Chapter 452 I Am Really Angry
After leaving the Emerald Lake Elite Hotel, James followed Virgil's directions and headed to the cemetery to find Bruce's grave.
Marigold had not only cremated Bruce early but also hastily arranged his final farewell.
The cemetery was remote, the tombstone was rough, and the soil covering the ashes was uneven. Even Bruce's name was misspelled.
The only noticeable flowers were a few messy bunches scattered in front of the tombstone.
This casual and indifferent treatment pained Virgil and the others, and filled James with anger towards Marigold.
James and his parents personally tidied up the grave, then bought fresh flowers to pay their respects to Bruce.
After a few hours of work, Bruce's grave looked different, but James and his family knew that without the family's care, it would eventually become neglected.
Virgil wanted to say something but ended up sighing and turning away.
James and his parents left the cemetery around noon and found a nearby diner for lunch.
Not long after they started eating, James's phone rang.
He answered briefly, then continued eating before taking his parents back to Leo Villa.
Soon after, Nathaniel arrived with a dozen people, dragging five men and women with them.
One of them was the middle-aged woman who had appeared at the jewelry store the previous day.
All five of them were bruised and battered, looking terrified, clearly having suffered a lot.
Seeing James, the middle-aged woman showed a flash of panic in her eyes.
"James, as per your instructions, I had people keep an eye on this woman. Her name is Maeve Harrington," Nathaniel said, kicking Maeve to the ground.
"In the past twenty-four hours, she appeared at the jewelry store three times, bought three gemstone statues, and each time, they were 'accidentally' broken."
"The prices ranged from fifty grand to five hundred grand, according to the invoices."
"The people with her are all involved in similar scams, buying statues, having them broken, and then demanding compensation."
He chuckled, "Just as you suspected, it's a professional extortion racket."
James wasn't surprised. He looked at Maeve. "Is Dragon & Phoenix Jewelry Store in on this with you?"
Maeve didn't respond directly, just groaned while holding her head. "Kidnapping us is illegal."
Nathaniel didn't waste any words, slapping her hard. "Cut the crap, talk."
Maeve screamed, losing a few teeth, and tried to struggle but was pinned down by a foot.
"I'm a civilized person, I don't like violence, but my subordinates have bad tempers. They might accidentally hurt you," James said, leaning down to look at Maeve. "If you don't cooperate, they might accidentally drop you into the river on the way back."
Although Marigold had paid the thirty thousand dollars for the broken statue, Virgil was still upset, insisting he hadn't touched the backpack.
James knew that if this matter wasn't resolved, Virgil would be troubled by it, possibly even developing depression.
Nathaniel added, "Dropping them in the river is too easy. Feeding them to the alligators would be better, no trace left."
Feeling James's cold intent, Maeve shivered and then stammered, "I'll talk, I'll talk."
"We're all under Sidney's employ."
"To maximize profits, he uses his position as vice president of the Gemstone Association to collect or transport damaged gemstones."
"Then he fabricates sales transactions, issues invoices, and has us use the broken gemstones to scam people."
"With the gemstones as evidence, the store employees as witnesses, and the purchase invoices, the targets usually have no choice but to pay up."
Maeve confessed their entire scheme in one breath, "Yesterday, I saw your parents were out-of-towners, dressed well, so I approached them."
After she finished, James narrowed his eyes, "Is Marigold in on this too?"
"No, she's not," Maeve said, clearly knowing a lot. "Those fragments had been used too many times, they were almost unrecognizable, and the cuts were getting old. Sidney decided to extract their last bit of value."
"While Marigold and Bruce were chatting, the store employee swapped them out."
"To prevent Marigold from noticing the broken gemstones, they had someone push her, causing her to bump into Marigold."
She added in a low voice, "As a result, you paid twenty thousand dollars, Marigold didn't lose anything, and the jewelry store gained a fine gemstone statue."
James sneered, "Quite the scheme. Haven't you been reported? No police investigation?"
"Of course there have been, but so what?" Maeve's lips twitched. "Our boss Sidney is the vice president of the Gemstone Association, well-connected, friends with many big shots."
"Even if it's a murder case, he can settle it with a phone call."
"And I've heard he has powerful backers, even connections with the Morris Family; he's very close with someone named Ellie."
She revealed everything she knew, not wanting to submit but knowing James had no solid evidence. However, Nathaniel's ruthlessness forced her to comply.
"Ellie?" James's smile turned playful, "I didn't expect this old friend to still be so active."
Back in Rosewood City, James had crushed Ellie during the Morris Antiques incident, thinking she would disappear. But she continued to work for the Morris Family.
"That's all I know. We're just trying to make a living, earning a thousand dollars per job."
Seeing that James knew Ellie and didn't take her seriously, Maeve trembled, "I have a family to support. Please let me go."
She kowtowed repeatedly to James, "I'll never do it again. I'll personally compensate you for the thirty thousand dollars from yesterday."
"You make a living, but do you know how many people you've ruined, leaving them bankrupt and families broken?" James kicked her away, "Cooperate, and I'll make sure you get a lighter sentence."
He recorded everything Maeve and the others said, played it for his parents, and then called Gerald himself.
No matter Sidney's background or connections, James was determined to uproot him.
At 6:30 PM, James arrived at the Lucky Hotel.
Knowing Ruby and Milo were busy tonight, he declined their offer to pick him up at Leo Villa and showed up alone at the party's lawn entrance.
He didn't ask Ruby and the others to come out to greet him.
For James, he wanted Ruby to be the star, his representative.
Tonight, the Lucky Hotel was bustling like never before, with cars coming and going, and people everywhere.
Not only were the core members of the Mystic Alliance present, but allies from various factions were also attending. The Bennett, Rivera, and Lee families all had representatives there.
The hotel's outer courtyard was filled with business association members, each holding a glass, engaging in lively conversations.
Men in suits, women in glamorous attire, laughter and clinking glasses—the atmosphere was harmonious.
Since it wasn't time to be seated yet and the big shots hadn't arrived, everyone was chatting and waiting in the outer courtyard.
As soon as James appeared, Sidney, Marigold, Coralie, and Vance noticed him.
"James? Damn it! What's he doing here?" Marigold's face instantly darkened, "How shameless can he be?"
Sidney downed his drink, anger rising, "I'm really pissed off now."
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