Chapter 81: Chapter 81: Carter Hill’s Apology
Even so, Harvey Brown remained terrified.
Taking action against someone far above his station was, for Harvey, clearly a massive gamble.
"If this gets out, that... would be our death sentence..." Harvey’s expression was filled with dread.
Xavier Hill scoffed and replied, "Big moves require big risks. If you want to stay stuck like this forever, feel free to decline."
After speaking, Xavier turned away and said nothing more.
Harvey Brown sat silently for quite some time.
Eventually, Harvey looked at Xavier and said, "Let me sleep on it. I’ll have an answer by tomorrow."
"Fine." Xavier gave a nod.
Then he chuckled and added, "Life doesn’t give you many shots. Better choose wisely."
"I understand." Harvey nodded before leaving the bar.
Xavier smirked.
He was certain Harvey would say yes.
Someone as money-hungry as Harvey couldn’t turn down a sweet deal.
Human greed was the perfect weakness to exploit.
Xavier’s plan was straightforward - get someone to snatch Mabel Sean, and when the Sean family exploded with rage, they’d take it out on Mason Raymond.
Even if Mason somehow got pardoned by the Sean family, Mabel would definitely get dragged back to Capital City.
Then wouldn’t Mason be like putty in their hands, ready to be shaped however they wanted?
Plus, even if the Sean family found out, the Hill family could deny everything and pin it all on Harvey Brown.
"I’m a damn mastermind!" Xavier couldn’t stop himself from laughing with pride.
——
The next day.
I came back to River City from Shiglance City.
This trip had been incredibly productive. The herbs Jack Schultz gave me and the plant from Mikael Gutierrez were more than enough for me to hit the Foundation Establishment Stage.
"Wonder how long it’ll take to jump from Qi Refining Stage to Foundation Establishment Stage," I thought quietly.
So before that happened, I had to get some things sorted out ahead of time.
I stashed the herbs for now, then planned to scout out a perfect spot.
"If only I could crash at that villa of Xavier’s," I thought to myself.
The spiritual energy there was the best I’d ever encountered, but too bad our beef made it impossible for me to stay there.
Right then.
A Range Rover pulled up to the front gate.
The car stopped in front of me, and a guy in a black suit stepped out.
"Is Mr. Raymond home?" The man in the black suit asked at the door.
I frowned and walked over, saying, "That’s me. What do you need?"
The man in the black suit said politely, "Our Mr. Thompson would like to invite you to dinner tonight. I was wondering if Mr. Raymond has time."
"Mr. Thompson? Uncle Thompson?" I suddenly remembered this guy.
Since our last meeting, there wasn’t much friendship between us.
"Is this about the Hill family?" I wondered silently.
Uncle Thompson was tight with the Sean family, and I’d already embarrassed him last time.
So after thinking it over, for Mabel’s sake, I decided to take the invitation.
"Alright, give me the time and place," I said.
The man in the black suit quickly replied, "Tonight at eight o’clock, at Fish Restaurant."
"Got it, I’ll be there on time," I answered.
After the man in the black suit left, Victor Green rushed over.
"Mr. Raymond, this Mr. Thompson and Carter Hill are tight buddies. I’m worried tonight might be a setup," Victor warned.
I smiled slightly, "Doesn’t matter, I don’t think they’ll try anything on me."
Victor wanted to say more, but I waved him off.
——
On the other side.
Harvey Brown and Lyla Lucas lay in bed, Harvey chain-smoking with his brow creased.
"Baby, what’s eating you?" Lyla asked playfully while sprawled on top of Harvey.
Seeing Lyla in front of him, Harvey suddenly felt sick to his stomach.
He regretted more and more marrying such a trophy wife.
"No, I can’t settle for this crap!" Harvey made his decision, flicked his cigarette to the floor, grabbed his phone, and headed to the balcony.
He dialed Xavier Hill.
Once the call went through, Harvey said into the phone, "Mr. Hill, I’m in."
Xavier burst out laughing on the other end, "I knew you’d make the smart call."
Harvey said seriously, "Mr. Hill, I’ve got some demands."
"Shoot," Xavier agreed.
"If we pull this off, the Brown family needs a deep partnership with the Hill family," Harvey said.
Xavier chuckled, "Naturally, no sweat. Don’t worry, the Hill family never screws over its allies."
Harvey went on, "If we crash and burn, you need to have a hundred million in cash ready for me and promise I get out safely."
"Hahaha, piece of cake!" Xavier laughed, "But this thing can never trace back to the Hill family, or you know what happens."
"Deal," Harvey nodded in agreement.
After hanging up, Xavier couldn’t help but sneer.
If the plan tanked, give you cash? You might as well dream about flying! I’ll be long gone by then!
"Just wait and watch. This is gonna be one hell of a show," Xavier laughed with satisfaction.
——
That night.
I grabbed a simple gift and headed to Fish Restaurant.
At Fish Restaurant’s entrance, someone was already waiting. The moment they spotted me, they quickly walked over and said, "Our Mr. Thompson has been expecting you for quite a while."
I nodded and followed the attendant inside to the private room.
"Right here, Mr. Raymond, please go in," the attendant said politely.
I checked out the area and, after confirming there were no threats, pushed the door open and stepped inside.
The second the door opened, my expression went ice cold.
"Just as I thought," I said coldly.
Then I looked at Uncle Thompson and said, "Uncle Thompson, if you want to grab dinner with me, I’m game; but if you’ve got other plans, sorry, I’m not sticking around."
After saying that, I turned to leave.
Uncle Thompson quickly called out, "Mason, don’t be so hasty. Could you give me a bit more time, please?"
I stopped in my tracks, looked at Uncle Thompson with a smile and said, "Uncle Thompson, did you forget what you told me? You said the Hill family would never let me off the hook, and now what’s this all about?"
Uncle Thompson couldn’t help but turn red. How was he supposed to know the Hill family was no match for me?
"Mason, there are no permanent enemies, only permanent benefits," Carter Hill finally spoke up.
He stood and said, "I messed up before. This time, I had Uncle Thompson arrange this meeting specifically to apologize to you!"
"Apologize to me?" I rubbed my ears, seeming like I couldn’t believe it.
Uncle Thompson gestured, "Sit down first, sit down."
