Chapter 614 What a Dumb Thief!
Meanwhile, at the Saunders Residence…
Today was the last day before Edwin had to pay off his debts, but he only had less than 600,000 in his bank account, with the divorce compensation offered by David included. In other words, he was still 1.9 million short. Early that morning, he quietly came downstairs carrying a big traveling bag before the servants even got up.
However, just as he reached the gate, Mrs. Woods suddenly called out to him. “Are you leaving the house so early in the morning, Master Edwin?”
Edwin nervously gulped a mouthful of saliva before turning around to face her with a forced smile. “Yeah. I enrolled in a postgraduate course, so I have to go to college early to do some studying. I’ve got to improve myself so that I can take better care of Nana in the future.”
For a second, Mrs. Woods’ eyes rested on the big traveling bag Edwin was carrying. Then, she replied meaningfully, “I see. That’s very ambitious of you. In that case, come home early this evening. I’ll make you something delicious and nourishing.”
“Thank you, Mrs. Woods. I will.” Edwin gave her a polite smile. Then, he turned around, opened the gate, and walked out in haste.
However, no sooner had he left than Mrs. Woods headed for David’s room upstairs…
As soon as the pawn shop opened for business at 8:00AM sharp, Edwin rushed in. “Sir, please take a look at how much these things are worth!” he said while putting the traveling bag on the counter. Then, he unzipped the bag, revealing its contents.
The pawnbroker had a discerning eye for gemstones, so he noticed at a glance that the jade ornament in the traveling bag was out of the ordinary. He asked in surprise, “Are you serious about selling these?”
Edwin replied with a straight face, “Yes, I am! To tell you the truth, my company has run into some financial difficulties, so I have no choice but to pawn these family heirlooms. You’ve got to offer me a reasonable price!”
Upon hearing Edwin say so, the pawnbroker could no longer restrain himself. Immediately, he picked up the jade ornament and examined it carefully, saying, “Such a large ornament must’ve been made from fine-quality materials. Just look at how translucent and vibrantly-colored it is. What a top-quality piece of ornament…”
Edwin didn’t have time to listen to the pawnbroker’s babble, though. Cutting to the chase, he said, “Just tell me how much you can offer me for this.”
Upon hearing his words, the pawnbroker hurriedly put the ornament back into the traveling bag. A stone of such weight and quality has to be worth at least 1 million, even if it’s just freshly out of the quarry. And with such extremely fine craftsmanship and carving techniques, the ornament has to be worth at least ten times greater than that! he thought. He rubbed his chin while staring at Edwin with shrewd eyes, asking cautiously, “Is this really an heirloom of your family? It’d better not be stolen from somewhere else. I don’t want to get in trouble for this!”
Feeling guilty, Edwin gave a gulp, but he still put on a dignified front. Raising his voice deliberately, he replied, “How could you say something like that? Do I look like I don’t deserve to be in possession of a family heirloom? I’m telling you, even if you take this thing, we’ve got to sign an agreement so that you won’t sell it within the next five years. I’m gonna come back to redeem my pawn!”
The pawnbroker let his guard down at once. With a nod, he raised his hand and gave Edwin an “OK” gesture. “This is the price. I’ve got to take risks, after all. If I offer you a price higher than this, and you don’t come back to redeem it later, I won’t be able to sell it.”
Edwin protested, “300,000? That’s too low an offer!” He had walked around the Saunders Residence before settling on this ornament. 300,000 plus his savings were nowhere near enough to pay off his debts!
Upon hearing Edwin’s words, the pawnbroker nearly laughed out loud. Turns out this guy has no idea what this is really worth, eh? Seems like this thing is indeed not some family heirloom, but now that he’s presented it to me, how can I not take advantage of it? “An offer of 300,000 is high enough. I reckon you’ve done some asking around before coming here. Just go somewhere else and ask the others. If there’s anyone who offers a price higher than this, I’ll quit this trade!” he said confidently while beating his chest.
