Meanwhile, Sheldon had finally arrived in Syria after flying for a day and night.Unlike Charlie, who had the privilege of taking the Concorde, he could only fly all the way to the Middle East. After landing in Turkey, he had to cross the border of the country as he entered northern Syria using the overnight road vehicle.Deep down in his heart, Sheldon felt like dying as soon as he set foot on Syrian soil.Because he had entered the country illegally, the vehicle dragged him away to avoid the city, and Sheldon was immediately shocked because of this desolate country.There were deserts, hills, and decaying towns and villages in this country which was heavily damaged and in a disastrous state.The endless deserts and mountainous terrains immediately reminded him of an ancient poem, ‘The Solitary Smoke in the Desert’.After traveling hundreds of kilometers deep into the Syrian border, Sheldon had a realization deep down in his heart. He realized that if Charlie refused to agree to
When Hamed saw a few people with East Asian appearances, he immediately smiled as he spoke in his fluent Oskian dialect, “The few of you must be Brother Wade’s subordinates. Welcome! Welcome! Warmest welcome!”The several people looked at each other, and they could not help but exchange glances with one another.In their impression, this kind of slogan such as ‘Welcome! Welcome! Warmest welcome!’, should be shouted out by young cheerleaders whose faces were blushing red, red scarves tied around their necks, and also flower garlands in their hands.But they would never have expected that these words would come out from the mouth of a big and burly Middle Eastern warlord who had a thick beard. The man who was leading the group was Isaac’s confidant, and his name was Yanciel Zewell.When Yanciel saw that Hamed was being so polite and had the demeanor of a warlord, he smiled politely as he asked, “You must be Commander Hamed, right?”Hamed nodded and laughed as he said, “We’re all f
Hamed could not be bothered to pay any attention to Sheldon.He smiled as he said to Yanciel, “Sirs, I’ve made some good black tea. Please come in and have a few cups of tea!”People in the Middle East loved drinking black tea. They generally liked to cook a particularly large amount of tea leaves into a very rich tea soup before topping it up with a lot of white sugar, which then became a refreshment with extremely high sugar content.This point was very different as compared to the Oskians.When the several people saw that Hamed was being so hospitable, they felt that it would not be polite to turn his invitation down.So, Yanciel then said, “Commander Hamed, in that case, I’d like to trouble you to please arrange for your subordinates to take Mr. Sheldon to his place of residence first.”“Yes! No problem!” Hamed said as he patted his chest. “I’ve already asked my subordinates to prepare the courtyard after receiving Brother Wade’s instructions. The courtyard is right next to m
When he lowered his head to take a look, this was not a f*cking room, but this was actually a pit latrine with a roof!There was nothing in the room, only one deep pit that had already been dug in the middle of the room. There were two wooden boards there, and there was a hole that was exposed in the middle. That was the cesspit. In addition, there was no sewage device, and it was estimated that it would have to be manually removed before the cesspit was full…Sheldon was on the verge of collapse.‘Who the hell would be able to stand it if they had to shovel the pit latrine every once in a while in the future?’ ‘Most importantly, there is only one broken window in this dilapidated house, and the ventilation is not very good. If I were to take a dump here, how long would it take to get rid of the stench?!’Sheldon felt as though his future was already filled with darkness at this moment.He did not have any personal belongings here. He did not have a cell phone or computer, and t
Sheldon was completely dejected. Although he would really like to give Charlie an additional one hundred million US dollars in exchange for decent living conditions for himself, he did not have that much money at his disposal anymore.Lord Schulz had very tight control over the family’s financial power. Although Sheldon was the eldest son and possessed a lot of real estate as well as various assets, he actually did not have much money or funds at his disposal.The entire Schulz family’s capital expenditure was basically conducted through family credit. They were allowed to spend money, but the money spent had to be within the control of the family’s financial system.Cadfan was not stingy, but he had a strong desire to be in control. He would not necessarily be reluctant to do so, even if it was a few hundred million US dollars to buy a plane. However, he had to know about it in advance, and he would have to give his approval before the other party would be able to spend this sum
She was worried that Cadfan would still refuse to let her mother off in the future. So, that was the reason why she had decided to make an even bigger impact out of this matter.This way, the attention of the people in this whole country would certainly be drawn to this matter.No one would dare to risk universal condemnation when the focus and attention of the whole country were entirely on this matter.So, the bigger she made this matter out to be, the more passive her grandfather, Cadfan’s movement would be in the future. That way, Sophie and her mother would also be much safer.Therefore, Sophie looked for her maternal grandfather, Jefferson, and asked him for his help to contact the media. She was prepared to hold a press conference in the evening to explain everything that had happened to her and her mother in the tunnel.The media, the police, and all the people in the country had been waiting for the news of Sophie and Helen’s whereabouts. Sophie believed that as long as t
