Meanwhile, in Axel Insurance’s chairman’s office, the owner, Axel Jordan, was serving a man in his forties in a respectable manner.His face was radiant with a wide smile. He retrieved a bank card from the drawer and handed it to the man with respect and said, “Don Albert, there are thirty million dollars in this card and the pin number is your birthday. This is the bonus for you, please check.”The middle-aged man was dressed in a smart suit. His face was quite rough and haggard but his predator-like eyes were as sharp as a lion.If there were other people present, they would definitely recognize the man immediately.He was Don Albert Rhodes!Everyone in Aurous Hill knew that Albert was the mafia boss of the underworld and no one dared to mess with him!Albert looked at Axel and said with a satisfied smile, “Axie, not bad. You’re pretty tactful, I’m impressed!”Axel said in an anxious tone, “Don Albert, what do we do about the old folks who are protesting out there?”Albert sa
At this moment, Kevin was standing in front of Axel Insurance’s main door with a proud face.He knew that today was the best opportunity for him to show off himself in front of Claire’s mother. He must seize the moment to prove his worth!If he could win her mother’s heart, she would be his in no time!When the time came, he could finally be with Claire Wilson, the most beautiful woman in Aurous Hill. He was in jitters as he thought of it!Hence, he announced in a loud voice, “Uncles and aunties, don’t worry. The boss will refund everyone!”Everyone cheered with joy and excitement upon hearing his statement, wide smiles were plastered on their faces.Everyone but Charlie, who looked at Kevin with a sneer. That dude was too full of himself right now, he wouldn’t even know how he would end up being later.Just when Kevin held his chin high and enjoyed the cheers, someone suddenly pushed open Axel Insurance’s door from the inside.Later, Axel and a middle-aged man in a smart suit
Just as Kevin finished his so-called intimidating threat, a studly man behind Don Albert abruptly stepped forward, grabbed Kevin by his hair, and slapped him multiple times on his face!“God d*mn it! How dare you raise your voice at Don Albert! Do you wish to die?!”Then, he grabbed Elaine and slapped her across the face, and shouted, “D*mn you old coot, how dare you to insult Don Albert! I’ll tear that stinky mouth off your face!”Boom!It felt as if Kevin and Elaine were struck by lightning!What?The man in a suit in front of them was the fearsome Don Albert of Aurous Hill?Yet they had ridiculed him ignorantly just now…Soon, blood drained their face, looking as pale as two sheets of paper. Cold sweat covered their forehead and their bodies shook uncontrollably in fear.Kevin was quick to react. He threw himself on the floor, knelt in front of Don Albert, and cried as he pleaded, “Don, I’m sorry, it’s my bad! Sorry for not recognizing you, sorry for insulting you! I have n
Elaine crouched on the floor, her body trembling violently. She closed her eyes tightly, waiting to be slapped by the muscular man, but the slap never came as she had expected.She opened her eyes in confusion and was shocked!Charlie, her good-for-nothing son-in-law, came out and held the man’s wrist!This…She felt that her mind had gone kaput for the moment—she couldn’t process the thing that was happening right now. Why was the useless Charlie so brave out of sudden?Don Albert couldn’t believe either that there’s someone dared to stand up for the d*mn old lady at a moment like this. He growled coldly, “Who are you? Do you have a death wish?”Charlie smiled faintly. “You are Don Albert, aren’t you? You can beat the h*ll out of that b*stard, but do me a favor and don’t touch my mother-in-law!”A layer of dark gloom shaded Albert’s face. “This old fart is your mother-in-law? Who do you think you are for me to do you a favor?”Albert began to huff in wrath when he said it.He
As soon as the voice resonated into Albert’s ear, his brain processed the information rapidly and registered the voice as Isaac Cameron, the man who he had been trying to curry favor with!Did he just say that he had offended his young master?Could it be this man in front of him?!Moreover, Isaac knew that there were twenty-five members in his whole family. Did he already research on his background thoroughly?Isaac Cameron was the spokesperson of the Wade family in Aurous Hill! The Wade family’s influence and power were so enormous and strong that destroying him would be as easy as smacking an ant!Albert’s legs went jelly and he trembled in fear as he listened to Isaac’s angry voice. He stuttered, “Mr. Cameron, please calm down. I… I didn’t know, it was just a misunderstanding, the young master and I…”“Shut up!” Isaac shouted, “Our Young Master’s identity is highly confidential. If you leak it out even a little, I swear I’ll wipe you and your family clean from the world!”Al
Elaine was over the moon and a little disbelieving when she heard Axel’s statement. Her money had increased from 1.3 million to two million!She asked, astonished, “Are you sure? Are you really giving me two million?”Axel nodded hurriedly. “Of course! It’s all yours!”“Wow, that’s wonderful!” Elaine shrieked in excitement.Seeing Elaine not only getting back her money but also the additional five hundred thousand dollars, the rest of the elders were tiptoeing in jittery. They felt that since Elaine’s money was refunded, they should also receive the same treatment as well, shouldn’t they?Hence, some of them started, “Mr. Jordan, what about our money?”Axel turned to Albert, exasperated.Albert was heavyhearted to surrender all the money he had pocketed, but he was up against the Wade family who he couldn’t afford to pick a fight with—he might even lose his life. Hence, he blurted, “Just refund, refund them all! For Mr. Wade’s sake, they’ll get back their capital and the dividen
Charlie glared at him coldly and muttered, “I don’t have any disputes nor any connections with you, but you kept making fun of me and taunting me, and now you want me to help you? Dream on!”Kevin collapsed and wailed, “Charlie, I’m really sorry, please help me…”Looking at Charlie’s displeased expression, Albert shouted to his men, “D*mn it you fools, what are you waiting for? Get your hands on him now!”His bodyguards were startled in shock. Then, they swiftly grabbed Kevin’s neck and hair, and started beating the crap out of him!Soon, blood flooded Kevin’s mouth and a few of his teeth were broken, but Albert’s bodyguards showed no signs of stopping. Every slap they swung towards Kevin’s face was fast and hard!Albert turned to Charlie and asked with a flattering smile, “Mr. Wade, are you satisfied with our work?”Charlie nodded casually. “Very good. Okay, that’s it, I have to go now.”Albert handed his name card to Charlie respectfully and said, “Mr. Wade, this is my number.
