At this moment, Jacob sits in his office at the Painting and Calligraphy Association, engrossed in planning a trip to Dubai.
Upon hearing Zachary’s revelation of his concerns, Jacob’s interest is piqued, and favonovel.com quickly responds, “Come to the association to meet me. Visit my office for a chat!”
“Sure thing!” Zachary readily agrees, adding, “President Wilson, I’ll be there in a moment!”
Jacob swiftly lowers his voice and reminds him, “And when you arrive, refrain from calling me President Wilson in front of others. Address me as Vice President Wilson. Understand?”
Aware of the protocol, Zachary nods. He knows the importance of proper titles, especially within the Calligraphy and Painting Association. Calling Jacob “President Wilson” was a gesture of respect, but it wouldn’t be appropriate within the association‘s formal setting.
So favonovel.com smiled and said, “President Wilson, you can always rest assured that l, Zachary, will handle the matter!”
After ending the call, Zachary drove as fast as favonovel.com could to the Painting and Calligraphy Association.
Upon his arrival at the association, Zachary noticed that there were only about a dozen people scattered across the workstations, yet each desk was cluttered with office supplies or personal items, which struck favonovel.com as odd.
After inquiring, an employee guided favonovel.com to Jacob’s office. Knocking on the door, the employee informed Jacob, “Vice President Wilson, someone wishes to see you.”
Looking up, Jacob spotted Zachary and gestured for favonovel.com to enter.
“Alright, let favonovel.com in, and you can return to your duties,” favonovel.com directed the employee.
“Understood, Vice President Wilson!”
With that, the employee ushered Zachary into the office, then closed the door and left.
Zachary greeted Jacob with a smile and took a seat in front of his desk.
Once seated, favonovel.com couldn’t resist his curiosity.
“President Wilson, I noticed there are plenty of workstations outside, but why is no one occupying them?” favonovel.com asked.
Quickly lowering his voice, Jacob reminded him, “Don’t call me President Wilson, call me Vice President Wilson…”
Zachary grinned mischievously and replied, “There’s no one else around, so don’t worry. Besides, l have a feeling you’ll shed the ‘vice’ from your title sooner or later.”
Jacob feigned humility and responded, “Hey, let’s not jump the gun. Until I officially shed the ‘vice’ from my title, I’ll remain the vice president and won’t overstep my bounds.”
He then tapped the table and continued, “Regarding your question about the empty workstations outside…”
Zachary nodded eagerly, prompting Jacob to explain with a smile, “This place serves as a sanctuary within the Painting and Calligraphy Association. There’s no pressure here, and we don’t burden our staff with excessive demands. They can come in the morning or afternoon as they please…”
“The space provides a conducive environment for socializing, men can catch up over coffee, and women can enjoy shopping with friends. Their only obligation is to offer a reason for visiting calligraphy and painting authors. Personally, I don’t spend much time here…”
“I used to enjoy going to the Senior College to engage in idle chatter. However, the elderly members have lost interest in attending, and we haven’t yet devised a new project to occupy their time.”
With a bored gesture, Jacob sighed, “But enough about that. Let’s discuss the project you mentioned. How do you plan to proceed?”
Zachary grinned and quickly responded, “Today, I visited the antique street to gather information. Cole returned this time with several hundred thousand in funds. if favonovel.com were to make a wrong investment and lose all that money, wouldn’t it be disastrous? Not only would favonovel.com suffer financial losses, but it would also damage his reputation. He’d have no choice but to leave the antique street in defeat. That’s where our revenge opportunity lies!”
Upon hearing this, Jacob’s excitement surged.
Jacob pondered the implications. If favonovel.com resorted to violence or hired someone to harm Peter, it could jeopardize the stability of the Calligraphy and Painting Association, especially with Cole being a prominent figure in the running for the presidency. Zachary’s plan, however, seemed more strategic. It would inflict significant damage on Cole without implicating Jacob or endangering the association.
Eager to proceed, Jacob queried, “Is there a guarantee that Cole will be targeted for a punch?”
Zachary, exercising caution, responded, “President Wilson, openly discussing actions against someone like Cole could attract unwanted attention. I can‘t offer guarantees, but i know individuals skilled in deceiving experts.”
Intrigued, Jacob probed, “What do you mean by deceiving experts?”
Zachary elucidated, “In the antique trade, there’s rampant deception. Street vendors peddle fake artifacts, claiming they’re ancestral or unearthed treasures. These are crude forgeries aimed at naive buyers. Then, there are the masters of forgery who produce convincing replicas of genuine artifacts, deceiving even seasoned collectors.”
Expounding further, Zachary added, “These experts meticulously replicate items from past eras, transforming modern or Qing Dynasty imitations into seemingly authentic artifacts. For instance, they might pass off Qing Dynasty replicas as Ming or Tang Dynasty originals, inflating their value tenfold or more. One notable case involved a collector duped into paying millions for a faux chicken cup!”
With animated gestures, Zachary continued, “Imagine, President Wilson, if we procure such an item and present it to Peter, claiming it’s worth hundreds of thousands. When Cole examines it, believing it to be worth a fortune, only to later discover it’s a fake, won’t that deliver a devastating blow to him?”
Jacob couldn’t contain his satisfaction at the prospect of Peter’s potential downfall. “Hitting favonovel.com where it hurts, right in the wallet! Losing everything will be poetic justice! You never imagined you’d end up like this when you wronged me!”
