Chapter 69: Deal with an Arabian Prince (2)
Antique middle merchants made big profits for a long time.
They buy valuable objects at a low price and sell them at a much higher price like Gaidasis, but they also take other’s items and sell their things at a high price.
The method they used most frequently when they are entrusted to sell is called the stable operation.
It is the same with a real estate business’ stable operation. When something is sold at a higher price than the actual price the seller wants, the middleman takes the rest of the money.
Of course, the seller should know about this so that there won’t be any problem later. If the middleman uses this method without telling the seller, he becomes a fraud.
In conclusion, the buyer uses this trick to encourage the middleman.
“That offer confuses me greatly.”
Anthony must have done this kind of deal before. However, this deal was as important as selling a company.
“Really? I am surprised to see you confused.”
“No, no. If you had asked for a million or two million dollars, I would have given you that money without thinking twice. However, what you are just suggesting doesn’t have a limit. So, my mind is exploding with all kinds of thoughts.”
“Hmm… I see. However, why does that sound like you are being stingy to me?”
Haejin reclined on the sofa and put his arm on the armrest comfortably. He wasn’t worried about Anthony being one of the richest men in the world. Right now, Haejin held the high ground.
“I told you earlier. Money can manipulate everyone. It’s just the needed sum differ from person to person… you seem to be testing me. Now, I cannot stop thinking about how I would feel if you sell these at sixty million. What about seventy million? Or eighty million?”
“You are honest. I think you didn’t have to tell me that.”
“However, you would have known why I was hesitating, anyway.”
“So, have you made up your mind?”
Anthony didn’t answer. He kept staring at the paintings. Again, Haejin didn’t speak and waited for Anthony to talk.
Time passed. Haejin was absorbed into the paintings when the secretary started approaching Anthony.
“He will come soon.”
At this, Haejin looked at Anthony. He sighed and then opened his mouth.
“I thought I would only have pleasure here. However, I think I won’t be that happy even if I sell these at the price I wanted.”
“In Korea, there’s this saying: when your cousin buys land, you get a stomachache because of jealousy. I’ve thought that applies only to people who don’t have much. Are you getting a stomachache?”
Anthony took his eyes from the painting and looked at Haejin. He looked shocked.
“Do you know how hard getting those paintings was? If I had been just rich, they would have never come into my hands. I’ve gone through a long time of patience and countless disputes. However, you are about to go over all those efforts and earn millions with just a few words!”
During the flight there, Haejin had thought Anthony was a cool man, although he had some ego problems and was talkative.
But now, it turned out he was just pretending to be kind. Inside, he was full of greed.
Of course, he would get greedy. Then, he could offer different terms or cancel his offer itself, but he wasn’t doing either of it.
He found it embarrassing to take back what he said to an appraiser, so he couldn’t make a decision.
He just dragged for time.
He was waiting for Haejin to change his mind.
“Then, should I take back my offer? I’ll just consider coming to Dubai as sightseeing…”
“You will not appraise?”
“No. I came all the way here to appraise so, of course, I will appraise. I cannot break a promise.”
If he wanted to refuse to appraise, he should have done that in Hong Kong. He couldn’t do that now.
Haejin spoke as if he would appraise but give up the additional offer. Anthony’s hardened face slightly relaxed.
“Good. I cannot take your offer, so you will only appraise the paintings.”
Anthony tried to smile. However, Haejin could feel that he was greatly offended.
“Okay. We all make mistakes.”
“Khmm… this is embarrassing.”
Actually, Haejin didn’t like Anthony changing his mind after all those bluffing about his wealth.
So, he decided to quickly appraise, get out of here and go sightseeing. He sat up and went to the paintings.
“You think there’s a fake among these, right?”
Anthony slightly frowned.
“I want your genuine appraisal. Just tell me what you see and what you know.”
He seemed to think Haejin had asked this to test him.
“All the paintings are real. They all show the perfect style of the artists.”
“Really? There must be a reason why you thought you could get more than fifty million dollars. Tell me more.”
Anthony brightened up at hearing that all three paintings were real, unlike what he had thought.
“Here, this dancing woman painting shows the structure Degas frequently used. Look at the colors: lead white, chrome yellow, pure ultramarine and ivory black. All of them are often used by Degas. The lines of the background and characters are also very delicate, they show Degas’s style that set a high value on sketching.”
“Yes, I knew that, too. Degas thought sketching was important.”
