When Claire saw her mother’s excited and flattering appearance in front of Charlie, she immediately felt helpless, and she could not help but mutter, “Mom... Why are you suddenly feeling so refreshed and excited as soon as Charlie comes back?”Elaine hurriedly said, “Nonsense! I’m not suddenly feeling refreshed. It’s just because I’ve been going crazy out of boredom over the past few days, and I’ve been waiting for my good son-in-law to come back so that I can cook for him!”Claire sighed and said, “There’s not even an egg left in the kitchen. So, what are you going to cook for Charlie?”“Ahh? Is that so?” Elaine was surprised and asked, “Are there no vegetables left in the refrigerator either?”Claire rolled her eyes and said, “There were only two small cabbages left and so, I asked Dad to use it to cook his noodles in the morning.”Elaine cursed angrily, “That d*mn Jacob Wilson! Who gave him the right to eat the cabbages that I bought?! This is really outrageous!”Claire rubbed
“No more.” Charlie said indifferently, “He gave me a total of ten pieces, and I estimate that it should be worth about four million dollars.”“Oh, my God!” Elaine exclaimed happily, “If you were to ask me, the four million dollars seem to be a pretty moderate amount. It’s not too little, but not too much either...”As she spoke of this, her eyes looked like they were smiling as she held up a piece of the gold bar and said, “Still, I feel that it’s pretty shocking to exchange these gold bars for four million dollars in cash. This gold and glittering look of the gold bar is really too festive!”Charlie nodded and said, “I originally planned to exchange the gold bars for cash before bringing it back. However, after thinking about it, we do not have any precious metal reserves at home. So, we might as well store these ten gold bars as a deposit at home as it can also bear the inflation.”Elaine nodded repeatedly and said in agreement, “That’s right! The prices of houses are not going u
That night, Elaine’s hands never left the two gold bars that Charlie had given to her.And because the Emgrand Hotel project had entered a critical stage, Claire had also been very busy these days.Since Charlie was already back, he took the initiative to take up the job of driving Claire to and back from work again. The next morning, Charlie sent Claire to the Emgrand Group Hotel’s construction site. After that, he received a phone call from Isaac, Over the phone, Isaac told Charlie that Porter had already brought close to one hundred soldiers from Ten Thousand Armies to Shangri-La. After Charlie heard this, he asked Isaac, “Mr. Cameron, has the administrative building been emptied?”Isaac hurriedly said, “Young Master, it has already been emptied overnight last night. The guests who were originally there have been compensated with twice the room fees, and we have arranged for them to be located in another building.”“That’s good.” Charlie was satisfied and he instructed, “W
Charlie nodded slightly and said seriously, “Since your parents have already been reburied, do not cause them to go through such hardships anymore in the future. In addition, you should also remember to pay your respects to them at their graves every year.”As Charlie spoke of this, he let out a sigh as he said with some melancholy, “In fact, my situation is very similar to yours. Over the past close to twenty years, I’ve not been able to go back to my parents’ graves to pay my respects to them because of the situation with my identity. I’ve been ashamed and filled with self-reproach over the past twenty years. I believe that you have also personally experienced this kind of feeling, and I hope that you can try to make up for it in the future.”Porter nodded repeatedly and said ashamedly, “Mr. Wade, what you’ve said is true. All those years that I was overseas, I always felt extremely pained, and I was always filled with self-reproach whenever it was the Tomb Sweeping Festival or the
When Charlie first thought of the idea of the transformation of Ten Thousand Armies, Porter was in favor of it from the depths of his heart.The only thing that he was worried about in his heart was the profitability of Ten Thousand Armies after undergoing the transformation. Porter was not looking to make money now, but there were still tens of thousands of soldiers in Ten Thousand Armies that he had to continue feeding and supporting, and the expenses for these people were extremely high. If the transformed Ten Thousand Armies could not reach a break-even, it would be difficult for him to account for the soldiers from Ten Thousand Armies. However, after listening to Charlie’s description of the future, Porter immediately regained confidence in his heart. So, he asked Charlie, “Mr. Wade, do you have any knowledge of the salary situation of the latter two types of international security? I would like to calculate the approximate income fluctuation of Ten Thousand Armies in the f
Charlie then asked again, “So, are there frequent pirate activities in the Gulf of Aden now?”“Yes. Very frequent.” Autumn explained, "The pirate activities there have never stopped. The more popular the ocean shipping industry is, the more active they are. They will hijack a merchant ship, and they will detain the ship and then demand a ransom from the shipowner. It would usually start from at least a few million US dollars and sometimes, it would even go up to tens of millions of US dollars. The shipowner would not dare to refuse to give the money as it would be a waste of time and money for them to go back and forth. If you waste the money for a trip, you might lose tens of millions of US dollars or even hundreds of millions of US dollars’ worth of freight income. So now, the shipowners have begun attaching great importance to international security, and almost all large merchant ships will spend this money."As she spoke, Autumn then said again, "By the way, after the incorporati
After hearing Charlie’s words, Porter could not help but ask, “Mr. Wade, how do you plan to talk to them about this matter? I’m worried that they no longer have any trust in Ten Thousand Armies now...”Previously, when Charlie was in Syria to negotiate with the government on Hamed’s behalf, he had put a label on Ten Thousand Armies as he said that Ten Thousand Armies was intending to parasitize from within Syria. So, the Syrian side had hated Ten Thousand Armies to the core. Otherwise, they would not have arrested all those fifteen thousand soldiers from Ten Thousand Armies. However, Charlie did not feel that this would be a problem, and he said indifferently, "As long as you can grasp the other party's psychological expectations, there will then be a probability of negotiation. After all, there is no permanent enemy in this world, and everything also depends on the size of the interests involved."As he spoke, Charlie then added, "The situation on their side has changed a lot now.
