There was no way he would let such a good opportunity slip by.So, he stubbornly said, “I want cash, and I'm waiting right here. If you don't give me the money, I'll wait for the police to arrive!”Jilian looked nervous and desperate as she pleaded bitterly, “Sir, please take me away from here, and I'll give you two hundred thousand US dollars!”Charlie remained unmoved as he insisted, “I want cash, and I want it now!”Jilian was on the verge of tears as she anxiously looked back toward the estate, fearing her father might come chasing after her. However, Charlie didn't give her any chance.At that moment, a tall, stout man in a suit hurriedly approached with a large group behind him. Jilian fell into despair when she saw this because the man in the front of the group was her father, Antonio.Antonio was furious and alarmed. He never expected that just moments after Jilian had accidentally damaged her dress and was supposedly mending it, he would receive reports that she had cras
Antonio's mouth twitched twice when he heard Charlie's offer.He clenched his teeth and forced a smile as he said, “Okay, you are really capable of extorting the mafia!”Charlie asked curiously, “Hey! Are you a mafia member?”Antonio sneered, “What? You just realized?”After saying that, he put the one thousand US dollars back into his wallet and said to Charlie with a look of arrogance, “Since you know my identity, you still have time to get out now.”Charlie said disdainfully, “Are you still asleep? You want to get rid of me without paying me?”Antonio clenched his teeth and said, “Young lad, if you can't grasp the opportunity given to you, don't blame me for being rude to you!”After that, he ordered his men, “Break his legs for me and then drive him a hundred miles away. Hurry up, the VIP is coming soon.”Several men immediately rubbed their hands and walked toward Charlie.At this time, the sound of sirens sounded, and several police cars drove up quickly.After the car
He couldn't believe he was being extorted right at his own doorstep.The critical thing was, he had no way out now.At that moment, his trusted aide approached quietly and said, “Mr. Zano, the VIP is about to arrive.”Antonio instantly felt nervous. He didn't want the VIP to arrive and find him arguing with someone at his doorstep.The main issue was his daughter crashing her car into someone else's car and him refusing to compensate the other party, which was embarrassing.He had no other choice but to nod and pull his henchman over, personally removing the pistol from his waist before he threw it on the ground. He then pushed the henchman toward the police, saying, “Take him away.”After that, he looked at Charlie and said, “You want a hundred thousand US dollars, right? Wait here. I'll get someone to get it for you.”The police officer was stunned to hear this and blurted out, “You're asking him for a hundred thousand US dollars?”Charlie said matter-of-factly, “That’s right
In Antonio's eyes, Charlie, this guy who wanted money at all costs, was simply courting death.He had already revealed his mafia identity, yet this guy still wanted to demand money from him. Wasn't that asking for trouble? Moreover, how could he possibly give him the money?!After all, although he was worth billions, every penny was hard-earned money that he had scraped together from the pockets of ordinary people. If anyone tried to take a penny from him, it was equivalent to asking for his life.Initially, he was cautious because Charlie had already called the police and they were right there. Although he had committed countless murders, he had started to clean up his act. How could he possibly lay a finger on this guy in front of the police?However, who could have predicted that this guy would actually ask to come into his home to get the money? Wasn't this just walking into a lion's den?As soon as Charlie stepped through his door, away from the police's watchful eyes, he cou
Jilian, who was being restrained, said to Charlie very nervously at this time, “He will kill you! Go quickly, don't stay here!”Charlie smiled and said, “I have never been to Sicily. Today, I have the opportunity to experience the hospitality of the Sicilians in New York. Wouldn't it be a loss if I don't experience it well?”After saying that, he headed straight toward the manor and walked in. As Charlie walked, he said, “Oh, to be honest, your manor is not very good. Although it is next to Long Island, it is not actually within the scope of Long Island. It is more like the gate of Long Island. The real rich people in New York live on Long Island. What's the matter with you, living in this place? Are you here to watch the gate for the rich people living in Long Island?”As he spoke, he slapped his forehead and said with a smile, “Look at me! I almost forgot that your job is related to the underworld! It's nothing more than the death of the poor, the bodyguard of the rich, and the
At this moment, Aman, who was over fifty years old, was dressed in a very elegant high-end suit with a sharp hairstyle. He maintained a good physique and did not show any signs of aging at all. He appeared to be around forty years old.When Antonio saw Aman, he immediately ingratiated himself deeply, just like a grandson eagerly awaiting a treat from his grandfather despite being the mafia figure who had just threatened to kill Charlie earlier.Aman remained calm as he looked at Antonio with a slightly condescending demeanor and said, “Antonio, you’re waiting here to greet me even though it’s so late. You’ve worked hard.”Antonio was flattered and quickly responded, “Sir, it's my honor to serve you, and it’s an honor for the Zano family.”He continued eagerly, “Mr. Ramovic, I've already prepared a sumptuous dinner. Please come to the dining hall in the mansion.”Aman waved his hand dismissively and said, “Whether there's a dinner or not doesn't matter. I ate on the plane. It's jus
