A POWERFUL SON-IN-LAW

-4-

“What about the ceramics?” Mrs. Hoodie asked her granddaughter.

Serena was silent for a moment, then she glanced at the antique ceramics which were on her right side. “Can Grandma see and examine the antique ceramics? Maybe it’s not the antique ceramics that Miles said.”

“Why do you ask like that, Serena? Do you feel that you don’t trust your cousin?”

“No, I’m just curious. Where did Miles get the antique ceramics? Who is his acquaintance?” Serena asked.

Her grandmother smiled again, then she nodded her head. She got up from her seat and examined Miles’ ceramics.

“The smell of paint from this ceramic is quite strong, it seems like this ceramic has strange paint. Like … a dangerous paint.” Mrs. Hoodie spoke. “It looks like this antique ceramic is fake. You realize that, right? That’s why you asked me about these ceramics?” she continued.

Serena became excited when she heard that. How could she not, of course this was a really exciting thing. Serena can prove that Daren’s words were true, and for some reason Serena was happy with that. She didn’t  know how Daren found out about all this. But Daren being able to prove Miles’ lies was a very proud thing.

“Actually, the one who realised about this problem is Daren, Grandma. He was the first to tell me that the ceramics were fake and worth less than a hundred dollars, but Miles continued to be stubborn and said that the antique ceramics were worth a hundred million dollars. I don’t know whether Miles was lied to, or whether it was Miles who lied to his father. But at least Daren has spoken several times and confirmed that the ceramics were fake, and said that the paint on the ceramics could give Grandma a serious lung infection.”

“Then get rid of the fake ceramics and keep them away from me! I don’t want to get sick just because of that cheap thing!”

“Okay, Grandma. I will do it right away.”

“And…” Mrs. Hoodie trailed off, she looked at Serena with a serious expression on her face. “Is it true that Daren was the one who found out about all this?”

Serena nodded firmly then answered. “Yes, Grandma.”

“Then tell Daren to meet me now, I want to talk to him face to face.”

“Okay, Grandma.”

Serena left, then she saw Daren who was waiting for her in the living room.

“How is it, Serena?”

“You were told to come in.”

“What? I?” Daren asked, almost in disbelief. Daren even pointed at himself in disbelief.

“Is there another Daren here besides you, huh?”

Daren smiled then he nodded his head perfectly. Serena was right.

“Okay, I’ll be there.”

Serena nodded then she glanced at Miles who was passing in front of her. Serena immediately looked away from Miles.

Meanwhile, Daren knocked on the door of Mrs. Hoodie’s room, then he smiled stiffly.

“Grandma, did you call me?”

“Yes, I did. I wanted to talk to you about a few things. Sit down .…”

Daren then sat in a chair not far from Mrs. Hoodie.

“How do you know that the antique ceramics given to you by Miles are fake and the paint is very dangerous to me, Daren?”

Daren was silent for a moment, he started to think that maybe Serena was the one who said all this so that her grandmother knew.

“I saw and smelled it, Grandma. I have been in a paint factory. And I can distinguish the smell of expensive paint, the smell of paint from ancient times, and the smell of rotten paint with a high risk for health. Even from a distance, it can be clearly smelled that the paint is paint with quite high chemical content.”

“Then how can you tell if it’s fake antique ceramics?”

“The shape, material, and motif are different. The original ceramic had nine black dots on each flower petal, while Miles’ ceramic only had six black dots. At first glance, they look the same, but believe me, the ceramics are fake, Grandma."

Mrs. Hoodie became silent again. Apparently she was again surprised by what Daren found out. Now he was curious, who was Daren’s real figure? How could Daren know about a problem like this? If Daren knew how many black dots there were, didn’t that mean Daren had seen real ceramics?

“Have you ever gone to see the ceramics in person?”

“No, I just often look on the internet.” Daren argued quite cleverly. If it was like that, surely Mrs. Hoodie would never be suspicious of him, right? “Can’t you study anywhere, Grandma? I have quite a lot of insight from the internet and from books in the library. A free knowledge which has enormous benefits.”

“Then, what if I give you a challenge? Maybe this challenge will make you feel happy.”

“Challenge?”

“Yes.”

Daren was silent again, he was confused about what challenge Mrs. Hoodie would give him.

“If it’s true that you feel you have a lot of knowledge from the internet and reading books then help me. I want to test your intelligence, Daren.”

“Go ahead, Grandma. You can ask for my help in any matter.”

“It’s time to extend the cooperation contract for one of the Hoodie family companies with one of the Hoodie family’s most important business relations. But reportedly the company is reluctant to continue collaborating with our company. So I plan to send you to convince that company to continue collaborating with our company.”

“Whose company is that, Grandma?”

“The company owned by the Wiles family.”

Daren was silent when he heard that. The family belonged to the Wiles family? Wouldn’t that mean it was his family’s company?

“The Wiles family company is the largest and most advanced company in the world today. And continuing to be able to collaborate with this company is very profitable for the Hoodie family company. If you are able to get approval for an extension of cooperation from that company then I will consider you to work at one of the Hoodie companies. At least with that, your family’s economy will improve and you won’t have to work part-time at a restaurant to deliver food for that little salary, right?”

Daren fell silent again. Of course this was a very tempting offer. In fact, Daren had been wanting to return to work at the company for a long time. But up until now Daren was too confused, which company would he work for? Because if his family found out, they will definitely ruin what Daren was trying to do.

“Isn’t Miles the most reliable grandson in the Hoodie family?Why didn’t Grandma just tell Miles to do all this? I’m sure that if we must have a sweet mouth, Miles would definitely be much more capable than me, Grandma.”

“I told him to come to persuade the CEO of the company, but it turns out he failed. That’s why now I want to test you, I want to see how your free learning method can convince them. I give you three days to prepare this proposal. How about that?”

“I’ll do it in one night, Grandma. I will prove to Grandma that I can get the cooperation between the Hoodie family company and the Wiles family company approved.” Daren said confidently.