The Rich and Furious Son-in-law - Chapter 10
Chapter 10: A Setup
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
The two waiters over there, each holding an oil painting, were on standby.
Kenneth and Lucy stood by, worried. So they asked Simon, “Mr. Hodge, will Mr. Morton follow him again?”
Kenneth had seen it with his own eyes, how fearsome Archer Morton was. Even Simon was slapped in the face. If Simon was unhappy, it would not end up well for Kenneth, too.
“Hmph! He won’t. My men are monitoring his every move. Those old men have left through the VIP passage and will not come here.” Simon snorted.
If news of so many bigwigs gathering in one place leaked out, it would definitely cause an economic earthquake in the Southwest.
On the other hand, Ryan did not want to reveal his identity for the time being. So he asked Archer to lead Preston and the rest to leave through a VIP passage.
Ryan and Helene were joking with each other as they walked toward the lobby exit.
When they walked past the lobby, the two waiters, whom Simon asked to lie in wait, rushed forward with the paintings toward Ryan and Helene.
Ryan frowned as he stepped aside and dodged one of the waiters. The other waiter could have avoided running into Ryan, but he deliberately flung himself at Ryan.
“Be careful!” Helene reached to pull Ryan, trying to help him avoid the waiter.
But the surprising thing was, the waiter threw the painting away and held on to Ryan tightly. “Someone, please come. This guy has damaged the hotel’s oil painting. Don’t let him get away! Grab him!”
Ryan was speechless for a while as he and Helene exchanged a look. He tried not to get angry and told the waiter calmly, “Are you trying to frame me? Everyone here saw it; you deliberately crashed into me.”
The waiter snorted. “Hmph! How dare you deny it when you have damaged the hotel’s oil painting? Five million dollars. This oil painting is worth five million dollars. Anything less than five million dollars, neither of you may walk out of the door.”
As the waiter spoke loudly, there was a clatter of footsteps in the lobby. A dozen security guards came and surrounded Ryan and Helene.
Other people in the lobby had also started to point their fingers.
“Young man, own up to your mistake. Don’t make life difficult for the poor guy. You should pay for things that you have damaged.”
“Well said. We all saw it just now. It was you who knocked the oil painting off the waiter’s hands. Admit it before we call the police.”
…
The security had arrived in no time.
And everyone in the surroundings was unanimous in their narrative.
Something fishy was definitely going on.
There was a ruthless look in Ryan’s eyes as he glanced at those people surrounding him. He suddenly understood what it was all about when Simon, Kenneth, and Lucy strutted over.
This was a setup.
“Oh, isn’t this Fletcher, the painting expert? What happened to the hotel’s oil painting? I guess five-million-dollar damage is just a small change to you, Mr. Fletcher?” Kenneth mocked, shaking his leg with a triumphant look on his face.
The same look was also on Lucy’s face. “Stupid is as stupid does. He must have left his eyes at home when he came out. I was really blind back then. You are still the best, Kenneth.”
Ryan looked away from Kenneth and Lucy as he shifted his attention to Simon.
Kenneth’s family was wealthy but was nowhere near that of the boss of Hotel Imperial. Most likely, Simon Hodge was the one who was behind this setup.
There was a triumphant look in Simon’s eyes, as he had eye contact with Ryan for a second. “Here we meet again, Mr. Fletcher, the great painting expert. But the tide had turned. This time, not even Mr. Morton could save you.”
Just now, Simon had thought that Ryan was the guest of Archer. So he slapped himself in front of so many people. How humiliating!
He was now determined to settle the score with Ryan.
“Be more forgiving, Mr. Hodge. I didn’t even pursue the matters with you earlier. So why are you so desperate to set me up?”
Five million dollars?
The amount was insignificant to Ryan. But he would not give it out just like that.
“Cut the crap, Ryan. I thought you are now somebody? You either kneel and beg for mercy or pay five million in damages. Otherwise, don’t even think of leaving! You damaged our boss’s favorite oil painting. You have to explain yourself. Nothing can save your butt now.” Simon spluttered when he saw Ryan was nonchalant.
The boss of Hotel Imperial?
Ryan thought for a moment. During his meeting with the bigwigs of the Southwest Contingent, he heard that the richest man in Saltband City mentioned that Terry Rice owned Hotel Imperial.
Terry Rice had left. Had he informed his subordinates about it?
Seeing Ryan under siege by Simon, Helene could not help but intervene. “Mr. Fletcher—”
She handled the intelligence system in the Southwest region. She spent most of the time behind the scenes, but she also had contacts with many bigwigs.
Just that people like Simon Hodge were not in the same league as her, so naturally, he was unaware of who she was.
Ryan held up a hand. “Don’t worry, Helene.”
“But they are bullying you!” Before Helene could continue, Ryan interrupted her and turned to Simon. “Tell me the account number. Five million dollars? I will ask someone to transfer the money.”
“Mr. Fletcher?” Helene did not know what Ryan meant when he winked at her.
Kenneth, Simon, and Lucy were also dumbfounded.
Was Ryan conceding?
This did not seem right.
Should Ryan not get furious and lose his composure, accusing Simon of being shameless? Now that Ryan decided to pay up. This would ruin their original plan.
“A person like you can afford to pay five million dollars? Stop lying, Ryan. When you were courting me, you could barely buy me dinner. Now you say you can take out five million dollars?” said Lucy nonchalantly as she curled her hand around Kenneth’s arm.
“Exactly. Stop pretending that you have money. Why don’t you just go down to your knees and admit your mistakes? That would be worth five million dollars. What a bargain!” Kenneth said, still with a smug look on his face.
Simon stood by without saying a word, disbelief filling his eyes.
“Don’t you want the money, Mr. Hodge? Or are you hell-bent on me kneeling in front of and kowtowing to you? Give me the account number. I don’t have time for you all here.” Ryan’s expression became antagonistic.
Hotel Imperial was his territory. Yet, he was bullied in his own territory.
Simon saw the confidence in Ryan’s eyes and thought that Ryan could possibly take out five million dollars since Ryan and Archer knew each other.
When Simon thought of this, his face twitched. “I got it wrong just now. That oil painting actually costs over five million dollars. It is at least ten million dollars!”
