Chapter 225: Meeting Viper
After leaving the Goodridge residence, Raylee received a call from Samuel on her way back to Goodridge Manor. He launched into a tirade without hesitation. “Raylee, I bought you food, yet you spurned my goodwill! I can’t believe how ungrateful you are!”
Raylee retorted, “You’re the one who doesn’t know better. Don’t you understand how much I despise you? When I despise someone, they wouldn’t even have the chance to spend money on me. If you pull off such a disgusting stunt again, I’ll dump all the takeout on your head!” After venting her frustrations, she ended the call.
In the afternoon, Raylee met Shanice at a restaurant. “Ray-Ray, everything you asked me to arrange is done. Viper will be here soon; you guys can discuss it in detail then,” Shanice said, raising an eyebrow.
Raylee embraced her gratefully. “Thank you for acting as a go-between. Without your help, things wouldn’t have gone so smoothly. Love you, muacks!”
Shanice declared heartily, “Hey, no matter how big the issue is, your enemies are my enemies too. I’ve hated that b*tch for a while now. If this plan can bring about her downfall, I’d be more than happy to see it happen!”
After waiting for roughly ten minutes, a tall, robust man adorned with a chunky gold chain walked into the private room. The man had a blue snake tattooed on his face—a three-dimensional, incredibly lifelike snake coiled from his neck to his left cheek. Even a single glance revealed its terrifyingly grotesque nature. Because of this tattoo, this man was nicknamed Viper.
Viper was a well-known figure in the Jexburgh underworld, running illicit gambling dens and illegal online lending. He could also make others' problems disappear for a price. Shanice knew him reasonably well, so she introduced him to Raylee.
“Sorry, Raylee, I got held up in traffic, so I was late. I’ll make it up by downing three drinks!” Viper’s voice was booming. He picked up the wine glass and poured himself three full servings, drinking them all down in one go. He was not shy. His carefree and hearty nature made Raylee feel that he was someone reliable. Out of respect, Raylee consciously drank three glasses as well, substituting the alcohol with coffee.
Upon learning about Raylee’s situation from Shanice, Viper didn’t make a big deal out of it. After exchanging pleasantries, the two sat down to discuss business. Viper spoke with an air of enthusiasm.
“Raylee, regarding the girl named Mindy, I set up a simple trap, and she fell right into it. Can you guess how I played my cards? First, I set up a gamble where she lost twenty million, then I lured her into taking out a ten-million online loan. The online loan was accruing interest daily, so her total debt has spiraled up to thirty million. She couldn’t afford to pay it back, and initially, she found herself constantly on the run. But not long after, a woman with the surname Goodridge helped her repay ten million. However, she was short on cash, so she used gold jewelry worth twenty million as collateral.”
In just one short week, the two women were drawn to gambling, and the amount they bet was substantial. This clearly demonstrated Viper’s capabilities. He continued, “They’re watching her. Not only do they not allow her to go out alone, but they also restrict her spending. My gut tells me that she likely scraped together the million she repaid from every nook and cranny. However, she is never short of jewelry. Members of the Goodridge family surely shower her with gifts on a regular basis.”
“Hahaha, who cares about her? All I want is my money. If she doesn’t pay up, she’ll see what I’m capable of!” declared Viper with a sinister grin.
Raylee pulled out a check and a small bag of jewelry, expressing her gratitude. “Viper, here’s five million and some jewelry. Consider it your reward. I’m sure I’ll need your help again. I look forward to a wonderful partnership in the future.” She actually didn’t have much cash on hand, but she had a fair amount of jewelry stashed away at Goodridge Manor from the past. Vera never touched any of it, which came in handy for emergencies.
Viper graciously accepted it, saying, “Raylee, you’re quite easygoing. Since you’re a friend of Ms. Sutherland, then you’re a friend of mine. I’ve always lived by the code of the underworld, so in the future, if you ever run into any trouble, know that you can always turn to me for help.”
“Thanks, Viper, there’s actually one more thing I need to ask for your help with.” “Go ahead, Raylee,” he said.
“Help me craft a replica of the gold jewelry that Waverly pawned for me. Make sure the proportions and design are exact.”
Suzanne asked quizzically, “Ray-Ray, why do you need a bunch of fakes?” Raylee teased, “It’s a secret.”
As expected, Viper was incredibly resourceful. In less than three hours, Raylee had received a package of counterfeit gold jewelry. They looked exactly like the jewelry worth twenty million that was pawned by Waverly, so much so that they could easily be mistaken for the real thing.
“Viper, could you please give these fake jewels to Mindy? Let her know that all the jewelry Waverly brought to repay her debt was counterfeit. She still owes twenty million in debt.” Raylee spoke in a calm manner, yet her tone carried a hint of ruthlessness.
Shanice was hit by a sudden realization. “I get it now, Ray-Ray, you’re planning to drive a wedge between those two, aren’t you? Once Mindy realizes that the jewelry is counterfeit and she still owes a considerable amount of money, she is bound to pressure Waverly further.”