Phoebe had just finished taking photos of Kevin's antique, the Golden Sunburst Tiara. Her senior appraiser rushed into the studio to ask for help with a string of pearls that he was unsure of. "Let's go take a look!" Phoebe said to Kevin, and she immediately left the room. Mr. Landau looked at Kevin in surprise. He wasn't sure what to think. How could this young man in tattered clothes be of any help? When they reached the main showroom, Kevin saw a group starting to form around a young man. On the table in front of him was an old mahogany box. "May I ask your name?" Phoebe inquired politely. "My name is Sam McKay. Are you the owner of this shop?" the surprised young man asked her. "Yes, Mr. McKay. May I have a look?" Phoebe said with a smile . He casually handed the box to Phoebe. At the same time, he explained, "This is a family heirloom. It never leaves the house, but we're in desperate need of money." Phoebe nodded to show her understanding of his predicament. As she reached to open the box, a few of the local antique shop owners hurried in to see what all the buzz was about. When Phoebe opened it, a string of beautiful golden pearls glistened under the store's lights. They were strung together with what looked like a pure gold clasp. "Pure gold South Sea pearls?" Phoebe asked in surprise. "Judging from the luster and craftsmanship they look to date from the late eighteenth century?" The antique shop owners who were looking on immediately began to discuss the rare find in hushed tones. "You sure know a lot," the young man commented. Phoebe examined the string of pearls for a few minutes before she looked up and asked, "How much do you want to sell them for?" McKay smiled and said, "Fifty thousand dollars!" Since you're the owner of this establishment, you also know that they're worth far more than that." Phoebe nodded slightly and stared intently at the pearls. For some reason, she felt that something wasn't quite right. Kevin snorted mockingly when he saw the string of pearls. However, the other onlookers were more impressed. One of them said, "Only fifty thousand? President Anderson sure has found a bargain!" While everyone was discussing the find, another young man walked in. "Excuse me, may I be of assistance?" Mr. Landau quickly walked forward and politely greeted him. "My name is Charles Grant. I'm in town for a business trip. I like to collect antiques and I heard that Anderson Antiques is quite famous, so I came in to take a look around." He eyed the store and said, "As long as I like what I see, money is no object." Suddenly, the young man's gaze fell on the golden pearls in Phoebe's hand. "Are those actually golden pearls?" Grant said as he quickly walked up to her. "Be careful, don't damage them! They're worth a lot of money!" McKay said nervously. Grant waved him off casually and said, "Don't worry, I'm good for it." The young businessman looked at the pearls for a minute and asked with a smile,. "So, how much are you selling them for?" McKay said excitedly, "Fifty thousand." "Okay!" Grant said as he placed them in the box," I'll take them! " The look on McKay's face said, "Well, lady, you missed your chance." This seemed to bother Phoebe. She said, "Mr. Grant, haven't you ever heard of first come, first served? I was still negotiating with Mr. McKay when you interrupted us." "Well, maybe you shouldn't have taken so long to make up your mind. I'm ready to buy them right now," Grant replied with a smile. "So am I. Mr. McKay I'll take them!" Phoebe immediately agreed to the transaction. Kevin shook his head. What a shame, he thought to himself, a real string of pearls like these would be worth a couple hundred thousand dollars. "Ma'am, are you trying to snatch these away from me?" He acted indignant. Then he turned around and looked at McKay "I'll tell you what. I'll give you seventy-five thousand for them." Phoebe was a little unnerved. She said, "Mr. McKay, you came in here today with a valuable item. I just said we were willing to accept the deal. And now you're considering selling to this man. Don't you have any integrity?" The onlookers all nodded their heads in agreement. Grant's behavior was not the way reputable people did business. One of them said to him, "This isn't a very honest way to handle things. You came in here to deal with President Anderson." They were all on Phoebe's side in this. After all, the family had an excellent reputation in the Chicago region. Why wouldn't they support her? But Grant interrupted and spoke to McKay, "Be realistic. I just offered you fifty percent more than she was planning to give you." Kevin almost laughed out loud. McKay and Grant were clearly trying to scam them. Couldn't Phoebe tell? Finally, McKay seemed to have made a big decision. He let out a long breath and said, "I'm sorry, Mr. Grant, but they're right. I can't go against my principles. I'm selling to the young lady." "Then you're the biggest fool in the world," Grant said as he shook his head. He turned to Phoebe and said, "Ma'am, it's your lucky day. These pearls are worth at least a hundred thousand." Phoebe happily took the box. "Let's arrange for Mr. McKay's payment." Just as Mr. Landau was about to ask the man for his information to prepare the check, Kevin walked up