As Jakel was accompanying Elaine to the hospital, Charlie was on his way to New York.Jakel reported the situation to Jordan promptly, and Jordan then reported the situation to Charlie immediately. According to Jakel, he would only be able to apply for one to two days of hospital treatment time for Elaine at most, but Elaine would have to attend the preliminary hearing after the hospital treatment was over. During the preliminary hearing, the judge would make a ruling on whether Elaine could be released on bail based on the general circumstances of the case. If she could be released on bail, the judge would give a bail amount, and as long as the money was available, she would be able to temporarily regain her freedom.However, according to Jakel, the amount of contraband involved in Elaine’s case was too large, so bail was basically impossible. This meant that Elaine would temporarily be held in a detention center after the preliminary hearing.Similarly, the United States a
Charlie then said again, “There is one more thing.”Porter said respectfully, “Mr. Wade, please speak up.”Charlie said seriously, “Help me investigate an Oskian person named Lucy Cardy in Providence. She looks like she’s in her fifties, and I believe she is using a fake identity. However, since she has used this fake identity to live in Providence, she must have left some clues behind. So, I need you to help me find out this person’s current whereabouts as soon as possible.”Having said that, Charlie instructed again, “Also, their gang should have a counterpart here in New York. Find a way to investigate the surveillance at the airport and find out who exactly interacted and had contact with my mother-in-law. After that, find a way to find out her whereabouts as well. It’d be best if you can catch the person directly.”“No problem!” Porter said without hesitation, “Don’t worry, Mr. Wade. You can leave everything to me!” Charlie knew very well that Lucy would definitely find a wa
By the time Charlie had rushed back to New York, it was already night.Since Kathleen had kindly invited him to stay at Fox Mansion before he had arrived in New York, Charlie had agreed to it. There would be many inconveniences for him even if he were to go to a hotel at the last minute. It would be relatively more convenient for him to stay at Fox Mansion temporarily.When the helicopter arrived home, the members of the Fox family came out to greet Charlie again.They were still led by Jordan and Kathleen as they waited for Charlie’s arrival again.As soon as they met, Jordan stepped forward with Kathleen’s support and said very respectfully, “Mr. Wade, I’ve already asked someone to prepare the banquet. I believe that you haven’t eaten yet after all the hard work, so why don’t we go to the dining room for dinner first? What do you think?”Charlie hadn’t eaten since he had dropped Elaine off in the afternoon, so as soon as Jordan reminded him, he felt a little hungry. Therefore,
Charlie nodded, recalled something, and asked him, “Lord Fox, as far as you know, have there been many cases where compatriots harm their own compatriots in the United States over the past few years?” Jordan smiled awkwardly and said seriously, “There have indeed been many such cases. In fact, this kind of thing has been commonly seen in the United States...”Having said that, Jordan said again, “Of course, it’s not just our Oskian compatriots who are in this situation. In truth, people from other countries are also facing similar problems.”After pausing for a moment, Jordan explained, “As you know, the United States is a country of immigrants, so the composition of the population here is very complex. There are many ethnic minorities, and there are often two extremes to these ethnic minorities due to the new arrivals and language barrier.”“The first extreme is that they would get particularly close to their fellow countrymen. Everyone would be closely knitted together to take c
Jordan smiled helplessly and said, “Generally, the internal risk isolation is done very well for this kind of organization. It is equivalent to making multiple fire doors. Once there is a fire, the outermost fire door will be shut first, and if the fire is blocked, they will redevelop the peripheral downline. If they cannot stop it, they will close the second fire door until it can be blocked. Therefore, for so long, they have only lost some peripheral members, and the core members did not suffer any threats. Instead, they have even accumulated a huge amount of wealth and resources, and they have also become more powerful in strength.Charlie nodded and said coldly, “That is to say that the core members of this organization have a large number of scapegoats. Every time something goes wrong, they only need to drag a group of people out to bear the responsibility for that matter.”“Yes.” Jordan said, “This is the drawback of the law under certain circumstances. At the legal level, as l
The efficiency of Ten Thousand Armies’ investigation was very high. After just one night, they had roughly mapped out the entire story.Porter then called Charlie and reported in detail, “Mr. Wade, according to my subordinates’ investigation, the Oskian woman who had been getting close to your mother-in-law in the Oskian Rampage Team in Providence is not called Lucy Cardy. Her real name is actually Martha Yorker.”“Martha Yorker?” Charlie frowned and asked, “What is Martha Yorker’s origin?”Porter said, “Martha smuggled into the United States alone more than twenty years ago. She originally hoped to work in the United States to earn money to build a house for her two sons and their wives. She lived under the pseudonym ‘Sally Hoffstead’ as she carried out bad deeds in local Oskiatown while working as a nanny for Oskian families.”“The reason why she used this pseudonym is because the smuggler who transported her into the United States told her that she should not let anyone know of
