Hugo actually had a relatively mature, intellectual, and somewhat conservative character.To put it in a popular sense, he was relatively old-school. He had always had the arrogance of intellectuals in the early years as well as the unique temperament that could be called poor in individuals.A person like him generally would not curse, but if he were to curse, it would most definitely be because he was already very impatient. Although Hugo did not have to worry about his safety now, he still could not restrain his deep hatred and resentment for Martha.After all, this woman had tried to kill him in the cruelest way possible, yet he had foolishly regarded her as his benefactor to whom he felt extremely grateful.Therefore, when Hugo saw her again now, his deep-seated hatred for her basically could no longer be described in words. Moreover, he never expected that Martha was still unaware of her impending death.So, he clenched his teeth and said, “Where did you get the confid
Charlie suddenly turned around at this time as he looked at Martha in great interest before he smiled as he asked her, “Aunt Cardy, look at my body. How much can my body be sold for here?” When Martha saw Charlie, she was stunned as if she had been hit by a heavenly thunderbolt!She was dumbfounded and blurted out, “Charlie... Charlie, why are you here?!”Charlie smiled slightly and then shrugged as he said, “I’m here to look for you, of course. You put my mother-in-law in prison, and my wife is crying every day for me to save and get her mother out of prison. So, how can I possibly let a culprit like you off?”Martha said coldly, “What? You think you can settle the score with me all by yourself when you’re in Mexico?”With that said, she snorted coldly and said, “Charlie, do you know what this place is? This is Crazy Juarez’s territory! The number of people who die here every year is beyond count, and now that you’re here, only death awaits you!”Charlie asked with great intere
Charlie’s words made Martha tremble in fright.She stared at Charlie and asked him the question that truly puzzled her. “Charlie, who the hell are you?!”The others, including Juarez and Colin, were also looking at Charlie with a bewildered expressions at this moment. They also wanted to know the origin of Charlie, who was in front of them.Charlie smiled lightly and said, “There are many people who want to know my identity, but you are probably the worst among all these people, so you don’t deserve to know my identity. You only need to know that Ten Thousand Armies is loyal to me, and I’m not saying this to show off. I’m saying this to let you know that I have enough power and ability to make your family members pay the corresponding price after you die!”Porter, who was aside, immediately said coldly, “As long as Mr. Wade gives the order, I, Porter Waldron, will bring your family members back even if they were to flee to the ends of the earth!”Martha looked at Charlie as if s
Charlie sneered and said, “Martha, I’ve read the information about your two sons. They are indeed not very smart and can even be said to be a bit stupid, but it doesn’t matter. I can see that the two of them are well-fed and have two arms. Ten Thousand Armies is building its own permanent base in Syria, and there is a shortage of people who are physically strong and simple-minded to do the hard work there. The two of them are perfect for the job.”Martha cried out in fear, and she could not help but want to plead for mercy. However, Charlie stared at her with a stern look in his eyes and said coldly, “Martha, I’m planning to keep your sons alive, but if you continue annoying me by talking nonsense here, I may have to change the plan that I had in mind. I hope you won’t regret it then.”When Martha heard this, no matter how scared she was, she did not dare to continue saying any more nonsense.After all, she understood that it was better to live than to die.It would be better for h
Charlie was somewhat hesitant at this moment.He did not doubt these people’s commitment.It was just that he knew very well that once someone with an intention was to try and trace the clues of what had happened here today and look for these people, the other party would definitely have ten thousand ways to make these ordinary people talk.They would not only be able to make them talk, but they would also be able to find out everything by making these people reveal everything they knew.As for Charlie, he had not avenged his parents’ deaths yet, and he had also not found any actual clues relating to the mysterious organization that wanted to kill his grandparents’ entire family.Under such circumstances, Charlie could not allow his identity to be disclosed prematurely. Therefore, he said to these people, “Everyone, I will get someone to bring you out first, but I still have some things to discuss with you after I’m done with the matter at hand. I’ll give your freedom back to yo
The middle-aged man lying on the bed was already breathing very weakly at this moment. The old lady rushed to the operating table and cried, “Jeremy, Jeremy, wake up! Jeremy, take a look at your mother. Can you tell me that you’re fine? I’m begging you, my youngest son...”The middle-aged man had already reached the end of his life, and even his breathing was about to stop, so how could he hear the old lady calling out to him?Charlie could feel that the old lady’s health was also about to fail, so he hurriedly stepped forward and said to the old lady, “Madam, your body is also very weak, so don’t be too sad.”For Charlie, his Rejuvenating Pill and Healing Pill could basically save the old lady’s son.However, Charlie also knew very well that these pills were all, without exception, priceless. It was impossible for even those people around Charlie himself to have one of those pills in hand. So, in this case, Charlie naturally did not want to take a pill out to save a stranger. In
