As he spoke, he sneered, “But it’s pointless for you to tell me this. All I want is the ring in your hand! I can give you a quick and painless death if you hand over the ring!” Charlie ignored him, chuckled, and said, “I've lived under the care of others in Aurous Hill for twenty years. Even if life was tough and exhausting, I’ve never gone to the Wades or the Ackers. Do you know why?” Mr. Chardon frowned and asked, “Why?”Charlie calmly replied, “It’s naturally because I hate them! Even now, I can't bring myself to forgive them for their betrayal and abandonment of my parents back then.”Mr. Chardon questioned, “Why did you save them time and time again if you hate them?” Charlie said with a smile, “Saving them was just a coincidence. You should know that it was Quinn Golding’s concert at the time in New York. The Ackers went to that concert, and that was how you had the opportunity to attack them.” Mr. Chardon squinted his eyes as he looked at Charlie. Although he was not
Meanwhile, Ruby, who was secretly observing Willow Manor from the mountain opposite, saw a black figure rushing out of the villa, followed closely by Mr. Chardon, the leader of the four great earls. Unexpectedly, the leading black figure was sprinting in her direction, whereas Mr. Chardon was holding a wooden sword in one hand and the hem of his robe in the other as he pursued the black figure. She could even hear Mr. Chardon’s angry roar, “Young lad, hand over that ring now if you know any better! Besides, you should tell me where Vera Lavor is hiding as well! If I'm in a good mood, I might spare your life! Otherwise, I’ll make sure that you lose your head as soon as I catch up to you!”Charlie yelled without even turning around, “Lackey, stop spouting nonsense. You’re already so old but you still don’t know of your own ability and limitations? You dare to continue boasting here? If you want the ring, you will have to catch up to me first, lackey!” Ruby was instantly stunned. ‘Ri
The first thing Charlie did was to ask Isaac to help him retrieve the public surveillance footage from Willow Manor. Meanwhile, he sat in the helicopter, monitoring the situation at Willow Manor in real time.Flying from Champs Elys Resort to Willow Manor would only take two to three minutes. During this brief time, the security guards and caretakers could delay a portion of the threat. He would entrust the rest to Merlin along with the ‘life-saving mantra’ he had given Merlin.He believed that as long as Merlin uttered the life-saving mantra, it would undoubtedly buy some time, allowing him to arrive in time.Yet, Charlie was well aware that even if he arrived, he could not engage in a deadly confrontation with the adversary inside the villa. Acting within the villa would mean certain death for the Acker family members and Merlin. Therefore, he had to use the ring to divert the other party’s full attention, providing an opportunity for the Ackers and Merlin to evacuate.Albert’s t
Ruby saw Mr. Chardon entering the villa that was in a deserted place. She initially thought that Mr. Chardon would be able to annihilate the Ackers easily tonight and make a significant achievement in the Qing Eliminating Society. She believed that she would only need to observe from the shadows and report everything accurately to the British Lord later. However, she never expected that just when Mr. Chardon entered the villa, a helicopter swiftly approached from the other end of the mountain, directly flying over the villa in the center of Willow Manor. Before she could comprehend who would arrive by helicopter at this moment, a black figure had jumped directly from the roaring helicopter. The helicopter was still in a fast descent, and with the considerable height of dozens of meters above the ground, she did not expect that the person would be able to land steadily on the ground.The helicopter ascended with all its strength the moment the man landed. The black shadow did not
In other words, the real-time positions of the two of them were updated twice per second on the monitoring terminal where the British Lord was located. Moreover, their positioning system utilized the most professional high-precision maps available today with an accuracy level measured in centimeters and the actual error did not exceed ten centimeters.When the British Lord saw Mr. Chardon’s red dot entering the gate of the villa, it was clear to him that Mr. Chardon had already entered. At that moment, the British Lord also believed that in just a few minutes, the Ackers would become Mr. Chardon’s victims.However, just as the British Lord was waiting for Mr. Chardon to report news of his victory, the two blinking coordinates suddenly went completely dark! This sudden turn of events surprised the British Lord, and there was a sudden thud in his heart.The extinguishing of these coordinates signaled that the information transmission between him and the other party had been interrupte
At this moment, Charlie dashed through the mountains, leading Mr. Chardon in a swift pursuit toward the mountain. Both of them moved at an incredible speed, effortlessly navigating through the hilly terrain with dense trees as if they were walking on flat ground, and it seemed as if they were flying. Mr. Chardon had exerted all his strength to stay close to Charlie. While running, he had to keep his eyes wide open, concentrating intensely to avoid the surrounding trees and rocky terrain. After covering a distance of one or two kilometers, he looked extremely disheveled.However, even with his full effort, Charlie maintained a stable and safe distance, which caused Mr. Chardon to feel extremely frustrated. He could only continue chasing Charlie as he was unable to seize an opportunity to launch an attack. Regardless of whether he was to use the wooden sword provided by the British Lord or the Thunderstrike wood that he had purchased from Zachary to launch an attack, he needed to fo
In an instant, an invisible rotating blade shot out from the wooden sword. Charlie could clearly sense the tremendous energy contained in that blade, resembling the sudden release of propellers from a high-speed helicopter!Charlie was well aware of his insufficient combat skills and lack of experience, so he did not dare to slack off. When he saw the rotating blade demolishing everything in its path, cutting off countless branches and leaves, he seized the opportunity and shouted loudly, “Do you think you’re the only one who can cut?!”With that said, a Soul Blade swiftly shot out, and the invisible giant Soul Blade headed toward the rotating blade at an extremely fast speed! In the blink of an eye, the two forces collided, producing a loud explosion in the air between them. The trees that were once lush and vibrant, within a radius of several dozen meters, suddenly shed all their leaves like pouring rain!The immense impact even caused Charlie and Mr. Chardon to retreat several st
He heard a deafening sound as a tremendous force suddenly collided with his arms. The sensation was as if a heavily loaded train was rushing toward him at an incredibly fast speed. The Reiki that Mr. Chardon had gathered in his arms was instantly dispersed by this immense force! His arms also experienced a sharp pain, and he felt as if they were broken.However, that was not the end of it. The massive impact caused Mr. Chardon’s body to be pushed back dozens of meters before he could barely stabilize himself.Mr. Chardon, who had just managed to stand firm, immediately spat out a mouthful of blood. He had lost almost all sensation in his two arms, and his entire chest felt as if it had been shattered as he suffered significant internal injuries.However, Mr. Chardon could not anticipate that while he had just managed to steady himself, Charlie would rapidly approach him at an alarming speed!Amidst his astonishment, Mr. Chardon was about to resist with all his might when he sudde
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