Actually, Loreen could tell what was playing in Harold’s mind, and she wanted to protect herself from any unwanted scenarios, hence, she made up her mind not to drink with him tonight.Harold was bummed out after his request to drink was rejected, but he didn’t dare to express himself, so he said instead, “It’s okay, let’s just drink juice then.”Loreen nodded. “Thanks for being so considerate!”Meanwhile, a seemingly gracious young man sitting at the table next to them was staring at Loreen. He was attracted by her elegant temperament and aura after he saw her walking into the restaurant.‘The lady is so beautiful and extraordinary, she looks like a fairy descending to earth!’ thought the young man when he first laid eyes on Loreen.After observing their interaction for a while, he realized that the lady and the man were not a couple, so he decided to grab his chance to get to know the beautiful lady.He mustered enough courage before he stood up, walked towards their table, and
The young man felt light-headed and dizzy from the smash and almost collapsed to the floor.The diners around them were also shocked by the sudden commotion.Harold glared viciously at the young man whose head was drenched by his own blood and sneered, “Get lost, or I’ll break your leg!”The young man held the wound on his head and growled, “Alright, tough guy, wait and see!”Then, he ran out of the restaurant.Harold grinned disdainfully and said, “F*cking loser, who does he think he is to threaten me? I am Harold Wilson, f*cker!”Then, he put on a smug look as he said to Loreen, “There’s always these annoying bugs everywhere you go, don’t let him ruin our night. Come, let’s enjoy our dinner.”Loreen’s celebratory mood was totally destroyed after the disturbing moment. She simply nodded without a word.Throughout the dinner, Harold tried to lighten up the mood by striking conversations, but Loreen wasn’t entertained at all.In her opinion, Harold was nothing but an incapable
As Harold watched the steel pipe was aiming at him, he was so frightened and panicked that he almost wet himself.Suddenly, he grabbed Loreen’s hand and pushed her out towards the men then he ran towards his car, opened the door quickly, got in, and drove away without a second look at his back.Loreen screamed hastily as she was pushed towards the ferocious men, and she blew up when she looked at Harold running away like a scaredy-cat.Damn it! Harold Wilson was such a wuss and coward!After causing a scene, he had the nerve to push a lady forward as his shield in such a critical moment and escape by himself!He was the most disgusting scum in the world!The young man cursed out loud as Harold escaped.“Damn it, that f*cker! Left the lady here and ran! What a loser!”Then, he turned to Loreen and snarled coldly, “Beauty, call that bastard back, otherwise, you’re next!”Loreen blurted in a panic, “He and I, we’re just acquaintances, please don’t involve me in your affairs.”Th
Sharp and agonizing pain in her leg sent shocking waves throughout Loreen’s body. She was extremely desperate and in despair, tears kept streaming down her cheeks.The young man grinned slyly as he looked at her tearful yet beautiful face. He cleared his throat and shouted, “Get her in the car!”Someone’s voice echoed from the side, “Mr. Westbrook, when will you let us get a taste of the sweet lady?”The young man said coldly, “When I’m done with her, you can do whatever you like!”Then, he extended his arm and wanted to grab her into the car when there was an abrupt scream coming from behind the men!“Argh!”Suddenly, loud and painful screams violently resonated.The young man turned around angrily and shouted, “What’s wrong?”But when he lifted his head, he felt a sudden strong wind coming his way! Before he could dodge, he felt a sharp pain in his face, blood sprayed right in front of his eyes, his nose bridge snapped with a loud ‘crack’, and blood oozed out from his nose in
Charlie glanced at Loreen silently and thought, ‘You’ve always looked down on me, what’s the point of revealing myself? It will only give more trouble to both of us.’So, he decided best to keep it a secret.Likewise, he rescued her for the sake of his dear wife Claire, it’s not that he had a special treatment for her anyway.Seeing that the man didn’t say a word, Loreen understood that he didn’t want to reveal his identity, so she stopped her curious question.However, she was a woman with a masculine personality that refused to cling to men in any circumstances. She felt awkward and uncomfortable for not being able to express her gratitude after his help.When she wanted to ask again, a hoarse and cold voice echoed in her ears.“Take off your pants.”Loreen looked up in bewilderment. She suddenly felt ashamed and agitated when she saw the masked man was eyeing her from head to toe.She thought that she had escaped the tiger’s lair, but she fell right into the wolf den!Glanc
Clutching her leg, Loreen knew the man wasn’t bluffing as she saw blood leaking in between her fingers. But her mind was struggling when she thought about taking off her pants in front of a strange man.In the face of life and death, Loreen hesitated for a while and finally compromised to reality.She didn’t want to die, let alone became disabled.Loreen looked up at the masked man, her face was turning into an embarrassing shade of red, her heart was pounding violently, her whole body wiggled awkwardly.Finally, she said faintly, “Okay, thank you.”Charlie nodded at her compliance. He squatted down, grabbed her pants with both hands, and tore it forcefully.Loreen lowered her head and looked the other way, she sucked in a deep breath, her face was hot to touch, her heart almost escaped the ribcage due to the violent thumping.Charlie was as calm as the lake. Seeing that the stab wound was on her left leg, he put his index and middle fingers together, aimed at the acupoints, and
