"Also, why did you tell them in advance? Once we move in, we could simply bring in authenticators. Then, we can report them to the police and get all of them arrested."Laurence explained, "Tony is crafty. If he dared to do something like that, he'd make sure the fakes came with certificates and were convincing enough to pass for the real thing. Ordinary authenticators might not be able to tell the difference."After a pause, he continued, "Even if I didn't say anything, he would've prepared in advance. He wouldn't have replaced the antiques on the first floor. Those are the most valuable pieces. The ones upstairs are mostly small ones and worth less."He could also shift the blame onto his children and grandchildren. We don't have a sure way to win a case against him, so we'll just make them spend even more money buying back the genuine pieces. That'll also deal a serious blow to his family."When they buy the antiques back, they'll leave a trail for us to follow. Keep a close eye

Although Laurence loved Risa dearly, his heart clearly favored Chloe.Risa lived and studied in Wiltspoon, only returning to FC Manor during summer and winter breaks."I'll talk to Mom and tell her not to agree to Chloe marrying Devon so soon. Let that guy stew a little longer."Laurence had not gotten the girl he loved to marry him yet, but Devon had already beaten him to it.He was a little green-eyed monster now.Noelle said, "Chloe gets to decide when she marries. Mom won't interfere. She might even be hoping they get married as soon as possible. I think she's eager to have grandchildren."She's already pushing Connor to get married, and she's pressuring you pretty hard too."Laurence looked at her with warm and tender eyes. "She deliberately pushed me to get married to force me to confess my feelings for you. Did you think they couldn't tell how I felt? They all knew. Even the younger ones could see it."Noelle, I regret it. I regret not telling you how I felt sooner. If I

"Anyone from the family can enter this place. On the other hand, my private residence isn't somewhere people can come and go as they please. That's why I'll move in there for a while and return to the estate once the renovations are complete."Laurence's private residence was indeed off-limits to almost everyone. Even Manny and Tony had never managed to get inside. Every assassin they sent to kill Laurence was caught. In truth, Laurence did not have that many bodyguards compared to Manny and Tony. However, his residence was stocked with numerous poisons and guarded by wolfdogs. Even if an assassin evaded capture, accidentally coming into contact with a poison would still land them in Laurence's hands.It was said that the residence even contained several lethal poisons that could kill with the slightest contact with blood. Everyone feared death. Many of the assassins Manny and Tony sent did not even dare to climb the wall. They were terrified of encountering one of those poisons.

Stuart assumed Laurence was simply stopping by and had indeed neglected his duties. He thought Laurence and Noelle would not bother drinking tea anyway, so he had simply brewed two cups using old tea leaves.Well, that was all he had left anyway. He had sold all the good tea for cash.After leaving the hall, Stuart pulled out his phone and called Tony.Manny probably was not home, but Tony was retired. Besides, Laurence just mentioned coming from the main estate, which meant Tony should be at home.When Tony answered, Stuart lowered his voice and pleaded, "Help me! Laurence suddenly showed up at the villa and wanted to check the ledgers. This year's fresh tea is gone. He wants to know where it went."Tony frowned. "So what if he went to the villa? Why does he suddenly want to check the books and specifically investigate the tea? Did you sell all of it? I told you, you could've just sold a pound or two. How could you sell everything?"Stuart's face flushed, and he whispered, "Well

Even the accounts for the fresh tea had been falsified. Stuart recorded that Manny took some of it, while the rest was used as gifts. He even listed the recipients, but those names were all made up. In reality, he had sold the tea.Laurence would definitely find out.The new head's first crackdown had landed on a mere butler at the secondary residence."That was your mistake. What do you expect me to do? I can't help you. You're on your own."With that, Tony ended the call.His own family was already struggling to protect itself. How could he spare any concern for a mere butler like Stuart?Stuart was just an ordinary member of the Longbottom family. He was simply good at flattering people and had pleased Manny enough for him to be promoted to butler of the secondary residence. He had held the position for more than ten years ever since Manny became the acting head.Stuart spent all those years lining his pockets. Otherwise, how could his family have risen so far above the other