After setting down his wine glass, Lawrence opened the two boxes and took out a small black velvet pouch from his inner jacket pocket, handing it to William.
"Mr. Devonshire, here are the Desert Star sapphire and the Rat and Rabbit bronze heads that you requested. They're yours now."
William took the velvet pouch, opened it, and examined the Desert Star for a moment before smiling. "Everything's been handled cleanly?"
"Of course, sir. Earl Russell's acquisition of these items was already shady. He wouldn't dare reveal anything about them," Lawrence replied cautiously before asking, "If you'd like, I can help handle the paperwork to ensure that ownership is indisputable, even if you wanted to auction them off tomorrow."
"Thanks, but I've got it covered."
William had long had a plan for how to deal with these contested treasures and wasn't foolish enough to leave any leverage in Lawrence's hands.
After inviting Lawrence to stay for lunch, they discussed the other bronze heads. During their conversation, Lawrence revealed that he had tracked down the Horse, Dog, and Pig heads and was negotiating prices with the owners, but there was no trace of the Snake, Rooster, and Sheep heads in the antique circles.
As William sat in his chair pondering, he realized that the Rooster head should be in the Château de Sicé in France, while the Snake and Sheep heads were likely aboard a sunken ship. With this in mind, he said to Lawrence, "You still owe me £900,000. Today you've brought me the Rat and Rabbit, so now you owe me £700,000, correct?"
"Yes, sir," Lawrence nodded.
"Bring me the Horse, Dog, and Pig heads, and our debt will be settled. No problem, right?"
"Of course, of course!" Lawrence replied, almost shouting in excitement. Acquiring the Horse, Dog, and Pig heads for £700,000 would not only earn him a nice profit, but also complete his deal with William.
Having witnessed William's methods, Lawrence didn't hesitate. "I'll contact the owners this afternoon and make sure I have those three treasures for you by tomorrow. Apologies, Mr. Devonshire, but I must take my leave now. We'll meet tomorrow."
"Haha, I like your enthusiasm, Lawrence. Perhaps we'll have plenty of opportunities to work together in the future," William said, shaking Lawrence's hand. "I'll be waiting for good news."
"No problem. See you tomorrow, sir."
"Yes, see you tomorrow."
After Lawrence left, William turned to Sunday. "Check if Earl Russell has a niece who also holds the title of countess."
"Yes, sir," Sunday replied.
A few minutes later, Sunday reported back, "Sir, Earl Russell indeed has a niece named Gwendolyn Russell, but their relationship is not very good."
"Their relationship doesn't concern me," William said with a sly smile. "Is the Château de Sicé and everything inside it owned by the bank?"
"Yes, sir. The ownership belongs to the Bank of France, and the property is listed at approximately $160 million. Château de Sicé is also part of the northern corner of the Château de Chantilly estate."
"Château de Chantilly? Ask if the entire estate is for sale."
"Apologies, sir, but I don't think anyone would dare sell the Château de Chantilly. You should probably let go of that idea. The Château de Sicé is up for sale because it has always been privately owned by Gwendolyn's family, and it's separated from the Château de Chantilly by a lake."
"Just ask. There's no harm in asking," William insisted. "If they're willing to sell, we can negotiate the price. And let the Bank of England and my personal lawyer, Anthony, know that I want to own Château de Sicé by the end of today."
"Understood, sir. Although I still think you're wasting your time."
After taking a nap, William woke up, got into his car, and drove to France. Two and a half hours later, he arrived in the Chantilly area, north of Paris, and stopped outside the Château de Sicé. As soon as he stepped out of the car, Anthony, who had been waiting, rushed over to open the door for him.
"Good afternoon, boss. The contract is ready. All you need to do is sign, and this 230-year-old château will be yours."
William took the document from Anthony, scanned it with his special glasses, and quickly received confirmation from Sunday that everything was in order. He took the gold pen Anthony handed him and signed his name.
"Congratulations, boss. Regarding the treasures inside the château, I'll coordinate with Miss Abigail for appraisal. Should we have them shipped back to England, or leave them here?"
Before William could respond, he heard an argument in French from a distance. Turning around, he saw a beautiful woman about 30 meters away, shouting at a group of men in suits.
"Send them back to England," William replied to Anthony, his attention now on a man standing a few meters away who appeared to be in his fifties.
"Hello, Mr. Devonshire. I'm Pierre, the general manager of the Bank of France. We're pleased to see you investing in France," Pierre said as he shook William's hand. Then, with a slightly awkward expression, he added, "I must apologize. That woman, Gwendolyn Russell, is the daughter of the château's previous owner. I didn't expect her to cause a scene at this time, but don't worry. Regardless of her protests, the château's ownership has been in the bank's hands since June. There's no question about that. And now that you've signed the contract, this 1,200-hectare—"
Pierre paused for a moment, concerned that William, being English, might not be familiar with hectares. "That's approximately 2,966 acres. The château is officially yours."
William nodded. "I'm not worried about that. But, Mr. Pierre, is there anyone still living in the château? I don't want to deal with any lingering issues with the previous owners."
"No, sir, you can rest assured. We've already relocated the previous owner's family to a small house in Paris," Pierre said, pointing to an ambulance leaving the scene. "That ambulance is taking Gwendolyn's grandmother."
"Good," William replied, squinting at Pierre. "Now, can you tell me if the entire Château de Chantilly estate is also owned by your bank?"
Pierre was taken aback by the question. He had previously assumed that Anthony and the Bank of England were joking when they suggested someone might want to buy the entire Château de Chantilly. He hadn't believed anyone could seriously entertain such an idea.
"Don't doubt me. I'm genuinely interested in purchasing the entire estate. The only question now is about the ownership," William said with a friendly smile. "If the estate belongs to your bank, are you willing to sell?"
"Mr. Devonshire, are you sure you're not joking? This is one of the most significant landmarks in France, comparable to the Louvre. Even if we wanted to sell, the French people would never agree to it," Pierre said nervously, wiping the sweat from his forehead.
"So, you're saying the bank does own the estate, and not the French government?" William asked, his eyes narrowing.
Pierre nodded, still bewildered by the conversation.
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