With a faint smile, Helena said, "Maybe it's for your sake that Mr. Wade saved your father. After all, you are his friend. It's normal for him to help his friend's sick father, isn't it?" Julie was like a bear with a sore head. Shaking and pointing at Helena with trembling fingers, he roared, "I would have believed it had it been anyone else, but I don't believe Charlie! I'm sure he was the reason why my dad had a stroke!" Helena smiled and said, "As an objective third party, I don't think there's anything wrong with Mr. Wade. The main reason your father had a stroke was because the Four-Sided Treasure Tower suddenly returned to Oskia. But if I remember correctly, you were the one who sent the tower out of New York, right?" Julien was so shocked that the blood drained from his face. He quickly waved his hands, panicked, and whispered, "Your Majesty, you must not say that!" Helena shrugged slightly and said, "Am I wrong? I seem to remember that it was your helicopter that carrie
"I—" Helena's words made Julien wince. If the earlier statement had been a warning to him, the last remarks were a threat, through and through! Just a few words, and he could feel the intense intimidation! Julien was no fool. Figuring out the gravity of the current situation, he mumbled to himself, "Now that Dad has experienced a miraculous recovery from the elixir, he'll inevitably develop a strong dependence on it. The next time he gets sick or faces a life-threatening situation, he'll stop at nothing to get another one to extend his life." "Once he is in that 'at all costs' mindset, any rules will become meaningless to him." "Take the last incident with the treasure tower, for example. He didn't even consult me before issuing a decree—whoever finds the tower and brings it back would become the next heir. That was downright outrageous!" "With that precedent set, it's obvious that if he ever needs an elixir and can't obtain it, he'll make a similar decree—whoever brings him
Julien said rather respectfully, "Then, Your Majesty, I won't be accompanying you back to Canada." Helena gave a slight nod and responded with a graceful smile, her every expression exuding elegance, and her royal demeanor evident in every gesture. Seeing this, Julien felt a shiver in his heart. It wasn't that he was moved by Helena's beauty or poise, but rather, the more dignified she appeared, the more sinister she seemed in his eyes. She was only in her twenties, yet every word she spoke carried a murderous aura—this wasn't something just anyone could possess. However, Julien dared not show any dissatisfaction. He watched Helena board the helicopter and only breathed a sigh of relief once it had flown off into the distance. As he turned around to head back, he ran into Royce, who had come looking for him. "Dad!" Seeing his father, Royce hurriedly said, "Grandpa said for you to head straight to the conference room after seeing off the Queen. The meeting is about to start."
Royce felt very hurt. Despite that, he chose to purse his lips shut and not say another word to the angry Julien. Thus, Julien and Royce came to the meeting room one after the other quietly. Nearly all the family members had arrived at the meeting room, which resembled a medieval European palace. However, Harrison had not yet arrived. Everyone knew that today was the day when Harrison would pass the throne to Julien. Once Harrison made the announcement, Julien would officially become the head of the Rothschild family. Therefore, despite their agitated grimace, they were all thinking to themselves that they must find every possible way to flatter Julien as much as they could. From now on, all their resources, income, and their future would be in Julien's hands. As soon as Julien and Royce arrived, everyone, without exception, rose from their seats. The coordinated movement felt very much like the solemnity of military leaders standing at attention when they saw their comma
Royce, who was standing nearby, witnessed a textbook fence-sitter. Earlier, his uncles had surrounded Julien so tightly that he couldn't squeeze through. But now, they went to Harrison, and Julien stood there alone, which made him look a little lonely. Harrison couldn't help but feel relieved when he saw his sons running up to him in excitement. He was already moved by Julien's filial piety when he was in the medical center. Now, when he saw that his sons cared so much for him, he was moved and smug, thinking that he was a successful father and that his sons were devoted. So, with a fatherly smile on his face, he announced to everyone in a deep voice, "I want to deliver some good news. I have fully recovered." Upon hearing this, his descendants were excited, even though they didn't know how the stroke could be cured so quickly. Devin asked curiously, "Dad, did you call us here just to give us a surprise?" Harrison chuckled. "More or less. This time, I used some extraord
As soon as Harrison said this, the whole scene erupted in applause. Except for Julien and Royce, all the members of the Rothschild family almost jumped up and applauded wildly at the same time. Devin even involuntarily shed tears of excitement. None of them wanted Harrison to step down, let alone Julien to succeed him. Maintaining the status quo was their greatest luxury because it could ensure that their current interests would not be greatly affected. Perhaps in the future, if they made great contributions, they would have the chance to prove themselves, replace Julien, and become the new heir. Originally, they thought that maintaining the status quo was an impossible dream, but they didn't expect that dream to come true. Julien was beyond devastation. He had expected this outcome, but hearing Harrison say it out loud so promptly, he was pissed. However, the good news was that Harrison had listed him and Royce as the first and second heirs, so his chances of inheriting
