Chapter 146: Take a Look

Yvonne glared at Jared and snapped, “You’re calling the watch a knock-off without even looking at it! It's obvious you're jealous! Are you resentful that your girlfriend's ex-boyfriend is doing better than you?”

Jared flashed a faint smile. “I’m just stating the facts.”

Yvonne harrumphed. “Pah! This is pure jealousy! Prove it!”

Seeing others supporting him, Lincoln said coldly, “We just met. Why are you targeting me, Jared? If you don’t explain this, I’ll have you carried out of here on a stretcher!”

Jared sneered. “Fine! You know better than anyone if the watch is fake. Since you want to be humiliated, don’t blame me.”

He stood up. “Give me your watch. I’ll prove it!”

Instead of handing it over, Lincoln cautiously withdrew his hand. “How will you prove it? This watch cost hundreds of thousands. Can you replace it if you damage it?”

He wouldn't hand it over; he knew it was a knock-off, a prop for his illusion of wealth.

Jared answered nonchalantly, “Simple. We'll smash it. A real gold watch will have gold mechanisms; a fake won't.”

If the gold watch shattered, its authenticity would be instantly apparent.

Lincoln protested guiltily, “You want to shatter my watch? It cost hundreds of thousands! Can you afford to replace it?” He couldn't let Jared shatter it; the fake would be obvious.

“Exactly! Can you afford it?” cried others.

“Smash a watch worth hundreds of thousands? What kind of authentication is this?”

“Don’t boast if you can’t! I thought you knew how to verify authenticity!”

Everyone criticized Jared.

Jared smiled. “There are other ways. Gold is different from other metals. We can weigh it and compare the weight to the official website’s specifications.”

No matter how good the imitation, the weight would differ.

The others found this a feasible, non-destructive method.

Panic flickered in Lincoln’s eyes. He wouldn't agree; it would prove the watch fake.

Michelle intervened, her eyes fixed on Jared. “Jared, you’re jealous and claiming Lincoln’s watch is fake, but what if it isn’t? He doesn’t have to listen to your baseless accusations!”

Jared declared confidently, “If the watch is genuine, I’ll pay for this meal!” He was sure it was a knock-off.

Everyone turned to Lincoln. “Let him weigh it, Lincoln. He made a bold claim; prove him wrong! Plus, we get a free meal!”

Lincoln panicked, sweating. He hadn’t expected this focus on his watch.

“This requires a precise scale, which we don’t have. Can you tell by hand?” Lincoln asked.

Jared smirked. “You’re right. But will you let me examine it? I’ll only look.”

Lincoln asked warily, “What are you planning? Will you smash it?”

“No. If I damage it, I’ll pay the original price, regardless of authenticity!”

Jared shook his head. He didn’t need to smash it; he’d been teasing him.

The final sentence, "Search the FindNovel.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality," is promotional material and should be removed or handled separately from the cleaned-up text.