Claire had originally wanted to continue harping on the same thing. According to Claire’s thoughts, as long as she could gradually see an improvement in her company, Charlie could also gradually reduce his Feng Shui reading business, or even stop engaging in this aspect of things as much as possible.However, after hearing Charlie say these things, she put away her own rhetorical thoughts and said helplessly, “Husband, since that is the case, you must pay more attention to yourself, then.”Charlie smiled slightly and nodded as he said, “Don’t worry, Wife. I will.”Claire was gratified, and she smiled as she said, “It’s getting late. Let’s hurry up and go back to our room to sleep.”“Okay!”***Late at night, while Charlie and Claire were cuddling and sleeping together, a woman cautiously walked out from the Moore family villa into the large courtyard without making any noise.It was already half past one in the morning, but Nanako was not asleep. Instead, she came out to the cou
When Jasmine heard Nanako’s question, she said seriously, “I actually know very little about Master Wade’s past. I met him for the first time last year in one of our family’s antique stores. At that time, Master Wade was not famous in Aurous Hill, and he was just a live-in son-in-law with a very low status in his family.”As she spoke of this, Jasmine then spoke up, “But although Master Wade is very young, he had mastered an antique restoration technique that had already been long lost. This really made me feel very shocked. At that time, I felt that this man should have some unknown story.”Nanako nodded. “There are indeed many shocking things about Charlie-kun, but what I want to know the most is about Charlie-kun’s childhood. For instance, where exactly he came from, and how he ended up becoming an orphan. Was he abandoned by his parents after he was born, did he lose his parents after he was born, or whether he only became an orphan after he lost his parents at a certain point in
However, after Claire busily talked on her cell phone as she was eating, she then said to Charlie excitedly, “Husband, Miss Jasmine from the Moore family has asked me to go to Moore Group to discuss the project collaboration with her!”Charlie was not surprised because Jasmine had already expressed this intention very clearly yesterday.In Charlie’s opinion, the reason why Jasmine was doing this was definitely because she wanted to repay Charlie for his help by helping Claire to build up and establish her own business.So, Charlie did not think too much about it and asked her, “Then, should I send you to Moore Group or somewhere else after we’re done with breakfast later?”“To Moore Group!” Claire replied without any hesitation at all. “Miss Moore is the chairman of Moore Group now, so she should be able to make the decision directly with regards to the project collaboration. So, I have to hurry up and talk to her to see if we can put the collaboration in place as soon as possible.
However, Claire knew very well in her heart that it would be impossible for her to collaborate with Moore Group on projects that were worth a total investment of tens of billions of dollars at one go based on her current strength and ability.The overall strength of her company now was still far from the scale of that of a large design company. Moreover, she still had the project with Emgrand Group on hand, so the energy that she could spare was even more limited. Claire estimated that she would at most be able to take on only one-fifth of the projects that Jasmine had brought out, which were worth tens of billions of dollars. But even if it was just one-fifth, it was still a very large piece of cake. The design fee alone was already around forty million dollars. Just as Claire was still feeling extremely excited about this, Jasmine, who was opposite her, was actually thinking about how she could somehow lead the conversation topic to Charlie without arousing Claire’s suspicio
Jasmine explained, “This is the case. I trusted and believed in a fraudster from Hong Kong back then, and I accidentally turned the Feng Shui in my house into a dragon encapsulation formation, and something terrible nearly happened to me. It was all thanks to Master Wade’s advice that I managed to avert disaster…”As she spoke, Jasmine then told Claire about the story of how she had been deceived by the fake Hong Kong master, Master Lennard, because of her back luck. After that, Charlie had seen right through Master Lennard and had eventually helped her to get rid of the dragon encapsulation formation.Claire was dumbfounded after listening to Jasmine. She had initially thought that her husband’s so-called Feng Shui skillset was more or less deception.However, after listening to Jasmine’s explanation, she finally understood that Charlie’s skillset was not just a silly gimmick. Instead, it actually had really practical effects. So, Claire could not help but sigh and say, “In the p
