Dylan said in frustration, “Argh, if I had known that, I would have pursued her when we were studying abroad…”Sylvia asked, “Then why didn’t you?”Dylan sighed and said, “At that time, I thought that the foreign girls were better, so all the girls I went after were foreign girls in those years abroad.”Then, he remembered something and quickly asked, “Mom, I guess Jasmine doesn’t have a good impression of me after this humiliating incident. What should I do?”Sylvia sighed and said, “Well, you’d better think of something to see how to bounce back and redeem yourself. Anyway, it takes time to tackle a girl’s heart and there’s no guarantee of immediate success, you have to be prepared for a protracted battle.”Dylan said, “The doctor told me that I may have to be bedridden for fifteen days after the surgery, which means I will not be able to go to Aurous Hill for a while…”Sylvia chided, “So what? It’s just fifteen days, while Jasmine’s been single for twenty-six years!”Upon hea
The relationship between the prestigious families of Eastcliff was very intricate. Noble intermarriage was a common practice between these families, similar to the royal intermarriage where members of the ruling dynasties married into other reigning families.After all, every family had both male and female offspring, and when they reached the marriageable age, they were bound to look for suitable spouses. Since it was impossible for them to choose a spouse from ordinary families, their only options were the descendants among the prestigious families.It could be said that all of these prestigious families were more or less related by marriage between each other. In fact, some families that had many offspring would extend their intermarriage practice to the large network of other prominent families.In Europe, royal intermarriage was very common among monarchies where their kings and queens were related to each other, and this was because the royal families throughout Europe were
After a series of inspections and examinations, the doctor concluded that Dylan’s grandmother had indeed injured her tailbone and needed at least a week of bed rest.Because the old lady was in extreme pain, the doctor gave her a numbing injection and a painkiller injection.Dylan followed his mother to his grandmother’s ward, embarrassed.As soon as he entered the ward, his father Leonard quickly walked up and slapped him across the face with all his force, and chided loudly, “You hopeless b*stard! You’re beyond redemption! Luckily your grandmother hasn’t injured herself badly, or I’d f*cking kill you otherwise!”Dylan had never been punished since young. His father’s abrupt slap made him dumbfounded and aggrieved.His grandmother was a little heartbroken to see his grandson being slapped, so she said, “Leonard, that’s enough. Dylan is still young, it’s normal for the youngsters to behave like this although it isn’t glorious.”Lord Koch was not as magnanimous as his wife. He gla
It was only after the surgery that the ruby necklace was finally removed from the miserable Dylan’s intestines.What awaited him was fifteen days of absolute bed rest, so he had to lie down in the VIP room of his family’s hospital like a mummy.As the continuous usage of the patient-controlled epidural analgesia pump could cause damage to the body, the pump was removed at the second of his surgery, which was followed by the constant pain as he wiggled on the bed in an excruciating grimace.The more intense the pain was, the more intense the hatred he had toward Charlie.He couldn’t wait to recover quickly and then make his way to Aurous Hill to settle the score with Charlie. It would be best to cut him into a million pieces to restore his tarnished reputation as the third young master of the Koch family.Charlie, on the other hand, couldn’t care less about him.Claire’s high school friend was getting married over the weekend. Since he had promised his wife that he would borrow th
Claire said a little anxiously, “I’m afraid that I’m not good at driving these cars. Their engines are extremely powerful, so I fear I’ll lose control and subsequently cause an accident. It would be troublesome if I scratch their cars.”Charlie said with a gentle smile, “Don’t worry, dear. Don’t put too much burden on yourself, just think of them as our own cars.”Claire uttered, “You’d better teach me how to drive these cars, which button does what, and so on.”Charlie nodded. “Alright, come, I’ll teach you how to drive this Bugatti.”At this moment, a brand new Bentley Continental cruised into the Thompson First villa complex.The one behind the wheel was Harold, who was dressed in a smart suit that didn’t match his grisly face.Sitting in the front passenger seat was his father, Christopher.In the back row sat Lady Wilson and Wendy.Recently, the money that the Webb family had promised them had been transferred into the Wilson family’s account. They had used the money to re
