Makiko stood in the living room with a hard guqin case in hand and a strange man behind her. She looked at the Yamazaki family with unfounded superiority. She seemed to be looking down at the four people as if they were dirt beneath her foot.

Her evil gaze pierced Akira, who was tapping on her phone, with a meaningful expression. It spoke of a secret untold and a desire to see her niece fall from grace.

"Hello, Aunt," Akira said evenly without looking up at Makiko.

Makiko gritted her teeth in annoyance at the insolence.

'We will see how long you can remain calm!' She thought to herself.

Both Daiki and Sayaka also greeted her, but they did not show respect and enthusiasm towards her. Makiko felt angry at the blatant disregard. She was sure Akira influenced them.

Before the girl came to the house, Sayaka would have been quick to order the maids to get tea for Makiko because she was afraid that her sister-in-law would badmouth her before her mother-in-law.

But now, she did not even bother to get up from her seat where she was scrolling on her tablet like a teenage girl.

Sayaka was not bothered as she continued reading on the advances in the art industry. She had regressed a lot as a painter, so she was interested in recapturing the glow.

As for Makiko, there was no need to treat her like a goddess.

After that conversation with Akira, she realised that the more she treated ungrateful people well, the more they took her for granted. They acted worse with each incident and thought it was their right to be honoured by her.

She might still give in to her mother-in-law. However, Makiko was in the same generation. Besides, she was younger than Daiki. She was not worthy of being served personally by her elder sister-in-law.

These thoughts liberated Sayaka.

Makiko gritted her teeth when she realised that no one in the family was taking her seriously. Her nephew did not even bother to greet her.

This Akira…

Makiko blamed it all on Akira. Since her arrival, she could not keep a hold on Sayaka. And if she could not instil respect in Sayaka, her brother would not care about her.

She needed to get rid of the wretched girl before things fell apart completely.

However, she would make this fake niece suffer first.

"Akira, I am here to fulfil the bet between us. As you can see, I brought a qualified appraiser." She paused. "This is Master Matsumoto from the Institute of Classical Music. He specialises in vintage musical instruments. He is only here as a favour to me."

The three people could not be completely rude to a real guest, even though he was with the annoying woman. But they were still not overly polite as they greeted him. Master Matsumoto also nodded perfunctorily with the bearing of a master.

"My niece, shall we proceed to the music room?" Makiko said derisively.

Akira nodded before standing up. The other three members of the family also stood up in solidarity with her. They were not sure if Akira would win, but they did not want her to be oppressed by her aunt.

Makiko looked at the scene and laughed with deliberate ridicule.

"I am not going to swallow her up. She claimed to own one of the most expensive musical instruments in the world. I am merely trying to teach her a lesson. She should not lie at a young age, or she will have bad karma when she is older." She spat out.

"Are you cursing my daughter, Makiko?" Daiki asked coldly.

Makiko shrunk back a little.

She did not like her brother, but she was a little afraid of him, especially when she thought about how he would probably be in control of the family in a few years.

The reason she always sowed discord was to keep her mother on her side. With the old woman in her corner, she could get more benefits for the Satou family. She could not retain the Yamazaki name, so she wanted to help the Satou family to rise a little more.

Of course, it would be best if she could have her children take over the Yama Electronics Corporation. However, with Daiki at the helm, she knew that he would see any trick she played in the company from afar.

As long as he was the next patriarch and chairman, she had to give in to him, no matter how much she wanted to tell him to stick it.

"I am her aunt. I am merely teaching her good morals." She responded in a less overbearing voice.

"My daughter does not need a teacher. And if she did, it would not be your turn." Daiki said with the momentum of a powerful CEO.

Once again, Daiki had been liberated by his wife's attitude. He remained silent when Makiko behaved outrageously because Sayaka told him that peace was crucial in the family.

As Elder Yamazaki had said before, Daiki did not practice good sense when it came to his wife. He would listen to whatever she wanted and indulge her, even when it was wrong.

Now that Sayaka did not care about pleasing Makiko anymore, he could suppress her directly. In any case, they had never gotten along with each other since their teenage years.

The tension rose in the room. However, Akira did not seem to care as she stepped out and led everyone to the music room.

Makiko scoffed a little at the casual attitude. Even to the final moment, the girl was still pretending. It would be fun to see her shamed and embarrassed.

Suddenly, an ugly thought arose in her mind. If Akira was destroyed, would it give her an opening to gain a real foothold in the Yamazaki business?

Even though Akira had returned for just two weeks, she seemed to be the core of the family. Perhaps, her complete and utter humiliation would bring the family to their knees just like it did before when she originally went missing.

No one knew the dark thoughts swirling in Makiko's mind. Their eyes watched as Akira fetched a violin case from the corner of the music room where she had left it the previous evening. She placed the case on the black piano in the room and opened the case.

Master Matsumoto stepped forward and lifted the instrument. He looked at the violin up and down with the strictness of a master. He squinted and frowned at the appropriate moments. He sighed and hummed as he examined it.

The people in the room were all tense and worried. Only Akira and Makiko remained calm and unaffected by the process.

After a good twenty minutes, Master Matsumoto placed the violin back into the case. He shook his head and sighed heavily.

"This Stradivarius is a fake."