After settling Elaine’s problem, Elaine and Charlie parted ways. Hugging the suitcase happily like a child holding a lollipop, Elaine went to the bank to make a deposit while Charlie went home.Upon entering the house, Charlie saw Claire’s shoes in the hallway, so he knew that she had returned and went straight to their bedroom.As soon as he entered the room, he saw his wife just hanging up the phone, her face painted with surprise and excitement.He asked curiously, “Dear, who was it on the phone?”Claire shrieked excitedly, “It’s my bestie, Loreen! Do you remember her?”“Yes, I do,” Charlie nodded and continued, “She used to study in Aurous Hill and was very close to you. In fact, if I recall correctly, she is the daughter of the wealthy Thomas family in Eastcliff, isn’t she?”“Yes!” Claire said, “Loreen’s family is quite prominent in Eastcliff.”Charlie smiled and asked, “So what is it about? Is she coming to Aurous Hill for a visit?”“Not just for a visit, she’s coming to
At this point, Don Albert could very well be Jacob's personal messiah.Even if he did threaten Zachary with calling Charlie persistently, he actually wouldn't dare call Charlie.After all, how would he start explaining that he was involved in a crime? And telling Charlie was basically telling his daughter—what would they think of him after this? Would he ever be able to hold his head high in the family again?As such, his only option now was to ask Don Albert and see if he would help.What he didn't know was that Don Albert was with Charlie, who had already anticipated Jacob's move.When Jacob realized he couldn't stop Zachary, Jacob would find someone who could, and Don Albert was the best man for the job!To no surprise, Don Albert's phone soon started ringing with a call from Jacob.Don Albert didn't answer right away, however, instead turning toward Charlie as he asked gingerly, "So, shall I stick to your script, Master Wade?"Seeing Charlie nod, he pressed on, "Should I
As soon as Jacob sent the voice message, Mr. Bay called.Jacob quickly answered, asking nervously, "How are things over there, Mr. Bay?""How, you ask…?" Mr. Bay sighed in exasperation. "The entire Calligraphy and Painting Association was demanding your dismissal as soon as Zachary Evans posted his statement, thinking that you have no business being the administrative vice president let alone have a place in the association."Even those officials came asking me questions, and you know how they are—gossipers, every last one of them, always finding out about the juicy stuff instantly even if it's really no big deal. The only excuse I have to stop them is that we don't have the facts, but this issue still needs to be taken care of."So, be straight with me. Were you a part of this? If you don't, do you have any definitive evidence that can refute Zachary's claims?""I… Uh…" Jacob stammered, unable to answer.He certainly wanted to say no, but he had no evidence to back himself up.
