Bernard looked at the serious expression on Zachary’s face, and at a certain moment, he was almost about to be successfully brainwashed by Zachary.He looked back and forth at Zachary and then at the painting of the Mona Lisa in Charlie’s hands several times, and he felt as if his brain was in a trance for a few moments.Charlie also knew that Zachary was talking nonsense, but he really did not expect that Zachary would be able to come up with such an elaborate set of stories, and he could not help but feel some admiration for this lad from the bottom of his heart.Not to mention anything else, but his skills at talking nonsense could definitely be considered first-class.Nevertheless, Bernard quickly came back to his senses. He knew that Zachary must be randomly making this story up.First of all, not to mention whether this story could possibly be true or not, but even if this story was true, this group of people couldn't possibly be in possession of this painting themselves.
He himself was the originator of the matching goods industry, and he relied on the trick of matching goods to earn tens of billions of dollars.Therefore, Bernard also understood that the reason why merchants dared to ask consumers to match goods was because they had absolute confidence in their own goods. Once they knew that consumers were willing to get the goods at any cost, they would have enough courage to ask the consumers to match goods. A bag that cost more than one hundred thousand dollars could be matched with goods worth two hundred thousand dollars. A watch that cost more than two hundred dollars could be matched with goods worth four or five hundred thousand dollars. All of them could grasp the psychology of consumers accurately and so, they could be made to pay ruthlessly. Now, Bernard was pining for the Rejuvenating Pill and so, he could only grit his teeth and accept it if he were to match goods for this.After all, when he came out to do business, he would alwa
When Charlie saw that Bernard was paying money to concede, he was very satisfied, and he said to him, “Mr. Arnault, the matter of matching goods will end for the time being, but our boss still has one more matter to instruct you on.”Bernard hurriedly said, “Please speak up...” Charlie said indifferently, “You must keep the receipt and purchase order that I just showed you absolutely confidential, and you cannot let anyone else know about this matter.”Bernard replied without hesitation, “Don’t worry about this. I definitely won’t disclose this to the public.”“That’s good.” Charlie then smiled faintly and said, “By the way, there is one more matter that I need your help with.”Bernard hurriedly asked, “What else do you want me to do? Just give me your instructions!”Charlie casually said, “Our boss does not really like your shop in Aurous Hill very much. His intention is for you to arrange for the withdrawal of your shop as soon as possible. Moreover, you should not keep any of
As he spoke, Zachary then said, “I actually got a student from the Academy of Fine Arts to paint the Oskian version of the Mona Lisa painting for five hundred dollars per piece. I would generally ask for a price of a little over eighty thousand dollars for it on Antique Street, and if I manage to sell such a pair, I generally would not set up my stall for two months, then. It is also mainly because I’m afraid that people will come looking for me.”Charlie asked him, “How do you usually deal with it when others come looking for you?”Zachary forced a laugh twice and then explained, “If they come to find me, it will certainly be because they want a refund. I usually look at the person, and if I can afford to provoke him and go against him, I would fight to the end. Anyway, my basic principle of doing business on Antique Street is to never give a refund.”Charlie asked again, “What if you cannot afford to provoke the person, then?”Zachary scratched his head and said, “My first option
It had not been easy for Zachary to make a living in Aurous Hill all these years.After all, he was doing some shady deeds, and he would often be chased away like a dog. Every now and then, he would also receive a good beating, and his life was not stable.The main reason for this was because there was no one to back him up.It was not that Zachary did not want to build a good relationship with the people from the underground, especially Karter, who was in charge of Antique Street.However, he was an unworthy charlatan in Karter’s eyes. Not to mention that Karter did not take him seriously, but even Karter’s subordinates did not take him seriously at all. So, without Charlie lending him a helping hand, it would still be far too high for Zachary to reach someone like Karter.But now, Charlie was letting him stay by Albert’s side and take Albert as his master. This was equivalent to Charlie helping him climb up several levels!Not only that, but Zachary would also be considered
Charlie laughed and scolded, “Alright, stop flattering me here. Hurry up and go.”Zachary’s eyes were flushed red, and he could not stop two of his tears from streaming down. He hurriedly wiped the tears away with his sleeve as he sighed and said, “Master Wade, you might not know this, but all these years, I, Zachary Evans, have been like a fatherless orphan. Not to mention on Antique Street, but I would also have to nod, bow, and flatter everyone wherever I am. In the final analysis, anyone who has a say in Aurous Hill could bully me because I did not have anyone to back me up. Anyone could oppress me... I really did not expect that I would be able to follow Don Albert and you in my life...”As Zachary spoke of this, he could not help but wipe away another tear as he said seriously, “Master Wade, saying all this makes me look like I’m really useless! Anyway, you can rest assured that I will not disappoint or let you and Don Albert down in the future!”Charlie nodded and said, “Havi