They had longed for a rear base for a long time, but unfortunately, due to their special nature, their many attempts had failed. The vast majority of countries and regions could never accept or allow them to build their base in their homeland no matter what it was.Therefore, even though they had a scale of tens of thousands of people, they still had to scatter their soldiers all over the place. If they were expelled from one place, they had to immediately move to the next place to settle down temporarily.If they could have a fixed base, it would be like having a home for them.At this time, Charlie spoke up, "By the way, Porter, I think you can go to the Gulf of Aden first tomorrow to determine the situation of the forward base. At the same time, you can also do a specific division of the overall team with your core team members. As for the Syrian side, when I’m done getting busy with the other matters that I have at hand, I will go over there and talk to them personally. You can
Jacob asked, "Then, what would this sculpture be worth if it was genuine?"Mr. Cardensky thought about it. "Well, there are standards when it comes to Renaissance relics, but with something this exquisite, it'd definitely be auctionable for one or two million—and that's the conservative estimate.""How much would you sell it to me for?" Jacob then asked."Thirty percent of the market price," Mr. Cardensky quickly replied. "As I've said, the conservative estimate for this one is around one to two million, so we will set the price with the median estimate value at 1.5 million. And thirty percent means 450 grand."Jacob shook his head right away. "No, no, no… that's too expensive. What if I end up unable to sell it, on top of that?"In his mind, while he could barely accept that pricing, he still needed Raymond to be able to afford it if he wanted to swindle Raymond for twice the money.Mr. Cardensky quickly chuckled, "Oh, Mr. Montague—now you're being too serious. In this business,
"Okay!"Mr. Cardensky smiled and pointed at a nearby farmyard. "There's our workshop—the good stuff is all in there. Allow me to take you there!"The farmyard seemed uninteresting at first glance, but Mr. Cardensky soon led them to the stables and brushed off the straws covering the floor, revealing a plank laid flat on the ground.Mr. Cardensky then lifted it, revealing a passage below—they had dug a cellar into the ground beneath, with the stables as an entry point.As Jacob followed Mr. Cardensky down the cellar, he exclaimed in awe, "Your operation is definitely big, digging such a huge cellar!"Mr. Cardensky smiled humbly. "Anyone working in the business would have sustained their losses before. In the end, we're all folk of humble origins, starting out with raiding tombs or excavating artifacts. Just digging a cellar is really nothing."As they conversed, they cleared the stairs and arrived at the main hall.It was certainly a hall as it was around a hundred square meters,
Zachary nodded repeatedly. "Mr. Montague? Very well!""Yes!" Jacob grinned smugly. "Longer last names are simply better—it just sounds so authoritative."With that agreed upon, both men alighted, where the master was waiting nearby.Seeing them get off, he hurried over to them, smiling, "Please, follow me."Zachary looked around and huffed, "Honestly, Mr. Cardensky, isn't this way too far from the highway? The road is narrow and terrible, and I have to park my car all the way out here. Just coming here is taxing."Mr. Cardensky smiled in turn. "My friend, that's exactly why we picked this place. Do you remember seeing a couple of cars parked by the road, occupying half of it?""We arranged for them to be there. Anyone coming by car would have to slow down that way, buying time for us to see who they truly are. If it's cops, our watchers would quietly text us while we clean the house and bail."Zachary exclaimed in realization, "You boys really run a tight ship!""For sure," Mr.
