Charlie slowly drove into the Aurous University of Finance and Economics. At this time, it was already the university’s lunch break. Many students were walking on the campus ground. Most of them were walking toward the cafeteria and their dormitories, and some of them seemed to be heading out of the university to eat.Autumn asked Charlie, “Mr. Wade, would my father have already gone out to eat lunch? Should we contact him first?”Charlie nodded before he smiled and said, “I’ll call him in a short while. You should not say anything at all.”Autumn knew that Charlie simply wanted to give her father a surprise. So, she immediately agreed, “Okay…”Charlie parked the car below the administrative office building. After that, he called Yolden via WhatsApp.As soon as the voice call request was sent, the other party answered the call immediately. Immediately after that, Yolden’s voice came over the other end of the line, “Charlie, how are things over there?! Is there any progress?”Char
He knew that he did not have the ability to save his daughter and that he might not even be able to reach the place where his daughter was currently being detained. However, he hoped that he would be able to be closer to her. That way, he would be able to find some comfort in his heart.Just as he was feeling very restless and anxious, there was suddenly a knock on his door. Yolden’s chaotic thoughts were forcibly interrupted, and he could only walk to the door as he stretched out his hand to open the door.As soon as the door was opened, he saw a young and fashionable woman standing outside his door, but the woman was wearing a mask. He could not see her appearance, so he asked in surprise, “Hello. May I know what I can do for you?”Yolden did not recognize his daughter, who was standing in front of him.It was not to say that Yolden and his daughter were unfamiliar with each other, but in his memory, his daughter, Autumn, would not usually wear this kind of fashionable and femi
When Yolden heard Autumn’s words, he was instantly shocked. When he saw Autumn’s face, he yelled out loud in horror and shock, “Autumn?! Is it truly you?!”Although Autumn was standing right in front of him, deep down in his heart, Yolden could not truly believe that this woman in front of him was indeed his own daughter. This was because deep down in his heart, Yolden firmly believed that his daughter was still in Syria at this time.There was no way she could suddenly appear in front of him now.This was especially so since he had just spoken to Charlie just now, and even Charlie had not seen her yet.Moreover, the United States had not sent anyone over there to rescue them. So, it would simply be impossible for the Syrian armed opposition force, who had held his daughter hostage, to simply release her and let her go.Nevertheless, even if the Syrian armed opposition force were to truly be so compassionate and merciful, there was no way Autumn could appear back in Aurous Hil
As he spoke, he hurriedly asked, “Hurry up and tell me how the both of you came back! How did you manage to come back within such a short time? Was the entire process very smooth?”Charlie smiled as he said, “It did not proceed very smoothly at first, but it became very smooth rather quickly. I happened to meet and befriend the commander of the opposition force, and the other party was also very easygoing. So, he let Autumn go.”Yolden hurriedly looked at Autumn, who was aside, before he asked her, “Autumn, did you suffer any grievances when you were there?”Autumn adjusted her sitting posture before she replied awkwardly, “They locked us up in a cellar, and they did plan to kill us at first. But fortunately, Mr. Wade rescued us in time. Otherwise, we would have already been executed one after the other…”Yolden was extremely grateful as he told Charlie, “Charlie, I really owe you my life for bringing Autumn home safely. From now on, my life belongs to you! May I be punished and st
When Yolden suddenly asked this question, Autumn’s face turned even redder.She secretly thought to herself, ‘Am I feeling uncomfortable?! Of course I’m feeling uncomfortable! The lingerie that Charlie bought for me is two sizes smaller than the lingerie I usually wear! I’ve been suffocating all the way until this point, and I feel that it is even tighter when I sit down…’However, she certainly would not be able to say such words. So, she could only hesitate as she replied ambiguously, “Oh, Dad, I’m fine. Perhaps it’s because I’ve not eased my spirit yet, and I’m still feeling a little nervous…”Yolden did not think too much. He nodded gently before he said emotionally, “You must have suffered a lot after staying in that kind of place for such a long time. Moreover, you have experienced war and kidnapping. So, it is normal for you to be feeling a little mental tension.”Autumn had an embarrassed look on her face as she thought to herself, ‘I’m not feeling mentally tensed. I’m feel
As soon as the call was connected, Albert’s voice sounded over the other end of the line, “Master Wade, what are your instructions for me since you’re calling me?”Charlie said, “This is the case. I want to invite a friend over to have lunch. So, I want to ask you if there are any empty private rooms in the afternoon at The Heaven Springs?”Albert did not hesitate at all as he said, “Master Wade, you can just head to The Heaven Springs directly. We have already stopped serving guests in the Diamond Room in The Heaven Springs for a very long time. It is specially reserved for you. So, you can go there whenever you want to!”Charlie said in surprise, “Albert, you don’t have to do that, right? The Diamond Room there is so popular! If you do not serve any other guests, your losses would not be small!”Albert smiled as he said seriously, “Master Wade, I owe my life to you. So, what is a mere Diamond Room? As long you need it, it would not matter even if The Heaven Springs stopped servin
Charlie knew that Yolden had a background as a professor. So, this kind of senior intellect tended to think highly of themselves, and they were bound to be a little prejudiced when judging people like Albert.Still, the good thing was that Yolden did not continue dwelling on this fact. Instead, after listening to Charlie’s explanation of the general situation, he let go of his inner entanglement. Charlie stood up before he said to the father and daughter, “Uncle Hart, Autumn, let’s go.”Yolden nodded before he stood up instantly. As for Autumn, who was aside, she had already been long suffocated to the point that she could no longer stand it anymore. So, she could not wait to stand up.This was mainly because she really felt as though the feeling that she was getting suffocated to death when she was sitting on the sofa was seriously too unbearable.In truth, she had already wanted to stand up a long time ago. However, since her father and Charlie were both seated, she did not wan
‘But that should not be the case! Even if the quality is really bad, at most, there would be a loose thread of the silk, right? There is no reason for it to fall apart!’‘Could it be that…’A possibility abruptly emerged in Charlie’s mind, and he was instantly startled!He subconsciously looked at Autumn, and he suddenly realized that the curve of her upper body, which had been wrapped up by the fitting dress, suddenly seemed to be bulging a little more at this time.‘Could it be that the size that I bought was too small?!’Charlie suddenly realized the crux of the problem!The dress that he had bought was originally a high-end custom-made model. So, it truly showed off the person’s figure.In other words, a person’s strength and weakness would be distinctly exposed as soon as she put on this dress.When Autumn had been wearing this dress previously, he could see that her figure was not that great. Although she was not utterly flat-chested, she was not much better as compared t
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
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