However, after searching around, he found that aside from the mafia, hardly anyone in the United States with significant influence was willing to get close to him.The reason Antonio had caught his attention was ultimately due to his beautiful daughter. Aman had experienced multiple failed marriages, including a recent unsuccessful attempt to marry Helena. He hadn’t been able to find a suitable woman recently.Antonio's daughter, Jilian, was young and beautiful, and Antonio, knowing Aman's preferences, told him that Jilian admired him greatly. Antonio even expressed willingness to marry Jilian to him, hoping he would feel the warmth of an American home.In the past, Aman would have dismissed the daughter of a mafia boss. After all, he was a globally renowned businessman, and in his eyes, the mafia was dirty and vile. Marrying into a mafia family would have been a step down for him.However, circumstances were different now. He was viewed similarly unfavorably by Western Europeans
Antonio, though younger than Aman, was earnest and resolute in his desire to become his father-in-law. In order to please his chosen future son-in-law, he stepped forward and courteously whispered, “Mr. Ramovic, rest assured that Jilian has been eagerly awaiting your arrival. She admires you greatly, but being young, she may seem a bit shy. If there are any shortcomings later on, please don't take it to heart.”Aman nodded slightly with a smile, remarking casually, “I'm over thirty years older than Miss Jilian, so I'll naturally be more understanding and accommodating toward her.”Antonio was delighted and said repeatedly, “That's good, that's good! Mr. Ramovic, please come inside the mansion so we can chat leisurely!”Aman nodded in agreement and was accompanied by Antonio as he stepped through the gate into the mansion.As they walked, Aman glanced around Antonio's mansion and casually commented, “Antonio, Zano Mansion is a bit small in size, and this area doesn't seem to be with
As it turned out, the bean counters of the Moore Group had been suggesting that Jasmine axe Deluxe Vintage and other antique-related businesses.After all, Aurous Hill was hardly the heart of the nation's antique business—not even a hub, and Vintage Deluxe wouldn't grow on such soil.Moreover, their revenue wasn't optimistic.While the business wasn't exactly falling off after Mick took charge, the lack of experience amongst the management team meant they were struggling to break even.And for the bean counters, keeping Vintage Deluxe meant no profits—even net losses in the immediate future. Right now, they might still be able to package it nicely and sell it off, and selling a fixed asset coupled with brand value would more or less turn a profit. But once Vintage Deluxe started incurring losses and the brand value diminished in turn, it would be reduced to zero completely.In other words, the value of Vintage Deluxe was on a springboard—sell it anytime now, and the value would be
The Mr. Crane from the other end of the call was Mick Crane—the current manager of Vintage Deluxe, and a man whom all of Antique Street fawned over.Mick was the assistant manager to Raymond back then, and his skill in the antique trade was at best moderate. However, thanks to his friendly personality, he had managed to secure himself many decent connections down Antique Street.As such, once Jasmine had fired Raymond, Mick had taken over his position as caretaker manager. She was also aware that Mick didn't have the skills to do well as a manager, and her plan had always been to keep him as a caretaker before she found someone better.As her ties with Charlie had strengthened and he had started helping her, her position in her family had skyrocketed. However, that also meant she couldn't watch over most of Vintage Deluxe's operations.Now that she was the head of the Moore family and the leader of a dynasty worth billions, a small business like Vintage Deluxe was even less signifi
Moreover, Raymond's old identity had various occupations connected to antiques. So, his plan now was to head over to Antique Street, find a place to rest his legs, and then get a shop of moderate scale and cheap rent to start a business in Aurous Hill.He headed to the precinct at Antique Street to register his face and other details into the database, reinforcing his legal certification. The precinct then issued him a visa so that he would have clearance to stay at a hotel for a while.Most of Antique Street's stalls were closing shop by the time he left the precinct, but he picked up his backpack and went for a stroll.It was not that different from before, though he thought he would never come back at the time…Still, he hadn't been there for long when a vendor recognized him and exclaimed in surprise, "Hey! Aren't you Mr. Cole? From Vintage Deluxe? When did you come back?"As things hadn't changed down the street for the businesses or the environment, Vintage Deluxe was stil
