The reason why Quinn took off her mask was because the woman in front of her was Charlie’s university friend. She felt that she should have the basic courtesy and respect in front of Charlie’s university friend no matter whether she positioned herself as Charlie’s friend or fiancée for the past twenty years. Therefore, she decided to take off her face mask.However, this move scared Loreen to the point that she was so shocked and could not even move at all!She stared at Quinn’s beautiful and familiar face, and she was so shocked that she was at a loss for words.The woman standing in front of her was truly the hottest and most popular female celebrity in Oskia, Quinn Golding!Quinn was the superstar who had not only conquered the national audience, but she had also conquered Hollywood!Moreover, most people did not know about Quinn’s true identity. They did not know that she was actually the daughter of the chairman of the Golding Group. However, since Loreen was also the eldes
In fact, Loreen was also a big fan of Quinn, just like Claire. If Charlie was not here, she would have already rushed over to take a picture with Quinn.So, Loreen could not help but ask tentatively, “Charlie, how did you get to know Miss Golding?”Charlie had not figured out how to answer Loreen’s question yet.If he said that Quinn was just one of his Feng Shui customers, it would clearly be unreasonable, and it would not make sense for Charlie to come and ice skate at Herrolls Bay hand-in-hand with Quinn.However, if he said that he had already known Quinn since they were young, he would have to reveal his own identity.After all, in Loreen’s eyes, he was just an orphan who had been living in the Aurous Hill Welfare Institute all this time.How could an orphan like him, who had been living in Aurous Hill all this while, actually know the eldest young lady of the Golding family from Eastcliff? This was completely unreasonable and did not make any sense at all.So, Charlie felt
Loreen had originally felt that Charlie’s rhetorical explanation could barely make the cut. However, there were still certain things that made her feel that something was not right at all.Nevertheless, Charlie’s self-deprecation instantly swept away all the remaining doubts that Loreen had in her heart.She thought of the time when Charlie was despised and looked down upon by everyone else when they were still in university. Even some of their classmates who came from the same background as him had also bullied him wantonly.Charlie had never held it against anyone, let alone bother to argue or fight back against anyone else at all. He acted as though everything had nothing to do with him at all.Based on Charlie’s character, it was definitely impossible for Charlie to tell people about the fact that he knew Quinn personally.Moreover, even if he were to tell people about it, no one would have believed him anyway.As she thought about this, Loreen was suddenly filled with admira
When Charlie saw that Loreen already believed his words, he said, “Loreen, it’s already getting late. We will leave first. I will see you at the airport tomorrow.”Loreen nodded slightly. At this time, she suddenly recalled something, and she hurriedly said, “By the way, Charlie, you’ve saved me once again!”Charlie smiled as he said, “The person that I saved was not you. I saved the young girl. If she really crashed into you just now, you would not have suffered any serious injuries. However, the situation would have been very dangerous for the young girl.”Loreen pouted as she stubbornly said, “No matter what it is, I still have to thank you!”Charlie smiled helplessly as he said, “Okay, we will leave first. I will not be so polite to you anymore. Remember not to tell Claire about this matter first.”Loreen nodded as she said, “Okay. Don’t worry. I will not breathe a word about this matter to anyone else. It is indeed getting late. Both of us will also leave now.”Loreen and he
Charlie was not overly wary of Stephen, because based on his observation, he could tell that Stephen had no ill will toward him. In fact, it was all thanks to Stephen’s secret protection that he was able to grow up safely in Aurous Hill. Stephen had had the chance to harm him. If he had indeed held evil intentions toward him, he would have done it the first time he had a chance to, but he hadn’t.Therefore, Charlie had absolute trust in Stephen. He was also one of the few people that Charlie trusted. Thus, he was going to contact Stephen for a meetup to learn some details about the past.At this moment, Stephen was at the Wade Organization.In the executive conference room of the company, all the members of the Wade family were gathered there for the family meeting.The one who chaired the meeting was Jeremiah Wade, Charlie’s grandfather, and also the patriarch of the Wade family.Nearly twenty of the Wade family members were sitting rigidly upright in the conference room.At t
Upon hearing Jeremiah’s remarks, all the Wade family members looked at each other in bewilderment, feeling as though he was talking about a fairytale rather than a statement.By comparison, the Schulz family’s net worth was about 20% higher than the Wade family, which wasn’t very significant at first glance.However, because the actual amount of net worth of these two families was so large, the 20% difference in monetary value was incredibly huge.If the Wade family wanted to overtake the Schulz family, their assets would have to increase by at least several hundred billion.The Schulz family was already stronger than the Wade family in terms of volume, and naturally, they were growing faster than the Wade family. Consequently, the Schulz family was slowly widening the gap with the Wade family.It was not only difficult to rise against the current and catch up with the Schulz family, but it almost sounded like a fantasy.Jeremiah looked at the silent crowd and sighed. “Twenty ye
As soon as Jeremiah said this, the entire audience gaped in astonishment!Curtis’s son... wasn’t that Charlie?!In reality, back when Jeremiah had asked Stephen to purchase the Emgrand Group in Aurous Hill and give it to Charlie, even extending an invitation to welcome Charlie back to the family, everyone knew that Charlie was still alive.Apart from Jeremiah, everyone else was very wary of Charlie and even repelled him, fearing that he would return to Eastcliff and compete with them for the Wade family’s inheritance and power.Fortunately, Charlie had refused Stephen’s request and did not return to the Wade family, so everyone had been relieved and gradually put their guards down.However, even if Charlie decided not to return, everyone was still very agitated by the fact that Jeremiah had spent hundreds of billions on buying him the Emgrand Group.Although the Wade family’s assets exceeded a trillion dollars, they were a very large family.Jeremiah had four sons and two daught
