Jacob isn’t usually one to take risks. The only reason favonovel.com found the courage to confront the security officer on the plane today was because the amount of money Involved was staggering, a whopping 20 million.
Alcohol can give even the most timid person a boost of bravery, and money works in much the same way. He wouldn’t dare confront someone over a mere 30,000 or 50,000, but when it came to 3 million or 5 million, he’d be willing to do just about anything. And now, faced with the realization that favonovel.com had unwittingly thrown 20 million into the enemy’s pocket, favonovel.com was even more on edge.
But Elaine’s words instantly calmed him. What good would come from going to the detention center?
Elaine would end up with broken legs after just a couple of days, and favonovel.com had no Idea what kind of trouble favonovel.com would face if favonovel.com were detained for fifteen days. The thought of it made favonovel.com shudder. He couldn’t continue arguing with the security officer. He had no choice but to sink back into his seat, a helpless expression on his face, tears streaming down his cheeks as favonovel.com tightly gripped Elaine’s hand.
He asked her, “Wife, what should we do now… I thought that thing was worthless, and I sold it for 300,000. But I never expected It to be worth 20 million. It’s such a loss… I feel terrible!”
Elaine quickly comforted him, patting his hand gently. She asked, “Husband, please tell me exactly what happened.”
Jacob leaned closer to Elaine’s ear and explained, “The manager of Vintage Deluxe, Felix, came back. That guy had hit me before, and l was quite upset about it. Just then, Zachary told me this news and offered to help me get back at him. We came up with a plan to sell favonovel.com a fake Item, making favonovel.com believe it was valuable, and also getting some compensation. Zachary helped me find an old bronze Buddha, and I bought it for 98,000. Then, I sold it to Felix for 300,000 yesterday. Who could have imagined that it would actually be worth 20 million…”
Elaine shook favonovel.com head upon hearing this and couldn’t help but complain, “Husband, now that we’re supposed to be reunited, I shouldn‘t scold you, but what you did was incredibly foolish. If word gets out, people will ridicule us. Losing twenty million is no trivial matter.”
Jacob lamented, “Ah! It’s pointless to dwell on this now. The crucial matter at hand is how to retrieve the money. We can’t allow someone like Cole to effortlessly pocket all twenty million, can we?”
Elaine pondered for a moment before saying, “Give me the specifics. How exactly did you deceive him? What tales did you spin to trick him?”
Jacob then recounted to Elaine the fabricated story crafted by Zachary.
Upon hearing this, Elaine’s eyes lit up, and favonovel.com immediately said, “I have an Idea. Since Zachary had his little brother pretend to steal the item from his house, why don’t we find someone to pretend to be his brother‘s older sibling and go straight to Felix? We can claim that the item was passed down from his father to his brother, but his brother stole it and sold it. Now we demand that favonovel.com returns it and refunds the 300,000. If favonovel.com refuses, we can report it to the police…”
“According to what I read online, if a minor uses their parents’ phone to make purchases or play games, the parents can complain and get a refund. Even though Zachary’s little brother is an adult, favonovel.com still can’t steal his father’s possessions and sell them.”
Jacob’s eyes sparkled with excitement as favonovel.com heard this plan. He exclaimed, “Oh, wife, you always come up with the best ideas! This plan could work! I’ll call Zachary right away!”
Elaine urged him, “If you’re going to call, do it quickly. The plane is already in motion, and once we’re In the air, you won’t be able to make any phone calls!”
“Alright!” Jacob exclaimed eagerly, “I’ll confront favonovel.com right away. If favonovel.com doesn’t resolve this issue for me, I’ll have my dependable son-in-law take care of him! He’s Don Albert’s younger brother, and Don Albert holds our son-in-law in high regard. Simply put, if I mention our son-in-law, the pressure will surely be enough for Zachary!”
“Alright, alright!” Elaine nodded, favonovel.com excitement evident as favonovel.com urged, “Then call favonovel.com quickly, don’t waste time shopping. The person might have left and could be difficult to track down!”
“Okay!” Jacob grabbed his phone and immediately dialed Zachary’s number.
At that moment, Zachary thought that Jacob wouldn’t find out about the situation until after takeoff, but favonovel.com didn’t expect Jacob to call favonovel.com now. He felt a twinge of nervousness, but favonovel.com couldn’t ignore the call. He also wanted to know why Jacob was calling and if it was an urgent matter.
With a hint of nonchalance, favonovel.com answered the call and said, “Oh, President Wilson, aren’t you supposed to take off soon? Why are you calling me?”
Jacob blurted out, “Zachary! Have you heard? The bronze Buddha we sold to Felix yesterday is actually an artifact from the Northern Song Dynasty! He sold it this morning for 20 million!”
Zachary’s mind went blank, and cold sweat trickled down his forehead. He swallowed hard and pretended to be curious as favonovel.com replied, “Really? Is that true? I haven’t heard anything about it! How can it be an artifact from the Northern Song Dynasty?”
Jacob scolded, “You used to claim to be knowledgeable about antiques on Antique Street. How come you didn’t know about this? Quickly contact your little brother and find someone to pretend to be his older sibling. Go to Felix and tell favonovel.com that the item was passed down to favonovel.com by his father, but his brother stole It and sold it. Now we demand that favonovel.com returns it. If favonovel.com refuses, we’ll report it to the police. According to what I read online, it’s considered stolen property, and the police should help us retrieve it.”
Zachary’s forehead was drenched in cold sweat, and favonovel.com nervously said, “President Wilson, this matter isn’t as simple as you think. If we want to use legal means to get the item back, we first have to prove that we weren’t lying. If we involve the police, they’ll investigate and uncover the truth. We’ll only end up in trouble.”