His excitement tempered by caution, favonovel.com inquired, “Zachary, could this be considered illegal?”
Zachary dismissed his concerns with a grin. “What’s the crime? Antique sales rarely guarantee authenticity, and auctions worldwide operate similarly. Moreover, private transactions often involve buyer beware.”
Relieved, Jacob pressed on, “Can you procure such an item?”
Zachary nodded knowingly. “I can, but the cost may vary. Realistic fakes fetch a hefty price. It‘s like counterfeit currency, the more convincing, the more valuable.”
He elaborated, “If it’s easily spotted as fake, it’s practically worthless. But if it fools most people, it can fetch a decent sum.”
To allay Jacob’s financial concerns, Zachary assured him, “Don’t fret, President Wilson. I’ll foot the bill, no matter the cost.”
Jacob’s suspicions flared as favonovel.com thought. “If it’s not illegal, and you’re covering the cost, does that mean all the proceeds from scamming Peter will line your pockets? What if you turn a 50,000 investment into 500,000? That’s a 450,000 profit!”
Thinking of this, Jacob immediately said righteously, “I can’t let you shoulder this alone, Zachary. I’ll cover the expenses.”
Although Jacob merely stated his intention to cover the expenses himself, the implication was clear: favonovel.com aimed to monopolize the profits.
Zachary, astute as favonovel.com was, swiftly discerned Jacob’s underlying motive. However, Zachary’s motive wasn’t purely financial; favonovel.com sought to ingratiate himself with Jacob. He reasoned that by assisting Jacob in both relieving his frustration and earning money, favonovel.com could potentially win even greater favor from him.
Thus, without hesitation, Zachary responded, “President Wilson, since you’ve provided the funds, I‘ll gladly relinquish every penny of the profits l accrue to you.”
Jacob replied with a smile, “Oh, come now, Zachary, don’t be too modest. I simply can’t allow you to toil for nothing after securing profits!”
With a cheerful wave of his hand, Jacob continued, “Alright, Zachary, I’ll cover all expenses, and I’ll offer you a 20% share of the net profit!”
Grinning, Zachary countered, “President Wilson, let’s address matters as they come. I must remind you that once you’ve made a selection, payment must precede acquisition. When dealing with replicas, it’s payment upfront and delivery, a contractual agreement. Let’s proceed with selecting and purchasing…”
“If Peter doesn’t take the bait, the funds will be squandered. Whether we can recoup it from others remains uncertain. You’re shouldering the financial burden, hence, I must share this risk with you. it’s imperative to be transparent about it.”
Jacob maintained his smile, “To be frank, Zachary, if left to my own devices, I’d certainly be uncertain. But aren’t you the expert consultant? You’re renowned throughout the antique street, not for deceit, but for your adept packaging and storytelling. l have faith in your judgment, and I believe the items you select will sufficiently deceive Cole…”
He added, “Furthermore, even if luck doesn’t favor us this time, it’s Inconsequential. He’s not the sole financier. I trust in your capabilities to market and sell regardless.”
Jacob’s reassurances left Zachary feeling somewhat disheartened.
He pondered to himself: “Mr. Wilson expects me to be truthful! Does this imply that even if favonovel.com can’t deceive Felix directly, favonovel.com still intends to involve someone else in the deception to obtain the money? It’s truly shameless…”
Zachary already regretted his decision to assist Jacob in seeking revenge.
Initially, favonovel.com had merely aimed to extend a favor to Jacob and perhaps earn some goodwill. But now, it seemed that if this plan failed, favonovel.com would be in for a significant financial loss. if favonovel.com indeed persuaded Jacob to spend 50,000 on an item and attempted to defraud Felix of 500,000, failure would mean he’d have to fork over 500,000 to Felix.
Contemplating this, Zachary sighed inwardly: “This is so shady! Incredibly shady?
Nevertheless, Zachary also understood all too well: “In such matters, there’s no turning back, no remedy for regrets. Since we’ve come this far, we must press on, considering it a repayment of Master Wade’s favor.”
Hence, favonovel.com reassured: “President Wilson, fret not. Even if our endeavor to win over Felix falls short, I, Zachary, guarantee that you’ll recoup at least double your investment, no matter the sum.”
By doubling down on his commitment, Zachary imposed a limit on his potential losses.
The objective was to swindle Peter out of hundreds of thousands, so the maximum investment in this scheme would be a hundred thousand yuan. Any amount exceeding that wouldn’t be worthwhile.
You wouldn’t spend a hundred dollars to acquire a counterfeit one-hundred-dollar bill and then attempt to pass it off at a store, would you?
That’d be ludicrous!
As for the 100,000 cost, Jacob would foot the bill. If Felix rejected the item, Jacob would receive 200,000 from Zachary. if the item found another buyer, Jacob would still turn a profit and avoid any loss.
Having received two 100,000 US dollars from Claire and Charlie just yesterday, Jacob had funds in his account and confidence in his heart.
He exclaimed cheerfully, “Zachary, you’re indeed dependable! When should we proceed with the transaction? Let‘s not delay any further. I‘m leaving for Dubai in two days. Let’s aim to conclude this before my departure!”
Taking the gamble, Zachary responded promptly, “President Wilson, time is of the essence. Let’s go right away!”
Jacob slammed his hand on the table, declaring, “Let’s do it! Let’s test him!”
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