Chapter 8 The Work Of The Master

The sole reason why Bill had adopted Maria was that he planned to make her marry into the Wilson family as Vivian's substitute.

The Wilson family was not only one of the most powerful families in Sheffield, but the entire country.

It should have been impossible for someone like Bill to get an opportunity to even get acquainted with any member of the Wilson family.

But one day, Michael Wilson, the Wilson family patriarch, suddenly approached Bill with a proposal. He wanted his grandson, Anthony, to marry Bill's daughter.

Of course, Bill was overjoyed initially. Of all the other prominent families in Sheffield, Michael had chosen the ordinary Jenkins family. How could Bill refuse such a golden opportunity?

However, something unexpected happened right after the two families made an unofficial agreement.

The Wilson family, being powerful and influential, had many enemies. One night, Anthony was ambushed by a group of hired thugs. He survived the brutal attack but both his legs became disabled as a result.

Moreover, even Michael, his grandfather, got injured in the middle of the altercation and needed to be hospitalized.

Michael was so angry with his grandson's incompetence that he cut Anthony off.

Coincidentally, the senior executives of the company where Vivian worked suddenly decided that she was good enough to star in a web series. They even got her a chance to be on a popular talk show.

While Vivian's career was skyrocketing, Anthony had become nothing but a cripple who was abandoned by even his own family. Like any father who doted on his daughter, Bill didn't want his beloved Vivian to marry someone like Anthony.

After much thinking, Bill found a loophole. Based on his oral agreement with the Wilsons, he only promised to marry his daughter to Anthony. But he never specified which daughter it would be.

Which was why Bill adopted Maria. Now, he officially had two daughters.

Moreover, Maria was a few months older than Vivian. As part of tradition, the elder daughter was supposed to get married first.

Therefore, Maria turned out to be the perfect substitute.

Unexpectedly, Bill's adopted daughter now turned out to be someone capable of stealing from others.

Nonetheless, he was still reluctant to hand Maria over to the police despite the concrete evidence right in front of them.

Bill figured that this was a good opportunity to teach Maria a lesson instead. Perhaps he could still purge everything that was unpleasant about the girl by disciplining her thoroughly. Besides, all his effort would be in vain if he couldn't turn her into a suitable bride for the Wilson family.

Maria, on the other hand, was growing impatient. Bill and the others were still busy eyeballing the jade pendant, so she cleared her throat loudly. "How long are you planning to stare at that thing? Are you sure that's what you're looking for?"

"Well, wouldn't you know? You're the one who stole it! How dare you steal Jadee? This is Master Vincent Geoffrey's work. I doubt you know who he is, but you should know that his works are all valuable! This small piece alone is worth over a million dollars!" Vivian scoffed condescendingly.

"Wait... Really? This is Vincent Geoffrey's work?"

Maria's eyebrows shot up in surprise and she couldn't help but blurt out the familiar name in disbelief.

"What? You know Master Vincent Geoffrey? Please. Do you really expect me to believe such bullshit?" Vivian rolled her eyes hard. She wasn't buying a thing Maria said.

How could a country bumpkin know anything about art, let alone the legendary jade carver? Impossible!

And Vincent wasn't like the other popular artists or celebrities. He had always been a recluse and seldom appeared in public.

Unlike her daughter, Julie faltered slightly. Judging from Maria's tone, she thought that there might be a hidden story regarding this matter.

"Do you really know Vincent Geoffrey?" she asked hesitantly. It was evident from her tone that she was curious.

Biting her lower lip, Maria answered, "Well, yes. I know him... But not that well."

She wasn't lying. They really didn't know each other that well.

Besides, in Maria's eyes, if two people didn't have a close relationship that lasted at least a few years, they couldn't really call each other friends.