What made Jasmine realize that the situation was not quite right was after all of these clues were cleared, and all of them seemed to match Charlie. Charlie’s last name was equivalent to the last piece of evidence that locked all of these clues together, and Jasmine no longer had any more doubts about her own assumption.She thought to herself, ‘So, it seems that Master Wade should be the young master of the Wade family from Eastcliff. Moreover, the Wade family had a very good relationship with the Golding family back then. So, that is the reason why they had arranged a marriage contract when the two children were still young. However, some changes happened to Master Wade in the middle, and that was the reason why he ended up in Aurous Hill and became an orphan!’As she thought of this, Jasmine suddenly had mixed feelings in the depths of her heart.Before this, she had felt that Charlie came from a lowly origin. However, he succeeded because of his own ability, and it was also prec
“Okay!” Claire quickly stood up and said, “In that case, I’ll not disturb your work anymore, Miss Moore. We can keep in touch by phone if there are any problems.”“Okay!” Jasmine then took the initiative to extend her hand toward Claire as she said, “To a good collaboration!”Claire nodded. “To a good collaboration!”Jasmine also stood up and smiled as she said, “Let’s go. I’ll see you out.”Jasmine sent Claire out of her office. After saying goodbye to her, Jasmine immediately returned to her office and took out her cell phone to call Nanako.At this moment, Nanako was waiting for Jasmine’s feedback at the Moore family villa. This was because she knew that Jasmine was going to meet up with Claire this morning. So, she also hoped that Jasmine would be able to extract some useful key information and clues from Claire directly.Therefore, as soon as the call came in, Nanako immediately answered the call and spoke up as she asked, “How did it go, Jasmine?”Jasmine got straight to t
Jasmine actually knew very little about the Wade family.These big families had always been particularly concerned about protecting their own privacy. So, aside from the local families in Eastcliff who more or less understood their situation, the non-local families only knew about their situation vaguely in general, and there were simply no ways for them to know any details in depth.Moreover, during the era when Curtis had passed away, information dissemination was still very backward, and there were only two methods for ordinary people to gain news. The first one was through the television, and the other method was through the newspaper. However, the television at that time rarely played any reruns of news, not to mention that there were no internet platforms to help them keep the video files. So, this meant that if you missed the news when it was exposed at first, there was a high likelihood that you would never have the opportunity to see it again.It was precisely because of
Zachary couldn't help pointing at the screen and snapping, "Fucking loser! The more you feel pressed, the less you should be nervous! What are you thinking?! You're falling right under that bastard's trap!"Jacob was frustrated too, growling through his teeth, "Shit! I didn't think that bastard was a sly old fox. Fucking hell!"He then sighed, shaking his head. "Forget it, Zachary—I'm going home to pack my shit, and I'll depart for Dubai first thing tomorrow. Just handle that bronze sculpture for me and wire the money over."As he was about to get off, Zachary sighed in exasperation and apologetically said, "Sorry, Mr. Wilson… but it's fine! Even if this plan screwed up, just let me cook up another plan to destroy Raymond Cole!"Jacob ignored him as he strode out of the car, but that was when Raymond spoke audibly from Zachary's phone, "You can calm down. I'm not accusing you of lying to me. I just think that it's not Renaissance… Rather, it's medieval.""E-Early medieval…?" Billy
