Chapter 181 Confrontation
At 10:30 AM, James and Sebastian showed up at the antique market.
James was surprised The Morris Antiques was still open.
Last time, after James took down the Rainy Night Hitman on Cloud Top Mountain, Roy had revealed that Ellie was the fence. He promptly passed the information on to Scott.
With Roy out of the picture, James figured that not only would Ellie be dealt with, but the Morris Antiques would also be finished.
But here they were, still thriving.
James called Scott to find out what was up with the Morris Antiques.
Scott said Roy had suddenly died of a heart attack, and the cops found nothing at the Morris Antiques, so they couldn't do much for now.
Although there wasn't enough evidence to move against the Morris Antiques or to pry any information from Ellie, Scott could have taken them down eventually. However, pressure from the Stardust City bosses on the Rosewood City police had forced them to adhere to legal standards and presume innocence until proven guilty, so Scott couldn't act without more solid proof.
Nonetheless, he had people keeping an eye on Ellie.
James got the whole picture and was surprised by the power behind the Morris Antiques, which even Scott couldn't touch for now.
This made James even more interested, so he decided to use the situation with Sebastian to confront Ellie again.
Ellie still owed him five million bucks.
Six roaring Hummers pulled up at the Morris Antiques.
The doors flew open, and over twenty guys in black jumped out, each holding a shovel, storming into the antique hall with a menacing vibe.
Customers inside were shocked and quickly stepped aside.
"What's going on?"
A dozen clerks and security guards were on high alert, some trying to block the men in black while others called Ellie in the back.
Sebastian dragged a hammer out of the car and smashed the lucky cat at the entrance.
"Ellie, get out here."
James followed with a calm demeanor. The Morris Antiques seemed more bustling than before. Besides the shelves filled with valuable items, there were also several thousand newly mined stones.
The hall was divided into ten sections, each stocked with numerous raw stones that appeared freshly excavated.
"Ah, Mr. Collins, you're here?"
As James was checking out the raw stones, a charming laugh came from the corridor, and a shapely woman appeared.
In professional attire, black stockings, and high heels, she looked very sexy.
It was Ellie, the one he dealt with last time.
Seeing Sebastian, she slowed her steps and smiled seductively.
"Why such a big scene today? Did my staff not treat you well, or did I offend you, Mr. Collins?"
She glanced at the men in black with a hint of displeasure, clearly feeling that Sebastian was disrupting her business.
"Keep pretending." Sebastian patted her pretty face with a sneer. "Don't you know what you've done?"
Ellie spoke with a grievance, "Mr. Collins, I've always treated you with the utmost sincerity. If I've offended you, please let me know."
What an actress.
Sebastian's lips curled in mockery. If he hadn't seen the black skeleton in the lucky cat himself, he might have thought he had wronged Ellie.
But after seeing the black skeleton, Sebastian was completely hostile to Ellie.
Had the lucky cat not been discovered by James, but instead returned to its place in his father's study, the consequences would have been unimaginable. Sebastian shuddered to think of it.
As for Ellie claiming ignorance, that was impossible. The lucky cat might have fooled someone who didn't know antiques, but it couldn't fool Ellie. Sebastian was convinced that Ellie intended to harm him—even his father!
"I'll give you one more chance. Admit what you've done, and I'll let it slide today," Sebastian said, his usual arrogance on full display. "If I have to expose the truth, this shop won't survive, and you'll be in deep trouble."
Ellie sensed Sebastian's hostility. Her pretty face turned serious, but she quickly smiled and said, "I really don't know what I did wrong. Mr. Collins, please enlighten me."
She was determined not to admit it.
Sebastian snapped his fingers.
A subordinate came up and dumped a bag on a wooden table, revealing the broken pieces of the lucky cat and skeleton fragments.
The onlookers were shocked.
Ellie's face hardened slightly, her eyes narrowing with a sharp intensity.
"Anything else to say?" Sebastian looked at her with interest. "I've spent at least 300 million dollars on antiques here, making me a VIP. This morning, I spent 156 million dollars on a lucky cat, only to find it was a fake with a skeleton inside, cursing the Collins family to ruin. Ms. Hall, do you think that's fair to me?"
His eyes were cold with a hint of murderous intent. After causing so much chaos over the years, he had never imagined Ellie would turn her scheming against him.
The crowd murmured in disbelief.
Ellie had clearly overstepped. Not only had she deceived Sebastian, but she had also hidden a sinister artifact, threatening the Collins family. This was practically a death wish.
Ellie forced a smile. "Mr. Collins, this might be a misunderstanding. I never intended to harm you."
Sebastian interrupted brusquely, "Cut the crap! We're all adults here, so there's no need for pretense.
"It's one thing for me to not recognize the evil in the lucky cat—after all, I'm just a lover of the finer things. But you, Ms. Hall? You're a big shot in the antique world, dealing in stolen goods. Are you really trying to tell me you made a mistake?
"And let's not forget, you've recommended this lucky cat to me three times, promising it would bring wealth from all directions.
"Now denying it is pointless.
"No need to cover up or explain. Just tell me how you plan to make it right."
As Sebastian spoke, his dozen or so henchmen twisted their necks and prepared to smash up the shop at a moment's notice.
Seeing Sebastian like this, Ellie knew she couldn't bluff her way out. But she wasn't afraid and said coldly, "Mr. Collins, there's no explanation. The only explanation you'll get is that you've made a mistake and should count yourself unlucky. Once the merchandise is out of my hands, I'm no longer responsible."
Ellie's firm attitude shocked the onlookers and even piqued James' interest.
He curiously looked at Ellie, wondering where she got the confidence to challenge Sebastian.
"If it were just a mistake, I'd accept it." Sebastian's face suddenly darkened as he shouted, "But you tried to harm me. Who gave you the guts to make me accept it?
"Guys, smash this antique shop."
His men instantly sprang into action.
"Who gave you the guts to smash Mr. Morris's property?"
James looked up to see Sophie leading a group of people.
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