Ethan had only just discovered that Sophia was his daughter, so how could he have prepared a present in advance? However, he remained composed. Removing a bead bracelet from his wrist, he handed it to Sophia. "Happy Birthday, Sophia. Daddy wishes for you to grow up safely and happily."
Ethan had acquired that moonstone bracelet at the border, a rare treasure gifted to him by his superior as a reward. It looked ordinary, but its true value was immense.
Claudia reached out and snatched the bead bracelet from his hand. After a quick glance, she snorted with laughter. "Your gift is so shabby! Silas gave her a rare gemstone, and you, her biological father, gave her a lousy bracelet. Do you really have the cheek to give it to her?"
Everyone craned their necks and looked over, only to be amused when they finally got a clear glimpse.
"This bead bracelet is made of some cheap white clay. It's so light, and every bead looks stained with dirt. It's obviously a poor-quality bracelet that no one would buy even at a pound shop!"
Everyone burst into laughter, and despite her tender age, Sophia could sense the mockery in their laughter. Sophia snatched the bracelet away from Claudia and held it close to her chest. She shouted angrily, "I like this one! I like anything that Daddy gives me!"
Ethan's heart warmed, and he touched her head affectionately. He then put the bracelet on her slender and tender wrist. Fiddling with the fine, white, and light beads on her wrist, Sophia happily raised her arm and showed it to Anastasia. "Mummy, isn't it pretty?"
"You're treating rubbish like a treasure!" Claudia pursed her lips disdainfully. She grabbed the dazzling pink diamond pendant Silas had given, placed it on Sophia's neck, and then nagged, "Sophia, you're young, so you have no clue. But I'm telling you, this pendant is the good stuff."
Ethan suddenly reached out, snatched away the pendant, and retreated far from Sophia.
"What are you doing?! Are you committing robbery?" Claudia immediately snapped in a high-pitched voice as she glared at Ethan.
Ethan sneered silently and tightened his grip, crushing the exquisite gemstone pendant in his hand.
"Ah! What are you doing?!" Claudia screamed, on the verge of passing out. That's a precious gemstone worth more than two hundred and seventy thousand dollars! What has that son-in-law of mine done?!
The ten-odd people around them were stunned, speechless, as their cups and chopsticks fell on the table and the ground. A precious gemstone pendant worth over two hundred and seventy thousand dollars had been crushed into bits. This good-for-nothing is truly fearless!
Silas's expression was incredibly sullen. It was one thing for the pendant to be ruined, but Ethan's action was a massive insult to him! With a furious expression and seething anger, he asked, "What do you mean by doing that?"
"Your gift isn't good. Sophia can't wear it," Ethan said indifferently.
"You!" Silas suddenly sprang up and snapped, "You're a problematic pauper! What do you know?! Have you ever seen anything good?" His eyes were full of contempt.
"I haven't seen many good things, but I can identify counterfeit goods," Ethan said casually, his expression shifting drastically.
"We all know how rare and precious natural pink diamonds are. The price of natural pink diamonds at jewelry auctions ranges from 1.5 to 4 million dollars per carat, depending on the color. The average price of a medium-grade purplish-pink diamond like the one you gave is about 2.5 million dollars per carat. The size of that pink diamond you gave her is no less than two carats, meaning that you need at least five million dollars to buy it, yet you only spent one hundred and fifty thousand."
When Silas heard the word 'counterfeit' and the figures Ethan listed in his analytical breakdown, his face turned hostile. However, how could he admit that he had just given his men a few thousand dollars to purchase a random gemstone to fool them? He stared at Ethan furiously as if trying to pierce a hole through him with his gaze. "You're talking about prices at auctions. What if I managed to get that pink diamond at a good price?"
Ethan was unafraid of him and spread his palm to reveal the debris. "I'm afraid you made a blunder then. Hand-crushing a genuine pink diamond is impossible.
Silas's face turned pale, and he was suddenly speechless. Everyone knew that diamonds were the hardest naturally occurring material in the world and were difficult to cut. Who could crush it by hand? The people around immediately understood that the pink diamond pendant Silas gifted, which had left them in envy, was a counterfeit.
Had someone else given him a counterfeit gemstone as a gift, they would definitely mock him. But the person who did so now was Silas. Who would dare to laugh at him? Seeing Silas's sullen expression, they frantically tried to give him an out.
"Mr. Clay isn't a professional gemstone appraiser, so it's inevitable for him to make a mistake. Why do you have to be so overbearing?"
"Exactly. Besides, even if there's something wrong, it's still a beautifully designed gemstone. But you crushed it. You went overboard!"
"He's just trying to show how capable he is! Pfft, this loser gave only a lousy clay bead bracelet. What right does he have to criticize Silas's gift?"
Ethan glanced at them coldly. "I wouldn't be bothered if it were just a fake gemstone. But this thing is made of autunite! You probably know how much radiation autunite emits, right? How can you wear such a thing all the time?" He glared at everyone with a sharp gaze.
Everyone was dumbfounded and speechless as they avoided his gaze. Some who had just touched the pendant were so scared that they secretly rubbed their hands against their clothes.
"So..." Ethan glanced at Silas, whose forehead was sweaty, and released his domineering aura. "You gave such a highly radioactive pendant to a six-year-old. What exactly is your plan?!"