Even Jeremiah was dumbfounded.Stephen started in a cold voice, “I’ve never thought about getting Mr. Charlie back to Eastcliff. I’m just telling you objectively that Mr. Charlie is no less inferior to his father, who was so influential in Eastcliff back in those days. As for the marriage arrangement, it was Lord Wade who proposed it, not me!”“Moreover, calm down. I can assure you that Mr. Charlie has no intention of coming back at all. With my understanding of him, even if I kneel and beg him, he will not come back, let alone abandon his wife to marry the Schulz family’s descendant!”Everyone heaved a sigh of relief upon hearing that.He didn’t want to come back? That would be awesome!Jeremiah’s eyes narrowed. After pondering for a while, he said seriously, “Actually, I think if Charlie comes back, he might really succeed in marrying Sophie.”“Impossible!” Clayton blurted, “The Schulz family is so prestigious and prominent, they might not even be interested in Felix, who is so
The other antique traders who were keeping tabs on the situation were left confused by Trippy's message.[Maybe even those out-of-towners know that Raymond is a sucker? So they traveled overnight just to see what happens?][I know Raymond is in trouble, but is it really worth traveling hundreds of miles just to watch?][Maybe they know he's a sucker, so they came to sell him more counterfeits?][Shit, that must be it! Suckers are rare these days, after all!][Damn straight! Just knowing that there's one in Aurous Hill, you'd be eager to come over.]Even Mick Crane who had just woken up and saw the message immediately sent a voice message: "Those conmen are just like flies flocking around shit as soon as they smell it.""Oh, but what they don't know is that Raymond has no more money! I heard he only had a few hundred thousand for the startup, and the bronze sculpture must have cost most of it. I'm afraid those people won't even get their gas money and toll costs back after travel
Trippy rolled his eyes as he texted back: [Hell no. I need to start my business instead of wasting my time. You morons can come get a number yourself if you like. Haha!]Still, Trippy had just sent his text when a trio arrived in a hurry outside Treasure Measure.Seeing that the doors were closed, the leader asked Trippy, "Excuse me, can I ask if this is Treasure Measure? Owned by a man named Mr. Cole?"Trippy was at once surprised. "You mean Raymond Cole?"The leader quickly said, "We don't know his first name, only that his last name is Cole, and his handle name was Treasure Measure's Mr. Cole."Trippy chuckled. "That'd be him. Has to be, since he hand wrote that shop sign."Pausing, he then asked in curiosity, "So, you've come to see him being a sucker?"The leader was naturally curious as to what Trippy was talking about. However, he was also reluctant to reveal why he had come since there was a killer bargain at stake. In fact, every other collector who was coming was k
Raymond also added that the 20 million price tag wouldn't be cut or increased. To put it simply, the bronze sculpture was right there in Aurous Hill and waiting—it was a race.Hence, many reputable collectors contacted expert appraisers throughout the night, some even booking night flights straight to Aurous Hill.The best amongst them was a fanatic collector of bronze items in Eastcliff.Following a brief exchange with Raymond online, he immediately called an expert who was also a close friend. As soon as his call was answered, he asked the other man if he had time to travel to Aurous Hill so that no one else would beat them to it—and they would drive out in the night if at all possible.After all, the earliest flight was at six in the morning, and it'd be eight by the time they made it to Aurous Hill Airport and nine by the time they got to Antique Street in a cab.Therefore, the ideal way to get there was by driving over six hundred miles at top speed, and that meant reaching A
While Jacob was feeling delighted after pulling off his con, Raymond had posted details of the bronze sculpture online.The website he was using was the biggest platform for antique collectors and the antique trade where each user could set a favorite tag in the antique category and era. If a user who preferred canvas art pieces of the Tudor dynasty set that label as their favorite, they would immediately be notified with text or desktop notifications in regards to any item with the same label.As medieval bronze sculptures were rare in the first place, most who were interested had already set that label on their favorites and were immediately notified soon after Raymond posted pictures of the bronze sculpture online.The collectors were naturally eager to check it out as gilded sculptures of the medieval era were really rare, and most collectors would go a lifetime without picking one up for their collection.On top of that, the seller had even listed a major flaw and was only ask
"Nope," Jacob chuckled. "We were both working separately and just happened to get back in at the same time."Then, he immediately became smug and excited, "Guess what, dear? I made 200 thousand out of the deal! In net profits!""For real?!" Elaine gaped. "200 thousand in just one night?! That's amazing! How did you do that?"Claire was surprised to hear that too, and she came over to ask, "What deal was it, Dad?"Jacob grinned, "Oh, it's nothing to brag about. It's just that I managed to pick up a nice antique item thanks to my wisdom and then sold it for 200 thousand."Pausing, he then sighed in dismay, "However, the buyer wasn't too rich—I would have squeezed him for 400 thousand, but he couldn't afford more, so I had to settle for less."Elaine quickly exclaimed, "Shit, we're talking about a loss of 200 thousand! People would work a year and still never earn that much…"She trailed off for a moment before asking, "By the way, dear—are we still flying out first thing tomorrow?
