As soon as Charlie heard the voice, he turned to locate its origin.


    He spotted a young man in a white linen suit, paired with ck cloth shoes, approaching the stall. The young man’s wrists were adorned with an array of bracelets, and on his face sat a pair of antique gold-rimmed sses, featuring two round ck lenses. These sses resembled those worn by children during the Qing Dynasty in China.


    Trailing behind him were four to five bodyguards. In stark contrast to the young man, these bodyguards exuded a fierce and intimidating presence,pelling those nearby to quickly move aside to avoid any potential trouble.


    “Oh, it’s Mr. Quinton!”


    The stall owner’s eyes widened in recognition, a beaming smile spreading across his face. As if a tap had been turned on, he began to shower the young man with ttery. “Mr. Quinton, why didn’t you inform me beforehand of your visit? I would havee out to greet you!”<h3 style="background-color:DodgerBlue">


    “Enough with the nonsense. I’m just here to browse Antique Street today,” the young man replied, waving his hand dismissively.<fn01bb> Read full story at find?novel</fn01bb>


    He walked up to Charlie, eyeing the pebble in his hand, then looked up and said, “Zachary, please wrap up that pebble for me. I’m buying it. It would make a perfect paperweight for my father’s desk.”


    “This…” The stall owner hesitated, ncing at Charlie, before continuing. “Mr. Quinton, I’m afraid this is quite unfortunate, but this gentleman has already purchased the pebble. It really doesn’t hold any significance—it has merely served as a paperweight. I’ve set aside some much finer antiques for you. Why would you want that worthless pebble? You deserve something far more fitting for your status.”


    From this interaction, Charlie learned the stall owner’s name was Zachary, and he clearly had a close rtionship with the young man.


    Charlie was also quite impressed by Zachary’s smooth talking skills; he could weave stories effortlessly without a moment’s hesitation.


    Zachary quickly grabbed a jade horse made from hardened stic and held it out to the young man. “Mr. Quinton, this jade horse belonged to one of thete imperial concubines in the pce. Just look at the rity of the jade—it’s undeniably high quality. I don’t need to borate further. Since we’re such good friends, I’ll let you have it for the same price you paid for the cdon cups yesterday! Just nine thousand dors!”


    Jacob was taken aback to learn that the young man had purchased the same fake cdon cups as he had. The stall owner had already exploited him by selling them for three hundred dors, while Mr. Quinton had actually paid nine thousand!


    “Stop the nonsense and finalize it already!” Mr. Quinton’s patience was wearing thin. He kicked Zachary in the leg and arrogantly dered, “The only thing I want today is that pebble. Sell it to me for twenty thousand dors.”


    Zachary was stunned by the offer of twenty thousand dors. He quickly turned to Charlie and asked, “Brother, would you mind if I sold the pebble to Mr. Quinton instead?”


    Charlie frowned and replied coldly, “I’ve already purchased this pebble, and I have no intention of giving it up.”


    “Who’s asking you to give it up? You haven’t even paid for it yet! That pebble belongs to whoever pays for it!” Mr. Quinton interjected impatiently, pulling a thick wad of cash from his wallet and waving it in front of Zachary.


    “Here, take this. It’s definitely more than twenty thousand dors. You can keep the change.”


    Zachary’s eyes lit up at the sight of the cash. He quickly took the money from Mr. Quinton and turned to Charlie with a smile. “Brother, I have a better offer for you. I can sell you a paperweight that was used by a king in the past. It’s definitely a superior choice!”


    Charlie smiled and responded, “Zachary, you know you can’t break the rules of trade, right? I bought this pebble first, and I’m not interested in giving it up.”


    With no other options, Zachary felt helpless, recognizing that Charlie was unwilling to part with the pebble.


    ording to the rules of antique trade, an item belonged to the first customer the seller was serving if that customer expressed intent to purchase. If Zachary broke that rule, he would jeopardize his ability to continue operating on Antique Street.


    Resigned, Zachary turned to Mr. Quinton and lowered his head, saying, “Mr. Quinton, it appears we’re at an impasse regarding the pebble. After all, it’s just a trivial paperweight. Why don’t I show you something better from my collection at home…”


    Before he could finish, Mr. Quinton kicked Zachary in the waist and cursed at him. “When have you ever acted so ethically?! I’ve bought so many antiques from you, yet you’re abandoning me for some poor man?”


    Mr. Quinton red at Charlie, clearly trying to intimidate him into surrendering the pebble, believing Charlie’s modest attire indicated ack of wealth or influence.