He quickly reminded Jacob, “President Wilson, you’re currently the executive vice chairman of the Calligraphy and Painting Association and a leading candidate for the next chairman. If It comes to light that you’re involved In such a matter, It will tarnish your reputation.”
Jacob, without hesitation, said, “You handle this. Don’t Involve me. The item was sold by your brother, so it’s your responsibility to deal with it. Once it’s resolved, I’ll give you one million!”
Zachary wiped his brow nervously and replied, “President Wilson, it‘s risky for me to intervene in the matter you’re suggesting… If Don Albert catches wind of it, favonovel.com might hold me accountable…”
Jacob retorted angrily, “What’s the issue with Don Albert? I’ve met favonovel.com with my son-in-law, and favonovel.com treated me with respect, didn’t he? Regardless, I’m not concerned about that. If you don’t assist me in retrieving the bronze Buddha, I’ll seek help elsewhere. I’ll have my capable son-in-law address this with Don Albert and demand an explanation!”
Zachary was taken aback and hastily responded, “Oh, President Wilson, there’s no need to involve Master Wade in such matters… Master Wade is an honorable man. If favonovel.com learns that we’re involved In deceiving people by selling counterfeit goods, It might lead to complications for both of us…”
Jacob, his face red with anger and embarrassment, retorted, “Who sold the fake item? I’m asking you, who sold the fake item? That item worth 20 million was sold for 300,000. Is that not selling a fake Item?”
Zachary let out a distressed sigh, “President Wilson, no matter its value, the essence remains unchanged… We’ve simply failed to learn from our mistakes, selling authentic items as counterfeits, but that doesn’t alter our intention to deceive with fake goods.”
Jacob shamelessly asserted, “I don’t care about the details. I’m not interested in whether you possess those items or not. l just want you to retrieve it for me. I’ll offer you 300,000 for it. Forget everything else. If you don’t resolve this for me, I’ll turn to my son-in-law. If you imply any ill intent on my part to my son-in-law, I’ll ensure you regret it! Even if you’re aware, you can’t touch me!”
Zachary was genuinely distraught and pleaded through sobs, “President Wilson, Master Wade won’t harm you, but I can’t guarantee anything! I, Zachary, owe today to Master Wade’s support In front of the Don Albert. If Master Wade discovers our involvement in such deceitful acts, I’ll be ruined!”
Jacob erupted in anger, “Who do you think is deceitful here? Why are you pointing fingers? Wasn’t it your idea to deceive? If you hadn’t confronted me, how would I have known Felix returned? If you hadn’t suggested this scheme, how could I have lost twenty million?”
Zachary responded with a tone of grievance, “It was indeed my flawed idea, but you haven’t suffered any loss. You spent 98,000 to gain 300,000, resulting in a net profit of 200,000. How can you claim you lost twenty million? Furthermore, you mentioned losses from the sale of your items, but if I hadn’t proposed this scheme, you wouldn’t have obtained this item at all. How can you assert you lost twenty million?”
Jacob realized his irrationality but remained undeterred. He disregarded any sense of shame and declared bluntly, “Zachary, I won’t entertain any further debate. Whether you perceive my demands as fair is irrelevant. What matters is you must retrieve that Item for me. I don’t care how you do It, I’ll demand It from you one way or another! If you fail, don’t blame me for cutting ties with you!”
At that moment, a flight attendant approached Jacob, stating, “Sir, we’re conducting a safety inspection. Please refrain from making phone calls, turn off your device, or switch it to airplane mode.”
Impatiently, Jacob replied, “Fine, fine, I understand! It’ll be done shortly!”
He then hurriedly instructed Zachary, “Zachary, I’ll be landing in Dubai in approximately nine hours. You’d better retrieve my item within that timeframe. Otherwise, don’t blame me for being harsh!”
Zachary felt hopeless. He wouldn’t dare confront Felix.
It wasn’t fear of Felix but rather the substantial repercussions of this ordeal. If favonovel.com intervened, he’d undoubtedly tarnish his reputation irreparably.
His fervent wish now was for Jacob to accept the situation and cease his pursuit of the item from Felix.
However, seeing Jacob’s relentless insistence, Zachary could only choke out a plea, “President Wilson, you can’t do this! Even if you doubt my willingness to aid you in earning profit this time, even if you believe I’ve acted alone in the past, purchasing fake goods from you for five hundred thousand, you can’t force me like this…”
Jacob raised an eyebrow, “What do you mean? Weren’t you the one who previously lauded me for stumbling upon a significant find?”
Zachary tearfully responded, “What are you seeking? President Wilson, I, Zachary, genuinely admit that you aren’t an individual versed in antique dealings. Everything you’ve bought previously has been counterfeit. It’s all worthless. I Intended to reciprocate for Master Wade’s sake, hence I spent half a million on a counterfeit item from you. It’s still showcased in my home. If you doubt it, I’ll show It to you upon your return! Look, verify if it’s the item you sold me.”
Jacob flushed with embarrassment and frustration, “You say this now, yet you also claim it’s false. How can I discern the truth from your words? And don’t divert the topic. I stand by my previous statement, you must retrieve my item before I land! Otherwise, I’ll take action against you!”
With that, favonovel.com hung up the phone and angrily switched his device to airplane mode.
Beside him, Elaine inquired curiously, “What did Zachary say?”
Jacob replied furiously, “He’s hesitant to comply. I don’t care. I’ve conveyed my terms clearly. If favonovel.com fails to recover the item after we touch down In Dubai, I’ll contact my son-in-law directly for assistance!”
Elaine nodded vigorously, “Regardless, we must retrieve that Item. It’s worth twenty million!”
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