It was only then that Sophie understood that the reason why Charlie had called her grandfather to threaten him just now was actually so that her grandfather would be scared of her.Needless to say, Charlie’s action made her feel incomparably moved in her heart.She was originally still worried that she would not be able to hold onto such a large ocean shipping group. Moreover, she was afraid that after the limelight passed, her grandfather would try the same trick once again so that he could find a way to snatch this big piece of cake back.However, with Charlie’s phone call just now, Sophie believed that she would not have to worry about any danger anymore for a long time to come.So, Sophie stood up as she bowed slightly toward Charlie and said respectfully, “Benefactor… Oh, no, I mean Mr. Wade… thank you so much…”Charlie gently waved his hand and said indifferently, “I’m also helping myself by helping you. Moreover, the assets of the ocean shipping group that you have in your
Cadfan nodded as he sighed and murmured, “Sigh! It’s easy to leave Sudbury, but where should we go after we leave?”Arrington hurriedly said, “Lord Schulz, why don’t we just go back to Eastcliff, then!”Cadfan was a little depressed as he said, “We might not necessarily be safe even if we were to go back to Eastcliff. After all, he really has unpredictable strength. Previously, he could quietly kidnap Steven even under Henderson’s watchful eyes. Who knows if he would do the same thing again and kidnap me too?”Speaking of this, Cadfan then said again, “It’ll not necessarily be safe for me regardless of where I go now. Even if I were to escape to the South China Sea, he’ll be able to find me with just a three-hour flight.”At this point, Henderson, who had not spoken for a while, said, “Lord Schulz, why don’t you go to Maldives first to avoid the danger and lay low while relaxing for a few days? Sudbury has not been warm during these few days, and the weather in Maldives is really g
Cadfan understood very well in his heart.The only person who could stop that mysterious top master right now was his own granddaughter, Sophie.He said to Arrington and Henderson, “If Sophie is willing to put in a good word for me, she can certainly make that person give up or delay the thought of hunting me down, then…”Arrington nodded repeatedly and said, “I think that mysterious top master must have deep feelings for the eldest young lady. Otherwise, he would not have chased after her all the way from Japan to Aurous Hill to protect her. If the eldest young lady is truly willing to put in a good word for you, it might indeed be possible for you to turn this big problem into a minor issue or no problem at all…”Cadfan sighed and said, “I cannot win this fight, and I cannot afford to hide. So, the only solution I have left is to beg for mercy…”Henderson could not help but ask, “Lord Schulz, I understand Miss Sophie’s personality very well. I’m afraid that it will not be so eas
Cadfan sighed, and he said guiltily, “I’ve been unable to eat and sleep over the past two days because I’m not only filled with guilt toward both you and your mother, but I’ve also been thinking about how I can compensate the two of you. It just so happens that Arrington and I were talking about Maldives today, and I suddenly thought of giving the island that the Schulz family had reserved in Maldives to you. That way, both you and your mother can go over there to rest and relax.”Although the island in Maldives was very expensive, it was not very valuable. For instance, the island that the Schulz family had developed had simply cost tens of millions of dollars for them to purchase the rights to use the island for a hundred years. However, what was truly expensive was the cost of development and construction on the island.An island not only required a complete set of architectural solutions, but it also had to be accompanied by a large number of luxurious decorations. It also had to
When Sophie heard this, she could not help but raise her head to look at Charlie.She realized that Charlie seemed to have been very cautious and perceptive in estimating all of her grandfather’s schemes. Charlie had said that her grandfather would most certainly come and beg for her help, and unexpectedly, her grandfather was indeed acting just as Charlie had predicted.However, Sophie did not know exactly how her grandfather had made Charlie angry, nor did she know that her grandfather had sent a master in witchcraft to come to Aurous Hill to try and assassinate Charlie.So, Sophie did not immediately agree to his request. Instead, she spoke up and asked, “Grandpa, you said that there are some misunderstandings between you and my benefactor. Can you tell me exactly what the misunderstanding is first? Even if I were to agree to your request, I’ll only be able to find an entry point to communicate with my benefactor after understanding the situation clearly.”Cadfan hesitated for a
Thereafter, having achieved his goal, he did not continue dwelling on this issue, and he changed the subject directly, “By the way, Sophie, how did your discussion with Mr. Ito Yahiko go? This guy has always wanted to collaborate with us and break out of Asia to go global. However, it seems as though he does not look up to us anymore ever since the incident in Tokyo.”“Yes.” Sophie said, “It seems as though there has been a change in Mr. Ito’s attitude. However, I can understand his reasoning. Our discussion is currently going very well. After all, things are no longer the same as how they used to be in the past. I’ve also lowered my stance, and I intend to use the entire ocean shipping group to form a new company together with the Ito family. At that time, the Ito family will own 51% of the shares, and I’ll own 49% of the shares. That way, I’ll transfer the fixed assets over to the new company before nullifying the Schulz Ocean Shipping Group. I should be able to bypass the previous
After hanging up the phone, although Cadfan felt much more relieved, he had a very ugly expression on his face.He was simply being polite when he had offered the island in Maldives to Sophie, but he never expected that Sophie would accept his offer directly. Moreover, it seemed as though she could not wait to get the property rights transferred. This made him feel even more distressed.This was supposed to be the place that he had prepared for his retirement. It was of extreme significance to him, and it was no lesser compared to a heavy coffin that an ancient old person would have prepared for himself in advance.The cost of the coffin that the ancient people were referring to was to prepare an expensive and heavy coffin for themselves in advance. Many elderly people viewed this coffin to be even more important than their own lives because they would have to be sleeping inside the coffin eternally after their deaths. So, why would they possibly be willing to give it up unless it w
Isaac smiled and said, “Perhaps she wants to give you a surprise.”Charlie waved his hand. “If she truly wanted to give me a surprise, she would not have arranged for Shangri-La hotel to be her accommodation, then.”As he spoke, Charlie took out his cell phone and said, “I’ll give her a call now.”Isaac was very witty, and he quickly withdrew from the office. As for Charlie, his call to Quinn was also connected.When Quinn answered the call, she was overjoyed as she said, “Brother Charlie! Why are you calling me at this time?”Charlie laughed and said, “Is there a problem with me calling at this time?”Quinn laughed happily as she said, “Of course there is no problem at all. I’m just a little surprised to receive your call. You do not usually take the initiative to call me.”Charlie hurriedly said, “It’s because I heard Mr. Cameron saying that your team will already be coming over here tomorrow. What about you, then? Will you also be coming tomorrow?”Quinn explained, “I’ll not
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