Jaime had recently been busy with the concert matters at the venue. So, he had already run out early in the morning to supervise the work. Although he had seen the news that his younger sister was going to hold a press conference, he did not bother to ask her what exactly she was planning to do.So, he said to Cadfan, “Grandpa, I happen to be a little busy with some matters today, so I haven’t had time to talk to Sophie. Why don’t you wait for me for a while? I’ll call her and ask her about it, then.”Cadfan blurted out, “Don’t call her. There are many details that you’ll not be able to detect over the phone. You should hurry up and make a trip back home so that you can talk to Sophie face to face. It’d be best if you can bypass your mother and grandfather and question Sophie about it in private. Ask her clearly what she is planning to do exactly so that I can also make some early preparations, then.”Cadfan was truly afraid that Sophie would aim all of the spearheads directly at hi
So, Sophie quickly put her manuscript away indifferently and rubbed her cheeks amidst her somewhat cold and stiff expression.After trying her best to make herself look as natural as she could, she spoke up, “Brother, you can just come in. The door is unlocked.”Jaime hurriedly pushed the door open and entered.As soon as he entered, he immediately locked the room door first before looking at Sophie.When he saw that there was nothing unusual about Sophie’s expression, he smiled and said, “Sophie, why have you suddenly decided to hold a press conference?”Sophie said seriously, “Such a major incident happened in the tunnel that time. The people in the whole country have been very concerned about my mother and my safety. I feel that there is a need for me to explain things to the public so that those goodhearted people who are worried and concerned about us can finally rest assured.”“Oh…” Jaime nodded gently and smiled as he said, “So, that is the case! You’re right! Ever since y
Jacob zipped toward Raymond, his attitude immediately subservient, "I'm sure you've seen what Zachary Evans posted on his Twitter page, and to be honest, it's so terrible that my position in the Calligraphy and Painting Association has been affected too. I mean, you've made a lot of money, right?"Hell, even if you donated ten million, you'd still have another ten million and 970 thousand in net profits. So, all I'd like to ask is for you to post something to disclaim Zachary's post.Jacob's words left Raymond in thought.For Jacob, just being suspected of fraud would definitely be terrible. In fact, his position in the Calligraphy and Painting Association would definitely be threatened—if not dismissed altogether—if he wasn't cleared of suspicion.Since Jacob was Charlie Wade's father-in-law, Raymond had reason not to drive Jacob over the brink.But that also begged another question—it must be under Charlie's intention for Zachary to post his confession, and that meant Charlie in
Raymond couldn't help chuckling just as Jacob finished—he had honestly never heard of anyone who demanded a refund after donating to charity, but he was certainly seeing one now.Still, the receptionist was clearly experienced and slowly explained, "Sir, it's a legal clause of the country that all donations for philanthropy purposes can not be refunded under most circumstances—""It truly was a mistake," Jacob quickly said, cutting the receptionist off. "I was going to donate thirty thousand but pressed an extra zero by mistake. Please discuss this with your management—you just have to refund 27 thousand, see?""Sorry, sir," the receptionist apologized. "But it's a strict rule that we ourselves do not get to access the funds that have been donated into our accounts. Every donation will be screened extensively, and if you consider that there was a major oversight on your part, you may seek legal counsel to appeal for a refund. If the courts back your appeal, our organization will the
Nonetheless, Jacob darted into Treasure Measure and plucked off his mask, asking nervously, "Excuse me, Mr. Cole? It's me… Jacob Wilson…"Raymond looked up, pausing for a moment before acting as if he was actually curious, "Mr. Wilson! What brings you here? Don't tell me—you want that bronze sculpture back too?""No, no, no…" Jacob quickly shook his head. "I would never… I returned all the way from Dubai to apologize!""Apologize?" Raymond smiled faintly, and he did not play dumb this time as he asked bluntly, "Did you come back because of Zachary Evan's post?"Knowing he couldn't deny it any longer, Jacob nodded, "Yeah…"Raymond nodded and said calmly, "That's unnecessary. I was the one who benefited in the end."Jacob wasn't quite keeping up—thinking that Raymond was just trying to be nice by telling him he didn't have to apologize, he quickly pulled out his phone.Tapping on it and bringing up his transaction records, he handed it to Raymond reverently, "Mr. Cole, I understan