When the other party heard that Vivian wanted to buy the 718, he subconsciously said, “Cut the crap! It’s six hundred thousand dollars with a minimum down payment of three hundred thousand dollars, and the insurance for the first year is more than ten thousand dollars. It’s not that I want to say anything, but where are you going to get so much money?!”Vivian sneered and said, “Oh, who are you looking down on? Let me tell you, I got a big order today, and I will be receiving three hundred thousand dollars in commission on my payday on the 15th of next month!”“F*ck!” The other party exclaimed, “Are you serious?! What kind of big order was it that you could raise a commission of three hundred thousand dollars?! Dude, I’ve been working so hard to sell secondhand cars, and I can only get about ten to eighteen thousand dollars a month! If your store is so profitable, I will go to your store for an interview someday!”Vivian smiled smugly and said, “Oh, do you think that anyone who want
Vivian heaved a sigh of relief and smiled as he said, “That would be great, and it would also be foolproof.”The other party said, “In that case, I will give the bank account for the car dealership to you. You should make the payment first and then record a video of yourself. In the video, you have to clearly state that you are voluntarily paying a deposit of one hundred thousand dollars to reserve the car. After that, you will make the final payment to collect the car before the 31st of next month. I will send the copyright text to you in a short while as well as the car’s frame number and engine number so that you can read it out when you are recording the video.”Vivian asked in surprise, “Is it that simple? I don’t need to go to your store to sign a contract?”The other party smiled and said, “Nowadays, it’s basically all video contracts. Even banks and security companies ask their customers to record their own videos now. It’s simple, convenient, carries no risks, and guarantee
While Charlie was waiting for Claire at the airport, Jacob and Elaine were taken to the traffic police station.But even in the patrol car, Elaine did not stop lashing out at Jacob.As such, the traffic police had no choice but to call up another patrol car to bring them over separately.Charlie was hence left wondering what those two were up to this time as they were nowhere to be seen when Claire's flight was about to land and weren't answering his texts.Fortunately, Charlie never considered them reliable, so he was fine whether they showed up or not.If they did, they could all head home in the same car.If they didn't, he just had to take a cab home with Claire.It was past three when Claire's private jet landed, and Claire herself cleared the checkpoint in just half an hour, wheeling a trolley with her luggage.Seeing Charlie from afar, she couldn't help quickening her pace as she beamed.Charlie hurried toward her as well, and Claire shoved her trolley aside when they w
However, to Jacob's shock, Elaine wasn't misled at all as she growled icily, "Why would I ask anyone else?! If there's someone I must question, it's Matilda! She's getting married, isn't she? Good! I will be there and ask her why she hooked up with my husband!"Jacob turned pale right then.Matilda's son and even some of their old classmates would be attending her wedding.If Elaine went, he would be exposed, and he wouldn't be able to stay in Aurous Hill out of shame!His nerves gnawing at him, Jacob could only plead, "Please, just trust me this once! Anything else aside, she's getting married, anyway—there's no way that I'd have anything to do with her! That alone should prove my innocence!"Elaine snorted. "If Matilda returned when I was arrested, it means she has been back for a while! And you're saying nothing happened since? Hell, even if she's married, it doesn't prove that she wasn't up to some hanky-panky with you! Maybe while I was arrested and refused a divorce when you
The driver was left dumbstruck—this wasn't how it was supposed to go.Still, he blurted, "C-Crashing into a Cullinan? I might end up dead instead…""Fine! Then let's change cars, and you crash into ours—how about that?!" Elaine promptly retorted before continuing, "Or we could just stand right in front of your car while you run into us! I just happen to have a death wish, but if you don't kill me now, I'll kill you! Don't think about getting away either—I know your car plate! I'll sell this car and use the money to put a bounty on your head! I don't care what happens to me now! I'll claw my nails into the devil's face even if he shows up!"The driver was actually quite experienced, but even he had yet to meet someone as ridiculous as Elaine.Barely able to keep his hands steady, he threw them up as he apologized, "I'm so sorry, ma'am—I just lost my cool. I'm merely a humble driver of a Honda Civic while you own a Rolls. Hell, I spent fifty bucks buying that red emblem from Amazon,