Jacob laughed. "Put that issue behind us? Sure, but we're not becoming friends. Hell, I can't even hold a grudge now that you're shit out of luck."Then, his tone changed sharply and suddenly became icy, "But you see, Aurous Hill is not a place you can stay just because you want to. No… After this, you're not going to be able to make a living in the antique trade.""If I were you, I'd be running a thousand miles away, far away from Aurous Hill where no one would know my face to start over. That way, you just might be able to make a living."Raymond simply kept smiling, "You need not be concerned about how I'm going to survive here, Mr. Wilson. I'd be very grateful if you'd cease any form of harassment once you leave my premises."Jacob pursed his lips, staring at Raymond in disappointment. "I'm plenty magnanimous, so I won't stoop to such pettiness. Just do whatever you like!"Clicking his tongue, he huffed, "Tut, tut… And here I'd thought you're tough, but you're just yet another
Raymond chuckled at the title, humble as ever, "The Duke of Wastage? Now, that's quite the royal title, and I don't think I deserve such an honor…"Trailing off, he then made an especially curious look, "By the way, how'd you know they were calling me that?"Seeing that he was still so ignorant, Jacob scoffed. "You bought a Renaissance-era bronze sculpture earlier, didn't you?"Raymond nodded. "I did. But technically, it's medieval and not Renaissance, along with a Renaissance-era base."Jacob clutched his stomach as he laughed, "Oh, please! Medieval? Hahaha… You're killing me, Mr. Cole!"Raymond kept a serious look on his face. "It's really medieval. Why don't you take a look?""No way," Jacob snorted, pursing his lips. "Anyway, word has already spread that someone was selling a counterfeit bronze sculpture to defraud Antique Street for some serious dough. He went first to Vintage Deluxe, but their manager, Mr. Crane, saw through it and didn't buy it… and then he came to you, an
That was why most of the collectors only knew that such an item existed but they did not know in whose possession it was.After registering a new account and paying the ten thousand registration fee, Raymond got in.It was very safe as it was anonymous, and he posted a photo of the bronze sculpture and an announcement with an asking price of twenty million.In his opinion, it wasn't that expensive—if it was still gilded, it would be worth around a hundred million. Without it, it was plenty reasonable to cut the price down to just thirty million.And Raymond was cutting another ten million off that, so twenty million was plenty reasonable.Moreover, medieval bronze sculptures were exceedingly rare, and less than one specimen showed up annually at times. Collectors who desired it would therefore be willing to break the bank for it, and that was why Raymond was sure that someone would put in an order once he posted it.As he wrote the summary of the item, someone knocked on his door
Jacob frowned in disdain. "Why would I be worried? He's no longer the manager of Vintage Deluxe, and he just lost a shit ton of money for messing up his appraisal. I am also the vice president of the Calligraphy and Painting Association, so why would I be worried about some loser who will soon be kicked out of Antique Street?"Straightening his collar, he snorted coldly, "I am now going to see Raymond Cole and humiliate him face-to-face! He thinks he's impressive, doesn't he? Let's see how he will keep up that facade!"Zachary chuckled, "Yes, exactly! People like him need to be given a slap in the face! As hard as you can! Don't worry—I'll be right behind you. If he gets physical, I'll rush in to help. If he doesn't dare to start a fight, you just insult him as much as possible!""Good plan!" Jacob nodded since he was concerned that Raymond might get physical when pushed too far.And with his body, there was no way he could beat anyone…Spreading his arms, he exclaimed, "Come! I'l