In Treasure Measure, Raymond unwrapped the red cloth around the bronze sculpture in front of Billy and the camera.There was a brief flash of surprise on his face, and it was soon gone.Still, he picked up the bronze sculpture, fiddling with it as he asked, "Do you know where it's from?""Yeah," Billy nodded. "A Renaissance-era sculpture. I think the base makes it obvious."Raymond looked up at him and asked in curiosity, "Are you sure about that?"Billy, presuming that Raymond had already noticed a catch, quickly said, "Well, the old man had an expert check it, and the expert said it was immediately obvious! To be honest, I want to sell it because the old man just passed away—gotta sell this baby before my brother goes for a garage sale."He had certainly added more details to the script, and Raymond nodded as he said nonchalantly, "But it doesn't look Renaissance to me. Sculptures from that era—be it the craftsmanship or the unique attributes? It's quite different from this one
In the antique trade, items that raised eyebrows would only be shown in the evenings—when various shops were about to close.That was certainly the case in Antique Street, as most items arriving in the evening were either freshly excavated, stolen, or forgery used to dupe unsuspecting victims.Even if Raymond had started his career abroad, he had learned every last unspoken rule during his earlier stint in Aurous Hill.Seeing the wariness on Billy's face and the way he was holding something in his arms, Raymond knew right away that what he carried wasn't legal.Still, the antique trade was no different here than it was abroad.Tomb raiding, forgery, or adding some touch-ups that increased the value of an item—everyone across the globe pretty much played the same tricks, and Raymond had his fair share of experience.Still, he did not let his wariness show, instead grinning, "Yes, of course. Come on in—let's talk inside!"And with that, he quickly led Billy inside.Meanwhile, bot
"Five hundred grand?"Mick chuckled. "Well, the sculpture looks Renaissance, and the craftsmanship as well as the material are all ideal. It would sell for up to two million in an auction, while established antique traders like us could offer up to a million. So, why the lowball?"Bill sighed. "I won't lie—it belonged to my old man, who just croaked this afternoon. But you see, he left a will stating that every antique in the house would be given to my brother… Since he's playing favorites, I thought I had to get something for myself.""That's why I quietly sneaked this baby out without anyone else knowing and am trying to sell it quickly to change my own circumstances. You don't have to tell me how many millions it's worth—I'm not that greedy. Give me five hundred grand, and it's yours."Mick shrugged as he shot back, "If it's as you say and your old man intended for your brother to have it, the fact that you sneaked it out here makes this theft. Do you think I'd buy stolen proper
It was half past six, and the skies were darkening when a figure hurried into Antique Street, heading straight toward the center—to Vintage Deluxe.Mick Crane, the manager, was holding the fort with some of his employees, and there were some guests window shopping there as well. As Mick asked the employees to assist the guests, he waited anxiously for Billy—Zachary's henchman.Nonetheless, a certain figure rushed inside within minutes, asking eagerly as he entered, "Is the manager in? Do you still buy antiques?""Yes, and yes!" Mick exclaimed as he approached Billy enthusiastically, asking, "May I ask what you're planning to sell?"Billy looked around before sneakily holding up a parcel wrapped in red cloth, carefully lifting a corner to reveal an edge so that Mick could see.Then, he promptly lowered the cloth again, whispering, "This is the good stuff. I'm just not sure if you have the money to buy it."Mick grinned. "What are you saying? If it's something Vintage Deluxe coul
Jacob chuckled. "Can't tell you right now. But I will once it's done.""Well, have you decided when we're going to Dubai?" Elaine quickly pressed.Jacob said, "I'd have to wait until tonight to see if this deal works, but we're leaving first thing tomorrow. I'll get the tickets first, and we will be staying at the Burj Al-Arab that I told you about. People are always saying how amazing it is on the internet every day, seeing how luxurious the seven-star hotel is, but I'll be the judge of that."Elaine was overjoyed to hear that. "That's amazing! And I was just thinking we can't go sooner! Go about your business, then. I'll pack our luggage right away."Jacob chuckled smugly. "Don't pack so much, though. Just stick to the necessities, since we can get the rest over there!""Alright!" Elaine exclaimed, beside herself in excitement. "Alright, you hurry up and get your thing done over there. I'll start packing now!"After hanging up, Elaine called Charlie, who was in Champs Elys Reso
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