Assuming that Charlie was simply joking, Claire didn’t take it seriously. She walked aside and dialed Doris’s number.Soon, the call was answered.Doris’s sweet and pleasing voice resonated from the other end of the line. “Hello, Miss Wilson.”“Hi, Miss Young. I have a favor to ask from you,” Claire said timidly.“Okay, what is it?” Doris replied.Claire rehearsed the sentence in her head once again, taking a deep breath before she said determinedly, “May I know if the chairman is available tomorrow night? My family will be organizing a banquet tomorrow to officially announce our collaboration with Emgrand Group. I hope that the chairman would kindly accept my invitation…”There was silence at the other end of the line before Doris spoke again, “Miss Wilson, I’m sorry but I cannot make the decision on behalf of my chairman. Or, perhaps I could ask him for you, would that be alright?”Claire said respectfully, “Thank you, sorry for the trouble caused.”After the call was ended,
Claire’s heart was still thumping excitedly when she exited Wilson Group’s office.Grandma would officially announce her new position tomorrow. Finally, she could hold her head up high!She turned to Charlie and said gleefully, “Charlie, thank you! If it’s not for your encouragement, I wouldn’t have dared to step up and take the challenge.”Charlie replied with a smile, “Dear, you deserve this.”He turned his head away, then turned back to her and said, “Oh yes, it’s such a great and happy event. Let’s celebrate, shall we?”Claire nodded. “How do you want to do it?”“Our third anniversary is around the corner, let’s celebrate it together! I’ll prepare everything, you just have to sit back and relax.”Claire gaped in surprise. “Are you going to surprise me?”“Yes!” Charlie nodded and laughed. “I’m giving you a surprise!”Claire felt a dash of warmth surging her heart. “Okay, I won’t ask you for any details then.”“You don’t have to, just wait!”Charlie had several plans linin
Jane was taken aback by such an extravagant appearance, wondering to herself if these guys were here for him.She dismissed that thought very quickly!Impossible! The poor loser wouldn’t know anyone so powerful.Stephen got out from the third car and strode into Emerald Court. Jane quickly got up to greet him, but he ignored her completely and went straight to Charlie.“Young Master, I’m here with the money.”Then, Stephen gestured with his hand. The studly bodyguards walked into the store, placed the suitcase on the floor, and opened it.It was full of cash to the brink!Everyone gaped in extreme shock!D*mn it!The loser…oh no! What the guy had said was actually true!Oh d*mn! Who was he!Many people took their phones out, trying to take a picture or record a video. They wouldn’t want to miss such a shocking scene.Stephen’s bodyguards immediately cleared the scene and pushed them out of the store. All they managed to snap was the back of Charlie’s head.Charlie pointed
Charlie didn’t return home right away after leaving Emerald Court.He wanted to give his wife a full package of surprise during their wedding anniversary celebration.The surprise was not limited to the precious jade necklace—he wanted to make up for his wife a romantic wedding.As he recalled the earlier days, Charlie and Claire rushed to register their marriage under the request of Lord Wilson, Claire’s grandfather, and they didn’t manage to hold a wedding.Lord Wilson had intended to select a date for a lavish wedding, but not long after they got married, he was seriously ill and was admitted to the hospital. Hence, the wedding had to be delayed.Later, Lord Wilson passed away. Charlie was totally ignored by the Wilson family, so the wedding plan was flushed down the drain.However, it was different now. He was rich, so he could and must give his wife a wedding!The first venue that popped right up his head when he thought of the wedding was Shangri-La’s Sky Garden!Shangri-
Sabrina crossed her arms in front of her chest and said in a pompous tone, “Yeah, I despise you, so what? Can’t you bear some criticism now, you loser?”“Everyone in college knows that you married Claire and became their live-in son-in-law after graduation! A miserable loser who couldn’t even afford a decent meal in college and a toyboy after graduation! How dare you come looking for my help being such a big loser as you are? Who do you think you are?”A rage of fury was slowly burning inside Charlie.One would not attack unless attacked first. Sabrina was going too far this time!Right at this moment, he received a text message from Stephen. “Young Master, the Wade family owns Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts. The Shangri-La of Aurous Hill is just one of our many Shangri-Las throughout the world.”Charlie’s pupil shrank in astonishment!Did he just say that the Wade family owned Shangri-Las?He responded reflexively, “You’re not bluffing, are you?”“Of course not. The person in c
Sabrina hurriedly put on a coy smile and said to Charlie in a flattering voice, “Class rep, welcome to Shangri-La. It’s our honor for you to visit us and it’s also my pleasure as your former collegemate. Please come in…”She assumed that her compliments and gentle tone would make Charlie forget her rude behavior towards him earlier.Unfortunately for her, Charlie was not as kind as she thought he was.Isaac gaped in surprise when he heard Sabrina’s remark and quickly asked, “Lee, you’re Mr. Wade’s college mate?”“Yes, yes!” Sabrina said frantically, “Mr. Wade was my class rep when we were in college, we’re quite close!”Isaac announced instantly, “Go to the president’s office tomorrow. You’ll be the HR manager of Shangri-La!”In Shangri-La, the promotion from team leader to HR manager was at least a three-tier difference in ranking. Not only would her salary and welfare package increase by tenfold, but she would also control the manpower of most employees in the hotel. The HR man
Claire and her family went to Kempinski for dinner while Wendell was sulking at home.He saw the post from Emgrand Group’s official page, feeling very depressed and dejected.He thought that it would be absolutely impossible for Claire to win the contract, but unexpectedly, it had only taken her half an hour to score a sixty million dollar contract. Recalling his harsh and scornful remarks at her place yesterday, he was extremely embarrassed as the remarks came back as a slap in his face!Right at this moment, Harold called to whine about his situation. He said as soon as the call was answered, “Hey, Wendell, what the h*ll! I earnestly created opportunities for you to pursue my cousin, but you turned your back on me and helped her to win the Emgrand contract. How could you do this to me?”Wendell shook his head in disdain. ‘What the heck? I didn’t do anything!’Harold asked again, “Wendell, be honest with me. Did you sleep with my cousin?”At the same time, Wendell was too embarr
