The Amazing Son-in-Law: Chapters 961-965
Chapter 961
โThat wonโt work!โ Jeff retorted, biting back at Charlie Wadeโs confession. He deliberately raised his voice, saying, โEveryone heard you. You said it yourself: โThereโs no good car, only a good driver.โ If thatโs the case, letโs compete in front of everyone.โ
Charlie waved his hand, offering a seemingly conciliatory sentence: โOh, Jeff, letโs not compare. Weโre not equally matched; it wouldnโt be fair.โ
It truly wasnโt fair. A BMW 760 versus a Mercedes-Benz E300! The difference was vast.
Seeing Charlieโs reluctance, Jeff, mistaking it for fear, sneered. โCharlie Wade, werenโt you just bragging? Why the change of heart now? Wife, can you act like a man?โ
Charlie feigned annoyance. โOh, Jeff, this is pointless. Weโre friends who grew up together. Do you have to be so aggressive? Itโs just a car. Do you really think yours is superior?โ
Jeff, believing Charlie was backing down, pressed on. โThe question is whether you dare to compete. If you chicken out, then Iโll have no choice but to consider you a coward.โ
Charlie, suddenly emboldened, retorted, โOkay! Letโs race. Whoโs afraid?โ
Jeff grinned. โGreat! First one to the Grand Hyatt Hotel wins. What do you say?โ
Charlie nodded. โOkay, but letโs add a little something to raise the stakes.โ
โGo ahead!โ Jeff confidently replied, โWhatever you want!โ
Charlie pondered for a moment. โI heard Lisa say the orphanage needs funds. How about this: whoever loses donates their car to the orphanage?โ
Caleb, a mutual friend, urgently intervened, โCharlie Wade, donโt fall for it! Heโs up to something!โ
Charlie smiled, outwardly agreeing, but inwardly thought, My dear brother, I want him to fall for it. (He couldnโt, of course, say that aloud.)
Jeff laughed. โCharlie Wade, is that your BMW 520? Youโre using your wifeโs car? Whereโs your generosity? What if you lose and she refuses to donate it?โ
Claire Wilson, Charlieโs wife, bristled at Jeffโs arrogance. โAlthough the car is in my name, I guarantee: if my husband loses, Iโll donate it. If he wins, you donate yours. Many people are watching. Do you agree?โ
Jeff, instantly less confident, thought, My Mercedes-Benz E300 canโt even keep up with his BMW 520? If he wants humiliation, letโs get this over with!
โSince the ladies have spoken,โ Jeff conceded, โI agree. We have many witnesses, including Mrs. Lewis. Whoever loses donates.โ
Mrs. Lewis interjected, โOh, you two! Whatโs this about? You grew up together! Donโt make this bet. Just eat and reminisce.โ
Chapter 962
Jeff immediately responded, โMrs. Lewis, donโt worry. Itโs a personal matter between Charlie and me. Itโs for a good cause; either way, the orphanage benefits. My car alone could fetch $400,000 secondhand. Even Charlieโs car is worth two or three hundred thousand. The money can help the orphanage.โ
Charlie smiled at Mrs. Lewis. โMrs. Lewis, donโt worry. Jeff and I will handle it.โ
Mrs. Lewis, primarily concerned for Charlieโs well-being, noticed his confidence and suspected something more was afoot. Sheโd 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. Sheโd 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 protรฉgรฉ, 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, โTo be fair, weโll each have five passengers. Mrs. Lewis, Lisa, and Caleb will be witnesses.โ
Charlie nodded. โMrs. Lewis, Lisa, and Caleb are in my car.โ
โOkay!โ Jeff agreed. โMy old friends will be in mine.โ
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, โHold on; this will be quick.โ Turning to Mrs. Lewis, he added, โIโm going to win a Mercedes-Benz for the orphanageโeasily worth over $300,000! We can buy the kids some nice toys.โ
Mrs. Lewis smiled. โThank you, on behalf of the children.โ
Jeffโs Mercedes-Benz was also packed. Jeff, at the starting line, lowered his window. โCharlie Wade, ready? Iโll give you a three-second head start.โ
Charlie responded modestly, โNo need for a head start, let's just race.โ
The Mercedes-Benz occupants laughed. Jeff said, โOne, two, three, go!โ
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.
โWhere?!โ Jeff exclaimed in disbelief. โHowโฆ how was he so fast?โ
A passenger conceded, โCharlie Wadeโs got skills.โ
โSkills?!โ Jeff retorted, sweating. โIt's not skill; it's a better car! That bastard tricked me!โ
Chapter 964
โWhat do you mean?!โ someone asked.
Jeff realized his mistake. โMy car was floored, yet he was so much faster. His car must have at least 400 horsepower!โ He panicked, โThis is bad. He planned thisโฆโ
A passenger asked, โCanโt you win?โ
โWin?! (Expletive deleted) The cars arenโt even in the same class! I canโt catch him. The Hyatt is only two or three kilometers away. Iโve lost!โ
โAh?!โ A passenger exclaimed. โIf you lose, youโll donate your car?โ
โIโll donate nothing!โ Jeff seethed. โDo you know how hard I worked for this car?โ
โBut you made a public bet.โ
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, โBrother Jeff! Youโre going to hit!โ
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. โAre you blind?! That's a W12 Top-of-the-line Phaeton! Over $2 million! Did you kick a donkey?โ
Chapter 965
Jeff was shocked. โPhaeton?! Not a Passat?โ
The man furiously grabbed him. โLook clearly! Phaeton! A Volkswagen!โ
Jeffโs heart sank. It was a low-profile, high-end Phaeton, easily mistaken for a Passat. Heโd instinctively targeted a cheaper car.
The Phaetonโs 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.
Heโd 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, โBrother, you drive such an expensive car, itโs a trap!โ
โA trap?!โ the man roared. โYou hit my car, you're responsible! You think Iโm a scam? Iโll have you dealt with!โ
Jeff retreated, โYoucan't hit people!โ
โCanโt I?โ The driver pulled Jeff close, โMy name is Caesar Hilton. Heard of me?โ
Jeffโs face paled. He knew Caesar Hilton; one of Don Albertt's most powerful men. His predicament had just become exponentially worse.