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
Charlie smiled and said, “Don't worry. I'll have your dad kneeling to send me out this door in half an hour.”Jilian was completely speechless at Charlie’s words. Despite her kind heart, as the young lady of the Zano family, she had long been accustomed to life-and-death struggles. Therefore, when faced with Charlie's reckless behavior, she lost the patience to continue advising him politely. She said coldly, “I've already said what needs to be said. If you're bent on seeking death, then good luck to you.” As soon as Jilian was done speaking, Antonio arrived with Aman. Antonio did not notice Charlie at first, and his attention was solely on his daughter, Jilian. Aman, who was standing beside him, also focused his gaze on Jilian, clearly very satisfied with her appearance.Antonio approached Jilian and hastily said, “Jilian, hurry and greet Mr. Ramovic!”Jilian replied expressionlessly, “I don't know any Mr. Ramovic. I'm leaving now, please don't stop me.”Antonio's expression i
No one except Raymond expected that the terms would be agreed upon so quickly.He was utterly confident in his judgment and even more so in his value appraisal.He was convinced that once they had a good look, any one of these collectors who could afford twenty million wouldn't miss this bargain.After all, an opportunity to secure an item worth millions more than the price they paid was very rare.In fact, when the other nine collectors heard that the first collector was buying it, it was only to be expected even if it left them all gloomy. They had all held the bronze sculpture in their hands—they knew it was definitely worth that much.However, no one in the room was more shocked than Trippy.He looked utterly flabbergasted, his eyes wide and bulging as he stared at the bronze sculpture while asking himself the same question repeatedly.Was that crap really worth twenty million? How?!While Trippy was still stunned, Raymond had already sent his payment details to the first
Unable to nitpick on the air stewardess' response, Elaine pouted, "Well, try to ask management to improve on your first-class cabins anyway. Maybe even make a premium-class or something since it's not like we can't afford it."The air stewardess quickly said, "We will definitely relay your message to the management."Nodding in satisfaction, Elaine waved her off. "Alright. You can go back to work now."Clearly relieved, the air stewardess bowed her head respectfully. "Always happy to be of service."After the air stewardess left, Jacob asked Elaine in curiosity, "Was the private jet that good?"Elaine rolled her eyes. "Didn't you see the stuff I posted in the chat group?""Not really," Jacob blurted. Elaine was ready to snap at him for not caring, but considering that they had made up now and she shouldn't fuss too much over the little things, she snorted, "Just remember to like and comment on all my posts in the chat group, otherwise, I will make you regret it!""No problem!"
While the ten collectors were taking turns studying the bronze sculpture, Jacob and Elaine were boarding their flight.As they were flying first-class, they had priority over the other passengers and boarded from the separate plug door at the first-class section.The capacity of the Boeing 777 was huge, and the wide-body aircraft could be connected to a special double corridor bridge where first class and business class passengers boarded separately from the economy class passengers.As the terminals to economy class and business class were connected, Elaine and Jacob were able to get through the first-class terminal unimpeded, but the passengers in economy class had a queue of over two hundred passengers. Even as she walked, Elaine was looking over her shoulder and exclaiming at Jacob, "Must be nice being rich! We used to have to queue like the rest of them, waiting for over thirty minutes just to board our flight." "In first class, we may be in the same plane, but we don't hav
Meanwhile, once Raymond had briefed everyone about the rules, he opened the door and invited everyone into Treasure Measure.It was not that wide but appeared spacious since the interior was mostly empty—it was not really crowded even with thirty-ish people.Then, locking the door from the inside, Raymond told them, "I can tell from everyone's faces that we are all veterans here, so I'm sure you understand the rules while appraising: no photos or videos, thank you very much."Indeed, there were many rules that governed the hobby, the most important being respecting the seller's requests and privacy.As the collectors listened, they knew that Raymond was selling but did not want the public to know too much about him.They all nodded, and those who had their phones out slid them back into their pockets.With that, Raymond took out the bronze sculpture that he had brought, leaving Trippy a little surprised.He had never seen the bronze sculpture with his own eyes before, only from
