"So you're telling me this is a forgery?" Jayden's voice cut through the quiet hum of the dining room, sharp and laced with a disbelief that bordered on desperation. He stared at the papers laid out before him, his fingers twitching with a sudden, restless tension.
"I never said that, Jay." Arjoona leaned back slightly, his expression an impenetrable mask of absolute calm, though his guarded tone betrayed the careful calculation behind his words. "For all we know, Vanderbilt could have acquired it from an entirely different source."
Despite the reasoned explanation, Arjoona's unreadable face did nothing to soothe the rising knot of anxiety tightening in Jayden's chest. Jayden leaned forward, his brows knitting tightly as his dark eyes locked onto his longtime friend, searching for any hidden truth behind that composed facade.
