Chapter 3

I had been working with The Silk Canopy for a long time. I knew the people working there very well.

“Mr. Grant, please don’t joke around. These are all your company’s expenses. How could your company not have anything to do with these?”

I couldn’t be bothered to argue with Pierre. “Retrieve the surveillance footage.”

Pierre did so at once, retrieving all the relevant surveillance footage based on the specific date and time of the expenses.

After I watched the footage, I couldn’t help but feel flabbergasted and furious.

In the footage, I saw Toby gathering a huge group of people. He booked the largest private room, which had a minimum spending of 3,000 dollars.

I saw Toby raise a wine glass up high with a smug look on his face.

Pierre pointed at Toby’s face on the screen and remarked, “Mr. Grant, see this? He’s your uncle, isn’t he?”

“He’s not any relative of mine. He’s my driver.”

This time, it was Pierre’s turn to be flabbergasted. Shock colored on his face as he exclaimed, “I seriously hope you’re not pulling my leg. I often see him with you when you come here for meals, and you two look quite close. You always call him Uncle Wagner.”

“His last name is Wagner. What about mine?”

A few seconds later, Pierre slapped his forehead hard. “Damn it! I’ve been careless. But he always comes here under your name, saying that you made arrangements to host clients here.”

“I always entertain my own clients in person,” I clarified.

Pierre started feeling anxious. “Now that you mentioned it, you’re right. Good god! What about the remaining expenses, Mr. Grant?”

“Don’t panic. Let’s continue watching,” I said, trying to calm Pierre down first.

We continued playing the footage.

“Dad, you’re doing so well now!”

“Uncle, this job of yours is amazing! You can enjoy a meal anytime at such a high-class restaurant. Look at this lobster! I’ve only seen something like this on TV.”

“Darling, you’ve got to learn from your uncle. Otherwise, we’ll never be able to afford this lobster in our entire lifetimes.”

A smug look appeared on Toby’s face when he was praised.

He raised his glass and said, “Let me tell you, this bottle of wine alone costs 2,000 dollars. Each gulp you take costs a few hundred dollars. But don’t worry, we have enough of this to go around. My boss is an idiot who listens to my every word.

“If he’s the king of his company, I’m the king emeritus. He has to address me as Uncle Wagner in front of others.”

“Toby, you’re simply amazing! I heard that his company’s employee benefits are pretty good. Can you get my son Matthias a managerial position? The salary doesn’t need to be high, about 5,000 a month will do.”

“Don’t worry, that’s a piece of cake! A call from me will settle things.”

“Uncle Wagner, that car of yours looks pretty good. When can I take it for a spin? It looks like it costs a few tens of thousands of dollars.”

“A few tens of thousands? It costs 600,000 dollars! It’s a luxury car, mind you,” Toby said proudly with his chest puffed out.

He spoke as though he owned the car. He couldn’t hide the pride on his face.

Everyone gasped at the staggering figure.

“That's so expensive! Uncle Wagner, can I try driving it?”

“Of course. I have the key. Feel free to take it for a spin.”

“Do you need to inform your boss?”

“Rubbish! He’s as obedient as a child in front of me. It’s fine. This car is practically mine. Drive it all you want.”

“Uncle Wagner, you’re amazing!”

Surrounded by such an atmosphere, Toby was feeling beyond smug.