The Charismatic Charlie Wade

Maria’s question sent a shockwave through Jagoan, leaving him deep in thought. Her words resonated with him, how could such a meticulously planned scheme spanning over two decades hinge on someone as unreliable as Jacob?

Jagoan knew Jacob better than anyone else. Though he was his father-in-law, Jagoan could attest to his irresponsible nature. Entrusting the success or failure of such a significant plan to Jacob was a recipe for disaster.

Without wasting any time, Jagoan dialed Jacob’s number. At that moment, Jacob lounged in Thompson First’s room, engrossed in his mobile phone. His life had lost its spark ever since Matilda and Mr. Riley had gotten together. Plus, the presence of Elaine at home was nothing but an irritant. His preferred escape was to seclude himself in his room, spending his days scrolling through his phone.

So when Jagoan’s call came in, Jacob felt a tinge of surprise. After all, Jagoan had been out, working with clients, as he had mentioned earlier. They hadn’t spoken in days. Why the sudden call now? He answered the phone, curiosity lacing his voice. “Hello there, dear son-in-law. What’s the occasion for calling me this late?”

Jagoan quickly replied, “Dad, I’ve been out of town for a while now and I might be away for a bit longer. I may not be able to come home, so I thought I’d check on how you and Mom are holding up at home.”

Jacob grumbled, “What’s there to say? She and I have little in common, so we mostly ignore each other’s quirks.”

Jagoan then asked, “By the way, Dad, do you remember Felix from Vintage Deluxe?”

“Felix?” Jacob’s surprise was evident. “I do. Why do you suddenly bring him up? Is he coming?”

Jagoan explained, “I’m currently working with a client who’s interested in antiques. During our conversation, Vintage Deluxe came up and it turns out he knows Felix as well. I wanted to hear from you how you met him.”

was interested in antique calligraphy and paintings. I frequented Vintage Deluxe during my free time, hoping to find some treasures on Antique Street. You know, you find a lot of knowledge there. When Felix first started as the manager at Vintage Deluxe, he was polite and attentive to me. Every time I went there, he’d personally assist me and even added me on WeChat. But soon enough, that guy turned against me

asking, “Dad, about that day when the jade spring vase broke, I never really asked for details. You mentioned it just slipped from your hand, but you’re

Elaine manages all the money in the household, so I have to be careful. Even eight thousand dollars is a lot for me. I handle it all. So, whether I’m looking at antiques or not, I’m very cautious. I’m afraid of dropping, touching, or damaging anything. But that day, it

oily to me and its surface wasn’t particularly smooth. Given that it’s a Tang Dynasty artifact, the glaze should have been a bit rough, with a matte texture when touched. It has good shock absorption properties. How could it slip from

on the other end of the line, unable to offer

feel burdened by it. We’re just having a

believe me if I told you the truth. I thought you’d think I was making up

him, “Dad, we’re just chatting here. Even if you tell me the bottle sprouted wings and

before. That damn bottle, it felt like someone had installed a vibration motor inside it. The moment I picked it up, my hands were jolted and they went numb. I couldn’t hold onto it anymore and it fell. I tried to reason with Felix, saying there must be something wrong with it, that it had given me a shock. But he accused me of being reckless, making up excuses. At that point, I didn’t have much of an argument left, so I thought I’d better get out of

the blame for me. I wanted you to help me out initially and then I’d find a way to repay you later.

and kept the conversation flowing. “Dad, you mentioned that the jade spring vase vibrated in your hand. Can you tell me more about

white gloves and asked me to take it out and have a look myself. I didn’t think much of it at the time, so I reached

it was most likely a trap set by that Crator guy. Perhaps the vibration was

by talking about this now. By the way, Dad, I have some other business to attend to right now, so I

eagerly asked, “When are you coming back, good son-in-law? I’m getting bored to