"You have the nerve to talk back to me?! I'll beat you up." The man opened the car door and jumped out angrily. He rolled up his sleeves, looking ready for a fight.However, he was surprisingly thin and gangly. If he actually tried to fight Elio, he would probably be taken down with a single punch. He was bluffing.Elio took a step forward. His expression was dark as he glared at the other man. "Just try touching me. I'll make you regret it for the rest of your life."That was not an empty threat. After all, he was the leader of the most mysterious organization in the underground world, Garuda Estate. Furthermore, he had once been a mercenary king who had killed and maimed countless criminals.Elio's killing intent scared the man into taking a step back, but then he braced himself and shouted, "As if you’d actually attack me in public! You're nothing but a thug."The passenger door opened as well, and a rather attractive woman stepped out. Her name was Jenny Jensen, and she was on
Elio just sneered at these shallow and arrogant jerks. "Then let's make a bet. If I can get my driver to bring me my Rolls-Royce within fifteen minutes, you have to get on your knees and apologize for your ignorance. Are you man enough to accept the bet?"His words provoked the two young men. Simon spat. "Sure, why not? And if you can't bring us a Rolls-Royce within the stipulated time, you have to kneel to us and call us Uncle."Finn's face darkened. "That's right, and it has to be a Phantom. Whoever goes back on their word is a son of a b*tch."Jenny gritted her teeth and said, "Yeah, let's expose this trash for what he's really worth, or he'll keep getting ideas above his station."May agreed. "We have to teach him a lesson for lying to our faces! Let's make him kneel and beg for our forgiveness."As the situation escalated, Evelyn's face turned pale as a sheet. She could not help but feel anxious. Even though she usually resented Elio, he was still her husband. If Elio lost an
Still, Elio had such an expensive car, so he could not be any average Joe. He was definitely someone they could not afford to offend.In today's world, money was power. The two men knew that well. When they saw Elio's Phantom, they immediately chickened out. They were nowhere near as high and mighty as before.They had no choice but to give in. They hurriedly apologized for their "joke" and told Elio not to take them seriously. They wanted to make friends, not war!Jenny and May also did a one-eighty, humbly asking Elio to spare their boyfriends. They even asked Evelyn to put in a word for them with Elio. They were all friends here, so why make things difficult for everyone?Elio scoffed at the two men. "If you want to go back on your word, that's fine too. It just proves that you're sons of bitches, like you said. Don't be so snobbish in the future, lest you embarrass yourselves again."Simon's and Finn's faces were red with anger. Their lungs were about to explode, but they dare
When he saw how furious his wife was, Elio knew that his joke had gone too far. He quickly said that he had already spent the money, so it would be a waste not to complete the ride. "Why don't we go to the restaurant anyway? I'll treat you to a meal."That only made Evelyn even angrier. She glared at him. "No! Let's just go home and eat instant ramen."Since she insisted, Elio had no choice but to give up, asking the driver to take them home.On the way home, Evelyn received a call from Jenny, who yelled at her for abandoning her friends once she came into some money. Jenny called her cruel and shallow, saying that she had finally seen Evelyn's true colors.It was just one problem after another. Evelyn had no choice but to explain that Elio had rented the car. Jenny was both surprised and relieved to hear that. She insulted Elio and ridiculed Evelyn for her bad taste in men. Evelyn wanted to bury herself in a hole to escape the shame.Once they got home, Evelyn ignored Elio comp
Yvonne stared at Elio in shock and said angrily, "Don't you have any shame? Why should I give you half of my profits if you don't invest anything? Are you that desperate for money?"Elio rolled his eyes. "Then go by yourself if you want. Just so you know, I'd bet everything I have that you'll lose everything today. Do you think gambling on gems is really that simple? There's a huge ploy right under the surface.""Wait, you have experience with gemstone gambling?" Yvonne asked skeptically."Of course!" Elio replied with full confidence.Yvonne was annoyed. He really did not take her seriously at all! He reprimanded her so casually whenever he wanted. If it were anyone else, she would have beaten them up by now.After giving it some thought, Yvonne took another leap of faith and chose to believe him. She gritted her teeth and said, "Alright, we'll do as you say. But what if we lose?""Then I'll compensate you in full. How about it? Fair enough for you?" Elio said nonchalantly."Hm
Looking at the handsome young man in front of her, Yvonne took a deep breath and forced herself to act relaxed. "Go on, Elio, choose. Let's see what you can do. Don't disappoint me now."Elio nodded and stared at the raw stones of different sizes. They were all very familiar to him, and they were divided according to their excavation sites. Their weights and prices were clearly demarcated too. He could see all the details at a glance.High heels clicked on the ground behind him as he walked. Yvonne carried her bag, following him like a lackey. She watched as Elio walked around the entire warehouse, but he did not buy a single stone. A few of the stones she liked were snapped up by other customers, and she was starting to get nervous.She jogged two steps to catch up to Elio, her red lips leaning into his ear as she said anxiously, "Why haven't you chosen anything yet? Are all the good stones gone?""Who's making the call here? Me, or you? If you have such faith in your judgment, wh
Josh was tempted. This was a guaranteed win for him! No one here thought Elio stood any chance, so he would be able to earn a hundred thousand dollars just like that. There was no reason to refuse. "Sure, I'll take that bet. However, are you sure you can afford to give me a hundred thousand dollars if you lose? You're a broke peasant. Do you even have the money?"Yvonne was burning with anxiety, and she glared at Elio angrily. 'It was one thing for you to waste my money on a useless stone,' she thought, 'but why are you picking a fight now?! Betting a hundred thousand dollars with that Sampson jerk — Do you want to give him free money or something?'In a moment of desperation, Yvonne tried to stop him. Before she could say anything, though, Elio pointed at her and said, "I don't have the money, but she does. If I lose, she'll give you a hundred thousand dollars."Yvonne was struck completely dumb. Was this man determined to bankrupt her?"Really?" Josh said with a sinister smile.