Jacob bellowed furiously, "Raymond Cole made over 19 million dollars! From my bronze sculpture! Yet you're telling me to refund that 300 thousand too?! You're just fucking with me, aren't you?!""Well, if you don't like it, just do what you like, then," Zachary replied calmly and quickly hung up before Jacob could answer.Jacob was left twitching and shaking endlessly, and there was no telling if it was from rage or fear.Beside him, Elaine quickly asked, "What did Zachary say, dear? Can he get that bronze sculpture back?"Caught by surprise at her question, Jacob flinched, and his phone slipped out of his grasp.As it seemed to hover in the air, he tried to catch it twice but failed, but Elaine managed to grab it.It was then that she noticed that he was sweating all over his face, and she promptly asked, "What's wrong, dear?"Coming to his senses, Jacob's eyes went wide with rage. "Zachary is trying to kill me! He leaked the whole thing to his Twitter page—it's like he's pulli
Jacob turned his phone's loudspeaker on before switching panels to Twitter.He was already shocked to find dozens of people directly messaging him, and he was naturally curious why so many of them were looking for him while he was on his trip to Dubai.However, he had no time to find out as he promptly tapped on his social feed, and it took much swiping to reach Zachary's apology post.He tapped on it, scanning through it just before he went dizzy, the world spinning around him while a dull hum rang in his ears.Never would he have expected Zachary to spill the beans, leaking every detail including Jacob's name and contact information. What was that if not mutual destruction?!Absolutely furious, he bellowed at Zachary again, "What the fuck is this?! Are you trying to kill me, posting this shit?!""I'm sorry, Mr. Wilson, but I've come to understand how grave of a mistake I've made," Zachary calmly replied. "I've actually visited Treasure Measure earlier to apologize to Mr. Cole
Within hours, Jacob and Elaine's flight had landed at Dubai International Airport, and the first thing he did was turn off his phone's flight mode.Then, staring at the upper right corner, he waited for the phone to find a network signal.He had connected to international data roaming, and within a few dozen seconds, he was connected to the internet.Once he did, a ton of notifications popped up on his phone, but he didn't care to check any of them and instead opened his contacts and called Zachary.Zachary was in his office, ready to do his usual rounds inspecting Don Albert's premises.While he had indeed completely lost his reputation at Aurous Hill's Antique Street after pinning that post on top of his social page and was given plenty of weird looks by people around him, he didn't care because he knew how to prioritize.Right now, the most important thing that he had to do was put all his body and spirit into his work and not get distracted by anything else.Only then could
The man who had called out to him shrugged. "Zachary posted it on his account. Check it out yourself!"Mick promptly tapped out of his message editor, refreshed his social feed, and immediately saw Zachary's apology post.Once he tapped on it and read it, he almost had a stroke and was cursing before he knew it, "Fuck technology! It's like a self-exploding truck! Fuck you, Zachary Evans, blowing yourself up before I could end you! What a bitch!" Naturally, the post also made Jacob infamous.The Calligraphy and Painting Association more or less had a stake in the antique trade, and the members were shocked that Jacob was involved in such a scandal.Within minutes, word reached Mr. Bay, leaving him pacing around in his office anxiously.Mr. Bay was eager to suck up to Jacob too, which was why he had intended to let Jacob inherit his position as president of the Calligraphy and Painting Association after he was promoted.But while he thought it was as good as done, he didn't expec
With that in mind, Raymond quickly understood what had happened—Charlie must have been informed of the entire story and was intent on teaching Zachary, Mick Crane, and Jacob a lesson.Hence, he smiled at Zachary, "You really didn't have to apologize about that. I should be thanking you gentlemen since business isn't exactly booming in Antique Street, and I couldn't ask for more, opening up with such a grand deal."Zachary felt like he had been slapped in the face, but he was also relieved that Raymond wasn't pressing the issue, so he said earnestly, "Don't worry, Mr. Cole—I won't ever meddle with your business or conspire against you again. However, I won't hesitate to answer if you ever call on me!"Also, you have nothing to worry about—we will return the full amount of the 300 thousand we got from you. Please forgive us and don't charge us with anything else…"Raymond pulled him to his feet, smiling as he said, "After a conflict comes friendship. Do drop by more often if you have
At the moment, Treasure Measure was congested as crowds of people were there to congratulate Raymond on his new business or ask for appraisals of their items.Zachary stood at the door, hesitating for a moment before steeling himself and entering.Many in Aurous Hill's Antique Streett knew him and also knew that he wasn't the man he was before, so many greeted him the instant he entered, each person more respectful the next.Zachary was left sweating, only realizing then that he had really messed up and didn't deserve the privilege that Master Wade and Don Albert had given him.His eyes fixed on Raymond, and he went over, feeling very embarrassed.Seeing him, Raymond presumed that he was going to do it himself after his men had failed to recover the bronze sculpture, and he asked warily, "To what do I owe the pleasure, Zachary?"Zachary suddenly dropped to one knee, exclaiming in regret, "Mr. Cole, I'm sorry!"Raymond was frowning as he thought Zachary was up to more tricks, but
Mick was utterly hopeful as he watched the Moore Group human resource manager return, believing that he had turned things around.However, as soon as the human resource manager sat down, he immediately said, "Apologies, Mr. Crane. It seems that it's not just the significant losses you've incurred for the company—you are now also found guilty of personal misconduct, specifically unethical business stratagems. As per the company's wishes, your labor contract is terminated immediately."Mick certainly didn't think that telling the truth had failed to resolve the significant losses part, and he was now slapped with personal misconduct on top of that.Bracing himself, he asked the human resource manager, "But what did Ms. Moore say? She's close friends with Don Albert, and everyone involved in this are friends, anyway…"The human resource manager shook his head and said coolly, "Save your breath, Mr. Crane. The issue has been decided without grounds for further discussion. The notice of