With that said, Charlie asked again, “By the way, Jasmine, could you find some information about this person for me?”Jasmine replied, “I'll ask the current person in charge of Vintage Deluxe. The employee records from Vintage Deluxe are still stored in their computers. Vintage Deluxe wasn't initially registered under the Moore Group, so the employee records weren't merged into the Moore Group's personnel files, and management of the files isn’t as strict.”Charlie then said, “In that case, please ask for the information, and once you find it, send it to me as soon as possible.”“Okay, Master Wade!”After hanging up the phone, Charlie said to Vera, “When we get the information later, kindly send it to Mr. Sandsor and ask him to help check all the information relating to this person.”Vera replied without hesitation, “Rest assured, Young Master, I'll inform him right away.”Charlie nodded and anxiously waited with Vera for Jasmine's response.Jasmine was quite efficient. A few mi
Charlie felt like his brain had short-circuited at that moment. Now, it seemed highly likely that Raymond had been arranged to appear in Aurous Hill, and the person who arranged all this was probably his own father, who had passed away twenty years ago.This made Charlie feel a kind of inexplicable tension and pressure. What exactly had happened to his parents back then? Not only did it bring about fatal consequences, but it also involved such distant and extensive planning for him even before the incident occurred.When his parents met with the accident, Stephen immediately placed him in the welfare home. This was an arrangement his father had made long ago. Unexpectedly, his father had also arranged for Mr. Cole to go to Aurous Hill and set up a trap for him almost twenty years later.As Charlie thought about this, he picked up the phone again and called Jasmine. He had another question that he needed to confirm with her.After the call was connected, Jasmine respectfully asked,
Jasmine sensed that Charlie must be seeking confirmation about something, but upon seeing that Charlie didn't want to explain things clearly, she was very tactful and did not continue questioning him. Instead, she said respectfully, Master Wade, if you need anything or have any questions, feel free to call me anytime.”“Okay, sure.”Charlie thanked Jasmine and then hung up the phone. Vera, upon seeing his puzzled expression, couldn't help but ask, “Young Master, what's troubling you now?”Charlie calmly replied, “I suddenly thought of something just now. At the time, the Apocalyptic Book seemed like a book, but it didn't seem like one at the same time. When I picked it up, it quickly turned into powder on its own, yet the contents in it inexplicably imprinted themselves in my mind…”After pausing for a moment, Charlie continued, “So, does that mean that the Apocalyptic Book itself is only meant for one-time use, and it is destined that only one person can obtain its contents?”Ver
“But my father passed away twenty years ago. He wasn't a Feng Shui master such as yourself, so how could he have known twenty years ago that I would need to break through that predicament at twenty-seven years old?”Vera could not help but frown. After much thought, she said, “What you’re saying makes sense. While I don't mean to offend anyone, your father couldn't have predicted things so accurately twenty years ago.”Charlie added, “When I met Master Lennard on Mount Wintry, he said he came to Eastcliff to select Mount Wintry as geomantic treasure land for the Wades at the request of my grandfather. I've confirmed this with my grandfather and others. At that time, the Wades were in a bad situation, and my grandfather did indeed seek help everywhere before finally reaching out to Master Lennard. So, my father shouldn’t have been able to plan for me to break through my dragon stranding predicament in advance.” Vera asked further, "Did Master Lennard tell you exactly when you got
Vera's question immediately shocked Charlie. Upon careful consideration, Vera seemed to be making a valid point. If this was indeed a grand plan that had been in the making for over twenty years, no one would rely on an unreliable man to execute such a crucial part of the plan.Jacob's unreliability was well-known, and Charlie probably understood it better than anyone else. Although Jacob was his father-in-law, Charlie could responsibly say that if the success or failure of a major event depended on him, the chances of success would likely be slim.So, he immediately picked up his phone and called his father-in-law, Jacob.At that moment, Jacob was fiddling with his phone as he lay in his room at Thompson First. Ever since Matilda had gotten together with Yolden, he had lost all sense of joy in his life. In addition, Elaine, whom he found irritating and detestable, was also at home. So, the best way for him to pass the time was to hide in his room and play on his phone without going
Jacob said unhappily, “Of course, I'm not clumsy. It’s not as if you don’t know about my financial situation. Elaine handles all the money at home, and I can barely save a few thousand dollars. So, no matter what antique I'm looking at, I'm always extremely cautious. I'm afraid of dropping, touching, or being accused by others that I was tampering with something…”At this point, Jacob continued speaking with frustration, “That day, that jade vase also seemed to be cursed as well. As soon as I touched it, it slipped out of my hand like it was greased. It fell to the ground and shattered to pieces. Perhaps Mr. Cole was the one who deliberately set me up.”Charlie wondered, “Dad, after the jade vase broke, I repaired it with egg whites. I don't remember it being greased, and I recall that its surface wasn't very smooth because it's from the Tang Dynasty. Its glaze was rather rough, and it had a certain sanding feel when held. How could it slip from your hand?”“Well…” Jacob, who was on
