Chapter 324 Men Cannot Be Trusted
As soon as Jolly finished speaking, all of them in the room fell so silent that one could hear a pin drop. The veins on Ryan’s hand pulsated as he grasped the wedding dress. Even though he remained silent, his expression suggested that he was incensed. Rachel was starting to sweat upon seeing that.
In fact, Rachel wasn’t fond of Ryan either. However, in this kind of situation, they had figured out that the diamonds in the wedding dress were nothing more than hot potatoes, so there was no way he could swallow them up.
Jolly had gone overboard by saying that.
“Jolly.” Rachel took her arm. “I believe Mr. Sutton is sincerely trying to help you. You’ve got him wrong.”
“Really?” Jolly stared coldly at the man. “If he really doesn’t have any ill intentions, why doesn’t he leave an IOU?”
Rachel pursed her lips and uttered in a small voice, “You’re crossing the line…”
Ryan had offered to help them handle this wedding dress and divert Julia’s attention. Instead of thanking him, Jolly doubted his sincerity and even demanded an IOU, which was ridiculous.
What was even more inconceivable was that Ryan nodded in agreement without hesitation. “Alright. How do you want me to write it?”
Initially, Rachel thought that Jolly was just trying to enrage Ryan, but she never expected her best friend to pick up a piece of paper and a pen before passing them to Ryan. “Jot down what I’m about to say.”
Right in front of everyone’s eyes, Ryan directly took the pen and paper before sitting down.
“I, Ryan Sutton, have borrowed D Color five-carat diamonds from Jolly Carter on the Golden Cruise…” Just then, Jolly turned to look at Rachel. “Count how many diamonds there are.”
Rachel came to her senses and straightened the interlacing before doing a quick multiplication by using the grid method. “Three hundred.”
Given the grade of these diamonds, one five-carat diamond would cost somewhere between 600,000 to 2 million. Hence, the diamonds hidden within the wedding dress were worth over 100 million.
That revelation made Rachel gasp.
Even if Julia and Richard were close to each other, there was no way she’d give Jolly diamonds that were worth over 100 million. Moreover, if these diamonds were really meant to be given to Jolly, why were they hidden in a wedding dress? Wasn’t she worried that Jolly might lose them by accident?
Hence, Ryan’s analysis was right. There must be something off about it. The diamonds were most probably used for money laundering.
Jolly went on to say, “There are three hundred five-carat diamonds in total. You have to return them to me in one month. If they’re damaged or lost, you have to give me compensation that is equivalent to the market value of these diamonds.”
“One month?” Ryan shot her a glance. “I can’t guarantee that Julia will believe the wedding dress will never go back to you in one month. It’s dangerous.”
“How long do you need, then?”
“One year.”
“One year?”
“Don’t worry.” Ryan could clearly see the displeasure at her gaze. “I’ll return the diamonds to you in one year. If I fail to do that by then, I’ll compensate you double the market value of these diamonds.”
Upon hearing that, Justin was surprised as well.
Despite knowing that Jolly was just trying to con him, Ryan didn’t mind it one bit. Not only was he willing to give her hundreds of millions, but he was also bearing the risk in her stead. There was no doubt that he was a generous and valiant man.
Jolly traded glances with Rachel, who nodded at her. It was apparent that Jolly should stop pushing her luck.
“Alright, one year that is. Write it down.”
Certainly, Rachel had figured out what was on Jolly’s mind.
Jolly didn’t have the courage to keep the wedding dress by her side, but she was also reluctant to throw it away. Obviously, she would want to con Ryan into giving her a large amount of money. Now, she secretly hoped that the man would lose the diamonds and give her the money.
This way, not only did she not have to bear the risk, but she would also earn hundreds of millions. She believed that she would have a sweet dream later that night.
On the other hand, Rachel was alarmed. What is Ryan trying to achieve by agreeing to a deal that will certainly make him lose money?
“What is he trying to achieve?” When leaving the ship, Jolly directly helped Rachel clear her doubt. “This kind of man places himself first, and the people related to him by blood come second. I’m not important, but he believes that Samuel is his son. Isn’t Justin the same?”
Upon hearing that, Rachel balled up her fists. She’s right. The reason Justin always follows me around is that Charlotte is my daughter. The child only wants me and no one else.
Jolly remarked, “Men cannot be trusted.”
Rachel took a look at the bag in the other woman’s hand and said, “Only diamonds can be trusted. Am I right?”
“That’s right.” Jolly arched her brow.
The cruise ship had been parked at the harbor. At the lower end of the ladder, two ushers were retrieving all of their electronic bracelets and registering their departure. Presently, Ryan and Justin walked in front of the ladies.
There were many people around, so Rachel was unable to identify the person sent by Julia to keep an eye on the wedding dress. Maybe the person was a dapper young man who disguised himself as one of the guests. Maybe the person was the usher at the door.
She realized that she was too anxious.
On the other hand, Jolly was calm and collected. Right in front of everyone, she yelled at Ryan, who was facing away from her. “Ryan! Can you wait for me?”
The man played along and turned around to wait for her in the same spot. There was a helpless but loving expression on his face. It wasn’t certain whether he was putting on a show or being sincere.
Jolly walked over in a haughty manner. When the electronic bracelet was taken away from her, she passed the bag to Ryan. “Take it.”
The two ushers traded glances.
Upon seeing that, Rachel felt her palms sweating.
If Ryan and Justin hadn’t come, or if Jolly and Ryan hadn’t gotten into an argument, no one would’ve discovered the diamonds inside the wedding dress. In that case, they would be targeted the moment they left the ship, and no one knew what would happen next.
It was already the small hours, but the banquet on the cruise ship was still ongoing.
When Julia, who was seated in a luxuriously decorated room, heard a subordinate’s report, her expression changed. “Did you see it clearly? Did she pass the dress to Ryan?”
“Yes.”
“Aren’t they together?”
“No. They parted ways after leaving the ship. Ryan left the place alone. Miss Carter seems to be living in the Burton Residence for now, so she has left with Miss Hudson and President Burton from the Burton Group.”
“I told you that it wasn’t going to work! Ryan is a scheming man. Through the contact between us, I know that it’s not easy to manipulate him, so I’ve always restricted his right to attend the club’s events so that he won’t be able to leak our secrets. However, you sent the diamonds straight to him!”
A man’s voice was suddenly heard in the room. He was one of the founders of the Jockey Club, Randall Baxter. Presently, he was criticizing Julia with a dark expression.
Julia refuted, “How would I know that Ryan would interfere in this matter? After Jefferey got into trouble, the situation in the country was terrible for us as we were targeted by the Investigation Bureau. If we don’t get rid of the diamonds quickly, are we going to wait for inspection?”
“What do you think we can do, then?”
“Keep an eye on Ryan.” Julia’s face fell as she ordered, “All of you, keep a close eye on him and retrieve the diamonds as soon as possible. If there’s something wrong with him, just kill him and remember not to leave any traces behind.”