Elaine may have led a life as if she was above the rules, but beneath that tough exterior lay crippling insecurities and a horrific inferiority complex.She was always afraid of being belittled—but more than that, of being ostracized and betrayed.Over the years, the greatest source of her complexes could all be traced back to Matilda.After all, Matilda had been a star back in their school days. Because Elaine was a close friend of hers, many boys would get chummy with Elaine, but only because they were interested in Matilda.Being from a poor farmer's family, Elaine had been scorned plenty and therefore felt exceedingly inferior around Matilda.It was from that sense of inferiority that Elaine had inadvertently developed a one-sided rivalry against Matilda, and she believed her greatest triumph over Matilda in this life was the moment she had stolen Jacob from her.However, while Elaine presumed that she could hold that victory over Matilda's head, Lady Wilson had soured that v
Moreover, given Elaine's ridiculous temper, Jacob knew she would definitely go overboard and destroy him.He wouldn't even have a place to live at that point, and it would really be game over if she held a grudge and stormed the Calligraphy and Painting Association!Under such circumstances, he couldn't ask for a divorce—hell, he might even refuse a divorce if Elaine asked for one!However, that was when Elaine laughed coldly. "Oh, my… You're really not going to divorce me?""Come on—how long were we married?" Jacob quickly reasoned. "Getting divorced at our age? People would laugh at us."Elaine scoffed. "Now I'm curious… Matilda's quite old too, and she's a divorcee marrying again. Won't people laugh at her?""Technically, she's a widow—"Jacob blurted out, but soon turned pale, tensing up again not a second after he had just calmed down, asking gingerly, "W-Why would you suddenly mention her?'Elaine stopped pretending right then and snapped, "It's actually impressive that y
Horrified, Jacob promptly grasped the steering wheel and brought the Cullinan back under control while not hesitating to snap, "Are you crazy?! We're on the highway—that could have killed the both of us!"However, Elaine ignored him and seized the moment to open the armrest box, pulling out the large white envelope.As she opened it, she muttered, "So, it really was a wedding invitation… You really are a terrible friend, Jacob Wilson, hiding a wedding invitation like this! What's the point? Just look at that nervous face of yours—would I suspect you of having an affair with the bride-to-be?"She flipped open the card and was experienced enough to check the names first while disregarding the usual preamble. She wouldn't care about the venue or the time either, focusing solely on the professor who had somehow made Jacob very nervous.That was how Elaine found the names in less than a second: Yolden Hart and Matilda Hall.Matilda?!The name could well be knives stabbing Elaine in th
Jacob's brain blanked out, leaving only a dull hum as soon as Walker mentioned 'Professor Hall'.Already feeling nervous in the first place, he quickly said, "Okay, okay—I got it. Anyway, I'm hanging up if there's nothing else!"With that, he promptly pressed the button to hang up.Nonetheless, Elaine was soon asking in curiosity, "Who's Professor Hall?"If Jacob had any semblance of composure, he would have said 'a colleague at Senior University' as if it was perfectly natural, and the matter would have been forgotten.But the reality was that he didn't—in fact, he was the champion when it came to dropping the ball as a casual question from Elaine left him sweating all over his brow.Even as he slid nervous glances at her face, he stammered uncontrollably, "N-Nobody…"Elaine promptly noticed his strange reaction and frowned. "I'm talking about Professor Hall. What do you mean, nobody? Who are they? And what's this about an invitation? Inviting you for what?"Seeing that he was
Jacob had really had too much to drink and couldn't remember the later parts of what had happened last night—even how he had gotten home was a blur.Naturally, he also forgot that Walker had brought Matilda's wedding invitation, and therefore didn't hesitate to answer the in-car answer button.Over the phone, Walker was positively fawning as he asked, "Mr. Wilson? It's Walker. Why didn't you come in today? Had too much to drink last night?""Uh-huh," Jacob grunted, lethargic. "I did—my head still hurts now… Anyway, what's up? Trouble at the association?""No, of course not," Walker quickly said. "I was just worried you're still hungover, so I called to ask. If you need a driver or anything, you just need to ask!"Then, before Jacob could answer, he continued, "By the way, my wife is somewhat knowledgable in Oskian medicine, and she has recipes for brews that cure hangovers and nourish the liver. I'm sure you'll need the latter since you're always drinking at social events, so I as
Fortunately, Elaine and Jacob's bickering never escalated.Even though Elaine was winning, Jacob found it tolerable.After Jacob finished his lunch and cleaned up, he never looked up as he said, "Charlie sent a text, saying Claire's flight would touch down earlier at three. We will leave at two."Elaine grumbled. "Why leave so early? She's coming back from abroad, and there'd be checkpoints she has to clear—she'd be lucky if she could leave by half past three. I'm sleeping a few winks now, and we'll leave at half past two."As she left the dining room, she didn't even look back as she said, "Clean up for me too."Jacob had a million complaints but said nothing as he kept his head down, throwing Elaine's lunchbox in the trash can as well.With Elaine gone, he sat on the couch as her hangover slowly cleared while his mood soured with the lack of alcohol.In the end, the pleasure of being fawned over at the Diamond Room was but temporary—the pain of his beloved leaving with someone