At this moment, Antonio and Aman no longer dared to defy Charlie in any way. So, they immediately followed Charlie's request and dispersed their subordinates and families. Less than ten minutes later, all of them had evacuated from Zano Manor.Charlie released his Reiki to probe, and upon seeing that the entire manor was indeed empty, he instructed Angus, “Angus, go park the car at the entrance.”“Okay, Mr. Wade!” Angus nodded and quickly left the wine cellar.Charlie then looked at Antonio and Aman and said calmly, “Both of you, get up and go to the entrance.”Antonio looked at his crippled leg and choked up as he said, “Mr. Wade, I… I can't walk…”“That’s right, Mr. Wade…” Aman also said despondently, “I can't walk either. My right leg is in excruciating pain. I can't even stand…”Charlie said coldly, “One of you has a broken right leg, the other, a broken left leg. You can support each other as brothers since you can't be father-in-law and son-in-law anymore.”Jilian couldn't
However, they were well aware that if they didn't return within just an hour or two, their boss wouldn't suspect a thing until at least early the next morning. As they hoped for a miracle, the door was suddenly pushed open.The five men looked expectantly toward the door, only to see the last person they wanted to encounter, Charlie, stepping into the room. What shocked them even more was the two individuals hobbling in behind him, each supporting the other and hopping on one leg.However, they soon realized that these ‘peculiar individuals’ were not strange for the sake of being strange, but because both had their other legs dripping with blood from gunshot wounds. At this moment, Will, the leader among the men and the most observant, suddenly recognized one of the men with a broken leg and exclaimed in horror, “Mr. Zano?!”Upon hearing this, the other four men widened their eyes in shock and instinctively looked toward where Will was staring. As soon as they did, all four men we
Antonio was the underground emperor of all of New York, so when he summoned those gang leaders, every one of them responded eagerly and promptly.Moreover, Charlie's instructions to Antonio were quite misleading. Antonio acted according to Charlie's instructions and told the gang leaders that he had a very important business deal to discuss with them in person. He also instructed them to bring their most trusted confidant to the roast goose shop in Oskiatown for a confidential meeting.Furthermore, Charlie instructed Antonio to inform these leaders that this business was exceptionally important. That was why it was chosen to be discussed in Oskiatown, to avoid drawing unwanted attention. Antonio specifically warned them not to tell anyone else about this matter except their confidants, or they would be permanently expelled from the Zano family's territory.These gang leaders all relied on Antonio for their livelihoods. They could maintain their territories in New York not only throu
He came from humble beginnings and didn't understand much about political maneuvering. His philosophy was simple, that was, as long as his brothers worked hard alongside him, he would ensure they were well taken care of. If there was food on his plate, there would be soup for his brothers.However, Maikey was much smarter compared to him. When Maikey graduated from high school, he was the only talented student from his African-American neighborhood to be accepted into a reputable public university that year.In that neighborhood, crime and divorce rates were sky-high. Many young people learned to shoot and do drugs before they even grew facial hair. If a day passed without a gunfight in the area, everyone would have trouble sleeping due to the unfamiliarity.In such an environment, Maikey's acceptance into university was a testament to his exceptional intellect. However, once he entered university, the stark contrast between his impoverished background and the lavish lifestyles of w
Charlie wanted to use this trick to turn all the gangs in New York into his puppets in one night.After returning, these surviving second-in-commands who were completely shocked would never dare to disobey Charlie again, considering that Charlie was backed by the powerful Ten Thousand Armies. They would definitely obey Charlie's orders wholeheartedly.The Zano family's decades of hard work would also be cut off by Charlie after tonight.Antonio, who had already accepted his fate, could only lament to Danial at this time. “Danial, not only us but also the leaders of other gangs. When they arrive one after another, we will go to Syria together and set off early tomorrow morning.”Danial was even more surprised and asked him, “Boss, we are a gang, not mercenaries. What can we do in Syria? We can't go to Syria to grab territory, right? The people over there are much fiercer compared to us. We are still using 9mm pistols to grab territories, but they should be running around with RPGs t
Antonio made full use of his identity as the underground emperor of New York. Every gang leader he notified arrived eagerly and excitedly.However, no one could have expected that waiting for them in Oskiatown was a scene where they were all tightly bound with stinky rags stuffed in their mouths. They were huddled together in a corner of the second floor of a roast goose restaurant alongside other top members from various gang units.As more people arrived, Antonio grew increasingly anxious.During a brief lull between the last batch being taken upstairs and the next one arriving, he couldn't help but ask Charlie miserably, “Mr. Wade… I've tricked all these gang bosses into going to Syria. I’m betraying all of them. When we get to Syria, if they join forces to come after me, I won't end up dead there, right?”Charlie smiled and asked him, “So, what do you think should be done?”Antonio swallowed nervously and cautiously said, “Since I'm cooperating like this, why don’t you leave m
