Herman also nodded repeatedly as he instructed, “I’ll stay and serve the core family. When the time comes, you can take over the position as the chairman, then...”As Herman spoke of this, he sighed and said emotionally, “It’s just that you’re still so young and inexperienced now. I’m really worried that you will not be able to do it well if you are forced to do something that is entirely beyond your abilities...”Theodore hurriedly spoke according to his father’s words as he said, “Dad, don’t worry, I will definitely try my best to do it. I dare not say that I will be able to lead the group to advance by leaps and bounds, but at the very least, I will do my best to maintain the family business and wait for you to return to regain control of the entire company...”Herman sighed emotionally as he said, “Sigh! It’s my duty to serve the core family and so, at the moment, there is no other way but for me to force you to grow up quickly!” Charlie could not help but frown as he thought
Theodore was about to collapse emotionally.He finally understood that Charlie was the master of acting.Both he and his father were nothing and could not be compared to Charlie at all.Theodore and his father were originally planning to put on a show so that they could get themselves switched out and go back to running their own family business. Unexpectedly, a few words from Charlie would not only set him back again, but they would also end up offending someone that they could not afford to mess with.Herman also felt extremely depressed. He had no idea how he should settle things at this moment.Even if he were to take this opportunity to offer to let his son stay at this moment, the chances were already very slim now. This was because once that happened, it would be equivalent to them admitting that they had just lied to Charlie. They were already originally sinners in front of the Wade family, and as a result, they were still playing tricks with Charlie at this time. If
If someone sold him a fifty-million-dollar villa that came with a twenty-million-dollar renovation for a hundred million dollars, he would also think that it was a good deal.Moreover, he would need to buy a variety of items, including a variety of daily necessities as well as cars, yachts, and even helicopters after buying the villa.In addition, he would also require a lot of human and material resources for maintenance to ensure that he would be able to go over and live there at any time and would always have maids who could provide their services to him at any time. Therefore, spending one hundred million dollars to buy the villa and then buying a car, yacht, and helicopter might end up being tens of millions of dollars. Furthermore, the depreciation cost was amazingly high, and it would easily amount to a depreciation of ten million dollars a year. Not only that, but the maintenance costs of the entire villa and the various equipment would also be tens of millions of dollars
In Charlie’s opinion, these collateral families were second-class citizens compared to the core family, to begin with.Moreover, with their bad history of ingratitude and injustice, it would be even more impossible for Charlie to treat them like human beings in the future. The reason why he was asking these families to arrange for two young descendants to come and serve the core Wade family as subordinates was to let them know that their mission was to serve the core family.When more than seven hundred of the members of the Wade family’s collateral families heard this, they were all filled with grievances and complaints in their hearts, but based on the lesson that they had learned from Theodore’s family, no one dared to say a word at this time. When Charlie saw that no one dared to oppose this, he said, “Since all of you have no opinion, this matter is settled, then.”As Charlie spoke, he took the name list for the ancestor worship ceremony and spoke up, “There is information
Moreover, Ten Thousand Armies had already drained this group of people of their cash, and they had even signed a five-year installment contract. Their economic lifeline was already in Charlie’s hands. Needless to say, Ten Thousand Armies was already Charlie’s best fist and force level. This alone was already enough to scare off the members of the Wade family’s collateral families.As for the control of internal affairs, it was completely up to Charlie. He could easily destroy any disobedient head of the family and support any obedient person from within to become the head of the family instead. These members of the Wade family’s collateral families could also see right through Charlie’s intentions, but they simply did not have the strength to confront him. So, they were all forced to agree.When Charlie saw that all of them had no objections, he spoke up and said, “Since all of you have no opinions, we will then push forward as I have said. Give a report of the list and informati
Aside from Herman and his son, Theodore, who did not dare to move, the remaining half of the members of the collateral families were driven down Mount Wintry by the soldiers from Ten Thousand Armies. The remaining half could only kneel honestly for the next twenty-four hours. Herman and his son, Theodore, were originally part of the first half of people who had gone up the mountain. Now, seeing that Charlie was willing to let the people who had come up the mountain first leave, Theodore hurriedly asked him, “Head of the family... I wonder if you will be magnanimous and allow my father to go back?”Charlie said coldly, “Yes. You and your father will kneel here for three days. Your father can leave after three days, and you can then report to Doris Young at Emgrand Ground in Aurous Hill.”When Theodore heard this, he was overjoyed, and he quickly said gratefully, “Thank you, head of the family... Thank you...”Herman also heaved a sigh of relief and said gratefully, “Thank you for
Charlie laughed and said, “Look at you. You’re not honest at all. That’s what I don’t like about you. Not a single word of truth comes out from that mouth of yours in a whole day.”As Charlie spoke, he then said seriously, “If you want to leave, you should say it directly. As long as you say it directly, I will give you a chance. It just so happens that I need someone to handle a matter that I have at hand. I’ll hand this matter over to you if you say it directly.”Felix’s eyes suddenly brightened up, and he could not hide his excitement as he said, “I’ll say it... I’ll say it! It’s true that I really do not want to stay on Mount Wintry... Charlie, please give me a chance! I’m willing to do anything that you ask of me as long as you don’t ask me to go to Madagascar to cut sugar cane...”Charlie nodded, smiled, and said, “How could I possibly ask you to go to Madagascar? No matter what it is, your last name is still Wade. So, how could I let a member of the Wade family work for and c
It was already late by the time Charlie was done solving everything, and there were also hundreds of people kneeling densely on Mount Wintry which was brightly lit.Charlie turned his back to look at his parents’ tomb that was not too far away, and he stared at it for a long time before he sighed lightly and said to Jeremiah, “Grandpa, since everything has almost been completely settled, I will go back to Aurous Hill tomorrow.” Jeremiah hurriedly said, “Charlie, you’re the head of the Wade family now. I will not advise you to stay and settle down in Eastcliff, but you should stay for a few more days at least, this time. I can work with you to sort out all the Wade family’s affairs and then introduce the Wade family’s team of managers to you. They will also be responsible for answering to you in the future.” Charlie spoke up, “The Wade family has a lot of business, and it is not realistic to get these managers to prepare all the information immediately. Even if they are ready, they
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