“Can’t you raise the offer a bit more?!” Edwin argued irritably.
The pawnbroker paced back and forth, pretending as though he could do nothing about it. “No, I can’t offer any higher than that.”
Feeling that the pawnbroker was deliberately beating down the price, Edwin picked up the jade ornament and pretended to leave. “In that case, I’m not gonna sell it!”
“Hey! Wait a minute!” The pawnbroker hurriedly stopped Edwin. He advised him in a kindly manner, “How could you be so impulsive, young man? I’m still open for negotiations…”
Edwin narrowed his eyes. As expected, businessmen are all wily old foxes. “It’s 400,000 or no deal!” He pulled a long face in a fiercely determined manner.
“Well… you’ve got to let me make some money, right? I can’t offer you more than 380,000!” the pawnbroker replied with a sincere expression.
Edwin agreed at once. “Okay, but I want to have the money transferred right now!”
“Okay, no problem! I’ll transfer the money to you right now!” The pawnbroker was overjoyed. This stuff could’ve been sold for millions, and yet I got it at the price of 380,000! What a dumb thief!
Soon, the money was transferred to Edwin’s bank account. Looking at the balance on his account with satisfaction, he immediately put his hand on the pawnbroker’s shoulder and started to get all buddy-buddy with him. “You’re quite an accommodating person, only that you just had to insist on haggling over the prices. I consider us friends as of today. If I come here with good stuff again next time, you’ve got to give me a more reasonable offer. Don’t behave like you did today again!”
“Sure, no problem…” The pawnbroker was grinning from ear to ear. To think that there’s really someone who’s dumb enough to thank the person who duped him! Well, since he wants to be made a dupe, I’m more than happy to grant his wish. After all, who would turn away a golden goose, right? “Well, the moment I saw you, I could tell at a glance that you’re a man with a promising future. I believe it won’t take long before you rise high in the world…” He heaped flattery on Edwin while seeing him all the way to the door.
However, as soon as they reached the door, Edwin saw David standing by the roadside with Mrs. Woods and a few bodyguards; he was glowering at him in a towering rage. “Dad, why are you—”
“I shouldn’t be here, huh?!” David questioned viciously. “How much did you pawn that jade ornament for? How much of it are you gonna spend on Nana?”
Edwin’s face turned ashen at once. Unconsciously, he relaxed his grip, dropping his traveling bag to the ground with a thud. David found out about it! How did he find out about it?! “I… I…” He trembled all over. For a long time, he was unable to say a complete sentence.
David ground his teeth in exasperation. He chided, “Edwin, oh, Edwin! Did I provide you with a comfortable life only for you to bite the hand that fed you? I kept my guard up against outsiders at all times, but I never imagined a thief had been living inside my house!”
Edwin clenched his fists as words failed him.
“Enough of this. You don’t have to say anything; just go back and sign the divorce papers. We Saunderses have been kind enough toward you. Let’s not get in touch anymore from now on,” David said before turning around to leave.
Edwin caught up to David and slumped to his knees with a thud. Clutching the man’s trouser leg, he begged for mercy, saying, “Dad, I was wrong! I’m really sorry for my mistakes! Please give me one last chance! I only stole from our family because I had no other choice. I promise that I won’t do so anymore!”
“Your promise is worthless to me!” David kicked Edwin away, though. “I’m giving you two options right now. Either I’ll send you to the police department and have you sentenced to prison for the rest of your life, or you’ll divorce Nana and leave our family with nothing to your name. Make the choice for yourself!”
“No… I’m not gonna make any choices. I can’t; who’s gonna take care of Nana if I’m gone?! Dad, you can’t treat me like this!” Edwin burst into tears in a panic.
However, the more David looked at Edwin, the more he found the latter an eyesore. He took out his phone immediately to call the police, saying, “Save your excuses for the police later on!”