"Alright!" Trippy was at once fawning, tagging along behind Raymond like a little child.Around thirty people were waiting in front of Treasure Measure by now. The collectors came in twos or threes, and all ten numbers had since been taken.Before Raymond arrived, he had a brief look at the collectors' faces through the security cameras before walking over, and he was really relieved to see no familiar faces.Having traded Oskian antiques for years abroad, it was only natural that he was acquainted with some of the elite collectors in the country.He also knew that they were especially demanding with the quality of their collection and wanted almost flawless items. As such, the bronze sculpture which had been completely lost wouldn't interest them.Still, he was also a little concerned that amongst the elite collectors he knew, there might be some who were losing money and losing purchasing power in turn. If they happened to take an interest in the bronze sculpture on top of that,
Trippy grinned. "I mean, just look at my stall—ain't no way I'm getting any business here. Why not let me check out this item of yours? And see how interested they are? I'm really interested in learning and upping my game."Then, as if worried that Raymond would refuse, he quickly added, "Don't worry—I promise to stay in a corner and just watch."Still, Raymond could guess right then that someone must have sent Trippy to spy on him.It didn't matter whether it was Mick, Jacob, or Zachary either—they were all in this plot together, and one knowing meant all three knowing.Trippy was a gossiper in nature. If he was allowed to witness the whole process, everyone down Antique Street would definitely know before long.In fact, he could use someone like that right now, and Trippy had come straight to his doorstep.With that in mind, Raymond smiled, "Come join me if you're interested. It's not like there's anything to hide…"Pausing, he then warned Trippy, "But since you're going in my
After watching Mick's video, Jasmine's opinion of the man improved considerably.She was actually well aware that the decline of Vintage Deluxe was mostly due to Mick's incompetence.However, as Jasmine was now managing a billion-dollar company, she couldn't spare any time to ask many questions about Vintage Deluxe's performance. In her opinion, as long as Vintage Deluxe didn't lose too much money or ruin the reputation they had worked so hard to build, she wasn't interested in a regime change.It was the same mindset as Marianne Long, who begged her father to keep that lane full of food stalls in Hong Kong over sentiment.As such, seeing that Mick actually had some skill pleased her considerably.She couldn't resist checking out the comments of the video too.She saw that many were praising the manager of Vintage Deluxe for taking a tough stand against the scammer as well as how Vintage Deluxe's reputation was long-standing and without comparison.She soon noticed Jacob's comme
Soon, more collectors had gathered outside Treasure Measure even before Raymond showed up at Antique Street, with over ten of them gathered outside in no time at all.Since Raymond had only prepared ten slips, the rest left in disappointment seeing that they had no chance.Even so, the ten collectors who had gotten a number were nervous—save for the first man who had arrived.The details on the online sales post insisted that the price was fixed, and that first-come first-serve applies.If he bought the bronze sculpture, the other nine would have come all this way for nothing.However, if the seller decided to make it an auction, they would have a chance too, although their net profit would thin in turn. After all, they could have acquired the bronze sculpture for just 20 million, and that meant a solid 8 million in profit.An auction would at least raise the price to 27 million, and more would make it chicken feed.If they gave up at that point, it was a waste of a trip.If
Trippy naturally wasn't going to tell Mick everything word-for-word, so he said vaguely, "Uh, they were just being stubborn and refused to listen to anything I said. They kept saying that they wouldn't know until they saw the actual item."Mick got out of bed, staring at his phone as he mused to himself.This was getting a little ridiculous, was it not? A fool who was scammed, actually able to scam someone else? But if he really could sell it, wouldn't all their work be for nothing?With that in mind, he promptly called Zachary, who wasn't even up yet.Ever since he had started working for Don Albert, his daily routine was no longer the same as the days when he was a humble stall owner working on Antique Street, but a man of importance who slept late and woke up late.In the evening, he would be spending his time patrolling Don Albert's night entertainment properties as well as holding meetings with subordinates to decide on management policies and the like. That was why he wo