The cabbie chuckled. "You're a local yet you're heading to Antique Street right away as soon as you land instead of going home? And you're still saying you're not trying to pick up a killer bargain deal?"Come on, man—it's not just you, I want that too. We cabbies work ourselves to death only for ten thousand per month at best while our friend over there made twenty million in one night. I could keep driving cabs for the rest of my life and still not make that much money."Jacob knew that the cabbie must be talking about Raymond and became even more miserable then, grumbling unhappily, "I'm going to Antique Street for business—I'm not trying to pick up some missed bargain.""No? Then you didn't hear what happened yesterday?"The cabbie was immediately curious, and without waiting for Jacob's answer, he exclaimed happily, "Look, man—it was so ridiculous not even Hollywood would put it in their script. There were these fools who were trying to sell an antique trader a replica, but th
It was nighttime in Dubai as Jacob dragged his weary body from the hotel back to the airport.As he was flying economy this time, he was left sitting at the hard bench near the boarding terminal, waiting for it to open.While he waited, his heart was torn as he tapped into the website of the Aurous Hill Charity Fund, found their donation account, and wired the entire 300 thousand he had made over to them.He had picked the Aurous Hill Charity Fund because the circles of antique collectors in Aurous Hill were all discussing how Raymond had donated half of the 20 million he had made to that same charity fund.After Raymond skyrocketed to prominence in Antique Street and became a star, it could not be denied that people admired his profound ability.However, there were also people who envied his skill in turning the tables just as there were those who were jealous he had made twenty million in a single night.Still, Raymond moved fast—soon after word spread that he had made twenty m
Elaine quickly asked, "Well, what if you can't get it done?"Jacob was apprehensive even as he sighed. "If they really pressed the issue, guess I can't even stay at the Calligraphy and Painting Association now… We will see. If things get bad, I'll just resign. I won't ask for much right now, just as long as I don't have to go to jail."Elaine nodded. "Then you should try to reason things out with Raymond Cole or ask for Charlie's help if push comes to shove. Being humiliated is still better than prison.""Okay!"-It was nighttime at Aurous Hill by the time Elaine and Jacob arrived at their hotel.Charlie and Claire had just had dinner, and Claire pulled out her phone, saying, "I just checked my flight app, and it says my parents should have landed two hours ago. They are probably at the hotel, so I'll check in on them with a video call."She had yet to open her WhatsApp when Elaine called her on a video call.Jacob was planning to check in with Claire and Charlie to put their
Hearing what Jacob had said, Elaine became anxious and pressed him as he hung up, "What's going on? You're leaving? But we just got here! My shoes have just caught Dubai dirt, so why are we leaving so soon—"However, Jacob was wiping the sweat off his brow as he mumbled quietly, "Well, at this point, I have to leave or I won't be vice president anymore."Elaine immediately fumed. "We've been married for half our lives, and this is supposed to be our honeymoon, yet we're just leaving? I've posted about this on social media too—there are plenty of people who're waiting for more posts on our trip!"And don't forget—we spent a lot on our flight tickets and our hotels! The hotel bookings can't be refunded either!"Jacob scowled dolefully. "Well, what can we do? Why don't you stay? I'll go home and get this sorted out first….""Well, how long would that take?" Elaine asked."How should I know?" Jacob sighed, uneasy and annoyed. "Don Albert is saying I have to go back and donate the 300
"But I spent 98 thousand on that bronze sculpture!" Jacob exclaimed in agitation before he knew it. "I made 300 thousand from it, and that means my profit was 200 thousand at best, but I'm supposed to return that to him as well?! That means I'd have lost my own capital too!""I can't help you if you can't bear to part with that money, Mr. Wilson," Don Albert said quietly. "In that case, you'll just have to handle it yourself.""Wait, wait, wait!" Jacob immediately became antsy and cried out right then, "Please, Don Albert! I'll return the money! I'll return it, alright?! The entirety of my profits—202 thousand, okay? At least let me keep the money I spent, okay?""By that reasoning, Mr. Wilson, when a phone scammer is told by the cops to return the money they've made from defrauding, should he be allowed to keep the money he spent on telco charges? ""Oh, I…" Jacob was left stumped and could not come up with an answer.Don Albert then pressed on, "Mr. Wilson, I've offered a prom
"Mr. Wilson, what you boys did was truly heinous!" Don Arnold growled. "I scolded Zachary myself when I found out, and I was the one who told him to post that statement!"Jacob was shocked. "But why, Don Arnold? Are you friends with Raymond Cole?""Never met the guy," Don Arnold replied.That left Jacob even more confused. "Then why are you taking his side?""I've been doing my best to clean up my image over the past couple of years," Don Albert replied coolly. "I rarely get involved in mob business or anything illicit, and everyone in Aurous Hill knows that Zachary is my right-hand man, yet he confessed to committing such a heinous crime behind my back. What is that if not sullying my reputation?"Jacob was left reeling as he didn't expect Don Albert to be so serious, but he quickly explained, "I'm sorry. I didn't expect it to affect you so terribly… It's all Zachary's fault! I wouldn't have been aware that Raymond had returned at all, but he just had to tell me and come up with