After working in Antique Street for years, Zachary's connections and influence were naturally special. And yet, though he was acquainted with some of the more impressive individuals, he was not that close with them either.For example, the forgery masters who worked specifically to deceive experts only accepted jobs from major clients, usually antique traders high in social status and wealth.In contrast, they wouldn't ever be interested in frivolous people like Zachary. Even if he could reach them, they might not look at him twice.If one would describe them as the cartel boss, then Zachary would be a low-level enforcer, managing night joints or goofing off.But now, Zachary had turned over a new leaf—he worked under Don Albert, so one of those masters was pleasantly surprised when he called one of them, inviting him to his own workshop for a visit and further discussion.As such, Zachary picked up Jacob and went over to the master's hideout where the latter worked on his count
Zachary was naturally shrewd enough to read Jacob's intention.In reality, he wasn't offering to pay just because he wanted the profit. He merely wanted to get in Jacob's good graces. After all, wouldn't Jacob be even more grateful that he wasn't just helping his revenge but also helping him make money?As such, he didn't hesitate to tell Jacob, "Well, chief—since you'll be paying, I will make sure that you will get every cent of profit that you deserve."Jacob was grinning ear-to-ear, but he said, "Oh, you don't have to! If we really are making a profit, there's no way I would let your good work go unrewarded!"Spreading his arms, he continued generously, "How about this? I will pay the full cost while you get twenty percent of the net profit!"Zachary laughed. "Now, that can wait, chief. We need to pay as soon as we decide on the item we want, and there's no time for buyer's regret. But if Raymond doesn't take the bait, all that money will go down the drain, and whether we can s
Zachary chuckled and continued, "Well, I went to Antique Street and asked around. Turns out our mutual friend only brought a few hundred thousand grand with him. If he messes up and loses all his money, won't it be over for him?""He won't just be broke either—he'd be humiliated and forced to fuck off from Antique Street. You'd get even then!"Jacob was at once excited.Just yesterday, Claire and Charlie were warning him that assault meant doing time.As the vice president of the Calligraphy and Painting Association and the next presidential-hopeful, he would lose his place if he was charged with assault or being an accessory to a case.However, Zachary's plan was much better. Jacob wouldn't have to take responsibility, and the damage on Raymond would be even worse!In comparison, slapping Raymond meant nothing. Watching him go broke and get humiliated would really ease his heart!With that in mind, he promptly pressed Zachary, "Are you sure that prick will mess up?""I can't a
Jacob Wilson was in his office at the Calligraphy and Painting Association, planning his itinerary in Dubai.Still, he was immediately thrilled when Zachary told him that there was progress, and he quickly said, "Come see me at the Calligraphy and Painting Association. We'll talk in my office!""Alright!" Zachary agreed to it happily. "Just wait, Mr. Wilson. I'll be right there!"Jacob then quickly told him, "By the way, remember to address me as the vice president when you're here. Got it?"Zachary was naturally sharp enough to understand why, especially around other members of the Calligraphy and Painting Association.Smiling, he said, "Don't worry, chief. You can always be at ease when I'm on the job!"Once he hung up, he drove to the Calligraphy and Painting Association at top speed.There were just a dozen people around the dozens of work cubicles although Zachary was curious about the personal effects or office tools in the cubicles.After asking around, a staff member le
Then, Mick continued, "I won't lie—Moore Group's bean counters have been eager to get rid of Vintage Deluxe for a while now. It's only Miss Moore's insistence that keeps them at bay, even occasionally coming to check on how business is going. That means she holds sentiment for this place, but if she knows that Raymond is back and doing well, she might hire him again!"Zachary could laugh right then. After all, Mick was terrible at gathering information—he could worry about anyone taking his palace, but not Raymond. The man was fired because he had insulted Master Wade's father in-law, and Miss Moore was endlessly respectful—even obedient to Master Wade. There was no chance that she would hire Raymond back after what he had done, and Mick was just being paranoid.However, Zachary did not tell Mick that.As Mick was begging him to intervene and thus owing him big time, he would also be helping Jacob Wilson get even.Two birds with one stone, so why not?With that in mind, Zachar
Zachary then said, "By the way, I have some friends who have a lot of stock. How much capital do you have, Mr. Cole? I'll check if they have stuff that suits you, and you can partner with them."When Zachary asked how much capital, he was basically asking Raymond how much he would invest in his own business and how much he could spend on taking new stock as he was buying.As such, Raymond replied modestly, "I've been chasing my tail for a while, so I didn't earn more than a few hundred thousand. I definitely would have no issue taking items with rebates, but I'm afraid I can't afford premiums.""Alright!" Zachary nodded, having discerned the scale of Zachary's capital."I'll check on what's available and see if we can get a few personal deals."Raymond nodded. "Thank you, Zachary!"Zachary smiled, shaking his head. "Mr. Crane, please buy another fruit basket for Mr. Cole—I'll pay you later."Mick quickly said, "Oh, you don't have to, Mr. Evans! It's my pleasure, no worries!"Zach