Charlie smiled faintly before he asked seriously, “It’s what I should do. Is it fitting this time?”Autumn nodded with a flushed red face.The lingerie really fitted her very well this time.However, Autumn felt too embarrassed to say it directly.So, she could only lower her eyes slightly as she replied unnaturally, “Mr. Wade, how much did you spend in total? Please calculate it, and I’ll definitely reimburse you later!”Charlie waved his hand. “You don’t need to be so polite with me. No matter what it is, I’m your future boss anyway. So, you can just treat this as my gift to you for your induction.”Autumn felt even more ashamed as she thought to herself, ‘It’s still okay if he were to give me clothes as an induction gift, but who would give a pantyhose and lingerie as a gift…’However, as she thought about it, if she stopped dwelling on the matter, this matter would be considered over. However, if she were to insist on reimbursing the money to Charlie, this matter would never
Yolden was indeed very happy today.His only daughter was not only out of danger, but she had also returned to his side safely.Most importantly, after this incident, she would certainly understand the dangers in this world more, and she would not continue pursuing some unrealistic ideals blindly anymore as she did in the past.Moreover, his daughter had already promised Charlie that she would stay to help him. This meant that Yolden would be able to live with his daughter in the safe and comfortable city of Aurous Hill for a long time, then.Since he was happy, he naturally drank a few more glasses.After three glasses of wine, Yolden was already somewhat drunk.Yolden kept thanking Charlie repeatedly before he finally focused the topic on his daughter.He looked at his only daughter with a somewhat drunk yet doting expression on his face as he sighed and said, “Autumn, you’re about the same age as Charlie, but Charlie has already been married for four years now. So, it’s about
As he spoke, Yolden poured a glass of liquor for himself before drinking it all in one gulp. Then, he said, “During this time, I have been paying attention to some foreign girls who are in the same situation as you. I realized that their lives are very happy and joyful. They have also gained their friends and family members’ support and understanding. Some of them are legally married and living together openly. There are even a few couples in this situation who chose to use the in vitro fertilization method to get offspring. I think that is actually a very good solution. That would not only meet your criteria for the selection of your spouse, but you’ll also be able to continue your bloodline. Therefore, you’ll be killing two birds with one stone. What do you think?”Autumn already had a flabbergasted expression on her face.She truly did not expect that her father had honestly thought that her sexual orientation was toward females all this while.In truth, that was simply an excuse
When Yolden heard Autumn’s words, it took him a while to recover from his surprise. He subconsciously blurted out, “You don’t like girls?! If you don’t like girls, could it be that you actually like boys, then?!”Autumn did not expect that her father would still look so shocked after hearing her reply. So, she could not help but ask, “Dad… do you think that I should like boys or girls, then?”Yolden immediately looked very pleased, and he was incessantly happy as he said, “From my point of view as your father, of course I think that it would be better for you to like boys!”After he was done speaking, Yolden hurriedly looked at Charlie before he blurted out, “Charlie, forget about that girl named Sophie. You should see if there are any suitable and talented young men around you. If there is one, you should introduce him to Autumn!”Charlie smiled faintly, nodded, and said, “Okay, sure! I’ll pay more attention to it, then.”Autumn had an awkward expression on her face as she said
...Meanwhile, at the Schulz family villa in Sudbury.Cadfan felt more or less nervous because he had not received any response from Sheldon at all.Logically speaking, Sheldon was supposed to go and meet up with Yahiko this morning. Since it was already after lunchtime now, regardless of whether Sheldon’s discussion with Yahiko had proceeded well or not, Sheldon should have given Cadfan a progress report.So, Cadfan took out his cell phone and called Sheldon.A cold prompt sounded over the other end of the line: “Sorry. The number that you have dialed has been switched off.”Cadfan immediately felt that something was amiss!“Oh, no!” He blurted out, “Sheldon must have met with a mishap!”The butler, Arrington, quickly took out his cell phone before he spoke up, “I’ll call Mr. Sheldon’s subordinates.”After he was done speaking, he immediately made the phone call. Very soon, he also received the prompt that the cell phone had already been switched off.The expression on his f
As soon as Jeremiah hung up the phone, his first thought was to call Isaac immediately to question him about what was going on.Stephen, who was by his side, hurriedly asked, “Lord Wade, what happened?”Jeremiah said emotionally, “Sheldon Schulz disappeared in Aurous Hill today. Moreover, he was at Shangri-La before he went missing. So, Cadfan Schulz called me to question and condemn me for his son’s disappearance. I’ll have to call Isaac Cameron and ask him what is going on first!”Stephen was dumbfounded, and he blurted out, “Sheldon Schulz is also missing?! Steven Schulz disappeared just a few days ago, in Aurous Hill too. He also seemed to have gone missing without a trace when he was still in the hotel…”Jeremiah sighed before he said, “It’s easy to deal with Steven Schulz’s matter. After all, he did not go missing when he was in our territory. So, his life and death have nothing to do with us. However, Sheldon Schulz’s matter this time is more or less tricky. No matter what i
“He is the kind of person who would have to deal with you and teach you a proper lesson as long as you provoke him. Moreover, he knows very well that if he cannot deal with you for the time being, he would use underhanded methods to deal with you behind the scenes, then. Anyway, no matter what it is, his only purpose is to just deal with you.”“Besides, he does not have as many constraints or concerns in his eyes.”As he spoke about this, Jeremiah chuckled as he said, “For instance, what happened between Carmen and Charlie. So what if Carmen is his biological aunt? Carmen looked down on him, and she did not have any respect for his marriage at all. When she went to Aurous Hill, she bypassed him to meet with Elaine, and Carmen was very arrogant and bossy toward Elaine when she tried to meddle in Charlie’s marriage. Charlie was actually able to detain Carmen for more than half a month so that she could suffer a little in Aurous Hill.”After he was done speaking, Jeremiah shook his hea
Jeremiah truly did not expect Charlie to admit it in such a straightforward manner.Jeremiah was slightly caught off guard because of Charlie’s sudden frankness.A moment later, Jeremiah subconsciously held his wrist with his other hand as he sighed, “Charlie, you must be mad!”Charlie frowned. “Why am I mad?”Jeremiah said emotionally, “You shouldn’t have attacked Sheldon Schulz! Think about it. He is the eldest son of the Schulz family, and he disappeared in Shangri-La. How can the Wade family possibly get away with this?” Charlie asked Jeremiah in return, “Why? Did Cadfan Schulz look for you?”“That’s right!” Jeremiah looked extremely worried and anxious as he said, “Cadfan Schulz called me to yell at me, and he even said that he would certainly go all out to fight it out with the Wade family! You should know that both of our families have always fought verbally, but never physically. Now that we have gone against the rules this time, the Schulz family will certainly retaliat
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