“Alright, I’ll take a shower.”***Meanwhile, as Charlie and Claire lay on the bed preparing to sleep, a heavy-lift helicopter flew by the Sudbury sky, soaring loudly. After spending two hours on the helicopter, Donald and Sean Webb finally arrived above the exclusive mansion in Sudbury. All the Webb family members were waiting on the big lawn of the mansion including Kian and his mother who were waiting by the side of the lawn. They already knew about the unfortunate incident in Aurous Hill and were eager to greet and comfort them.As the helicopter slowly descended, warm tears drenched Donald and Sean’s eyes as they saw their family waiting on the ground.The incidents that had happened in Aurous Hill were like purgatory which caused great suffering and misery to both of them.They were filled with relief and warmth now that they had finally returned home!As the helicopter landed and the door opened, the servants hurriedly rushed forward to help Donald, Sean, Johnny, and
At this moment, Lord Webb was lying weakly in the ICU room of his luxurious mansion. Wires and cables scattered on his body like a million worms. The ECG monitor, blood pressure machine, blood oximeter, and so on were hooked to his body to monitor his condition round the clock. In fact, in order to sustain the old man’s condition, the doctors infused nutrient solutions through a tube and installed an oxygen inhalation system for him.The TikTok video was such a disastrous blow to Lord Webb that it triggered a severe heart attack instantly. Couple with his old age, he wasn’t physically and mentally strong enough to withstand the blow that he succumbed to a heart attack. It was fortunate that it didn’t escalate to a full-blown myocardial infarction.The old man was lying in bed, angrily cursing, when Donald, Sean, Kean, Derrick, and the rest of the family members came into the ICU room.“Those two shameless bastards, how dare they openly insult my family! If I don’t kill them, the W
Sean knew that his grandfather adored him since he was a kid. He burst into tears and quickly wiped his tears away and said firmly, “Grandpa, don’t worry about me, I can handle it. You must take care of yourself!”Lord Webb, similar to Lord Moore, was the face of the Webb family. Moreover, he was very influential and had very wide and diversified social connections. He had friends in politics, business, and even the underworld. This was not only due to his rich experience but also because he remained close and direct relationships with many people and had helped a lot of people in the process.If Lord Webb passed away, these people would not be respectful to the Webb family like they did now. By then, the family’s influence would inevitably decrease by a large margin.In addition, Lord Webb was very wise and nimble. He did not hold the power for too long, instead, he chose to retire and hand over the power to Donald. In this way, his descendants would not resent or disgust with hi
The Webb family quickly released a new house rule: ‘TikTik app is strictly prohibited within the compound of the Webb family mansion and will be considered a violation of the house rule and be punished with severe punishment!’Of course, the Webb family members adhered to the rule religiously because the video was a literal insult to their family. They wouldn’t want to watch it even if someone paid them to watch. However, the servants found the house rule repulsive.They were just working for the Webb family, they didn’t mind at all regarding the video that was transfixed in the app. On the contrary, they loved watching the video as it was very thrilling and exciting!This was mainly because the servants were subjected to a set of very strict and stern restrictions and regulations. There were many house rules that mainly controlled the servants which mostly would be punished physically or mentally once they violated the house rules.Because of the inhumane house rules, the se
Kian barged forward and started kicking and punching the driver!The driver yelled in pain, but he didn’t want to provoke Kian further, hence, he could only raise his arms to protect himself from the punches. When he couldn’t hold it anymore, he quickly pulled his pants up and ran out of the toilet, didn’t even bother to wipe his buttock first.Kian shouted behind him, “Hey, hey, f*ck! Don’t you dare run away from me! I’ll break your leg!”Once he took a step forward, he suddenly felt dizzy and whimpered softly, “Oh damn…”He knew that the time had come again!In an instant, Kian Webb’s consciousness was replaced by the disgusting desire. His eyes blinked ecstatically when he saw the filthy excretion that the driver didn’t manage to flush away. He ran back into the toilet, squatted down, reached into the toilet bowl, grabbed the excrement, and stuffed it into his mouth… A few servants glanced in confusion when they saw the driver running out of the toilet while holding his pants