Lady Wilson had always despised Charlie and his family.When she had begged them to return to the family, they refused to the very end. Now that she had obtained a huge investment from the Webb family, she didn’t need to take them seriously at all.Besides, she felt that Charlie and the family were simply appearing strong outwardly while they were actually weak inwardly.Although they lived in the luxurious Thompson First villa, that was all they had.Charlie and Jacob had no jobs and no income, simply lingering around the house all day.Claire owned an office, but the scale of her business was very small and the revenue generated from her own business seemed scarce at the moment.Hence, Lady Wilson was convinced that despite them living in the Thompson First villa, it was because they were barely able to afford to live in it, but realistically speaking, they were not as rich as she currently was.Previously, when she needed their support and begged them to return to the family,
Elaine was lying on the bed, watching a drama on her phone. She was bored to tears since she couldn’t go anywhere due to her injury, hence, she spent her time watching dramas.When the drama was at the peak of its plot, the loud and ear-deafening honk echoed continuously from outside her house which irritated her to the extreme. She stomped to the balcony to have a look and saw a brand new Bentley parked in front of her house. The annoying honking came from the same car.Elaine shouted angrily, “Hey, who the f*ck are you? Are you f*cking crazy? Why are you honking in front of my house?”Christopher saw Elaine standing on the balcony yelling expletives through the car window. He grinned and said, “Look, Mom, the shrew is out cursing!”“Haha!” Lady Wilson was overjoyed by Elaine’s reaction and said, “That shrew loves money the most, and if she knows that we are getting back on track, she’ll be so pissed off and jealous. I’ll create an illusion inside her head that I’m willing to acce
Upon hearing Lady Wilson’s words, Elaine was taken aback and upset.Did someone really invest in the Wilson family? Was he or she crazy?Among the lousy few that were left in the Wilson family, who could they bring to the table? It was absolutely impossible that these people could get Wilson Group back on track! Investing in their company would be like throwing money down the drain!Thinking of this, Elaine immediately sneered. “Hey, old bat, please drop your pathetic act in front of me. Based on what I know about you and your lousy family members, even if Wilson Group reopens, it will definitely go bankrupt again in a few days. Just look at what you have left in the feeble family of yours! What can you expect from Harold the loser anyway? You should be thankful if he doesn’t spend all your money!”Elaine’s remarks also hit Lady Wilson’s sore spot.Although Donald Webb had invested in their company, it in no way meant that they would be able to be at ease in the future.After all
"Five hundred grand?"Mick chuckled. "Well, the sculpture looks Renaissance, and the craftsmanship as well as the material are all ideal. It would sell for up to two million in an auction, while established antique traders like us could offer up to a million. So, why the lowball?"Bill sighed. "I won't lie—it belonged to my old man, who just croaked this afternoon. But you see, he left a will stating that every antique in the house would be given to my brother… Since he's playing favorites, I thought I had to get something for myself.""That's why I quietly sneaked this baby out without anyone else knowing and am trying to sell it quickly to change my own circumstances. You don't have to tell me how many millions it's worth—I'm not that greedy. Give me five hundred grand, and it's yours."Mick shrugged as he shot back, "If it's as you say and your old man intended for your brother to have it, the fact that you sneaked it out here makes this theft. Do you think I'd buy stolen proper
