Charlie quickly slipped out of the house while the quarrel was still going strong inside the house.It would be best for him to stay out of the annoying domestic disputes.Charlie went into a small cafe, ordered some snacks, and decided to spend his leisure time there until the evening.It was a famous gourmet street in Aurous Hill with people bustling around.Charlie was enjoying his meal when he suddenly spotted two figures on the opposite side of the street, one of them looking extraordinarily familiar.That was Claire, wasn’t it?Across the street was a very lavish restaurant. Charlie saw Claire sitting by the huge window on the second floor, and opposite her was a middle-aged man in a suit and leather shoes wearing gold-framed glasses. Claire was holding a folder and talking to the man non-stop as if she was showing her portfolio and her new role as a freelance designer and hoped that the man would invest in her new establishment.Despite her enthusiasm, the man didn’t se
Claire didn’t want to shake Peter’s hand, but since he had offered it, it would be rude to refuse him. Thus, she pursed her lips and extended her hand reluctantly.Just as Peter was silently thrilled and was about to grab Claire’s fair hand, suddenly, a large hand came out of nowhere and grabbed his hand firmly.Peter was stunned for a moment. Looking up angrily, he growled, “What the hell!? Who are you?”Claire lifted her gaze as well and was a little dazed at what she saw.“Charlie! When did you come?”She then quickly turned to Peter and explained, “He is my husband.”Peter’s face turned gloomy as if a dark cloud hovered above his head when he heard the word ‘husband’.“I just arrived.” Charlie smiled at Claire and then turned to Peter, pretending not to see the change of his expression, and then said, “You are Peter Murray, aren’t you? The boss of Millenium Enterprise?”Peter said in a sullen tone, “Yes, that’s me. So what?”“Nothing. It’s just that you’re quite a lecherou
Claire was in jitters as she listened to their banter and interjected, “Mr. Murray, Charlie helps out a lot at home. Also, please call me Miss Wilson. Calling me by my first name sounds very unprofessional.”“What does he do at home, anyway? Go to the market? Cooking? Laundry?” Peter laughed sarcastically. “Claire, if your husband has a hard time finding a job, my company happens to be recruiting security now. You can let him try.” Then, he continued with a mocking grin, “Claire, if I were you, I would not have married a man who doesn’t even have a secure job. I would have divorced this loser a long time ago.”Claire frowned in dismay, but before she could speak, she felt an abrupt chill coming from beside her.She turned around and saw Charlie stand up with a smile on his face as he said to Peter, “Mr. Murray, your reputation precedes you. Now that I finally have the honor of meeting you, indeed, your personality matches your reputation perfectly. I also have something to say to
Charlie opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but he shut his mouth and walked out of the restaurant when he looked at Claire’s enraged face.How dare the boss of a small company be so brazen in front of him? He had decided to go all out with his luck, hadn’t he?Claire even had to tiptoe around that b*stard! Didn’t she know that her husband was the most powerful of them all?Right at this moment, he wanted to reveal his true identity to Claire so desperately. He wanted her to know that she didn’t have to worry about their future and that she didn’t need to be bullied and tormented by a lowly boss of a mediocre company.However, he held back the words that came to his lips.Exposing his identity would mean that he had officially accepted the Wade family and would return to their embrace.No, he didn’t want to go back.Standing outside the restaurant, Charlie looked up toward the second floor, and then retrieved his phone and called Stephen, the Wade family’s butler.“Chec
Peter was stunned as he covered his cheek with his hand. After a short while, he yelled at Charlie.“You piece of thrash! How dare you hit me!”Charlie sneered before he said, “Why? Why wouldn’t I dare hit you? If I want to hit you, you’ll just have to deal with it.”After that, Charlie raised his hand and slapped Peter again. At this time, Peter’s cheek was already swollen.Even though Claire was also very disgusted with Peter, Charlie had already slapped him twice. Therefore, she was a little worried and she hurriedly said, “Charlie, what are you doing? Didn’t I tell you not to recklessly start a fight with anyone?”She was not worried about herself but she was worried that Peter would exact revenge on Charlie. After all, Peter was still the boss of a reputable company. How could he possibly keep calm after getting hit by Charlie?True enough, Peter was completely annoyed and irritated at this time. He pointed his finger at Claire before he said, “You, the one with the last nam
After being dealt a series of blows, Peter started to sweat so profusely that he could not even stand straight and he had to use the wall to steady himself.Claire did not know who had called Peter but she could see the change of the expression on Peter’s face after answering the call. He looked as though he was going to collapse immediately. “Charlie, do you think Peter is unwell?”Charlie smiled before he replied, “Yes, perhaps there is something wrong with his brain and he can’t remember who he really is.”Peter’s secretary continued panicking over the other end of the line but Peter could not hear whatever she was saying at all. He could only hear a ringing sound in his ear and all he could think of was what Charlie was saying earlier.“You’re already bankrupt!”Peter was sweating all over and he raised his head in horror as he stared at Charlie with a firm expression on his face.How did Charlie predict all of this?He…he was really bankrupt!Peter collapsed to the groun
All this felt like a coincidence but how could there be such a coincidence?Peter had a vague feeling that all of these were definitely related to Charlie. Therefore, he could only kneel in front of Charlie because he no longer cared about his own reputation.Claire did not know what the other party had told Peter over the phone. Therefore, she could only say in surprise, “Peter, isn’t your company doing well? What are you talking about? Besides that, even if you’re facing bankruptcy, what has it to do with Charlie?”Peter knelt on the ground as he said, “Claire, I’m so sorry for offending you a while ago! I admit my mistake and I’m begging for your forgiveness. My company called me earlier to tell me that one of my biggest customers had called to terminate their contract with us. Moreover, all the banks have just called to collect the money that I have borrowed from them. I am done for this time…please help put in a good word for me in front of Mr. Wade. Otherwise, there isn’t a wa
When Claire suddenly questioned her, Charlie’s mother-in-law, Elaine, lost her temper and said, “You’re still the granddaughter of the Wilson family no matter what happens! Besides, your grandmother has already apologized to me and admitted that she acted that way in a moment of confusion. She said that Harold was the one who instigated the discord and she has already punished him severely. What else are you dissatisfied about?”Claire replied angrily, “So what if they apologized to us? I understand my grandmother’s character and personality. Even if she apologized, it was definitely not a sincere apology! She’s only apologizing because she wants me to return to Wilson Group and fix the collaboration issues with Emgrand Group!”Elaine tried to persuade Claire at this time. “Don’t think so badly of your grandmother! We’re still family no matter what happens! How could you still hate her after so long?”“I am not related to anyone in the Wilson family!” Claire replied angrily before s
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,
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