Seventy men from Sudbury combed Aurous Hill, not leaving any missing sight.However, they could not find any clues regarding the whereabouts of Cain and Marcus. In fact, Cain and his family were in the car, leaving Aurous Hill and speeding towards the north. It was easy to catch a fish in a washbasin, but it was very difficult to find the precise fish in a freaking lake!Marcus was behind the wheels in the middle of the night, the lavish Mercedes Benz running wildly on the road. Suddenly, Cain’s phone rang.It was Cain’s neighbor who called. They retained a good relationship as they always hung out and had a drink or two together.Before they left town, he called his neighbor to ask him to take note in case there were any unusual activities around his house. So, when his neighbor called at a time like this, Cain assumed that there must be something happening at his house.Sure enough, as soon as he answered the call, the man on the other end of the line said in a low voice, “
Tyler, Reuben’s father, was also stunned as he watched the scene. He was even more depressed than Reuben. As an heir apparent, his biggest fear was that his father would stay alive too long.Kangxi Emperor of the Qing Dynasty held the reigns for 61 years, and Yinreng, the son of the emperor’s first spouse, was the crown prince for forty years. Eventually, the crown prince got tired of waiting for succession and challenged his father to abdicate his throne.As Lord Moore was still holding the majority power of the family, the longer he lived, the more miserable Tyler would be.If the old man lived for another ten years, he would be in his 70s already, how could he still be the head of the family?It was even possible that he would die before his father…Tyler felt dejected when he thought of it.Jasmine, however, was delighted as she watched her grandfather getting healthier and more energized than before.Seeing that the old man was showing some signs of fatigue, she quickly m
Early the next morning. Claire went to her office after eating breakfast.Jacob sat in the living room, sulking and glowering. He shot a silent and disdainful glare at Elaine when she walked into the living hall.When he thought about the two million dollars that Elaine lost in the silly mahjong game, the wrath of fury reignited inside him.He didn’t have much money himself. The two million dollars were the savings they had accumulated over the years, including the money that he earned from reselling the antique, but now, it had all gone down the drain.In fact, Jacob felt that he should pick up his old tricks and begin trading at Antique Street again, and thus, he asked Zachary to sell his antiques.Elaine pasted a sheepish smile on her face when she saw Jacob, feeling guilty and sorry, but Jacob treated her as if she was invisible.She dared not complain about it, so she turned to Charlie and chided agitatedly, “Hey, Charlie, since you have nothing to do around here, quickly
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!
Soon, the video of Mick's staged act was uploaded to the online group, and everyone eagerly watched it as soon as it was done uploading.Mick certainly set a new bar with his acting as none of them could see that it was an act.Moreover, everyone could see that the bronze sculpture looked like the real deal, and they might have been swindled if it were them.As such, they couldn't help being impressed as Mick had easily seen through Billy's con, and he was the definition of a pro in that video.No matter how Billy had packaged it, there was no tricking real experts like Mick Crane. Just a quick glance and he had seen through that it was a postmodern replica, matched with a base from the Renaissance era to misdirect and beguile.With that, many fellow antique dealers changed their opinion of Mick.After all, Vintage Deluxe's business had been declining after Mick took over as manager, and people were presuming that his skills were lacking.But now, they were all shown that he had
"Amazing, Mr. Crane!""It's Mr. Crane who shines through, in the end! His eyes see through everything!""I guess Miss Moore made the right choice firing Raymond and appointing Mr. Crane! Mr. Crane is infinitely better!"Mick was immediately thrilled to see them fawning over him, and he laughed, "You flatter me—I'm merely sharing my personal perspective on this. In this trade, anyone who knows would understand how hard it is to get the good stuff in this age of technology.""There are plenty of people who hold ulterior motives and change their tactics knowing that there are always those scheming to get their hands on vintage treasures, so they just have to make it. That is how they started making counterfeits of everything, from scrolls to sculptures to statues, each of them so real just to trick those fools who think they could get rich overnight!""Exactly!" Someone promptly agreed. "There's never a lack of any such fools, and I just happened to meet one. I had this piece of jade