It was half past six, and the skies were darkening when a figure hurried into Antique Street, heading straight toward the center—to Vintage Deluxe.Mick Crane, the manager, was holding the fort with some of his employees, and there were some guests window shopping there as well. As Mick asked the employees to assist the guests, he waited anxiously for Billy—Zachary's henchman.Nonetheless, a certain figure rushed inside within minutes, asking eagerly as he entered, "Is the manager in? Do you still buy antiques?""Yes, and yes!" Mick exclaimed as he approached Billy enthusiastically, asking, "May I ask what you're planning to sell?"Billy looked around before sneakily holding up a parcel wrapped in red cloth, carefully lifting a corner to reveal an edge so that Mick could see.Then, he promptly lowered the cloth again, whispering, "This is the good stuff. I'm just not sure if you have the money to buy it."Mick grinned. "What are you saying? If it's something Vintage Deluxe coul
Jacob chuckled. "Can't tell you right now. But I will once it's done.""Well, have you decided when we're going to Dubai?" Elaine quickly pressed.Jacob said, "I'd have to wait until tonight to see if this deal works, but we're leaving first thing tomorrow. I'll get the tickets first, and we will be staying at the Burj Al-Arab that I told you about. People are always saying how amazing it is on the internet every day, seeing how luxurious the seven-star hotel is, but I'll be the judge of that."Elaine was overjoyed to hear that. "That's amazing! And I was just thinking we can't go sooner! Go about your business, then. I'll pack our luggage right away."Jacob chuckled smugly. "Don't pack so much, though. Just stick to the necessities, since we can get the rest over there!""Alright!" Elaine exclaimed, beside herself in excitement. "Alright, you hurry up and get your thing done over there. I'll start packing now!"After hanging up, Elaine called Charlie, who was in Champs Elys Reso
As Zachary agreed to do a favor for Vintage Deluxe's Mick Crane in passing, he and Jacob agreed to meet up at 7pm at the car park by Antique Street.He first took Jacob back to the Calligraphy and Painting Association and called Billy, one of his boys whom he thought was smarter than the rest, giving him the gist of the plan and telling him to familiarize himself with the script.Then, he took the sculpture back to Heaven Springs and met up with Billy in office, telling Billy what to do in finer detail and making sure he committed everything to memory.Zachary's strength as a judge of character certainly proved itself—Billy had never done anything like this before, but he took to the plan like fish to water. He committed the script to memory soon enough, and he was flawless.Once he made sure that Billy was fine, Zachary called Mick.As soon as Mick answered, he immediately asked, "Hello, Mr. Evans. How is that thing we talked about going?"Zachary chuckled. All the arrangements
Zachary continued, "Why do you think casinos are always making a profit? It's exactly because no matter how unassuming a guest is the first time, they would be allowed to win a couple of hands, making a little profit.""And suddenly, they would think that they are the chosen one, destined to win against all odds and always come out triumphant! Once such radical, blind confidence hits them, every last bit of his money would be lost to the casino!""At that point, you can get anything from them—their house, their wife, their children… hell, they'd be willing to die if you'd just let them gamble again!"Turning toward Jacob with a grin, Zachary then asked, "So, with all the points I made and that sculpture you're holding… Do you still think Raymond wouldn't fall for it?"Jacob laughed out loud. "Oh, talk about a plan within a plan! No one would ever see it coming! Raymond Cole is so screwed!"Zachary smiled and nodded. "That's why there's no reason to rush—I'll arrange a man to get r
As soon as they drove out of the village, Jacob asked Zachary eagerly, "So, when do you think we should make our move? I can't wait!"Zachary didn't hesitate, "Let's do it today. It's better than waiting! I'll get someone reliable to bring this to Treasure Measure and get him interested. I'm sure that since he has just returned to Antique Street, he'll need a hot deal to generate hype and make himself known. That's why I'm sure he'll take this sculpture."Jacob nodded repeatedly as he chuckled. "I think so too. Today is definitely best since I'll be going to Dubai soon and probably leaving once I'm done with this. Once you get this settled by the end of today, I'll get tickets for the flight tomorrow!"Zachary grinned. "Don't worry, chief. We will definitely get it settled today…"He trailed off for a moment before continuing, "Still, you should be a little patient. We should do this in the evening—at the second just before Raymond Cole closes shop.""But why?" Jacob asked in curi
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,