Since Fleur was in the United States, when Charlie returned from Canada, he decided to take an inconspicuous business jet back to Oskia rather than the flashier Concorde, thus, his return journey was much longer. The plane's speed was slow, and it stopped in the middle of the journey to refuel, so he had yet to reach his destination despite being in the air for ten hours. Just then, his phone rang. It was a call from Helena. Charlie guessed that she was calling to deliver the good news, so he answered the call with a smile and asked, "Helena, have you left New York?" "Yes," Helena answered respectfully. "I've returned to Canada, and I'm calling to tell you what happened when I met Harrison." "Go ahead, I'm all ears." Charlie chuckled. Helena began to illustrate her meeting with Harrison in detail. When it came to the payment, she lied, "The price we finally reached was that he would pay 110 billion dollars in cash plus a complete AI model to be built in Northern Europe incl
It was already ten in the evening when Charlie finally arrived at Aurous Hill. After passing through customs and completing the entry procedures, Charlie went through the VIP walkway inside the airport. He would then take the private jet prepared by the Acker family and fly to Eastcliff. Because of his concern that Fleur's underlings would monitor his entry information since Keith was publicly conducting in-depth investment cooperation with the Oskian government in Eastcliff at the moment, Charlie decided to fly to Aurous Hill from the States. By entering the country through Aurous Hill and going to Eastcliff from there, he could bypass Eastcliff's international terminal and customs. There were hundreds and thousands of domestic flights coming in and taking off in Eastcliff every day, and these passengers would not be the target of the Qing Eliminating Society's surveillance. Charlie's only purpose for going to Eastcliff this time was to meet with Keith, update him on the situa
Trippy rolled his eyes as he texted back: [Hell no. I need to start my business instead of wasting my time. You morons can come get a number yourself if you like. Haha!]Still, Trippy had just sent his text when a trio arrived in a hurry outside Treasure Measure.Seeing that the doors were closed, the leader asked Trippy, "Excuse me, can I ask if this is Treasure Measure? Owned by a man named Mr. Cole?"Trippy was at once surprised. "You mean Raymond Cole?"The leader quickly said, "We don't know his first name, only that his last name is Cole, and his handle name was Treasure Measure's Mr. Cole."Trippy chuckled. "That'd be him. Has to be, since he hand wrote that shop sign."Pausing, he then asked in curiosity, "So, you've come to see him being a sucker?"The leader was naturally curious as to what Trippy was talking about. However, he was also reluctant to reveal why he had come since there was a killer bargain at stake. In fact, every other collector who was coming was k
Raymond also added that the 20 million price tag wouldn't be cut or increased. To put it simply, the bronze sculpture was right there in Aurous Hill and waiting—it was a race.Hence, many reputable collectors contacted expert appraisers throughout the night, some even booking night flights straight to Aurous Hill.The best amongst them was a fanatic collector of bronze items in Eastcliff.Following a brief exchange with Raymond online, he immediately called an expert who was also a close friend. As soon as his call was answered, he asked the other man if he had time to travel to Aurous Hill so that no one else would beat them to it—and they would drive out in the night if at all possible.After all, the earliest flight was at six in the morning, and it'd be eight by the time they made it to Aurous Hill Airport and nine by the time they got to Antique Street in a cab.Therefore, the ideal way to get there was by driving over six hundred miles at top speed, and that meant reaching A
While Jacob was feeling delighted after pulling off his con, Raymond had posted details of the bronze sculpture online.The website he was using was the biggest platform for antique collectors and the antique trade where each user could set a favorite tag in the antique category and era. If a user who preferred canvas art pieces of the Tudor dynasty set that label as their favorite, they would immediately be notified with text or desktop notifications in regards to any item with the same label.As medieval bronze sculptures were rare in the first place, most who were interested had already set that label on their favorites and were immediately notified soon after Raymond posted pictures of the bronze sculpture online.The collectors were naturally eager to check it out as gilded sculptures of the medieval era were really rare, and most collectors would go a lifetime without picking one up for their collection.On top of that, the seller had even listed a major flaw and was only ask
"Nope," Jacob chuckled. "We were both working separately and just happened to get back in at the same time."Then, he immediately became smug and excited, "Guess what, dear? I made 200 thousand out of the deal! In net profits!""For real?!" Elaine gaped. "200 thousand in just one night?! That's amazing! How did you do that?"Claire was surprised to hear that too, and she came over to ask, "What deal was it, Dad?"Jacob grinned, "Oh, it's nothing to brag about. It's just that I managed to pick up a nice antique item thanks to my wisdom and then sold it for 200 thousand."Pausing, he then sighed in dismay, "However, the buyer wasn't too rich—I would have squeezed him for 400 thousand, but he couldn't afford more, so I had to settle for less."Elaine quickly exclaimed, "Shit, we're talking about a loss of 200 thousand! People would work a year and still never earn that much…"She trailed off for a moment before asking, "By the way, dear—are we still flying out first thing tomorrow?