The traphiche emerald was the rarest type of emerald. Even Zaffino had never seen one in the year since he had started this raw stone trading center. He was beside himself with excitement, instructing his staff, "This is a cause for celebration! Hurry, set off some fireworks and buy ads on all the social media platforms!"To him, this would be the best advertisement. If someone found a traphiche emerald here, word would get out that his stones were of the highest quality. Many wealthy customers would flock here to gamble on the stones. He could already see his business flourishing! Elio asked Yvonne to give the technician who cut the stone a thousand-dollar tip. With a bit more cutting and polish, they unearthed two crystal-clear traphiche emeralds, one bigger than the other. Their color flickered slightly in the light, regal and elegant.Zaffino immediately stated his price. He offered three million for the bigger stone and two million for the smaller one. Elio thought that was a
"What?" Charlie's anger boiled over, his face turning bright red as he yelled, "This is too much! I want to see your chairman! He needs to apologize, or he'll regret it when I trash this place!"Laird gave a cold snort, grabbed the ready walkie-talkie, and called out, "Security, get in here, quick! We've got someone trying to wreck the place."In a flash, four security guards in black suits rushed into the room, grabbed Charlie, and marched him right out the door.The poor Jones family heir thought he could throw his weight around, but instead, he got a beating from the guards and ended up tossed outside, his suit torn and his face a mess of bruises.He tried to get up, wanting to shout insults, but the angry stares from the guards scared him silent. He scrambled into his Audi and sped away.Afterward, General Manager Howe filled in the chairman on what had happened. Elio could not help but feel a rush of glee. 'Charlie, you think you can take me on? Look where that got you!' Elio
That night, the news about the Aerin Group taking on the shanty town makeover project was all over the Cloudsea TV show. It shook up the whole business world in the city. Bosses from real estate and construction companies were all on the phone, trying to get the scoop.The Aerin Group was pretty new and not well-known in Cloudsea. Now, all of a sudden, it was the talk of the town. The big project that everyone wanted had somehow ended up with them, and it was really weird.The project to fix up the old town was massive, and lots of companies wanted to work on it. If they got even a piece of the job, they would be rolling in dough. So, they all rushed to make connections, hoping to meet with the big boss of Evamor Group to talk business.What surprised all the big shots was that nobody knew a thing about the boss of Evamor. It was like a big secret. Clearly, that person liked staying out of the spotlight, pulling strings from behind the curtain.Who would have guessed that this amaz
York nodded non-stop, apologizing. "Got it. Please forgive me. I'm really sorry."With the bill canceled, Elio felt they had done enough. "Let's call it even. Time to go."They walked out, heads high, leaving the staff and the hostesses in awe. York sat on the couch, face grim, and gulped down the fake Louis XIII. It was liquor from some other brand, cleverly resealed to look like the fancy stuff. It tasted pretty good, and hardly anyone could tell it was not the real deal. However, somehow, that kid figured it out. Who was he, anyway?York was fuming. Ever since his shop opened, he had sold bottle after bottle of this top-notch liquor to all sorts of important people, and no one had ever called him out. Now, some nobody had caught him."That little troublemaker, causing a scene in my shop," he grumbled. "Just you wait. I'll take care of you."As the boss was getting worked up and ready to get even, one of the girls spoke up, "That Mr. Rinz seems pretty impressive. I heard he even
York asked with a friendly smile, "I don't think I've met this young man before. Can someone introduce him?"Yvonne replied with a grin, "This is Mr. Rinz, a dear friend of ours. He's the one who wanted to meet you."York did not know Elio's story, and he looked like an average guy. However, he had ordered three bottles of the fancy Louis XIII cognac and seemed to be friends with some pretty important people, including a famous TV beauty. York could not help but be impressed."Really? I'm super honored and happy to meet you, Mr. Rinz. Hope you'll come to hang out with us more," York said with a big smile. He's the kind of guy who knew just what to say and was ready to shake hands, showing lots of respect. However, Elio did not reach out his hand at all, which made York's smile disappear, and he felt really annoyed inside.Elio just frowned and said, "I think once is enough for this place." Yvonne and the others exchanged puzzled looks. They had no clue why Elio was upset and wh
