Filed to story: Disdained Son-in-Law, Destined Riches >>
After all, he had been able to acquire a group that was worth over a hundred billion just because he wanted to. Moreover, he hadn’t shown his face at all throughout this process. It would seem that his net worth was much grander than that of Emgrand Group.
In comparison, the Moore family would seem quite insignificant.
However, she had not realized that the chairman of Emgrand Group was currently sitting in her passenger’s seat.
Joe, on the other hand, was a man who liked to keep things as low-profile as possible. Although he would dismissively respond to Jasmine, he never once revealed any information about his identity to her.
In a fast but steady speed, they had arrived at a small garden near the river in just a few minutes. The garden was elegant and tranquil. On the outside, it seemed quite worn and crude, however, it was extremely grand on the inside.
From a small bridge over crystal clear water to a Suzhou styled garden and even to the elegant pavilions, it was everything a man would dream of.
After parking the car, a butler greeted them and led them inside. Walking past the garden, they walked into the lobby which was decorated in traditional Chinese furniture. A crimson round table was set in the middle of the area where several fauteuils were arranged around it.
Upon entering the lobby, a white-haired old man stood up and greeted Jasmine. “You have arrived, Miss Moore.”
A look of awkwardness flashed across Jasmine’s face, but she nodded at the man. “Uncle Quilt, you’re here as well.”
The old man smiled. “Master said you would be coming, so I decided to come over and check up on you!”
Jasmine nodded and turned to Joe. “Uncle Quilt is the appraiser of the Moore family. I’m guessing someone from my family sent him here just in case something goes wrong.”
Joe nodded, fully acknowledging that he was too young and inexperienced. It was understandable for them to take precautions.
Quilt glared at Joe. “This is the appraiser that you hired? Isn’t he a little too young to be an appraiser?”
A middle-aged man who was standing next to Quilt snarled, “You hired a little brat to appraise? Do you not have enough hands back in the Moore family? Do you need me to introduce some appraisers? Hahahaha!”
Jasmine’s expression turned cold. “Travis Lane, this is Aurous, not Lancaster. Don’t you dare run your mouth here.”
Travis shrugged. “Guess the Moore’s have quite the temper.”
“Now, now…” A middle-aged man who was sitting at the round table furrowed his eyebrows. “We’re just here for business, not to start a fight, let’s all calm down. You too, young man, sit down.”
Jasmine huffed and sat down at the round table.
As Joe sat down as well, Jasmine leaned toward him and whispered, “That’s Travis Lane, the richest man in Lancaster. The guy next to him is Matthew Gibson, a powerful geomancer. The one who just spoke up is Graham Quinton, the head of the Quinton family in Aurous. His family has been…”
Joe then noticed that there was an old man in green traditional Chinese clothing sitting next to Travis. The old man had a full head of gray hair and he looked unworldly, carrying an unapproachable aura. His eyes were closed shut, and even when Joe and Jasmine had arrived, it didn’t seem to catch his attention.
Suddenly, Jasmine let her words trail off and stopped talking. Joe was still curious about what she was going to say next, but he decided not to push her.
As everyone finally sat down, a fat man in glamorous clothing chuckled. “Since we’re done with the fighting, why don’t we get down to business? Take a good look at this beauty! All of you are from wealthy families, I’m sure a billion is just mere pocket change, so let’s now dwell on it for too long.”
Travis scoffed. “If it really is what you claimed it to be, that it can regulate geomancy and calm our soul, a billion really isn’t a big deal.”
The fat man glanced at Travis before placing a simple wooden box onto the round table. Inside the box was a crimson red jade, seemingly an ancient treasure. As soon as the box was opened, everyone present felt as though the lobby had been filled with a hint of warm energy.
Everyone’s eyes lit up.
Jasmine turned to Quilt. “Uncle Quilt, what do you think?”
Quilt stared at it and nodded. “I think it’s the real thing. It seems to be the Bloody Jade from the Zhou dynasty. It also appears to have been blessed by a very powerful monk!”
Jasmine nodded and then turned to Joe. “What do you think, Mr. Smith?”
Joe, on the other hand, scowled in disgust. “It’s a fake……”
Quilt glowered at him. “You’re just a youngster, who gave you the right to lie through your teeth in front of this many people?”
Matthew Gibson, the elderly man who was sitting next to Travis, opened his eyes and stared at the piece of jade. “May I hold it?”
The fat man let out a cold laugh. “Mr. Gibson, are you kidding me? Don’t you understand the rules of an appraisal? Jades should never be touched, let alone this piece of Bloody Jade from the Zhou dynasty. Who would be the one to blame if it were to break?”
Startled, Matthew flinched. “Ah, pardon my recklessness…” He then leaned toward the jade and scrutinized it. Closing his eyes once again, he nodded. “I can’t say for sure that the jade is from the Zhou dynasty, but I can assure you that the rumors of it being able to regulate geomancy and calm souls is true.”
Upon hearing this sentence, everyone was fired up. To them, the history of this piece of jade was not significant. It was what it could do that mattered to them.
Quilt smiled. “Mr. Gibson has quite a sharp eye, unlike those who are inexperienced and nothing but a sham.”
When she heard this, Jasmine couldn’t help but feel slightly disappointed in Joe. He indeed seemed to be too young for such delicate work. Although he was quite skilled in restoring antiques, he was clearly far more inexperienced as compared to these old men.
Joe decided not to interfere with this. It was clear that these people were willing to be scammed, and he didn’t want to be nosy.
The fat man then closed the lid of the box after the appraisal and smiled. “Well, since the jade has been appraised, isn’t it time to bid for it?”
Graham immediately responded, “I’ll bid one billion…”
“One billion and three thousand.” Travis proposed.
The fat man had noticed that Jasmine had yet to make a bid, and so, he asked, “What about Miss Moore?”
Realizing that Jasmine still had her doubts, Quilt whispered into her ear. “Miss, this really is a rare treasure to find. This jade is worth around three billion. If you manage to get it within two billion, the benefits will outweigh its cost!”