Charlie said, “I should be back soon, perhaps in the next couple of days.”Jacob replied, “That’s great! When you come back, let's find a place to have a barbecue and beer together.” “Sure.”After agreeing to Jacob’s request, Charlie said goodbye to him on the phone. After he hung up the phone, he asked Vera, who was in front of him, “Miss Lavor, what do you think?”Vera replied, “I think your father-in-law probably didn't lie, and what he said aligns with my speculation.”With that said, Vera continued, “I believe your father might have been preparing for you to obtain the Apocalyptic Book over twenty years ago. Based on your father-in-law's account of what happened back then, the vase broke on its own, and the vibration he mentioned might have originated from the Apocalyptic Book itself.”“So, my conjecture is that it's not just anyone who can get the Apocalyptic Book by obtaining the vase. Rather, the person must meet the requirements of the book and qualify to unlock it. The
Charlie knew that Stephen used to be his father's most trusted aide and that his father must have made very detailed arrangements back then. Even though Stephen had served the Wades for many years, in reality, most of his time and energy was spent on completing the tasks his father had assigned him.When Charlie thought about how Raymond was also part of his father's arrangements, he estimated that Stephen might have heard something about him too. So, Charlie said to Vera, “I haven't asked Mr. Thompson too many details before, but it seems like I need to talk to him and get some clear answers from him today.”At that moment, Charlie's thoughts were focused on unraveling everything that had happened in the past and all the arrangements his father had left behind. Even if it meant placing psychological hints on Stephen, he was determined to get all the information Stephen knew.With that in mind, he said to Vera, “I'm going to look for Mr. Thompson now.”Vera nodded and asked him, “Y
Pausing, Raymond continued, "To prove that the will is legally binding, a public notary needs to be present and ideally certifying said will—otherwise, you'd just be talking out of your ass.""In the case of the latter, that means the bronze sculpture belongs to your father—not you. And because you can't produce a legally binding will, it's by law that you and your brother share half the right of inheritance to that bronze sculpture… or less, should you have more living siblings or if your mother is alive.""However, since your brother has the right of inheritance, selling that bronze sculpture to me is legal. You can sue him in court and request the court make him compensate you for your loss. Therefore, what you should be doing now is filing a lawsuit against your brother, sorting out the inheritance issue instead of coming to me."Bob was left speechless, and even Zachary was stunned, unable to find the right retort.Seeing that Bob was hesitant and constantly fiddling with his
Pausing, Raymond then continued, "I even told him that he could leave the bronze sculpture with me as a consignment, and I would only be eligible for a ten percent commission.""He refused to take that offer, so I offered yet again a 50-50 investment, where he would still get half of what I make after I sell the bronze sculpture. He refused me again anyway, and he was set on the three hundred grand, take it or leave it. There's security footage that proves it too, so how could I have defrauded him?"Then, seeing that there were plenty of others around them, he smiled, "Since you're here, I shall invite the public to be my witness as I show everyone the security footage I have. I will ask everyone to be the judge and decide if I've deceived his so-called brother!"Bob's heart skipped a beat at Raymond's words, but he was afraid to retreat right then, so he braced himself and snapped, "No, that's not necessary! You bought the bronze sculpture, so you return it this instant! I will ret
Zachary felt like the world was falling apart around him after Jacob hung up, and he regretted endlessly that he even had anything to do with Jacob.While he knew all along that Jacob was painfully mediocre and awfully vain, just the thought that Jacob's son-in-law was Charlie Wade still made Zachary eager to fawn over him.He thought that like the average person, even if they didn't feed a dog that wags its tail at them, they could at least give the dog a pat on the head. Even if they didn't feel like it, they could at least not take away the dog's food and then kick it twice.Zachary certainly didn't know that Jacob was exactly that—immoral, unconscientious, and unprincipled.But even as he regretted everything, it was too late now. He had to at least manage a solution before Jacob landed.It was do or die anyway, so he called Bill and instructed, "Find someone older than you with a really mean look to pretend to be your brother. Then, send him to Raymond and demand that bronze