Charlie asked him, “How did you find out that Sally Hoffstead, who was using a fake identity back then, is the current Martha Yorker?”Porter said, “Mr. Wade, I found the outdoor surveillance video of Providence, restored a high-definition photo of Martha, and put it on Ten Thousand Armies’ intelligence network. There is an informant who provided the information to us. The informant is the smuggler who brought Martha into the United States, and he has kept the identity information of all the stowaways over the years.”Charlie asked again, “What is Martha’s real identity now, then?”Porter explained, “Her real identity is a self-employed person who relied on investment immigration to obtain the United States green card. She invested one million US dollars in a regional center around the year 2010, which was approved by the United States Immigration Service through the EB-5 investment immigration program in the United States.”Charlie said coldly, “An illegal immigrant who smuggled i
Meanwhile, Martha had just woken up in the car.Jalen and Kyler had taken turns driving overnight, and they had only driven a thousand kilometers. Now, they were still more than two thousand kilometers away from the United States and Mexico border.According to Martha’s plan, she wanted the two men to drive all the way to El Paso, Texas, and then enter Mexico by land.Martha, who had been sleeping in the rocky car all night, was still somewhat in a daze because she hadn’t slept well. She suddenly recalled the time when she had first come to the United States. In the first two years of her arrival in the United States, although she had used a fake identity, she had really worked hard and conscientiously. Although the money she had made at that time was far from wealthy in the United States, since she had been working as a nanny, her accommodation and food had all been covered by her employer. Therefore, all the money that she had earned could be sent back home, and she had mana
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
Zachary chuckled and continued, "Well, I went to Antique Street and asked around. Turns out our mutual friend only brought a few hundred thousand grand with him. If he messes up and loses all his money, won't it be over for him?""He won't just be broke either—he'd be humiliated and forced to fuck off from Antique Street. You'd get even then!"Jacob was at once excited.Just yesterday, Claire and Charlie were warning him that assault meant doing time.As the vice president of the Calligraphy and Painting Association and the next presidential-hopeful, he would lose his place if he was charged with assault or being an accessory to a case.However, Zachary's plan was much better. Jacob wouldn't have to take responsibility, and the damage on Raymond would be even worse!In comparison, slapping Raymond meant nothing. Watching him go broke and get humiliated would really ease his heart!With that in mind, he promptly pressed Zachary, "Are you sure that prick will mess up?""I can't a
Jacob Wilson was in his office at the Calligraphy and Painting Association, planning his itinerary in Dubai.Still, he was immediately thrilled when Zachary told him that there was progress, and he quickly said, "Come see me at the Calligraphy and Painting Association. We'll talk in my office!""Alright!" Zachary agreed to it happily. "Just wait, Mr. Wilson. I'll be right there!"Jacob then quickly told him, "By the way, remember to address me as the vice president when you're here. Got it?"Zachary was naturally sharp enough to understand why, especially around other members of the Calligraphy and Painting Association.Smiling, he said, "Don't worry, chief. You can always be at ease when I'm on the job!"Once he hung up, he drove to the Calligraphy and Painting Association at top speed.There were just a dozen people around the dozens of work cubicles although Zachary was curious about the personal effects or office tools in the cubicles.After asking around, a staff member le
Then, Mick continued, "I won't lie—Moore Group's bean counters have been eager to get rid of Vintage Deluxe for a while now. It's only Miss Moore's insistence that keeps them at bay, even occasionally coming to check on how business is going. That means she holds sentiment for this place, but if she knows that Raymond is back and doing well, she might hire him again!"Zachary could laugh right then. After all, Mick was terrible at gathering information—he could worry about anyone taking his palace, but not Raymond. The man was fired because he had insulted Master Wade's father in-law, and Miss Moore was endlessly respectful—even obedient to Master Wade. There was no chance that she would hire Raymond back after what he had done, and Mick was just being paranoid.However, Zachary did not tell Mick that.As Mick was begging him to intervene and thus owing him big time, he would also be helping Jacob Wilson get even.Two birds with one stone, so why not?With that in mind, Zachar
Zachary then said, "By the way, I have some friends who have a lot of stock. How much capital do you have, Mr. Cole? I'll check if they have stuff that suits you, and you can partner with them."When Zachary asked how much capital, he was basically asking Raymond how much he would invest in his own business and how much he could spend on taking new stock as he was buying.As such, Raymond replied modestly, "I've been chasing my tail for a while, so I didn't earn more than a few hundred thousand. I definitely would have no issue taking items with rebates, but I'm afraid I can't afford premiums.""Alright!" Zachary nodded, having discerned the scale of Zachary's capital."I'll check on what's available and see if we can get a few personal deals."Raymond nodded. "Thank you, Zachary!"Zachary smiled, shaking his head. "Mr. Crane, please buy another fruit basket for Mr. Cole—I'll pay you later."Mick quickly said, "Oh, you don't have to, Mr. Evans! It's my pleasure, no worries!"Zach