Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Everyone in First Pavilion was shocked.
The Murphy family looked at Clarence as if they were in a dream.
Miranda had mixed emotions in her eyes. She realized that Clarence had been surprising her more and more ever since the divorce.
Why had she not realized more things about him when they were still married?
Clarence looked at Mr. Cooke indifferently. âWhat are you doing standing there?â
âThe money...â
Clarence held out a hand. âAre you trying to repudiate the debt?
âYou can repudiate your debt if you want. Just admit that you canât pay back your debts, and you wonât have to pay me one hundred billion dollars.â
Clarence was beating him at his own game.
Mr. Cookeâs face turned red, and he did not know what to do with himself. âClarence, donât go too far.â
Clarence smiled. âSo what if I do?
âDonât you owe me money? Are you going to deny it? There are so many people watching us!â
âYou...â Mr. Cooke was so mad he was close to fainting.
A young man standing next to Mr. Cooke stepped forward and criticized Clarence. âYou cheated!
âNo one can cut more than five hundred pieces of jade in one go and find jade in every single piece.
âDo you think your eyes are scanners? Even if they are, they wouldnât be able to detect the jade inside the stones.
âYou definitely cheated!â
Mr. Cookeâs eyes lit up. âYeah, you must have cheated.
âWere you colluding with First Pavilion?
âTo set a trap for me?â
However, before Clarence could refute, Astral spoke first. âHe didnât cheat.
âThe raw jade stones were cut on the spot. Thereâs no way he cheated. He has real talent!â
Everyone looked at Astral in shock.
No one expected Astral to speak up for Clarence.
Mr. Cooke stomped his feet in anger. âAstral, whose side are you on?â
Astral looked solemn. âYou invited me here to bet on the stones for you, so Iâm on your side, of course. However, I have to admit defeat because Iâm not as good as him.â
âPfft...â
Mr. Cooke was so mad he was close to fainting again.
âYou donât care!
âYou can easily say youâre not as good as him, but what about me?
âThatâs one hundred billion dollars!â
His father and grandfather would break his legs if they found out.
Clarence was beaming. âI told you. If you just admit that you canât pay your debt and that youâre a scoundrel, Iâll forget about the one hundred billion dollars.â
Clarence did not actually think he would get his one hundred billion dollars.
It had been a verbal bet, and Mr. Cooke was from Beth City. He was rich and powerful. Clarence dared not force him to pay up.
Mr. Cooke was now up a tree.
If he admitted that he was a scoundrel who could not pay his debts, how was he going to stay in Beth City if word got back there about this?
People would make fun of him!
âWho says I wonât?â Mr. Cookeâs eyes were red.
Clarence smiled playfully. âThen bring me the money.â
The young man next to Mr. Cooke leaned over and whispered a few words in his ear.
Mr. Cooke froze but soon calmed down. He looked at Clarence coldly. âI donât have that much money right now, but I can write you an IOU.â
âIOU?â
Clarence frowned.
Mr. Cooke said flatly, âYes, an IOU.
âThe Cooke family of Beth City keeps their word, but no one in the country has one hundred billion dollars in cash.
âIâll write you an IOU and go back to raise the money.â
Clarenceâs eyes gleamed with disbelief. âI donât believe you.â
âHaha, Clarence, do you think the Cooke familyâs going to repudiate the debt?
âI have no money right now. As for the IOU, take it or leave it!â Mr. Cooke sat back in the old-fashioned wooden armchair, leaned back in it, and drank a cup of tea.
He was undaunted.
Did it matter if he wrote an IOU or not?
Would Clarence have the balls to go to Beth City and ask the Cooke family to pay?
No, unless he was really out of his mind.
Bill came over. âBrother Howard, stop while you can.
âMr. Cooke wonât pay, and we have no way to force him to. At least no one in Mediterranean City can touch him.
âThe jades you cut out already net you ten billion dollars. Being too greedy will only get you into more trouble.
âEven if you insist on getting the one hundred billion dollars and go to the Cooke family in Beth City, a word from their elders could easily make you leave.â
Kate nodded and advised, âMy brotherâs right. Mr. Cookeâs a tough guy.
âIâve heard that heâs called âone of the big four crown princes of Beth Cityâ. We can hold our own against him while heâs in Mediterranean City, but once he goes back to Beth City, thereâs nothing we can do.ân/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om
Clarence narrowed his eyes. âWrite your IOU.â
Mr. Cooke had someone bring him a pen and paper. He wrote a âone hundred billion dollars IOUâ and stamped his fingerprint on the paper before tossing it to Clarence.
Then, he turned around and walked away with his crew.
However, Clarence stopped Mr. Cooke. âWait.â
Mr. Cooke looked livid. âWhat more do you want, boy?
âIf it werenât for the crowd here, I could crush you with a single hand.â
Clarence looked calm. âMr. Cooke, shouldnât you be giving me some interest on that one hundred billion dollars?â
âWhat do you mean?â Mr. Cooke froze.
Clarence smiled and said, âDo you know how much money one hundred billion dollars is?
âEven if I put it in the bank and get the lowest interest rate possible, I can still earn tens of millions of dollars every day.
âMr. Cooke, you owe me one hundred billion dollars, yet youâre just going to leave me an IOU?
âYouâre being a bully.â
Everyone around them looked over.
âYou...â
Mr. Cooke blushed as he removed his expensive watch from his wrist. âThis is a limited-edition Patek Philippe with diamond glass and a quartz dial. Itâs worth over six million dollars.
âIs it enough?â
He tossed the watch at Clarence.
Clarence caught it. âNo!â
Mr. Cooke took out his wallet and a car key, and he threw the wallet at Clarence. âThere are only ten of my Lamborghini Venenos in the world and only three in this country. Itâs worth nearly one hundred million!
âIs this enough?â
He tossed his car keys over.
Clarence grabbed the car keys. âItâs still not enough!â
Mr. Cooke undid his belt. âA limited-edition Givenchy belt, autographed by the late King of PopâMichael Jackson. You can auction it off for at least twenty million dollars.
âIs this enough?â
He threw the belt over too.
Clarence held the belt with a look of disgust on his face. âMr. Cooke, these things only amount to interest for ten days or half a month at most. Will you be able to get one hundred billion dollars in about half a month?
âShouldnât you pay an interest of two or three months first?
âOr can you not even pay that amount of interest?â
Mr. Cooke was furious. âClarence, donât push it!â
Clarence looked innocent. âMr. Cooke, how am I pushing it?â
âYouâre bullying me. You wonât even pay me interest when you owe me one hundred billion dollars. How can I trust you to pay me the one hundred billion dollars?
âEveryoneâs watching.â
Mr. Cooke was so furious his lungs were fit to burst. He stripped down to his underwear. âMy blazer has Marilyn Monroeâs autograph, and my pants belonged to Audrey Hepburn herself.
âThere are only thirty of these shirts in the world. Itâs been woven with gold thread and can never wrinkle.
âAll this stuff, including my sports car, watch, and belt, are worth at least three hundred million dollars.
âAre these enough?â
Clarence looked at Mr. Cooke. âYou still have a pair of underwear....â