Chapter 263 Saved Twenty Million Dollars
Outside the room, Laura called out to James while slipping on her high heels, "James, I'm heading out now!"
"Okay," James replied, barely looking up, clearly not interested in joining her.
Laura felt a pang of disappointment at James' cold response. She hadn't expected him to be so indifferent.
Earlier, when Joe broke the vase, James just stood there, not reacting at all.
Laura didn't say anything at the time, but it bothered her because Joe was her dad.
Now, everyone had rushed to the restaurant, but James still chose to stay in the hotel, making Laura even more disappointed.
Even if everyone knew James couldn't fix the problem, he should at least show some concern!
Why was he being such a coward now?
'Forget it. My parents were pretty harsh earlier. It's understandable that James doesn't want to go.' Laura sighed, trying to comfort herself, then got into the car and drove off into the night.
Meanwhile, Joe, Thalia, and the others had already arrived at the restaurant.
Thalassa, seeing Thalia, immediately threw herself into her arms and started crying.
A bunch of onlookers had been pointing at Thalassa, and she, being pampered her whole life, couldn't handle it.
"Thalassa, stop crying. What happened?" Thalia asked, looking concerned.
"Mr. Hayes said that vase is worth forty million dollars and wants us to pay for it!" Thalassa sobbed.
"Forty million dollars?" Joe, Thalia, and Isolde were all stunned, their faces showing complete shock. They never expected the vase to be that expensive!
"Forty million dollars, really?" Thalia exclaimed, then turned to Leander, saying softly, "Leander, don't you have a good relationship with Mr. Hayes? Please help Joe plead for leniency!"
Leander stood there, looking helpless, not knowing what to say.
"Mom, why are you asking Leander? He's a fraud; he doesn't even know Mr. Hayes," Thalassa shouted.
"Leander doesn't know Mr. Hayes? Then did Mr. Hayes send the wine?" Thalia was taken aback.
"That bottle of wine wasn't for you, nor for this bastard!" Atticus sneered at Thalia and the others.
"If it wasn't for us, then who was it for?" Thalia asked, puzzled.
Now, except for Dorian, Elowen, Laura, and James, everyone was here.
Dorian and Elowen could be ruled out, leaving only James and Laura!
"Could it be for James?" Thalia exclaimed again, knowing that Laura had no connection with Atticus.
Atticus was momentarily stunned, silently kicking himself for almost blowing James' cover. He quickly changed the subject, saying, "That's none of your business. You should focus on figuring out how to pay up!"
Joe, knowing he couldn't come up with that kind of money, hesitated before stepping forward to talk to Atticus. "Mr. Hayes, isn't forty million dollars a bit too much? I didn't mean it. Could you cut me some slack?"
"No way. My vase is worth forty million dollars, not a penny less!" Atticus shot back without hesitation.
"Mr. Hayes, you..." Joe started, but just then, a Mercedes-Benz pulled up beside him.
The car door opened, and Laura, in her high heels, stepped out and walked straight to Atticus.
Atticus' face changed when he saw Laura, knowing she was Mr. Smith's fiancée!
"Mr. Hayes, my dad broke the vase. We'll definitely compensate you, but forty million dollars is too much. Could you lower it a bit? Mr. Wilson and I are partners, and I heard you have a good relationship with him. I just spoke with Mr. Wilson on the phone." Laura had called Charles in the car, hoping he could help sort things out.
Atticus felt conflicted hearing Laura's plea.
He knew about James and Laura's relationship. Normally, to please Laura, Atticus wouldn't trouble Joe. Even if it were a hundred million dollars, he wouldn't take a penny.
But James had warned him not to reveal his identity, which meant if Atticus didn't take the money, people would doubt James' real identity.
This left Atticus in a tough spot.
Just then, his phone rang.
Seeing the name on the screen, Atticus quickly walked away to take the call.
Laura turned to Joe and said, "Dad, don't worry. I just spoke with Mr. Wilson, and he's coming to help us!"
Joe sighed helplessly, not knowing what to say. He never expected the vase to be so expensive.
Thalia, Thalassa, Leander, and the others stayed back, afraid of getting dragged into the mess.
A few moments later, Atticus finished his call and returned to Laura, saying softly, "Miss Hall, I just spoke with Mr. Wilson. Considering your friendship with him, you can pay me twenty million dollars for the vase."
Everyone was stunned hearing Atticus' words, completely shocked.
They never expected Laura to be so influential.
But Laura and Joe didn't feel relieved because they still couldn't come up with twenty million dollars!
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