What was even more d*mning was the fact that there was no place for him at all in the bus that had more than forty seats. All of the seats had been occupied by those vicious-looking men, and Tom, his assistant, and his bodyguards were all thrown on the long and narrow aisle in the bus.As soon as they got onto the bus, the attitude of those vicious-looking men immediately changed. One of the men immediately spoke up and said to them, “Hand over your cell phones obediently now. Otherwise, don’t blame me for not being polite to you!”Tom was extremely nervous, and he subconsciously asked, “Were you guys sent here by Chairman Cameron from Shangri-La?”The strong man who had slapped him earlier said coldly, “Why do you have so many questions? Where is your cell phone? Hurry up and take it out quickly!”Tom trembled as he handed his cell phone over, and he mustered up the courage and said, “You… you guys are kidnapping us! Even Chairman Cameron cannot do such a thing in broad daylight,
As soon as Tom’s video was exposed, it immediately got on the hot search on many major websites.The netizens thought that Tom had simply done something dumb again, which was similar to what he had done the last time when he had intentionally hired a group of actors who were acting in a Japanese anti-war film. It was only that it was even more ridiculous this time. However, the Zielinski family immediately felt that something was rather unusual.So, they contacted Tom immediately, but they did not expect that they would have lost contact with Tom and his entire entourage.This made them realize that Tom must be in danger.After that, the Zielinski family immediately used their connections to ask around, and they even used their connections to pry and obtain information from the people who were in Aurous Hill, hoping that they would be able to find out Tom’s whereabouts.At this time, Tom had already been sent directly to Shangri-La by the bus.Tom did not expect that he did not
The Wade family did indeed have many branches of distant relatives. These distant relatives were spread all over the country and even all around the world. Although they also had the last name Wade, compared to the Wade family in Eastcliff, their economic situation was indeed far worse off.Therefore, if he was a member of the Wade family in Eastcliff, Tom certainly would not be able to afford to mess with them. However, if Charlie was just a distant relative of the Wade family, Tom really did not have to be afraid at all.After all, the Zielinskis were also a dignified and reputable family. Moreover, the Zielinski family had a pretty good relationship with the Wade family. So, they certainly would not allow a distant relative to trample all over him, right?At this moment, Charlie smiled playfully before he asked him, “You said that you knew Carmen Wade just now. Are you very close to her?”“Of course!” Tom blurted out, “Aunt Wade has a very good relationship with my father. We ev
Ever since Carmen had left Aurous Hill, she would immediately feel goosebumps all over her body as soon as she heard the words ‘Aurous Hill’.She had always regarded Aurous Hill as the Waterloo of her life, and it might even be the Waterloo in her life that she would never be able to make a comeback from. It had already long become a traumatic experience that was like a black hole haunting her psychologically.Zacheus could hear that Carmen’s voice was not quite natural, and he hurriedly asked, “Carmen, what’s wrong with Aurous Hill? Is there a problem?”Carmen subconsciously asked, “You said that Tom has been kidnapped and taken to Shangri-La?”“That’s right!” Zacheus hurriedly said, “The feedback that we received was that Tom had been taken to Shangri-La. I do not know whether the Wade family has anything to do with this matter, but isn’t Shangri-La an industry that is owned by the Wade family? So, that is the reason why I wanted to look for you so that I can get your help to hel
Carmen had always wholeheartedly been trying to please Lord Wade, and since Lord Wade did not want her to get a divorce, she did not mention this matter to him again.However, since their relationship had broken down, Carmen and her husband had been separated. The both of them rarely met one another, and they were basically strangers although their relationship as husband and wife still existed.As for Carmen and Zacheus, both of them were originally just old classmates, and they did not have any inappropriate relationship between the both of them at the very beginning.However, at a class reunion a few years ago, Carmen had drunk a little wine, and when everyone had begun talking about their current situation, she had begun complaining and telling her classmates that her relationship with her husband had broken down and that the both of them were already separated. However, she could not get divorced because of her father’s request. Zacheus, who had already been long widowed, const
It was because Carmen had genuine feelings for Zacheus that she decided to call Isaac even though she was obviously very afraid of Charlie. Coincidentally, Tom had just gotten his cell phone back at this time. After Charlie handed his cell phone over to him, he threatened Tom in a cold voice, “Remember, you’re only allowed to call Carmen Wade. I’ll break your hand if you dare to call a second person!”Tom felt very indignant in his heart, but he did not dare to be pretentious in front of Charlie.So, he could only nod honestly and say, “Don’t worry. I’ll call Aunt Wade now!”Charlie smiled and said, “Don’t forget to turn on the speaker!”Tom nodded resentfully. When his cell phone screen lit up, he immediately realized that there were multiple app push notifications on his cell phone.Moreover, the topic of all these push notifications was all related to himself!Some of them were ‘Tom Zielinski made a mistake once again when buying fans. Hilarious pictures of the scenes expo
“Moreover… Moreover, not only did they humiliate me, but they… They even hit me!”“Right now, my… My face is already swollen… after getting hit by them…”“But in a few days… I’ll have to attend Quinn’s concert as her… as her special guest…”“Face… If my face is so swollen, when the time comes… How could I possibly meet people like that?”“I… I cannot possibly… I cannot possibly be wearing a face mask… and impersonate a masked singer, right?”Carmen felt very powerless when she heard Tom crying so miserably over the other end of the line.She sighed before she spoke up and asked, “Tom… how did you offend Charlie?”Tom cried as he said, “I… I simply argued with him over the phone. I would not have expected that I’d get caught by his men as soon as I got off the plane…”Carmen was extremely helpless as he said, “Tom, I’d have been able to help you resolve anything regardless of who you offended in Aurous Hill, but if the person you have offended is Charlie, there is nothing I can
Tom was completely dumbfounded when he heard this.He thought to himself, ‘Is this something that a f*cking person should be saying?! How can there be such a thing?! This b*tch is deliberately protecting her own family. She knew that I had offended her own nephew, and that is the reason why she is deliberately refusing to help to intercede on my behalf?!’Just as Tom was feeling extremely angry, Carmen said apologetically, “Tom, I’m really not lying to you. If I were to speak up, I might only be aggravating Charlie’s punishment for you instead of alleviating it…”When Tom heard the sincerity in Carmen’s tone, he could not help but feel even more puzzled as he blurted out and asked, “This… What do you mean by this, Aunt Wade? I… I cannot figure it out at all… Aren’t you, his aunt?! Wouldn’t he be willing to show you some respect at least?”Carmen laughed in a self-deprecating manner as she said, “Haha… Charlie showing me respect? His subordinates even dare to beat me up! Furthermore
With those words, Jacob didn't wait any further as he turned and left Antique Street, intent on seeking legal counsel.Raymond watched him leave before returning to Treasure Measure.He wasn't going to leave, but he had said so because he didn't want to waste much time with Jacob.Still, to avoid any trouble, he turned the sign outside to 'closed' before locking the door from the inside.That was when a man suddenly arrived, asking through the glass door, "Can I still take a look inside, sir?"Raymond was ready to refuse without even turning around when he realized that it was Charlie.He turned around and saw him standing outside just as expected.Smiling, he hurried over to open the door for him. "It's been a while, Mr. Wade!"Charlie was aware that Raymond was sticking to his identity of 'Raymond Cole' who had not been in touch since Raymond had been fired from Vintage Deluxe.Charlie chuckled in turn. "It has indeed. And you're a business owner yourself now, too.""It's j
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