Who did this pebble belong to? Did it belong to the masked man? Did he drop the pebble by accident?Loreen clutched the pebble tightly as if she was holding a precious diamond.If she never saw him again, this stone would be the only thing he had left her.The ambulance took Loreen to the hospital. After a series of diagnosis, the doctor was genuinely surprised to find that her injuries were not serious, without knowing Charlie had attended to her wound previously.Judging from the stab wound on her leg, it would either rupture her hamstring or worse, damage her muscles and blood veins.However, other than the superficial wound, the veins and tendons inside were intact as if they were reconnected and much firmer than before.The doctor said, “Your wound will heal after a few days of rest. By the way, this is very incredible. Did you do something to the wound?”Loreen was thinking about the mysterious masked man, but she said, “No, I didn’t do anything.”The doctor exclaimed, “I
Harold felt like he was being hit behind his head, his brain was filled with nothing but jealousy. He couldn’t even touch Loreen’s hands yet but some strange guy came out of nowhere stripped her and touched her naked!The audacity!Harold couldn’t care less about how disappointed Loreen was in him, he gritted his teeth enviously and growled, “I don’t think the guy was there to save you at all! He just wanted to take advantage of you and harassed you!”As soon as Harold’s voice fell, everyone in the room turned to glance at Loreen.To be frank, they all shared the same thought.A beautiful and gorgeous woman lying without her pants on in front of a strange man and let him touched her for the sake of treatment. It couldn’t help but intrigue the people to imagine the hidden agenda in a lustful way.Loreen was so angry she was trembling furiously! She was extremely disappointed in Harold!Not only did he leave her there and run away by himself in the first place, but he was malici
Jacob was naturally gleeful that he could get the late medieval bronze sculpture along with its base. Right after he wired the agreed upon ninety-eight grand to Mr. Cardensky, he was already imagining how Raymond would buy it from him for several hundred grand.On the other hand, once Mr. Cardensky received the transfer, he saw the name on the account: Jacob Wilson.He was left perplexed—wasn't that man's last name Montague? Who was this Jacob Wilson?Still, he didn't worry about it too much since most antique hustlers preferred to work with anonymity and therefore, using a different name was perfectly normal.He then carefully wrapped up the bronze sculpture before passing it Jacob, asking politely, "Would you happen to have any other requests, Mr. Montague? I have plenty of other items here if you'd permit me to give an introduction."Jacob shook his head, "Just this sculpture will do. I'm not fully confident in your work either since this is our first deal, so I'm just trying i
Jacob asked, "Then, what would this sculpture be worth if it was genuine?"Mr. Cardensky thought about it. "Well, there are standards when it comes to Renaissance relics, but with something this exquisite, it'd definitely be auctionable for one or two million—and that's the conservative estimate.""How much would you sell it to me for?" Jacob then asked."Thirty percent of the market price," Mr. Cardensky quickly replied. "As I've said, the conservative estimate for this one is around one to two million, so we will set the price with the median estimate value at 1.5 million. And thirty percent means 450 grand."Jacob shook his head right away. "No, no, no… that's too expensive. What if I end up unable to sell it, on top of that?"In his mind, while he could barely accept that pricing, he still needed Raymond to be able to afford it if he wanted to swindle Raymond for twice the money.Mr. Cardensky quickly chuckled, "Oh, Mr. Montague—now you're being too serious. In this business,
"Okay!"Mr. Cardensky smiled and pointed at a nearby farmyard. "There's our workshop—the good stuff is all in there. Allow me to take you there!"The farmyard seemed uninteresting at first glance, but Mr. Cardensky soon led them to the stables and brushed off the straws covering the floor, revealing a plank laid flat on the ground.Mr. Cardensky then lifted it, revealing a passage below—they had dug a cellar into the ground beneath, with the stables as an entry point.As Jacob followed Mr. Cardensky down the cellar, he exclaimed in awe, "Your operation is definitely big, digging such a huge cellar!"Mr. Cardensky smiled humbly. "Anyone working in the business would have sustained their losses before. In the end, we're all folk of humble origins, starting out with raiding tombs or excavating artifacts. Just digging a cellar is really nothing."As they conversed, they cleared the stairs and arrived at the main hall.It was certainly a hall as it was around a hundred square meters,
Zachary nodded repeatedly. "Mr. Montague? Very well!""Yes!" Jacob grinned smugly. "Longer last names are simply better—it just sounds so authoritative."With that agreed upon, both men alighted, where the master was waiting nearby.Seeing them get off, he hurried over to them, smiling, "Please, follow me."Zachary looked around and huffed, "Honestly, Mr. Cardensky, isn't this way too far from the highway? The road is narrow and terrible, and I have to park my car all the way out here. Just coming here is taxing."Mr. Cardensky smiled in turn. "My friend, that's exactly why we picked this place. Do you remember seeing a couple of cars parked by the road, occupying half of it?""We arranged for them to be there. Anyone coming by car would have to slow down that way, buying time for us to see who they truly are. If it's cops, our watchers would quietly text us while we clean the house and bail."Zachary exclaimed in realization, "You boys really run a tight ship!""For sure," Mr.