"You think you can hit me and get away with it? I could ruin your family in an instant. Now, get out of here, do you hear me?" Tanner yelled at her."You..." Fear flickered in May's eyes. She was too scared to argue, worried about what he might do to her.Jenny let out a sigh, went over to help her friend up, and whispered, "Let's just go. We can't stand up to him. We've just got to deal with this bad luck."May knew the truth. She and Jenny might come from money, but they were nothing compared to Tanner's powerful family. What could she do? If she pushed him too far, she was afraid he might make her disappear for good.May had no choice but to follow her best friend, looking all messy and upset. She did not think she would end up like that, feeling so angry. She was mad at Tanner for messing with her feelings and even madder at Elio, thinking he had a big part in her troubles.The room was super quiet; no one wanted to talk. Tanner was in a bad mood—he got tricked by someone not
As Evelyn's figure vanished from view, May frowned deeply and sneered, "She's so hopeless. She can't even handle her husband. Being a woman like that is just embarrassing.""Come on, don't be so hard on her," Jenny said. "Evelyn's got guts. She was ready to divorce Elio to stand up for what's right. Friends like her are rare.""Hmph, what good does that do? She still didn't get the stuff back. I really thought she could handle that jerk, but it was a waste," May said, not hiding her scorn."May, just a heads-up," Jenny lowered her voice, "the divorce might be good for Evelyn, but it puts you at risk. I've noticed Tanner looking her way a lot. Be careful."May felt a chill, sensing trouble, but she pushed back, "No way. Tanner told me he only loves me. You're just worrying too much."Jenny could tell what her best friend was thinking but kept it to herself. "Okay, let's just say I didn't mention anything. Let's head back."In the private room, Tanner was eager to hear the news. Wh
Jenny and May were shocked, staring at each other and not knowing what to do.The couple was at a breaking point. May felt a rush of panic. Did that mean she would never get back the fancy watch and the big Benz? She quickly pulled on Evelyn's arm, trying to tell her friend not to say things she could not take back. However, it was too late."That's for the best," Evelyn snapped. "From now on, we're nothing to each other.""Let's just hope we're both happy from here on out," Elio said, trying to sound indifferent. However, inside, it felt like a thousand needles were poking his heart.Evelyn did not look back. She turned and walked away fast, a cold air swirling around her.Jenny and May ran after her, calling out, "Evelyn, wait up!""Don't leave, wait for us!"Evelyn felt a heavy sadness. They had been married for three years, together every day. To say she felt nothing would be a lie. Even though she never really respected Elio, going their separate ways was still hard to take
The Seven Fairies Team was a tough bunch, and except for Helen, each one had fought their way to success in the cutthroat world of business. They were not about to let anyone push them around.With a loud "smack," Jenny's cheek stung from a fierce slap. She let out a sharp cry and glared at Yvonne. "Ouch! How dare you hit me?""You insult us, and you think a slap is too much?" Yvonne spat back, her teeth clenched in anger.May was not lucky, either. She, too, got slapped, leaving a bright red mark on her face. Lydia, who did it, shouted at her, "Who are you calling names, huh?"Jenny and May were no pushovers, but now, with their cheeks burning from the slaps and surrounded by a group of fierce-looking girls, they were boiling with rage inside. Yet, they did not dare to strike back, appearing utterly defeated and powerless.It was not the super-tough opponents they needed to worry about. It was the teammates who messed everything up!Evelyn had been sure she could get back those
The women finally got it—the beautiful woman was Elio's wife. Yarely and the others stood up for a better look.A bunch of girls with eyes as wide as saucers were watching everything unfold, each one silently agreeing that Evelyn was the picture of perfection. It was no surprise that Master Rinz could keep his cool, even with all those stunning girls around him.Evelyn scanned the room, and it hit her—they were all gorgeous girls, and Elio was the only boy. It was just like the old saying: he was the lone rooster in the henhouse.When Yvonne tried to be friendly, Evelyn was not having any of it. She huffed, "Forget it. I just need to talk to Elio about something private. I'll be out of your hair in no time."That made Evelyn seem super stuck-up and hard to talk to. Yarely and the others felt put off, so they just sat back down on the couch.They were all tough cookies, top dogs in their own right. If she was going to act all high and mighty, why would they want to hang out with he