Chapter 17
At 7：00 p.m., James arrived at the Smiths' domicile by taxi.
He took off the Rolex from his wrist and placed it back inside the unassuming watch box.
It was Rolex's latest model, a traditional wristwatch with fingerprint-sensing technology. James had set it up so that only he could activate the watch hands.
He didn't wear it into the house to avoid any sneers or sarcasm from Addison and the others.
As he approached the door, James still felt a sense of unreality.
Just a week ago, he had knelt before dozens of people for more than 10,000 dollars.
Today, not only was he carrying a Rolex worth tens of thousands of dollars, but he had also solved a big problem for the Smith family.
It was truly beyond belief.
With these thoughts, James rang the doorbell.
Soon, Mary came to open the door. Her gaze softened upon seeing James; then, she silently returned to the dining room.
That's when James saw that the Smith family was having dinner.
Christopher and Abigail were also there, with many gifts laid out on the table, obviously there to apologize to Addison.
No matter what, he needed to apologize for the fake painting.
The family of five was eating happily. They had never waited for James to join them for dinner, nor did they think they should do it.
James changed his shoes and tossed the Rolex in the entrance hall casually before walking into the dining room.
"James, haven't you eaten yet?" Charles coughed and said, "Come join us for dinner."
In the morning, Charles misunderstood James and even punched him, leaving Charles feeling guilty about it.
"What are you calling him for? Are you full and just looking for trouble?" Addison glared at him and scolded, "With only eight dishes, we don't have enough for ourselves, let alone for that hypocrite."
Charles hesitated and said, "Eight dishes, we can't finish them all..."
"How can't we finish them?"
Addison added, "Christopher and Abigail haven't eaten much yet."
Christopher smiled and said, "Dad, don't worry. I'll make sure to clean up the table."
Charles looked at James with pity and said, "He's still family, and he did help you this morning..."
"Eat your food. Isn't that chicken leg big enough to shut you up?" Hearing Charles bring up the morning's incident, Addison grew even angrier, slapping her forks down and scolding, "If you don't shut up, you won't eat either."
Charles lowered his head helplessly.
"Why are you playing the good guy? He's being stubborn," Addison gave James a disdainful look and huffed, "He's talking about divorce and debt collection; he's more capable than you; are you afraid he'll starve to death?"
Christopher added sarcastically, "Exactly, he's the one who ate the 400,000-dollar ginseng fruit; he won't need to eat for three years."
Mary looked uncomfortable but said nothing.
Defending James would only subject him to more of Addison's venting.
It would be more embarrassing for James if she clung to the debt collection issue.
Just endure it, and it would pass.
"So? Did you get the $200,000back?" Addison taunted James, " If you're out for a day and can't make $200,000, making $20,000 shouldn't be an issue, right? "
"You spineless gigolo."
She scooped the soup with a long-handled spoon, clanging the porcelain bowl.
If she didn't teach James a lesson this time, how could she control him in the future?
And the blame from Charles and Mary this morning made her pin all the faults on James.
Charles tried to smooth things over, saying, "James was just angry last night. Let's not hold it against him."
"Shut up!" Addison glared, then looked at James with a cold laugh, saying, "You think his lofty ambitions are just angry words. Are you humiliating him?"
Christopher blustered, "If he managed to get money from the SH Corporation, I'd eat this table."
James ignored Addison and Christopher.
He took out a check and slapped it in front of Addison, saying, "This is the 200,000 dollars that the SH Group owed CF Clinic."
"This is the contract for the next three years with the SH Group."
"This is the one-million-dollar check prepaid by the SH Group."
James stared at Addison coldly, speaking word by word, "I not only helped the Smith family recover the debt but also secured an additional one-million-dollar contract."
"The favor of freeloading for a year should be settled now."
Then, he turned to Christopher with a cold smile and said, "Christopher, you can start eating the table now."
"What?" Hearing James's words, the Smith family of five were all shocked, staring at James in disbelief.
James had not only recovered the debt but also secured a three-year contract and even the advance payment.
"It's impossible," Christopher was the first to react, saying, "The check and contract must be fake."
"There are plenty of forgers in the Park; you must have had them made."