“Who do you think you are, then?”Wendell looked askance at Charlie as he said coldly, “You are nothing but a loser, you can’t even watch your wife stray around. It’s such a waste for Claire to be with you, why don’t you let her go for her to be with me? I can give her whatever she wants!”A layer of ice hovered beneath Charlie’s face. He started with a cold and deep voice, “I’ll give you two choices. One, apologize to Claire and take back everything you said in front of everyone or two, I’ll make your family’s company go bankrupt. Decide now.”“Hahaha! Are you kidding me? Who the heck do you think you are to make my family go bankrupt?”Wendell laughed out loud as he shot a contemptuous glare at Charlie. Obviously, he did not take Charlie seriously.“Are you out of your mind, you crazy piece of sh*t? Are you daydreaming? Do you have any idea what our company’s net worth is? What can you do to make us bankrupt? Haha!”Charlie wore an inexpressive expression on his face while look
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
Zachary then said, "By the way, I have some friends who have a lot of stock. How much capital do you have, Mr. Cole? I'll check if they have stuff that suits you, and you can partner with them."When Zachary asked how much capital, he was basically asking Raymond how much he would invest in his own business and how much he could spend on taking new stock as he was buying.As such, Raymond replied modestly, "I've been chasing my tail for a while, so I didn't earn more than a few hundred thousand. I definitely would have no issue taking items with rebates, but I'm afraid I can't afford premiums.""Alright!" Zachary nodded, having discerned the scale of Zachary's capital."I'll check on what's available and see if we can get a few personal deals."Raymond nodded. "Thank you, Zachary!"Zachary smiled, shaking his head. "Mr. Crane, please buy another fruit basket for Mr. Cole—I'll pay you later."Mick quickly said, "Oh, you don't have to, Mr. Evans! It's my pleasure, no worries!"Zach
With the last stroke, Raymond got on a ladder to reach the old signboard, pasting the banner over the old shop sign.Then, he added a notice by the entrance: We buy all antiques and measure all treasures.As soon as the makeshift sign and notice were up, Mick was the first to arrive with a fruit basket to celebrate the occasion.The instant they met, he greeted Raymond warmly, "Ah, Mr. Cole! You sure are efficient—you just came back yesterday evening, and you're already setting up shop today at noon!"Raymond smiled, "Doing a small business by myself is naturally much quicker."Mick shook his head disapprovingly as he put the fruit basket by the door, "Now, now. Don't be a stranger, Mr. Cole—almost everyone in Antique Street is a friend, but you didn't tell the gang when you opened the shop! It'd hype things up when everyone comes bringing you gifts!"Raymond quickly shook his head. "Thanks for the suggestion, but I don't know if this humble trade will last. It's better to keep m
To not lose three months' worth of rent on top of that, Donald called over the owner at top speed while getting some of the friends in the antique trade to appraise what merchandise he had left.Taking losses had always been the hardest pill to swallow, but once the decision was made, there really was nothing that couldn't be given up.The owner was plenty pleased as well since that meant someone was picking up on his rental. He promptly had Donald sign the agreement transferring the last three months for the rental to Raymond while signing a new rental contract with Raymond.Raymond didn't have to pay up immediately either—he just had to start paying rent to the owner once Donald's three-month rent was up.Once the agreement was signed, every stall owner as well as owners of businesses resembling the Pearl House swarmed the premises.After all, they loved to take stock from people in the same line of business. Once a business owner decided to close shop, they wouldn't be bothered
If Donald had to maintain his business under such circumstances, the next three months would be even worse.Hence, instead of doing that, he really wanted to stop this business altogether.As for what remaining merchandise, he'd just get some fellow in the same business to take them off his hands at a lower cost while he gained his freedom sooner.Hence, he stopped Raymond, "Wait, my friend! Let's talk about this… if the hundred fifty grand transfer fee is too much for you, why don't I cut it down even more—say, a hundred grand instead?"Raymond turned and told him solemnly, "I'm not paying a transfer fee at all."Frustrated, Donald blurted, "At least give me ten grand for my troubles! My shop is good—you'd definitely make bank once you take it off my hands!"Raymond thought about it and eventually said, "How about this—if you can clear up the place by the end of the day, I will pay you five grand on top of the forty five grand that is your remaining rent, but not one cent more."
The reasoning was simple too—with businesses failing, most shops were losing money.With months left on Donald's rental contract, all he could do now was keep his business afloat while attempting to transfer the rental to someone else. At the same time, he must be prepared for the situation where no one would rent it from him, and he must honor his contract to the very last second.With the losses he had sustained up until the contract expires, he definitely wouldn't extend it. That meant packing up to leave while returning everything to the owner to claim the deposit that the owner was holding.Even now that he was asking for a transfer fee, his mindset was to get whatever he could get. By the last month, Donald would naturally give up on such pipe dreams regardless.Still, when Raymond saw the lack of merchandise in the shop, he could tell Donald's business was at its final stretch. What little he sold would serve to recuperate his losses, and there was no chance in hell he would