Jacob laughed. "Put that issue behind us? Sure, but we're not becoming friends. Hell, I can't even hold a grudge now that you're shit out of luck."Then, his tone changed sharply and suddenly became icy, "But you see, Aurous Hill is not a place you can stay just because you want to. No… After this, you're not going to be able to make a living in the antique trade.""If I were you, I'd be running a thousand miles away, far away from Aurous Hill where no one would know my face to start over. That way, you just might be able to make a living."Raymond simply kept smiling, "You need not be concerned about how I'm going to survive here, Mr. Wilson. I'd be very grateful if you'd cease any form of harassment once you leave my premises."Jacob pursed his lips, staring at Raymond in disappointment. "I'm plenty magnanimous, so I won't stoop to such pettiness. Just do whatever you like!"Clicking his tongue, he huffed, "Tut, tut… And here I'd thought you're tough, but you're just yet another
Raymond chuckled at the title, humble as ever, "The Duke of Wastage? Now, that's quite the royal title, and I don't think I deserve such an honor…"Trailing off, he then made an especially curious look, "By the way, how'd you know they were calling me that?"Seeing that he was still so ignorant, Jacob scoffed. "You bought a Renaissance-era bronze sculpture earlier, didn't you?"Raymond nodded. "I did. But technically, it's medieval and not Renaissance, along with a Renaissance-era base."Jacob clutched his stomach as he laughed, "Oh, please! Medieval? Hahaha… You're killing me, Mr. Cole!"Raymond kept a serious look on his face. "It's really medieval. Why don't you take a look?""No way," Jacob snorted, pursing his lips. "Anyway, word has already spread that someone was selling a counterfeit bronze sculpture to defraud Antique Street for some serious dough. He went first to Vintage Deluxe, but their manager, Mr. Crane, saw through it and didn't buy it… and then he came to you, an
That was why most of the collectors only knew that such an item existed but they did not know in whose possession it was.After registering a new account and paying the ten thousand registration fee, Raymond got in.It was very safe as it was anonymous, and he posted a photo of the bronze sculpture and an announcement with an asking price of twenty million.In his opinion, it wasn't that expensive—if it was still gilded, it would be worth around a hundred million. Without it, it was plenty reasonable to cut the price down to just thirty million.And Raymond was cutting another ten million off that, so twenty million was plenty reasonable.Moreover, medieval bronze sculptures were exceedingly rare, and less than one specimen showed up annually at times. Collectors who desired it would therefore be willing to break the bank for it, and that was why Raymond was sure that someone would put in an order once he posted it.As he wrote the summary of the item, someone knocked on his door
Jacob frowned in disdain. "Why would I be worried? He's no longer the manager of Vintage Deluxe, and he just lost a shit ton of money for messing up his appraisal. I am also the vice president of the Calligraphy and Painting Association, so why would I be worried about some loser who will soon be kicked out of Antique Street?"Straightening his collar, he snorted coldly, "I am now going to see Raymond Cole and humiliate him face-to-face! He thinks he's impressive, doesn't he? Let's see how he will keep up that facade!"Zachary chuckled, "Yes, exactly! People like him need to be given a slap in the face! As hard as you can! Don't worry—I'll be right behind you. If he gets physical, I'll rush in to help. If he doesn't dare to start a fight, you just insult him as much as possible!""Good plan!" Jacob nodded since he was concerned that Raymond might get physical when pushed too far.And with his body, there was no way he could beat anyone…Spreading his arms, he exclaimed, "Come! I'l
Mick inspected every video to see who was getting the most views, and he then paid out of his own pocket to use paid advertising to get the video viral.It cost five thousand and it hurt, but reaching the trending page was definitely worth it.Mick was quite shrewd too, making sure that the paid advertising was focused locally. After all, he knew all too well that five thousand didn't buy many clicks, and clicks from elsewhere might be too sporadic to gain any worthwhile attention.As he worked in Antique Street, he naturally had to come up with a plan to promote himself in this place, ideally presenting himself as a master appraiser.That way, his fame would slowly extend throughout the province and perhaps Eastern Oskia, and eventually the country.As such, focusing on Aurous Hill was the best idea.Moreover, he also had another idea—if Jasmine Moore happened to see this video, she would see him in a new light.When that happened, he could look forward to getting really rich!