Liam watched Ricard's hurried departure, a fleeting look of loneliness in her eyes that quickly vanished. "Brother Lewis, this fight, we won.""Haha, young hero, young hero indeed," Lewis said, giving a thumbs up.Alian and the others also stood and quickly followed Ricard out of the arena.Jony's group, seeing Ricard leave in a hurry, breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed like the matter was over. Surely, someone as powerful as Ricard wouldn't come back to cause them trouble.Just as they had this thought, Ricard returned with Alian."Oh, by the way, I forgot to mention," Ricard said, turning back, "You, Mr. Michael and Jony, my friend here will come to talk to you later. Don't disappoint me!"With that, Ricard hurriedly left again.Mr. Michael and his group nodded repeatedly, forcing smiles that looked more like grimaces. "Sure, sure."On the way back, Ricard drove, flooring the gas pedal. Those in the car watched his anxious expression, stifling their laughter. The imposing master t
Ricard took the elevator to the 13th floor, found Room 2, and unlocked the door. The so-called single apartment was definitely luxurious, with at least 130 square meters. The living room, bedroom, and bathroom were all spacious and lavishly decorated with intricate wallpaper and high-end furnishings. The wooden floors were spotless.In the apartment was a studio, complete with drawing materials, suggesting it was set up for Ricard's assumed identity. Looking around, Ricard saw it wasn't a recent arrangement. Some paint jars were half-used, and a drawing on an easel was half-finished, creating the illusion that someone regularly painted there.Just as Ricard finished surveying the apartment, the doorbell rang."Coming!" Ricard called out. He went to the living room, thought for a moment, and took off his suit jacket, leaving only his shirt on before opening the door. Three women—Milan, Like, and Jeannie—stood outside with a man Ricard hadn't met before. The man had a beard, braided hai
"We're just here for a meal and some friendly conversation," Ricard interjected, cutting off Papillon."This isn't just a place for a casual meal," Papillon chuckled. "Who among you has the credentials to sit here?"Papillon was really only addressing Ricard and Mayya. The rest of the tea house patrons knew his attention was on the three beautiful women. Mayya tossed out his business card. "Is this sufficient?""A senior member of the Soggetto Art Association, chairman of the Newtown City Modern Art Exhibition?" Papillon read the card with a sneer. "I thought we had a big shot here.""A senior member and chairman? That's nothing," added the man who had spoken earlier about the 800-square-meter art boat.Ricard frowned, realizing this meal wouldn't be pleasant. Mayya's face darkened. No one likes being publicly belittled, especially in their professional field. Mayya put down his chopsticks and stood up. "What do you want to discuss? Art critique, appraisal, or painting?"Mayya's words
"Keep your word and don't back out, or I'll have people visit your boat every day to spread the word about your character," Milan added, patting Papillon's shoulder with a sly smile.Ricard and his group left the restaurant one by one.Papillon and Anthony stared at the table, speechless.At the tea house, though Ricard didn't directly discuss painting with Mayya, the outcome was clear. Mayya realized the gap between himself and Ricard was vast."It's no surprise that Jeannie would be interested in a man like Ricard. How could he be anything but exceptional?" Mayya said, sitting in the back of Milan's car.In Jeannie's red Benz GT, she didn't start the engine immediately after getting in."Chairwoman Demneri, why aren't we leaving? Milan and the others have already driven off," Ricard asked from the passenger seat."Why did you deceive me?" Jeannie turned to Ricard."Deceive you about what?" Ricard was puzzled."Everything you showed just now. Don't tell me you learned all that from t
"Hurry up, register!" Irena slapped a small notebook on the desk.Maria hurried to the reception, explaining, "Irena, the company policy states that business representatives bringing clients don't need to register."Irena crossed her arms, rolling her eyes, "You say he's a client, so he's a client? How do I know he's a client?""Young lady, I can register," Eugene approached the reception.Under other circumstances, Eugene would never register, but today Ricard had summoned him, and he couldn't afford to be prideful. Even if Ricard had asked Eugene to kneel and kowtow three times before giving the money, Eugene would have done it.Maria apologized to Eugene, "I'm so sorry, Mr. Eugene.""No problem." Eugene smiled and waved, asking Irena for a pen."You didn't bring a pen?" Irena glared at Eugene, "Coming to discuss business and didn't even bring a pen? Are you really here for business or just a fraud?"Hearing this, Eugene glanced at Ricard, who stood there smiling silently.Eugene, s
"Three... hundred thousand?" Maria's eyes glazed over at the number. Her family was ordinary, and her parents had worked hard their whole lives without saving that much money. Three hundred thousand was enough to buy a house in Supperazza, enough for someone unemployed to live comfortably for years, or to buy a BMW. For Maria, three hundred thousand was an unimaginable fortune.Hearing Eugene say that this deal alone could yield a bonus of three hundred thousand made Maria feel like she was dreaming. "Girl, so, will you sign the contract, or do I need to call Ricard?"Maria swallowed hard, stammering, "I... I..."Hearing Maria's response, Eugene felt a bit disappointed. He understood that three hundred thousand might not mean much to him, but it could change an ordinary person's life. With three hundred thousand, they could buy a big house, a luxury car."I... I need to call Ricard and ask him to treat me to a good meal. Three hundred thousand is a lot! Mr. Eugene, please wait a momen
"Mr. Eugene, please wait. I'll go get Ricard.""No need," Eugene called Maria back. "Ricard entrusted this deal to me. If you don't sign it, I'll refuse to cooperate.""What?""Girl, how your company distributes the bonus between you and Ricard is none of my business. You can discuss it with your boss later. For now, go get the contract."The sudden success of the deal and the enormous bonus were overwhelming for Maria. It took her a while to process it.As Maria left the reception room to get the contract, her face still showed signs of disbelief.Everyone in the business department saw Maria's expression. When she left the reception room, they all started talking."What's wrong? Couldn't close the deal?""She looks like she failed.""She's a rookie trying to handle a deal herself. What did you expect?"Kristy and others showed disdain. "No," Maria waved her hands. "The deal is done. The client agreed to sign the contract.""Signed?" Kristy's eyes widened in disbelief. She knew the v
When Eugene heard that Jeannie was Ricard's wife, his expression immediately turned respectful. "Lovely lady, forgive me for saying, but you truly are the most beautiful angel I've ever met.""Uncle Eugene is the manager of the Zefiro Group, the largest financial group in France," Prince Charles reintroduced Eugene to Jeannie.Although Prince Charles didn't use flowery language or mention astronomical wealth, saying it was the largest in France was enough for Jeannie to understand the significance of the old man standing before her. A man like this could hardly be someone Ricard found to collude in defrauding the company.Outside the reception room, Naccy and her group waited for the outcome.Jeannie quickly exited the reception room, and they all looked at her, awaiting a response.Jeannie scanned the group and spoke, "Director Naccy, this has been a misunderstanding. Mr. Eugene is indeed the partner Ricard found.""How can that be?" Naccy's first reaction was disbelief. How could so