Charlie nodded and then spoke up as he said, “His life will be saved as soon as the pill enters his mouth, but you can give half of the pill to him and take the other half of the pill yourself. This way, your son will be able to come back to life, and you can also improve your body condition. You’re not very old, so if everything goes smoothly in the future, it might not be a dream for you to live to ninety.”When the old lady heard this, she did not think much about it and said gratefully to Charlie, “Mr. Wade, thank you for your great kindness!”As she spoke, she stuffed the whole pill into her son’s mouth without any hesitation.At this moment, the old lady herself did not truly believe that the pill would be useful, but she also knew very well that this was her last hope, so she had to give it a try and fight for her son’s life.What she never would have imagined was that as soon as the pill entered her son’s mouth, the pill turned into water and flowed directly into his stomac
“Phoenixica?” Charlie frowned slightly when he heard this word.There was indeed a medicinal herb called ‘Phoenixica’ in the Apocalyptic Book. This medicinal herb was also extremely rare in the records of the Apocalyptic Book and was described as a rare heavenly treasure that could be sought but not found.The reason why it was said to be a heavenly treasure was because this medicinal herb was not only extremely rare but also died very easily during the growth process. The germination-to-death process for a vast majority of Phoenixica would only last from three to five years, and very few could last for more than ten years. This kind of plant must grow for more than fifty years before its vines would begin to woodify, which was also referred to as lignification in botany.However, the process for Phoenixica to woodify was extremely slow, and it would take at least more than a hundred years at least for it to completely woodify from the inside to the outside. What was rarest ab
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
With the last stroke, Raymond got on a ladder to reach the old signboard, pasting the banner over the old shop sign.Then, he added a notice by the entrance: We buy all antiques and measure all treasures.As soon as the makeshift sign and notice were up, Mick was the first to arrive with a fruit basket to celebrate the occasion.The instant they met, he greeted Raymond warmly, "Ah, Mr. Cole! You sure are efficient—you just came back yesterday evening, and you're already setting up shop today at noon!"Raymond smiled, "Doing a small business by myself is naturally much quicker."Mick shook his head disapprovingly as he put the fruit basket by the door, "Now, now. Don't be a stranger, Mr. Cole—almost everyone in Antique Street is a friend, but you didn't tell the gang when you opened the shop! It'd hype things up when everyone comes bringing you gifts!"Raymond quickly shook his head. "Thanks for the suggestion, but I don't know if this humble trade will last. It's better to keep m
To not lose three months' worth of rent on top of that, Donald called over the owner at top speed while getting some of the friends in the antique trade to appraise what merchandise he had left.Taking losses had always been the hardest pill to swallow, but once the decision was made, there really was nothing that couldn't be given up.The owner was plenty pleased as well since that meant someone was picking up on his rental. He promptly had Donald sign the agreement transferring the last three months for the rental to Raymond while signing a new rental contract with Raymond.Raymond didn't have to pay up immediately either—he just had to start paying rent to the owner once Donald's three-month rent was up.Once the agreement was signed, every stall owner as well as owners of businesses resembling the Pearl House swarmed the premises.After all, they loved to take stock from people in the same line of business. Once a business owner decided to close shop, they wouldn't be bothered
If Donald had to maintain his business under such circumstances, the next three months would be even worse.Hence, instead of doing that, he really wanted to stop this business altogether.As for what remaining merchandise, he'd just get some fellow in the same business to take them off his hands at a lower cost while he gained his freedom sooner.Hence, he stopped Raymond, "Wait, my friend! Let's talk about this… if the hundred fifty grand transfer fee is too much for you, why don't I cut it down even more—say, a hundred grand instead?"Raymond turned and told him solemnly, "I'm not paying a transfer fee at all."Frustrated, Donald blurted, "At least give me ten grand for my troubles! My shop is good—you'd definitely make bank once you take it off my hands!"Raymond thought about it and eventually said, "How about this—if you can clear up the place by the end of the day, I will pay you five grand on top of the forty five grand that is your remaining rent, but not one cent more."
The reasoning was simple too—with businesses failing, most shops were losing money.With months left on Donald's rental contract, all he could do now was keep his business afloat while attempting to transfer the rental to someone else. At the same time, he must be prepared for the situation where no one would rent it from him, and he must honor his contract to the very last second.With the losses he had sustained up until the contract expires, he definitely wouldn't extend it. That meant packing up to leave while returning everything to the owner to claim the deposit that the owner was holding.Even now that he was asking for a transfer fee, his mindset was to get whatever he could get. By the last month, Donald would naturally give up on such pipe dreams regardless.Still, when Raymond saw the lack of merchandise in the shop, he could tell Donald's business was at its final stretch. What little he sold would serve to recuperate his losses, and there was no chance in hell he would