The Amazing Son-in-Law: Chapters 961-965
Chapter 961
“That won’t work!” Jeff retorted, biting back at Charlie Wade’s confession. He deliberately raised his voice, saying, “Everyone heard you. You said it yourself: ‘There’s no good car, only a good driver.’ If that’s the case, let’s compete in front of everyone.”
Charlie waved his hand, offering a seemingly conciliatory sentence: “Oh, Jeff, let’s not compare. We’re not equally matched; it wouldn’t be fair.”
It truly wasn’t fair. A BMW 760 versus a Mercedes-Benz E300! The difference was vast.
Seeing Charlie’s reluctance, Jeff, mistaking it for fear, sneered. “Charlie Wade, weren’t you just bragging? Why the change of heart now? Wife, can you act like a man?”
Charlie feigned annoyance. “Oh, Jeff, this is pointless. We’re friends who grew up together. Do you have to be so aggressive? It’s just a car. Do you really think yours is superior?”
Jeff, believing Charlie was backing down, pressed on. “The question is whether you dare to compete. If you chicken out, then I’ll have no choice but to consider you a coward.”
Charlie, suddenly emboldened, retorted, “Okay! Let’s race. Who’s afraid?”
Jeff grinned. “Great! First one to the Grand Hyatt Hotel wins. What do you say?”
Charlie nodded. “Okay, but let’s add a little something to raise the stakes.”
“Go ahead!” Jeff confidently replied, “Whatever you want!”
Charlie pondered for a moment. “I heard Lisa say the orphanage needs funds. How about this: whoever loses donates their car to the orphanage?”
Caleb, a mutual friend, urgently intervened, “Charlie Wade, don’t fall for it! He’s up to something!”
Charlie smiled, outwardly agreeing, but inwardly thought, My dear brother, I want him to fall for it. (He couldn’t, of course, say that aloud.)
Jeff laughed. “Charlie Wade, is that your BMW 520? You’re using your wife’s car? Where’s your generosity? What if you lose and she refuses to donate it?”
Claire Wilson, Charlie’s wife, bristled at Jeff’s arrogance. “Although the car is in my name, I guarantee: if my husband loses, I’ll donate it. If he wins, you donate yours. Many people are watching. Do you agree?”
Jeff, instantly less confident, thought, My Mercedes-Benz E300 can’t even keep up with his BMW 520? If he wants humiliation, let’s get this over with!
“Since the ladies have spoken,” Jeff conceded, “I agree. We have many witnesses, including Mrs. Lewis. Whoever loses donates.”
Mrs. Lewis interjected, “Oh, you two! What’s this about? You grew up together! Don’t make this bet. Just eat and reminisce.”
Chapter 962
Jeff immediately responded, “Mrs. Lewis, don’t worry. It’s a personal matter between Charlie and me. It’s for a good cause; either way, the orphanage benefits. My car alone could fetch $400,000 secondhand. Even Charlie’s car is worth two or three hundred thousand. The money can help the orphanage.”
Charlie smiled at Mrs. Lewis. “Mrs. Lewis, don’t worry. Jeff and I will handle it.”
Mrs. Lewis, primarily concerned for Charlie’s well-being, noticed his confidence and suspected something more was afoot. She’d recently returned from a trip to Eastcliff for medical treatment and noticed two peculiar things.
First, the hospital staff treated her with excessive deference, as a VIP, despite her humble status as an orphanage employee. She’d coincidentally encountered a celebrity at Fairview Hospital and observed that the doctor treated her far more respectfully than the star. This led her to speculate about an unknown benefactor.
Second, while undergoing general anesthesia, she overheard the chief surgeon tell his assistant that the patient was the benefactor's protégé, requiring utmost caution. She couldn't shake the feeling that it referred to Charlie Wade.
The millions of dollars in medical expenses had also been mysteriously covered by Charlie. These events, coupled with Charlie's newfound confidence, convinced her not to interfere.
Jeff smugly addressed Charlie, “To be fair, we’ll each have five passengers. Mrs. Lewis, Lisa, and Caleb will be witnesses.”