to Phoebe. "President Anderson, if you buy these pearls, you're making a huge mistake," Kevin said with a polite smile. Silence fell on the crowd. "What do you mean?" McKay glared at Kevin. "It's quite simple. They're fake. Also, your acting skills aren't that great either. I'm exhausted from trying not to laugh," Kevin said with a big grin. Phoebe frowned and looked at Kevin. The antique dealers, who were still there watching all this, started whispering to each other again. "Who is this guy? He's actually questioning Ms. Anderson's judgment!" "She's one of the best young antique appraisers in the city," added another. "How does this guy, dressed in rags, know anything? We know it's genuine." McKay was indignant, "Who are you? How can you say my family heirloom is a fake?" Charles Grant glared at Kevin, too. Suddenly, one of the antique store owners pointed at Kevin, "Aren't you married to one of the Joneses? What do you know about antiques?" Everyone started laughing. Thanks to Jason's gossiping, almost everyone in the city knew about Kevin's relationship with the Jones family. One of the antique dealers said to him, "You don't know what you're looking at. In any case, this is Anderson Jewelry, not Jones. We don't care what you think." After hearing this, Phoebe looked at Kevin with a puzzled expression. This golden pearl necklace was gorgeous. Why did Kevin say it was fake? Maybe he doesn't know all that much about antiques, she thought. McKay was getting impatient. He turned to Phoebe and said, "Ma'am, please make a decision. I came here to make an honest transaction and now I'm being accused of trying to pass off a fake." Then he turned to Kevin and moaned, "If you don't give me an explanation right now, I'll call the police and sue you for slander." Kevin mocked him, saying, "Still sticking to your role, huh? You should leave acting to the professionals." Kevin took the wooden box from Phoebe and opened it. "Everyone here is in the antique business. You should all know how to rate a pearl: size, shape, color, luster, and all that." Kevin pulled the pearls out of the box and continued his lesson. "You're about to pay a ridiculous price for pearls that are at the lowest grade." "Sure, the size of these pearls is impressive. However, they've been treated to improve their color and luster. Even the clasp is cheap." Kevin held the string up for everyone to see. "A large, perfect pearl should roll like a marble." "These pearls are perfect." McKay argued. Kevin stared right in the man's eyes, took one of the pearls between his fingers, and pinched it hard. It turned into powder before their eyes. "How dare you destroy my family's most precious treasure?" McKay whined. "Grant was beginning to regret the whole scheme. "Now how am I supposed to pay my mother's hospital bills?" McKay sobbed. Kevin applauded and said, "There, that's a little better. Your acting is improving. McKay kept trying and said to Phoebe, "This is outrageous. The pearls are worth at least two hundred thousand. I demand that this man compensate me for my loss." Phoebe couldn't believe her ears. She looked at Kevin and realized he actually did know what he was talking about. Kevin spoke to the antique dealers who had come over to watch and said to them, "You really ought to get your eyes checked. I can't believe you're in the antique business." They were indignant, "What right do you have to say that about us? Grandma Jones will hear about this!" "Quiet!" Phoebe shouted angrily. Everyone quieted down. "Kevin, please continue," Phoebe said politely. Kevin looked at McKay and said, "You should at least put some effort into your counterfeits. Has anybody fallen for this cheap crap?" When Kevin finished talking, he threw the whole string of pearls onto the floor in disgust. They were all stunned, especially the two dealers who had been doubting Kevin. But it wasn't really their fault. The pearls that McKay claimed to have were extremely rare and valuable. They probably had never seen real ones in their entire lives. "I demand proof. Otherwise, I'm calling the police," McKay continued. "Wow! You really are stubborn!" Kevin turned around and looked at Phoebe and said, "I'm sure you have some modern equipment in your lab. Go ahead and check them out. I'm sure that they're cheap grade A pearls, maybe even beads of glass or plastic, that have been chemically treated to fool the eye." Phoebe handed them to Mr. Landau and said, "Go and examine them, quickly." "Yes, Madam President! Right away." Mr. Landau quickly picked up the string of pearls and headed back to the lab. "How do I know you won't switch them with fakes?" McKay shouted loudly. "Don't worry, we would never do such a despicable thing," Phoebe answered sharply. She was no longer excited, but she definitely felt lucky. If Kevin hadn't been there, her reputation might have been tarnished . Mr. Landau returned quickly and whispered something in Phoebe's ear. She looked at the printout that Mr. Landau had handed her and you could tell right away she wasn't pleased. McKay turned pale. His partner, Grant, was about to say something, but knew that the evidence was against them. "Call the police," Phoebe said to the security guards. "Run!" McKay shouted as he sprinted for the door.