Jacob shrugged. "If Hannah's debt is cleared, then she's fine now, no?""Yeah," Elaine replied. "I heard from an old friend not two days ago, saying that the document of her non-arrest… non-prosecution or whatever was sent in. Once it's approved, she's free to go home.""Most likely non-prosecution," Charlie replied."Right, I think that's it!" Elaine nodded repeatedly and sighed unhappily. "She's really been let off easy. She should be arrested and jailed for at least ten years."Jacob couldn't help sighing. "Come on, dear—Mom and Chris were out of line, but things are terrible for them now as it is. There's no reason to hope for the worst for them since Harold and Chris are still too hurt to work. It's thanks to Wendy's income that they have a living, otherwise, they wouldn't be able to survive."Then, worried that Elaine would get upset that he might be siding with his brother and mother too much, he quickly added, "I'm not taking their side or trying to get their case reinvest
Charlie actually had to change his opinion of Elaine after seeing her ready to kill Jacob earlier but getting all clingy now.Despite her many flaws, Elaine was the one half of their marriage who was earnestly in love.As for Jacob, he didn't seem to have any genuine feelings for Elaine at all.The mere mention of his past with Elaine always left him grumbling and complaining, but now, it was clear that Elaine was his best choice. With his attitude and the way he did things, he and Matilda would have split up by now even if they had gone to the States together.In the end, Jacob simply had too many of the flaws common amongst men his age, but while others would have no more than five out of twenty of those flaws, he had eighteen.As such, from another perspective entirely, the only woman who could tolerate Jacob now was Elaine and only Elaine. Coincidentally, her straightforward personality and tendency to get violent was the perfect counter against all of Jacob's flaws, reducing
Elaine nodded, emotional as well. "Well, Claire's finally home after being in the States for so long. Let's stop being clowns already—let's go home!"Jacob nodded, utterly relieved and teary-eyed. "Yes! Let's go home!"Meanwhile, Claire was left dumbfounded even as she watched while Charlie was left wiping the sweat off his brow—they had really just snatched victory from the jaws of defeat there!And it looked like they had truly succeeded in clearing any suspicion Elaine had of Matilda, and she most likely would do her best to avoid running into Matilda as well.That way, all the nonsense he had said wouldn't be exposed.Still, as Claire came to her senses, she told Charlie, "Darling, that was amazing! You somehow managed to talk your way out of that!"Charlie chuckled in embarrassment. "I had no choice but to sacrifice my pride for the peace in the family."Claire hugged his arm and giggled happily, "There's no victory without sacrifice. You're the best, dear!"-Meanwhile,
Though Jacob had nothing going for him, he had always had a huge ego, and he had never once admitted that he would lose to anyone in the presence of his wife and daughter.That was why both Elaine and Claire were shocked when he suddenly openly admitted that he was a piece of shit in front of them. They had never heard such a thing from him in the decades they had lived with him!In fact, Jacob himself was reluctant to insult himself like that.However, Charlie told him repeatedly that he absolutely must say it before he came here—because Charlie was dead sure that this line was the key to getting over this impasse, and it truly did put this crisis to rest.Even as Jacob finished, his heart was bleeding as he felt like he had just put his pride on the floor and trampled all over it until it was crushed to oblivion. Even though it was to clear any suspicion Elaine held toward him, to call himself a piece of shit—to say it himself that his beloved woman would think him beneath her,
Before Elaine knew it, she was reading the website she had just read again, and she did indeed find Yolden's name on it.With that, everything Charlie had said snapped together into a perfect chain of logic.Seeing the troubled look on her face, Charlie quickly added, "I'm not going to lie—Dad told me right away when he was told Matilda was getting married. We even discussed if we should tell you, and now you know why." "Matilda is doing so well for herself and got such an amazing husband, and they've picked Shangri-La's Sky Garden—something an average Joe could never hope to reach. And since she invited our whole family and not just us, Dad had to really think about it.""Eventually, he told me to hide it from you or it'd leave you devastated, so none of us said anything. We just didn't think you'd find that invitation and then end up having a big fight about it."Sighing, Charlie then continued, "But if you really want to go, we can go together for their wedding to put your min
Bitterness swelled in Elaine's heart as she really didn't think that Matilda was doing so well for herself.The fact that Matilda was worth millions alone made her far superior.At the same time, she was also rejoicing that she had never actually met Matilda. If Matilda asked how she was doing directly, how would she respond?In the end, Matilda was no Hannah Queen.Elaine would actually feel accomplished if she compared herself to Hannah.On the other hand, Matilda eclipsed Elaine in every way—she was more beautiful, kind, smart, and knowledgeable. Even her figure left Elaine dead in the water!It was as pointless as comparing a hen to a peacock!Whenever she thought of her, she could comfort herself that she had stolen her man even if she couldn't measure up in any way.But now, Jacob was completely insignificant to Matilda while Elaine still treated Jacob like a trophy.Even as a sense of inferiority seized her, Charlie sighed. "Come on, you should understand where Jacob is