Charlie nodded. “Mrs. Lewis, Lisa, and Caleb are in my car.”
“Okay!” Jeff agreed. “My old friends will be in mine.”
Chapter 963
A cheer arose, although some friends had to take taxis. Charlie, Claire, Mrs. Lewis, Lisa, and Caleb piled into the BMW 760.
Charlie announced, “Hold on; this will be quick.” Turning to Mrs. Lewis, he added, “I’m going to win a Mercedes-Benz for the orphanage—easily worth over $300,000! We can buy the kids some nice toys.”
Mrs. Lewis smiled. “Thank you, on behalf of the children.”
Jeff’s Mercedes-Benz was also packed. Jeff, at the starting line, lowered his window. “Charlie Wade, ready? I’ll give you a three-second head start.”
Charlie responded modestly, “No need for a head start, let's just race.”
The Mercedes-Benz occupants laughed. Jeff said, “One, two, three, go!”
He accelerated, but Charlie, after a deliberate pause, swiftly overtook him. In seconds, he was far ahead. Jeff didn't realize it was Charlie until someone pointed it out.
“Where?!” Jeff exclaimed in disbelief. “How… how was he so fast?”
A passenger conceded, “Charlie Wade’s got skills.”
“Skills?!” Jeff retorted, sweating. “It's not skill; it's a better car! That bastard tricked me!”
Chapter 964
“What do you mean?!” someone asked.
Jeff realized his mistake. “My car was floored, yet he was so much faster. His car must have at least 400 horsepower!” He panicked, “This is bad. He planned this…”
A passenger asked, “Can’t you win?”
“Win?! (Expletive deleted) The cars aren’t even in the same class! I can’t catch him. The Hyatt is only two or three kilometers away. I’ve lost!”
“Ah?!” A passenger exclaimed. “If you lose, you’ll donate your car?”
“I’ll donate nothing!” Jeff seethed. “Do you know how hard I worked for this car?”
“But you made a public bet.”
Jeff agonized over the humiliation of losing face, yet he didn't want to donate his car. He contemplated skipping town entirely. Then, an idea struck him.
He abruptly changed lanes and aimed for the car in front. His plan: cause an accident to nullify the bet.
His co-pilot screamed, “Brother Jeff! You’re going to hit!”
Jeff coldly thought, That's the plan! However, upon closer inspection, it was a black Porsche Cayenne. He slammed on the brakes, seeing another car, a Passat, to his right. He swerved, hitting the Passat.
The impact totaled the front of his Mercedes-Benz, but thankfully, airbags deployed, preventing injuries. He immediately filmed a WeChat video, showing his damaged car and the Passat, claiming an accident and postponing the race. He felt clever.
Then a middle-aged man approached, enraged. “Are you blind?! That's a W12 Top-of-the-line Phaeton! Over $2 million! Did you kick a donkey?”
Chapter 965
Jeff was shocked. “Phaeton?! Not a Passat?”
The man furiously grabbed him. “Look clearly! Phaeton! A Volkswagen!”
Jeff’s heart sank. It was a low-profile, high-end Phaeton, easily mistaken for a Passat. He’d instinctively targeted a cheaper car.
The Phaeton’s repair costs would likely reach hundreds of thousands of dollars, not to mention his own severely damaged Mercedes-Benz, which would cost at least $200,000 to fix.
He’d previously calculated that a collision with the Passat would result in less than $500,000 in damages, fully covered by insurance. Now, he faced close to $1 million in damages, with insurance covering only $500,000.
Desperate, he pleaded, “Brother, you drive such an expensive car, it’s a trap!”
“A trap?!” the man roared. “You hit my car, you're responsible! You think I’m a scam? I’ll have you dealt with!”
Jeff retreated, “Youcan't hit people!”
“Can’t I?” The driver pulled Jeff close, “My name is Caesar Hilton. Heard of me?”
Jeff’s face paled. He knew Caesar Hilton; one of Don Albertt's most powerful men. His predicament had just become exponentially worse.