When Charlie heard this, he was slightly astonished, and he asked, “Why haven’t you let her go even though it has already been nine days? Didn’t I say that I was only going to keep her here for seven days?”Albert was a little embarrassed as he said, “Master Wade, I felt that I should only let her go after obtaining your approval. I did not want to make the decision on my own…”Isaac exclaimed, “Albert, why haven’t you let her go yet?! Miss Carmen is very temperamental! If you did not let her go at the predetermined time, I am worried that she will turn around and take revenge on you, then!”Albert laughed slightly as he scratched his head and said, “That… well, I simply thought that Master Wade was in Japan for the past few days to save Miss Moore. After that, you had to suffer a little to come back by ship too. Therefore, I thought that Master Wade, you will certainly be very busy, and I didn’t want to call you to bother you about this matter first. I thought that I could just wai
“And you guys who are working for Charlie! You are not letting me go, right? I will surely settle the score with all of you, one by one when I get out!”“Do you really think that I, Carmen Wade, am someone that you can just toy with?! Hurry up and let me go now!!!”The more Carmen scolded and cursed, the more agitated she felt. At this time, she could not stop coughing. “Cough, cough, cough… Cough, cough, cough… If you refuse to let me go, I will turn around, throw all of you into the Yaak River, and feed you to the fishes there! I am going to kill each and every one of you one by one! I will kill you and make sure that you can never be reincarnated!”It was no wonder Carmen was acting so hysterically at this point. After all, she had been living in this kind of place where the lowest class population lived. Therefore, she was already on the verge of collapsing.Also, this place in Aurous Hill was located toward the south of the Yaak River. The weather was humid during winter, and
Carmen really did not want to continue living this kind of tough and difficult life anymore.If she truly had to wait until the Tomb Sweeping Festival before she could go home, that would be no different from taking her life, then.At this time, Jeremiah could not help but comfort her, “Carmen, just hold your temper in and wait patiently for a few more days. I will call Charlie if he is still unwilling to let you go, then.”Carmen was naturally filled with grievances at this time, but she did not dare to say anything anymore.She secretly thought to herself, “I understand everything clearly now. In my father’s eyes, Charlie is the most important person in the Wade family.”“After all, if he really marries Yule’s daughter, he will be the heir of the Golding family’s assets and properties worth trillions of dollars. That will certainly be of great help to the Wade family.”“Under this kind of situation, I am a daughter who is already married to someone else. So, how could I possibl
Albert was immediately very submissive as he said, “Master Wade, what are your instructions?”Charlie smiled as he said, “My aunt will need to continue staying in Aurous Hill for a few more days. During this period of time, I will need to trouble you to continue keeping an eye on her. Everything will remain the same as before.”Albert hurriedly asked, “Master Wade, when you say a few more days… how many days would it be exactly?”Charlie thought for a while before he laughed and said, “Let’s make it seven days, then! We should round it up to one week so that it will be easier to keep count! If these extra seven days do not work, that can only mean that my aunt’s temper is simply too terrible. If that is the case, we will have to give her a complete treatment course.”Albert laughed as he said, “Okay, Master Wade! I got it!”What Charlie was thinking at this time was, ‘Carmen, you are so self-opinionated and conceited just because you are the daughter of the Wade family. You were s
Carmen was finally completely subdued.Although she was still filled with hatred for Charlie in her heart, she did not dare to continue bargaining with Charlie after hearing his words.She had already realized that she would not be able to suppress Charlie’s character and behavioral style.Also, Aurous Hill was Charlie’s territory, and even Lord Wade was on Charlie’s side now. Therefore, she had no choice but to tolerate it.She truly could not afford to provoke him. Thus, she could only suppress all the dissatisfaction and anger in her heart as she earnestly replied, “Okay… I choose the first option…”Charlie nodded before he told Albert, “Albert, you heard it. You must ask your men to give her strict supervision over the next seven days. If there is any more screaming and yelling or scolding and cursing, you should let me know about it at first notice!”Albert hurriedly stood straight as he said out loud, “Master Wade, don’t worry! I will certainly order my men to monitor her
After all, an important prisoner such as Rosalie had escaped. The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department, the Japanese Self-Defense Forces, and all the citizens of Japan would certainly not be able to accept this fact.As soon as the call was connected, Nanako’s voice sounded immediately, “Charlie, you have already arrived in Aurous Hill, right?”Charlie smiled as he said, “That’s right. How did you know that?”Nanako smiled as she said, “I have been following the news in Aurous Hill, and I saw some media sharing the news that Miss Moore has already returned. Since Miss Moore has already returned to Aurous Hill, you should also be back in Aurous Hill.”“Yes.” Charlie smiled slightly as he said, “We arrived in the morning, and we immediately rushed to Moore Group as soon as we got back here. So, I did not have time to report our safety to you earlier. I am so sorry.”Nanako smiled as she said, “Charlie, you are being too polite. You had more important matters to deal with. You didn’t
When Nanako heard this, she asked in surprise, “Charlie, what kind of gift are you going to give him?”Charlie smiled and said, “I presume that he must be feeling very anxious and angry now because he cannot understand how Rosalie could disappear and get switched out with someone else, right?”Nanako replied, “That is indeed the case. My father said that man is under a lot of pressure at the moment because it is admittedly very difficult to lead and deal with this kind of critical task. The main reason is because the citizens’ expectations are certainly very high. If he does a good job, everyone will unquestionably be very happy. However, if he fails to do his job, it is very likely for him to suffer and face the citizens’ anger and rage.”Charlie agreed as he said, “Yes. This kind of matter is a double-edged sword. If it is not used well, the person will get hurt himself.”As he spoke, Charlie smiled as he said, “However, the gift that I am going to give him will help him turn thi
Charlie laughed as he said, “Didn’t you say that he used to work for the Homeland Security Bureau? As far as I know, homeland security is the most important for any country. Therefore, the people working in the Homeland Security Bureau certainly have a higher position compared to those in the military. You can ask him to ask his former colleagues or leader to help him. I believe that the Homeland Security Bureau will surely come forward to arrest the people in the Japanese Self-Defense Forces, and the Japanese Self-Defense Forces will not have the guts to interfere in this matter.”After pausing for a moment, Charlie said again, “After the officers from the Homeland Security Bureau arrests those men, they can hand those men over to the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department for questioning and interrogation. No matter how many people are arrested, they should be isolated, and each and every one of them should be interrogated separately! He will certainly be able to find a piece of key e
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
Mick inspected every video to see who was getting the most views, and he then paid out of his own pocket to use paid advertising to get the video viral.It cost five thousand and it hurt, but reaching the trending page was definitely worth it.Mick was quite shrewd too, making sure that the paid advertising was focused locally. After all, he knew all too well that five thousand didn't buy many clicks, and clicks from elsewhere might be too sporadic to gain any worthwhile attention.As he worked in Antique Street, he naturally had to come up with a plan to promote himself in this place, ideally presenting himself as a master appraiser.That way, his fame would slowly extend throughout the province and perhaps Eastern Oskia, and eventually the country.As such, focusing on Aurous Hill was the best idea.Moreover, he also had another idea—if Jasmine Moore happened to see this video, she would see him in a new light.When that happened, he could look forward to getting really rich!
