Chapter 173



“I don’t want to go against you. The enemy of my enemy is my friend – don’t you agree? Miss Sanchez.”

She had a vague feeling that she was falling into a Violet trap when she heard the female voice from the other end of the call. There would be big trouble if she didn’t quit in time.

Addison took a deep breath and said in a deep voice, “The reason you did this is to get back at Hayden and Joseph just because you feel like you’re losing everything you could have. Isn’t it just money? How much money do you want to end this? I can give it all to you.”

The person on the other end snorted, “I hope you can say the same thing in front of Joseph.”

“You…”.

“Do you still think you’re a nice person, Ms. Sanchez?” Violet’s voice was oppressive, “You don’t think I helped her get back together with Joseph?”

Addison was puzzled as she recalled Joseph’s caring attitude during her hospital stay.

Before they were married, Joseph treated her well, but then she took everything for granted. She could only sense it after she had been wronged there. And now, he was only being so loving after she saved his son.

Thinking about it left a bitter taste in her mouth.

“What more do you want from me?”

Violet sneered at the sound, as if she had expected it, “Don’t worry, I won’t ask you to do anything. You stick to your plan. Try to get Joseph back with you.”

Addison was speechless.

After hanging up the phone, Addison was stunned as she sat cross-legged on the hospital room bed. Violet’s somber voice lingered in her mind.

…

Jeff retrieved Chef Arnold’s exact address from the company’s personnel profiles. Hayden followed the directions given, but was met with a locked door.

A young graduate couple had been living here for more than two months. According to them, they only knew that the landlady was a middle-aged woman, but her last name was not Bevis. They did not know who Arnold Bevis was.

Three days later, after searching several places, Hayden came to ask for Arnold on an island in Zhangzhou City: “Arnold Bevis, the one who makes cakes, right? I know him.”

A dark-skinned fisherman had just returned from the sea, laden with a bucket of oysters plucked from the reef wall. He was wiping his sweat as he watched Hayden, “We live in the same town and I heard he just got back a little while ago. What’s wrong with him?”

“He was one of my colleagues. He left something at the company when he quit, so the company sent me here to return it to him.”

“Are you from the same company?” the middle-aged man’s eyes lit up, showing him his admiration, “I heard that Arnold Bevis worked as a chef in an upscale hotel, and he is well known all over the world. Are you from that hotel, too?”

gⱯlnσν𝓮𝓁s․cøm fuels your imagination Hayden nodded, smiling.

“Come. Follow me.” The man was delighted and eagerly led Hayden into town.

After walking past the few houses in the village for about ten minutes, they stopped at the gate of a well-kept whitewashed courtyard. The door was wide open and sounds of conversation could be heard coming from inside.

“This is it. The Bevis family is huge, Arnold’s brother lives in this building across the street. Go in and say hello to his brother, walking further is where he lives.”

The fisherman leading the way talked in detail. They conversed about many things about the town along the way. And Hayden probably had an idea of Arnold’s family situation in his mind.

His family was well-to-do, with two brothers, and his elderly mother who was still alive and quite strong. But, his wife was ill, plus they had no children. His apprentice Baron was like an adopted son to him, and they had a good relationship.

Hayden thanked him and went to the courtyard.

The people in the courtyard did not notice his arrival. The hallway was the only shady spot, with a few men standing, surrounding a dark yellow closet.

Among the people, a very tall man dressed in a suit had his hand on the cabinet, watching it.

Judging by his appearance, he was most likely here to buy old furniture.

“Hey. What are you doing here?” The gruff voice of a middle-aged woman sounded behind Hayden.

She turned around and saw that someone was eyeing her suspiciously, watching her.

Hayden explained, “Ma’am, may I ask if Arnold Bevis lives here?”

The woman waved her hand, “What do you mean? You’re looking in the wrong place. Hurry up and leave, we have guests here.”

Hayden had confirmed that Arnold lived here by the woman’s elusive eyes. Hayden was in no hurry, thanked her and left the Bevis house as the woman intended.

After a while, the two men who were looking at the furniture in the Bevis house came out.

The man who looked like an assistant held out his hand and pointed to a number: “Mr. Sanchez, they are asking this price. If it really is rosewood, it wouldn’t be considered that expensive for that price. But I’m not sure.”

“Did you take the photos?”.

“Yes. I sent them to Señor Davis as soon as we left a moment ago. But Mr. Davis says he can’t tell just by looking at the pictures. Do you need me to come here?”

“No need.” The man frowned, “Mr. Davis is getting older and weaker. There’s no need for him to come.”

“All right.”

As they walked across the bluestone bridge, someone stood in front of them, “Are you unsure about the quality of the office?”

They both stared at her. The man who looked like an aide frowned, “Who are you?”.

“I was just at the Bevis’ house and I saw that desk too. But you guys didn’t notice me.” Hayden smiled and said evenly, “I was going to buy it, but I saw you guys were there first, so I had no intention of taking it from you. But it looks like there was no deal. If you don’t want it, I’ll go buy it then.”

“What are you buying it for?” The assistant snorted, “We can’t even be sure of the quality of it. You’re still young and how much do you know about it? I bet you’re an instigator hired by the Bevis family.”

“What if I told you that buying it at that price was a no-lose deal?”

Hayden’s determined tone had caught the boss’s attention. The chief spoke quietly, “How can you guarantee it just by looking at it from a distance?”

“I think I’ve only glanced at it. But it’s what I see. My grandfather had been collecting antique furniture all his life. The rocking chair I used to sleep in from a young age was also made of rosewood. There’s a lot of antique furniture in my house, so it’s easy to look at this.”

Hayden was sure she said this because, in fact, she did know about it. Her grandfather was an antique collector. She knew it was a good thing at first glance.

Seeing that the man was still hesitating, she went on to explain, “The color is good, it doesn’t have a single crack in it and it’s also well preserved. The table legs aren’t even cut, good rosewood furniture is running out. You should know that when a thing is scarce, it is precious.”

The man looked at her thoughtfully, “What do you mean by telling me this?”

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