After working in Antique Street for years, Zachary's connections and influence were naturally special. And yet, though he was acquainted with some of the more impressive individuals, he was not that close with them either.For example, the forgery masters who worked specifically to deceive experts only accepted jobs from major clients, usually antique traders high in social status and wealth.In contrast, they wouldn't ever be interested in frivolous people like Zachary. Even if he could reach them, they might not look at him twice.If one would describe them as the cartel boss, then Zachary would be a low-level enforcer, managing night joints or goofing off.But now, Zachary had turned over a new leaf—he worked under Don Albert, so one of those masters was pleasantly surprised when he called one of them, inviting him to his own workshop for a visit and further discussion.As such, Zachary picked up Jacob and went over to the master's hideout where the latter worked on his count
Zachary was naturally shrewd enough to read Jacob's intention.In reality, he wasn't offering to pay just because he wanted the profit. He merely wanted to get in Jacob's good graces. After all, wouldn't Jacob be even more grateful that he wasn't just helping his revenge but also helping him make money?As such, he didn't hesitate to tell Jacob, "Well, chief—since you'll be paying, I will make sure that you will get every cent of profit that you deserve."Jacob was grinning ear-to-ear, but he said, "Oh, you don't have to! If we really are making a profit, there's no way I would let your good work go unrewarded!"Spreading his arms, he continued generously, "How about this? I will pay the full cost while you get twenty percent of the net profit!"Zachary laughed. "Now, that can wait, chief. We need to pay as soon as we decide on the item we want, and there's no time for buyer's regret. But if Raymond doesn't take the bait, all that money will go down the drain, and whether we can s
Zachary chuckled and continued, "Well, I went to Antique Street and asked around. Turns out our mutual friend only brought a few hundred thousand grand with him. If he messes up and loses all his money, won't it be over for him?""He won't just be broke either—he'd be humiliated and forced to fuck off from Antique Street. You'd get even then!"Jacob was at once excited.Just yesterday, Claire and Charlie were warning him that assault meant doing time.As the vice president of the Calligraphy and Painting Association and the next presidential-hopeful, he would lose his place if he was charged with assault or being an accessory to a case.However, Zachary's plan was much better. Jacob wouldn't have to take responsibility, and the damage on Raymond would be even worse!In comparison, slapping Raymond meant nothing. Watching him go broke and get humiliated would really ease his heart!With that in mind, he promptly pressed Zachary, "Are you sure that prick will mess up?""I can't a
Jacob Wilson was in his office at the Calligraphy and Painting Association, planning his itinerary in Dubai.Still, he was immediately thrilled when Zachary told him that there was progress, and he quickly said, "Come see me at the Calligraphy and Painting Association. We'll talk in my office!""Alright!" Zachary agreed to it happily. "Just wait, Mr. Wilson. I'll be right there!"Jacob then quickly told him, "By the way, remember to address me as the vice president when you're here. Got it?"Zachary was naturally sharp enough to understand why, especially around other members of the Calligraphy and Painting Association.Smiling, he said, "Don't worry, chief. You can always be at ease when I'm on the job!"Once he hung up, he drove to the Calligraphy and Painting Association at top speed.There were just a dozen people around the dozens of work cubicles although Zachary was curious about the personal effects or office tools in the cubicles.After asking around, a staff member le
Then, Mick continued, "I won't lie—Moore Group's bean counters have been eager to get rid of Vintage Deluxe for a while now. It's only Miss Moore's insistence that keeps them at bay, even occasionally coming to check on how business is going. That means she holds sentiment for this place, but if she knows that Raymond is back and doing well, she might hire him again!"Zachary could laugh right then. After all, Mick was terrible at gathering information—he could worry about anyone taking his palace, but not Raymond. The man was fired because he had insulted Master Wade's father in-law, and Miss Moore was endlessly respectful—even obedient to Master Wade. There was no chance that she would hire Raymond back after what he had done, and Mick was just being paranoid.However, Zachary did not tell Mick that.As Mick was begging him to intervene and thus owing him big time, he would also be helping Jacob Wilson get even.Two birds with one stone, so why not?With that in mind, Zachar