Tiger and the others were stunned. Zaffino was one of the big shots in Cloudsea, but he seemed to really care about Elio! He was willing to bet 150 thousand dollars to ensure Elio did not lose his hands. What was he planning?Wendell was secretly thrilled. This way, he would not have to pay anything at all! He said happily, “I have no objections.”Jeanette glanced at Elio and said sweetly, “I had no idea Zaffino thought so highly of you. He really wants you to keep your hands.”Elio gave Zaffino a nod. “Thanks.”Zaffino smiled. “Don't mention it, Master Rinz. Just keep coming back to my humble store. I look forward to working with you more in the future.”Tiger did not mind as long as he got the money in the end. He did not care about whether Elio got to keep his hands or not. “Then let's go with Zaffino's suggestion and cut the stones first.”The staff members pushed the stones over to the cutting counter with a cart. Other customers gathered to watch, but they were unimpressed
Wendell also ignored his injured hand, wiping away the dust on the gem with his other hand. He beamed brightly as he said, “Stone gambling is such a rush. We earned a ton of money like it's nothing! Tiger, we hit the jackpot!”The other customers wanted to get a look too, but Tiger's men stopped them from approaching the stone. These thugs did not know much about gems either; all they knew was that this stuff was worth a lot, so they had to protect it for their boss.No one stopped Zaffino, though. He looked at the newly-uncovered gem in admiration, thinking to himself that Elio truly was the real deal. He managed to hit the jackpot despite having to choose from the others’ leftovers.“How much do you think this material can sell for?” Jeanette grabbed Elio's arm and whispered into his ear.“About half a million, but I'll try to raise the asking price for you,” Elio replied softly. “Alright. If you do well, I'll be sure to reward you.”Elio felt something at his waist. The woman
Jeanette was no ordinary woman. She had already decided to take twice the amount of the actual bonus from the pot before they split it, so she happily agreed. She grabbed a stack of notes, quickly counted out fifty, and handed them to Elio.Elio gave the money to Leid, saying, “Thanks, sir. Here's your bonus.”Even though the money was Jeanette's, Leid was grateful to Elio. Without Elio, he would not have gotten a single cent. He hurriedly thanked Elio, saying, “Thank you, ma'am. And thank you, Master Elio. How would you like me to cut the next stone?”“Cut it over here and give us a sneak peek on what's inside.” Elio drew a line on the stone with his finger. Leid cut the stone accordingly. After they got a glimpse of what was inside, the onlookers were surprised. “Huh? There's definitely a gem inside, but it doesn't look too high quality.”“It won't be worth that much, especially because the color looks all off. At least they'll break even…”They were right. The gem inside was
Tiger and Wendell could not stop smiling. Scoring two hundred thousand bucks had been a breeze, and that kind of cash would keep them living large for quite some time.Jeanette punched in the account digits. Zaffino zapped the money over in a flash.The account's balance shot up by over six hundred thousand, and Jeanette was over the moon. Her gaze turned icy, however, when she faced Elio. "You've got the piece now, kiddo, but don't forget—you've just cleared a six hundred thousand debt, and you're still four hundred thousand in the hole. Four grand a day in interest, and if you can't cough it up, we'll be taking your hands as collateral."The crowd shared uneasy looks. 'Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned,' they thought. She was raking in a cool one hundred and sixty thousand just like that. The kid had just netted them a fortune, yet they were still talking about chopping off his hands? Where was the fairness in that?Elio brushed it off with a wave of his hand. "Just give me
The crowd was stunned. Nobody saw Tiger's backstabbing move coming. Although he had already sold the gem, now, seeing its value skyrocket, he was backpedaling faster than a thief caught red-handed. Talk about a street thug's move!Jeanette was having none of it. Hands on her hips, she threw caution and her image to the wind, going full-on banshee mode. "You heard me! We snagged that stone first. That little twerp conned us, didn't pay a penny, and now he is trying to hustle our gem? Dream on! Cough up twelve hundred thousand, or no deal."Zaffino looked like he had swallowed a sour grape. He knew better than to cross Tiger and his spitfire wife, yet rules were rules. "The thing is, I already paid you for the gem, seventy thouand, straight into your account."Jeanette was relentless. "Fine, I'll send back your 700,000, but then you owe us 12 million. We hand over the violet jade, and we're square."Zaffino shook his head. "Can't do it. It's against the rules. Sorry, but without Mast
The bald guy clutched his bleeding shoulder, regret oozing out with every drop of blood. He had played the tough guy and now he was paying the price, sticking out like a sore thumb. Bitterness gnawed at him as he winced in pain and called out, "Tiger, you gotta back me up here."Tiger saw his right-hand man hurt, and Zaffino's crew swarming in—it was an all-out face-off.Fury blazed in Tiger's eyes. No one in Cloudsea had ever crossed him before. He barked, "Zaffino, what's your game? Picking a fight with me? Don't you know who I am? You think you can just shut me down?"Zaffino's face darkened, and he shot back, "Tiger, don't kid yourself. You can't touch me. There are rules to follow here. You can't just come into my place and start swinging. No one's shut me down before, and you're no exception. Just try me."Tiger knew all too well about the muscle backing Zaffino. A brawl would mean big trouble, more than it was worth."Alright, you win this round. I won't squabble with you.
It felt like there was a void in people's souls that just could not be satisfied, particularly for those who fought their way up from nothing. They might have stumbled upon a fortune, but the sight of Elio's remaining seven hundred thousand was too tempting to ignore. Dividing the spoils three ways was tolerable, but watching the younger guy they had underestimated walk away with the lion's share? That was enough to make their blood boil.With Zaffino running the show at the trading spot, Tiger could not just blow his top then and there. If they came to blows, it would be an all-out war, with both sides taking hits. Since Tiger did not have a leg to stand on, starting a fight would be more trouble than it was worth."We'll see about that," Tiger growled, his eyes glinting with a dangerous light as he swept past Elio. With a dramatic wave of his hand, he led his crew and their newfound fortune out the door.Jeanette clicked her heels and shot Elio a look that could freeze lava, her s
Elio had actually clocked the tail way earlier but played it cool. He flashed a grin and said, "Let's ease off the gas and see if they are really gunning for us.""They are totally after your dough. Take it down a notch," Maird instructed, her lips pursed in frustration, her eyes shooting daggers at the rearview mirror.As the Prado slowed, the Santana did the same, sticking to them like glue and not bothering to pass. The clarity was undeniable—they were up to no good."These jerks are asking for it!" Maird fumed, rolling down the window. She leaned out, her lithe figure half out of the car, and with a crossbow in hand, she let an arrow fly."Thwack!"The Santana's windshield now sported a neat little hole. The bolt sailed right between the two hulking goons inside, scaring the daylights out of them. They ducked on instinct, and the driver, in a panic, swerved hard. The car skidded off the road and nosedived into a ditch.Maird could not help but smirk as she watched the chaos u
"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