Taming The Billionaire's Obsession - Chapter 61: Chapter 61

Meanwhile, in the studio, Josie was pleading earnestly with William. She said, "William, please do my friend this favor. You're already working on jewelry anyway, so what's the big deal about helping her fix Skylor's ring?"
William, head bowed as he intently heated the materials, suddenly jerked up. He asked, "Skylor? Which one are you talking about?"
Noticing William's interest in Skylor, Josie quickly said, "Who else could it be? The legendary Skylor, the most renowned master in the country. My friend has an original piece by Skylor himself. Want to see it?"
A complex gleam flashed in William's eyes. He said, "An original by Skylor? Alright, let me see it for myself. If it's an original by Skylor, I'll restore it for her."
Overjoyed by the news, Josie immediately dashed out to tell Jane.
Hearing the news, Jane, who was thinking her luck might finally be turning around, felt a sense of unreality. She hurriedly took the small box out of her bag and handed it to William.
She said, "Sorry to trouble you, Mr. Pace. Here's the ring. It got badly damaged, and no matter how hard I tried, I just couldn't fix it."
William nodded and took the small iron box. He opened it and poured the contents onto the large wooden table.
The shattered obsidian fragments and tiny diamonds spilled across the table with a light metallic clatter.
William, who had been examining the fragments with solemn professionalism, suddenly furrowed his brows in evident displeasure.
He looked back at Josie and Jane, his eyes filled with professional skepticism. He asked, "This is the so-called original by Skylor you were talking about?"
Josie nodded and said firmly, "Absolutely! I read about it in a rare collector's edition my brother got me. This is an authentic work by Skylor. He made it over a decade ago."
Jane had never seen that collector's edition, but since Josie was so certain, she naturally believed Josie.
The next instant, William scoffed. He sneered, "Skylor's original? This is just a little trinket I whipped up in an afternoon. You think this looks like Skylor's work?
"That's only because my craftsmanship is exquisite enough to pass for the real thing. Otherwise, why would they come to me specifically to have me make this counterfeit?"
Jane murmured in disbelief, "Do you mean this ring is a fake?"
William nodded and said, "Absolutely. I made this myself. If it weren't a fake, could it even be real? Honestly, I never thought this fake would fool you.
"If I'd known, I wouldn't have given in two weeks ago when that mother-daughter pair brought over Skylor's authentic piece. I just couldn't help but make this copy."
Rumor had it that William, whose counterfeits were indistinguishable from the real thing, had a particular penchant for replicating Skylor's works.
Even with hundreds of thousands in cash, most people still couldn't get William to take on a forgery.
But if someone could present him with an authentic piece by Skylor and ask him to make a counterfeit based on it, he'd do it for free—or he'd even pay out of his pocket for the privilege.
That's exactly why, two weeks ago, when that Ella and her mother came begging with that obsidian ring, William couldn't resist and agreed on the spot.
Jane's face had already gone deathly pale. She asked, "Two weeks ago? You mean this ring was made just two weeks ago?"
She thought, 'But I got this ring at Night Charm Club almost a full month ago. There's no way this ring was made just two weeks ago. Someone must have swapped my real ring. The ring in my hand right now is the fake one.'