Charlie pointed to Antonio beside him and said, “This is the boss of the New York Mafia. Get acquainted with each other. There are quite a few prominent figures from New York gangs upstairs. You should greet them one by one later. These people have a rebellious nature. When I deal with them alone, they won't be convinced. It requires someone like you, famous, well-connected, and with a team behind you, to truly intimidate them. After daybreak, you will take him and his men by boat out of the United States and then arrange to go to Syria, handing them directly over to Hamed.”Porter nodded immediately and said, “Okay, Mr. Wade. Is there anything else you want to instruct me or convey to Commander Hamed?”Charlie glanced at Antonio and continued, “This is Antonio, a true Sicilian man despite having a lame leg. Tell Hamed that medical conditions in Syria are limited, so he doesn't need to bother treating him. Just find a carpenter to make him a wooden leg. They're in the middle of const
Charlie smiled and said, “If I had the same knowledge as you, I would have learned your method and let Antonio kill you.”As he said that, Charlie looked at Antonio and asked him, “Antonio, I have a proposal for you. If you are willing to kill Aman, I will let you stay in New York and continue to manage the Zano family. What do you think?”When Antonio heard this, he didn't care whether what Charlie said was true or not. He blurted out without hesitation, “Mr. Wade! As long as you give me a gun, I will beat Aman's head into a pile of flesh now!”Aman's face turned pale.He didn't know whether Charlie really meant this. After all, he had thought of using Antonio to kill Charlie just a few hours ago. If Charlie also used his own method to treat him, he would definitely die in Antonio's hands.When Charlie saw that Aman's face was full of fear, he smiled and said, “You don't have to be so scared. I've already said that I won't argue with you.”Aman was relieved immediately. At this
Raymond may have worked abroad for years and was a veteran in antiques, but he was still lacking when it came to reading between the lines.Taking Mick's words at face value, he promptly shook his head, "No, you really shouldn't. I wasn't planning to come back here to work, so you mustn't mention me to Ms. Moore either."And unlike Mick, he really meant what he said, while Mick was saying the complete opposite of what he was thinking.Naturally, Mick didn't believe Raymond, even presuming that Raymond was a liar like himself.The more Raymond said he didn't want to return to Vintage Deluxe, the more he thought he was.Hence, he asked despite knowing the answer, "Well, what are you planning to do now that you've returned to Aurous Hill?""It's been years of traveling for me, so I was just getting a little tired," Raymond admitted. "I'm planning to set up a small business in Aurous Hill, most likely here in Antique Street. That's why I'm visiting—do be neighborly when I set up shop
Meanwhile, Raymond had no idea that he was being targeted as soon as he returned to Antique Street.He had reached the middle where rows of three-floored buildings stood, the largest on the street, and where Vintage Deluxe was. It was not closed yet as tradition on Antique Street was for stalls to open in the morning and close in the afternoon. In comparison, shops opened later and closed later.With the difference of two to three hours, they could afford to have customers who had lower purchasing power or were just window shopping to stroll through the outdoor stalls. Then, when they were gone, customers with actual purchasing power would come on their own time.As Raymond arrived outside Vintage Deluxe, Mick just finished his meeting with his employees, summing up, "So, does anyone have anything to do tonight?"They all shook their heads, answering as one, "No!!!"Mick nodded. "If there's nothing else, stay back for overtime. Ask for some spicy crayfish and beer for dinner."
However, Raymond had accomplished the assignment Curtis had given him years ago, so he had no intention of staying at Aurous Hill and remained unrepentant despite Jasmine's pressure. That was why he could ask to resign without hesitation, even urging her to let him go despite the pain.That was why Mick was now worried that Raymond would return to reclaim his position as manager."Keep an eye on him for me," he told Trippy. "Tell me if anything comes up right away—I will make it worth your while.""Alright!" Trippy agreed to it. "Don't worry—I'll call right away if anything comes up."Once Trippy hung up, Mick gathered the handful of Vintage Deluxe employees.They were all his close allies he had groomed after he took over Vintage Deluxe. Even if Mick hadn't been succeeding in his business, he was succeeding in building his own forces. Anyone who didn't obey his orders had since been removed, and the remaining ones were basically his co-conspirators, embezzling a considerable am
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,