Soon, the video of Mick's staged act was uploaded to the online group, and everyone eagerly watched it as soon as it was done uploading.Mick certainly set a new bar with his acting as none of them could see that it was an act.Moreover, everyone could see that the bronze sculpture looked like the real deal, and they might have been swindled if it were them.As such, they couldn't help being impressed as Mick had easily seen through Billy's con, and he was the definition of a pro in that video.No matter how Billy had packaged it, there was no tricking real experts like Mick Crane. Just a quick glance and he had seen through that it was a postmodern replica, matched with a base from the Renaissance era to misdirect and beguile.With that, many fellow antique dealers changed their opinion of Mick.After all, Vintage Deluxe's business had been declining after Mick took over as manager, and people were presuming that his skills were lacking.But now, they were all shown that he had
"Amazing, Mr. Crane!""It's Mr. Crane who shines through, in the end! His eyes see through everything!""I guess Miss Moore made the right choice firing Raymond and appointing Mr. Crane! Mr. Crane is infinitely better!"Mick was immediately thrilled to see them fawning over him, and he laughed, "You flatter me—I'm merely sharing my personal perspective on this. In this trade, anyone who knows would understand how hard it is to get the good stuff in this age of technology.""There are plenty of people who hold ulterior motives and change their tactics knowing that there are always those scheming to get their hands on vintage treasures, so they just have to make it. That is how they started making counterfeits of everything, from scrolls to sculptures to statues, each of them so real just to trick those fools who think they could get rich overnight!""Exactly!" Someone promptly agreed. "There's never a lack of any such fools, and I just happened to meet one. I had this piece of jade
In groups like these, any gossip would immediately spread like wildfire as people share everything here with their other circles.Within minutes of these people's good work, Antique Street was abuzz even as the skies darkened: one of the antique traders had been swindled for 300 thousand, and it was Raymond Cole—the former manager of the Vintage Deluxe at that!Some of them wondered when Raymond had actually returned while others were laughing.He was supposed to be the former manager of the Vintage Deluxe, but he had messed up as well? You had to be kidding!Many were dumbstruck too—how would Raymond survive in Antique Street after losing so much money? It had been so long since such a major scam had been pulled!As such, all the antique dealers were asking one question: how did Raymond Cole get fooled?Meanwhile, Mick didn't leak the security footage right away, instead sending his people out to spread the news in other channels, claiming that Raymond thought he had won big by
Mick had already clipped the security footage and was waiting for Zachary's word.He had checked the footage repeatedly as well and was only getting more impressed with his masterful acting by the second. He looked just like a maestro, and every detail he mentioned was flawless and showed experience.Zacahry even said that Raymond had truly slipped up with that bronze sculpture, leaving him endlessly thrilled.The proverbial missing piece of the puzzle was here!Hence, calling all the staff he trusted, he told them excitedly, "Spread the word right away—Raymond Cole slipped up, spending 300 thousand on a fake Renaissance-era bronze sculpture!"His staff had no idea of the conspiracy involved, only that Mick had said that someone had tried to sell a counterfeit bronze sculpture but he had seen through it right away and chased him away, only for Raymond to end up buying the fake bronze sculpture soon after.Someone asked, "Mr. Crane, don't you think Raymond Cole bought from the man
Raymond had said everything he should and shouldn't and with complete sincerity exactly because Billy would never believe it.As Billy just wanted to swindle him, it didn't matter how sincere Raymond was—he wanted the 300 thousand whatever it took. The key here was that Billy had refused a better prospect when told it was possible, and there was evidence that would support Raymond if either he or Zachary realized the truth and came to start trouble.That meant Raymond had nothing to worry about—they could take this to the United Nations but he'd still win this case.Having been in the antique trade for so long, he had seen every form of oddity and was always cautious with people, considering every aspect of any issue.Hence, once he downloaded the security footage to his phone, Raymond decided that he needed to sell the bronze sculpture—not because he was in urgent need of money, but because he realized that there were those who wanted him out of Aurous Hill's Antique Street.Afte