"How could a loser like you manage to collect debts and sign a three-year contract?"
"James, I'm telling you, forging checks and contracts is a crime, and you can go to jail for it."
He scrutinized the check and contract, trying to find evidence of James's forgery.
James sneered, "Just wait to eat at the table."
Mary, who had been silent all this time, suddenly spoke up, "James, why are you doing this?"
"I told you I would appease Mom's emotions."
"I would handle the debt collection properly."
"Even if Mom doesn't give me face, she wouldn't kick you out of the house."
"And yet you boast about fake checks and contracts..."
Her cold eyes fixed on James, she said, "Can't you give me a break?"
Clearly, she also believed James could not have been successful in collecting the debt.
James's voice was gentle. "Trust me."
Mary shook her head in resignation.
Despite the changes in James over the past two days, she still didn't believe he could have collected the debt successfully.
Jacob was quite an unjust person.
"You've really learned something, "Addison said, seeing through it all, tapping the checks and contracts on the table.
She added, "You've brought your deceit to me."
"I'll give you one chance."
"If you admit to your wrongdoing promptly and kneel at the door for the night, I'll let this go."
"Otherwise, I'll really kick you out of the Smith family, and you can get as far away as possible."
She slammed the table and said, "Confess!"
How could a son-in-law, who the Smith family supported, manage to collect 200,000 dollars from Jacob? Wasn't it ridiculous?
Charles gestured with his eyes and said, "James, just confess, Addison is a sharp-tongued but soft-hearted person."
"The check and contract are real," James spoke softly, "What crime should I confess to?"
Seeing James refuse to admit fault, Christopher scoffed, "I'll verify the contract on the official website right now. If it turns out to be fake, you'll voluntarily leave the Smith family."
He picked up his phone to check the authenticity of the contract on the SH Group's official website.
Addison stood up, shouting impatiently, "What's there to check? It's obviously fake, just kick him out."
She got up from her chair, ready to leave.
Just then, Christopher exclaimed in astonishment, "How is this possible? The contract is real!"
Addison was taken aback. She peered over and indeed saw that the contract matched the official website, with the codes and amounts lining up...
Mary and the others also gathered around, and soon, they were dumbfounded, too.
They had never imagined the contract would be real.
Then, Addison verified the check, and it was also legitimate.
"How is this possible?" Addison still couldn't believe it. "How could this good-for-nothing have done it..."
Charles laughed heartily. "Not bad, not bad; James has made progress."
"Thank you, Mr. Smith," James said.
He looked at Addison and asked, "Mrs. Smith, does this settle the favor?"
Addison's face was sour.
Although the business deal would be profitable, the thought that James had accomplished it made her very uncomfortable. It meant that she had been outsmarted by this fool again.
She huffed, "Dumb luck..."
James looked towards Christopher and said, "Christopher, you'd better start eating the table."
Christopher turned his head away, remaining silent, defaulting on his boast effectively.
Seeing Christopher annoyed by James, Addison felt stifled, but the authenticity of the check and contract could not be denied.
"Christopher, you're a big boss; you should keep your word."
James provoked Christopher unceremoniously, "Do you need some salad dressing with that table?"
"Enough! James!" Addison slammed her forks down and shouted, "Just because you recovered 200,000 dollars and signed a contract, what's there to be proud and arrogant about?"
"Regardless, the debt has been recovered," James said, "Does that mean I can divorce Mary now?"
Addison was torn. She disapproved of her son-in-law, yet didn't want to grant the divorce. Agreeing felt like satisfying James's desire and acknowledging that he had discarded the Smith family, which was a bitter pill to swallow.
"Mary, bring your relative documents tomorrow, and we'll go to the court to get a divorce." James didn't press Addison further and turned to look at Mary, whose expression was complex.
"Divorce? What divorce? Did I agree to divorce you?" Mary suddenly erupted in anger, slamming her forks down and declaring, "Mom agreed to the divorce, but I haven't."
"You're so capable; then bring back Summit Villa, build it up, and restore the Smith family's lost dignity."
"When I see Summit Villa, then I'll divorce you."
"Otherwise, you'll be abandoned by me."
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