Anthony nodded like a student learning something he already knew.
“As Gogh’s paintings show the extremely unique style, there are many fakes. But basically, even fakes of the greatest quality cannot imitate the amazing world of Gogh’s unstable mind. It’s the difference from a real lunatic and a guy pretending to be mad.”
“Hahaha! I agree. I’ve seen a couple of Gogh’s fakes. His paintings have something beyond ordinary people’s imagination. That’s why I thought it isn’t a fake. I couldn’t get any bad feeling like I normally do when I see fakes.”
For that to be true, he seemed to be in great joy now unlike when he had thought there was a fake, but Haejin decided to move on.
“As for Gogh’s last painting, it is one of his Sunflowers series. It is a little plain than the previous painting, but as it is supposed to be so, it makes me sure it is real. Fakes show strange tricks to give the feeling of Gogh.”
Clap clap!
Anthony was feeling so good. He even clapped and stood up.
“Good, very good. Was your fee 1%? I will give you 1% of the sold price at the scene immediately.”
Good. Haejin now had a reason to watch the deal if he were asked to leave. If Anthony sold the paintings at fifty million and told Haejin that he sold at thirty million later, he would not be able to know the truth.
1% of fifty million dollars is a huge amount of money, five thousand million in Korean won. It was too much for it to be earned with just a few words, but Haejin had come all the way to Dubai.
Anthony turned to his secretary.
“Give this young man some wine. Waiting might bore him.”
“Yes, sir. Do you want white wine? Or red?”
“I don’t want wine, but if you have champagne, I’ll have that.”
“I will get your champagne.”
She smiled and turned around. Anthony then spoke.
“I have prepared a five-thousand-dollar champagne, it would be perfect to celebrate.”
“I asked for champagne because I prefer it more.”
“So what? We might get something to celebrate for.”
The five-thousand-dollar champagne tasted awesome.
Haejin forgot all about the prince and drank it while watching Dubai’s great view. Then, someone knocked on the door.
The door opened and a man with Middle Eastern clothes, shoes that showed his feet and a white turban on his head came in.
He was young, not even 30, and a white man was with him. He had to be the prince’s personal appraiser.
Prince Sahmadi shook hands with Anthony and went straight to the paintings.
“Oho…”
Haejin understood that, but he couldn’t understand the rest of his mutters.
He knew English, Japanese, and Chinese, but he didn’t know Arabic.
While Prince Sahmadi enjoyed the painting, Anthony drank the wine on the sofa and waited for him to finish.
Haejin had thought he would be very polite, but he wasn’t, so he could feel that the mood was not that heavy.
The prince and his appraiser talked in a small voice for about five minutes. Then, the appraiser with the neat hair combed with wax turned to Anthony.
“Prince Sahmadi likes the paintings very much.”
Anthony nodded, as if it was only right, and smiled.
“Haha, that’s good.”
“The prince wants to buy all three paintings. What is the price?”
Anthony was confident now. He said a price higher than what he had told Haejin earlier.
“I’m thinking sixty million dollars.”
However, the white man frowned as if he had heard it wrong.
“Sixty million dollars?”
“Yea. Sixty million US dollars. That’s the price for those three paintings.”
The white man whispered to the prince. He probably told him the price.
However, Prince Sahmadi was also startled at hearing the price. He looked at Anthony, shook his head, and said something in Arabic.
His appraiser nodded and interpreted.
“He thinks sixty million is too much.”
Anthony thought things were going differently from what he had thought. His smile vanished.
“Then, what do you think is a reasonable price?”
“The prince says forty million dollars.”
That made sense. Anthony straightened his back on the sofa.
“Hmm… that price is hard to accept for us. These are paintings from Gogh and Degas. Aren’t the two paintings of Gogh alone clearly worth over forty million?”
Anthony was thinking that if each party gave up ten million dollars, they would be able to make the deal at the price he wanted, but what the appraiser said next shattered his expectation.
“Forty million for three paintings. If that can’t be done, we’ll give up the Degas. Thirty-five million dollars for the two paintings from Gogh.”
The deal was going in a totally different direction from Anthony’s plan. Now, selling the paintings at fifty million was off the table.
“Isn’t thirty-five million for two paintings from Gogh too cheap?”
Anthony asked, but the white appraiser was cold.
“Then, please find someone who will pay more for the paintings.”
At that, Anthony looked at Haejin.
The moment their eyes met, Haejin spoke.
“Do you need my help?”
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