Zachary's voice was choking with tears. "Please, don't just see how much it actually is—the problem is that we're just amateurs and sold that bronze sculpture as a forgery. That's something we can't change…"Jacob remained brazenly stubborn. "Don't give me that crap—that's not what I'm talking about. All I ask is for you to get that bronze sculpture back. I'll send you the 300 thousand later, and I don't care about anything else. Get it done, or I'm talking to Charlie. I'll even confess that I was up to no good, but I want it back! Hell, it's not like Charlie would do anything to me even if he finds out!"Zachary really burst into tears right then, sobbing, "Please, you can't do this! Master Wade won't punish you, but he will punish me! I'm where I am today only because he put a good word in with Don Albert for me… if he knew what we were up to such treachery and flips, I'm screwed!""What treachery?!" Jacob demanded, furious. "How is this treachery?! You came up with the plan, didn
Seeing that their flight was being slowly towed toward the runway, Elaine quickly urged Jacob, "If you're calling him, do it right now! They're towing our plane to the runway, and we won't be able to call him once we take off!""Right!" Jacob exclaimed excitedly. "I'll call him right now—if he doesn't get it done, I'll tell Charlie to destroy him! He's Don Albert's henchman, and even Don Albert sucks up to Charlie. That would definitely pressure him enough!""Okay! Elaine nodded, excited too. "Then call him right now, or we might never find the buyer again!""Yeah!" Jacob promptly whipped out his phone and called Zachary.Meanwhile, Zachary had presumed that Jacob wouldn't find out before his flight took off, so he was immediately nervous when Jacob called him.His nerves aside, he was afraid to not answer at all.Who knew why Jacob was calling. It could just be a false alarm.Hence, as he answered, he feigned calmness and asked, "Hello again, Mr. President! Shouldn't your fli
In reality, Jacob wouldn't usually be this bold, but he dared to run his mouth against the air marshal because twenty million was just too much money.Money emboldens, just like alcohol—while one wouldn't even mouth off for a couple thousand, one would murder for a million.And they were talking about twenty million here!Moreover, Jacob's rightful twenty million was going to his enemy, which incensed him further!Still, Elaine's words quickly calmed him because there was no scenario in which he would come up on top if he ended up behind bars.Elaine had been imprisoned for three days and ultimately ended up leaving with a broken leg.Heaven knows what would happen if he ended up arrested for fourteen days.With that in mind, he stopped arguing with the air marshall and returned to his seat, dejected. Clenching Elaine's hand, tears of grief rolled down his cheeks as he asked feebly, "What should I do now, dear? I thought it was junk and sold it for 300 thousand but it's actual
Jacob bellowed at the middle-aged man right then, "Then don't give me shit if you can't pay up! I only have one request, and that is I want off this plane right now!"Elaine came to a realization then, and she quickly asked, "Don't tell me… That thing we just saw online… you're the one who sold it yesterday?!"Jacob was on the verge of tears as he nodded. "Yes, it was me! That's why I want it back no matter what it takes!"Elaine became anxious as well. They were talking about twenty million, after all! Even if they lived off bank interest, they could still afford to spend ten grand per day for up to eight years!How could they let that slip through their grasp?!Pointing at the air stewardess, Elaine immediately snapped, "Hey, he's talking to you! Open the door, you hear?!"While the air stewardess was unable to handle both of them at once, a young man in a white collared shirt and black pants strode over, telling Jacob and Elaine, "Sorry to interrupt, but I'm the air marshal of
Seeing that comment, Elaine promptly turned to Jacob, "Dear, I don't think they made it up. It says the antique was treated like a Renaissance forgery and sold for 300 thousand to the dealer, but it actually was medieval and sold first thing this morning."Jacob's mind seemed to fade entirely in an instant, and he dropped his glass of champagne before he knew it, wetting his trousers.Elaine quickly pulled out a towel to wipe it, exclaiming, "What's wrong?! Why did you wet your pants?!"Then, realizing that Jacob's eyes and mouth were gaping wide while he sat frozen stiff almost as if he were dead, she promptly shook him, "What's gotten into you, Jacob? Are you alright?"As Jacob came to his senses, his eyes were suddenly blood-red.Suddenly on his feet, he bellowed in fury, "Fuck! My twenty million! Open the door! Open it right now! I'm getting off this plane!"The cabin crew and the other passengers were all shocked by his sudden bellow, and Elaine was just as confused. "Your t
While Zachary was caught feeling utterly helpless, the news that Raymond had made 20 million in a day was spreading like wildfire. Even though Zachary had already threatened Mick to not spill the beans, the problem was that all of Aurous Hill's Antique Street knew that over dozens of customers had come to Raymond's shop first thing in the morning.As such, everyone was curious—Raymond had supposedly made a blunder just yesterday yet now had dozens of people going to his shop? What on earth was he pulling?Hence, when most of the other collectors started to leave after failing to get the bronze sculpture, many gossipers came up to them to ask about it.For their part, the collectors were not hiding the truth, so they gave them a summary.Soon, all the antique dealers of Aurous Hill were left pondering the meaning of their existence.After all, they were told these collectors had prepared 20 million before rushing over to Aurous Hill in the night, yet they had all failed to buy th