with me. How much could a broken incense burner like that cost?”
“If you don’t believe me, you can sell it to me. I won’t take advantage of you. I’ll give you 15 million for it.” Jacob Jensen was full of confidence.
It seemed like 15 million was still a conservative estimate.
“Brother Joseph, which one of your relatives gave this to you? He has such a good eye. Don’t keep him to yourself; let me meet him too.”
Joseph Larson was stuck between a rock and a hard place, but he had no choice but to be honest. “Brother Jacob, I’ve told you about our family’s matrilocal son-in-law, Finn Taylor. He was the one who caused me to be admitted to the hospital this time, and he was also the one who brought this incense burner here. I thought that it was a terrible gift, so I chased him away. I think it was no more than a coincidence.”
Quince Larson added on from the side, “That’s right. How could that piece of trash know anything about antiques? He was just lucky.”
Jacob Jensen smiled but remained silent. ‘There is no such thing as luck in this business. Precious items are snatched the moment they go up for sale. If Finn Taylor managed to see the value in this incense burner, it means that he understood its true value. However, I don’t wish to waste my breath anymore. Joseph is clearly trying to find himself an excuse. Since that’s the case, there is no need to help him out either.’
…
Outside All Stars Hotel.
Finn Taylor finally caught up with his spouse. “Yvette, listen to me.”
“What do you have to say? Don’t you just want that 15,000 dollars? Do you think that it doesn’t matter what we give since we’ll never be able to match up to Quince Larson? This isn’t even the first time.”
Finn Taylor sighed. “That’s not what I thought about. I also wanted to buy something expensive, but I saw someone holding a flea market when I got there. That incense burner caught my eye immediately; it’s Kaelan Hadley’s! It’s really valuable!”
“Lies! Continue cheating me with your lies!”
“I’m not lying! Everything I said is the truth!”
“I don’t want to talk to you. Please go away.” Yvette Larson stretched her arm out to hail a taxi.
Then, she got in the taxi and left.
Finn Taylor was left standing there alone.
Sigh.
Finn Taylor sighed and retrieved a cigarette from his pocket.
He searched his pocket. ‘I forgot to bring a lighter out. F*ck! When a person is down, they are truly down. I can’t even smoke a cigarette!’
“Sigh! I have to think of a way to coax you. Oh right, your birthday is on the 20th. I have an idea!”