Insta Empire Ep 22 - 32

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5 months ago

Transcript

00:00:00 Hi guys, Kevin here!

00:00:02 Listen to full episodes of Insta Empire exclusively on the Pocket FM app!

00:00:07 Click the link in the description to install the app now!

00:00:11 Kevin was happy that his last conversation with Lily had gone so well.

00:00:15 Now that he was the owner of the penthouse at Corwin Tower, he needed to spend a few

00:00:19 days buying everything he needed.

00:00:22 It was an enormous two-floor apartment with its own private elevator, so it took a lot

00:00:26 of effort.

00:00:28 After he'd arranged everything, he had a little free time, so he called Lily early in the

00:00:32 morning.

00:00:33 "Hi Kevin, when are you coming back?" she asked.

00:00:37 She didn't even give him a chance to answer.

00:00:39 "I'll be waiting for you at home."

00:00:41 Lily hung up the phone with a smile.

00:00:44 Once Lily knew that Kevin would be back later that day, she decided not to go to work.

00:00:49 Instead, she washed up and got dressed in one of her nicest outfits.

00:00:53 "Why are you letting that guy come back?

00:00:56 Didn't he abandon you?"

00:00:58 Dorothy looked at Lily, who was sitting on the sofa, combing her hair, and said, "I went

00:01:02 to a lot of trouble to introduce you to Garrett Butcher.

00:01:06 How did that go?"

00:01:07 "Don't ask me again.

00:01:09 I'm not going to divorce Kevin," Lily said without looking up.

00:01:15 This really upset Dorothy.

00:01:16 "Why did you ever marry him?

00:01:19 He lived in our house for free for almost three years.

00:01:22 All he did was offer himself in a hostage exchange and now you're ready to run back

00:01:26 to him."

00:01:28 Lily put down her comb and let out a sigh.

00:01:30 "Kevin saved you too, or have you forgotten that?"

00:01:34 "You want me to thank him for such a small thing?

00:01:38 Never!"

00:01:39 Dorothy slapped the table hard.

00:01:41 Dorothy continued her tirade.

00:01:43 "Let me ask you this.

00:01:45 During the three years you and Kevin were married, were you ever happy?

00:01:49 Can he give you the life you want?

00:01:52 Every other wealthy family I know has successful son-in-laws.

00:01:56 Some of them are worth millions.

00:01:58 How does Kevin compare to them?"

00:02:01 Dorothy's complaining was interrupted by the sound of an engine out in the street.

00:02:06 She looked out the window and was astonished to see Kevin getting out of a brand new sports

00:02:10 car.

00:02:11 "I'm back!"

00:02:12 Kevin smiled and waved at Dorothy.

00:02:15 Dorothy looked at Kevin in shock and then looked at the sports car parked outside.

00:02:19 "Kevin?"

00:02:20 Dorothy asked in disbelief.

00:02:22 Kevin nodded slightly at Dorothy, then he walked into the living room and said to Lily

00:02:26 with a smile, "I'm back."

00:02:29 Lily looked at the sports car parked in front of the house.

00:02:31 She wasn't sure what to make of it.

00:02:33 "That's my boss's car.

00:02:35 Because I'm taking the day off, he lent it to me," Kevin explained with a smile.

00:02:40 Before Lily could say anything, Dorothy interrupted, "Ah, so it's your boss's car.

00:02:45 For a second I thought you were doing better financially."

00:02:49 Kevin shook his head a little and smirked when he heard her say that.

00:02:53 He was used to Dorothy's attitudes towards him and it looked like things hadn't changed.

00:02:57 "Still a good for nothing, I see."

00:03:00 Dorothy looked at Kevin's indifferent expression and it only made her more irritated.

00:03:05 Dorothy turned around and looked at Lily as she continued her attack on Kevin.

00:03:10 "I just don't understand.

00:03:12 What are you waiting for?

00:03:14 Isn't Garrett Butcher good enough for you?

00:03:16 This is making me sick."

00:03:17 "Mind your own business, Mom," Lily said with a sigh.

00:03:22 "He's found a job now, so I want to give him a chance to show me he's changed."

00:03:27 Dorothy didn't argue with her.

00:03:29 She just glared at Kevin and went into her room.

00:03:32 "So, we're not getting a divorce?"

00:03:34 Kevin asked Lily with a smile.

00:03:36 "That depends on how things go," Lily said very calmly.

00:03:41 Kevin didn't say anything else.

00:03:42 No matter what decision Lily ended up making, he would respect her wishes.

00:03:47 When he thought about it, Lily had always put a lot of pressure on him.

00:03:50 Lily looked over at Kevin a couple of times.

00:03:53 For some reason, she was starting to blush.

00:03:55 "I'm going to head upstairs to rest."

00:03:58 Kevin followed her upstairs.

00:04:00 After he entered the bedroom, he saw how messy it was.

00:04:03 "It looks like no one has cleaned in a few days."

00:04:07 He began tidying up.

00:04:09 Dorothy walked in and saw Kevin cleaning like everything was back to normal.

00:04:13 She angrily took out her phone and dialed Garrett's number.

00:04:16 "Aunt Dorothy, what do you want?"

00:04:19 His voice wasn't very warm.

00:04:21 Dorothy didn't pay any attention to that and got straight to the point.

00:04:25 "Garrett, did you have a nice date with Lily?

00:04:28 How are you guys getting along?"

00:04:30 Dorothy's tone was extremely gentle, as if Garrett had already become her son-in-law.

00:04:36 Garrett sounded very anxious.

00:04:37 "Aunt Dorothy, I think Lily and Kevin are a match made in heaven.

00:04:41 I don't want to come between them."

00:04:43 "This really surprised Dorothy."

00:04:46 She asked him.

00:04:47 "Are you okay, Garrett?

00:04:48 What are you talking about?

00:04:50 Kevin's nobody compared to you."

00:04:52 "Aunt Dorothy, I'm absolutely serious.

00:04:53 If you see Kevin again, please tell him I said hi.

00:04:54 You can also tell him that I wish him and Lily many years of happiness."

00:05:03 Dorothy looked at her phone with a confused expression on her face.

00:05:07 She was wondering if she'd called the wrong number.

00:05:09 "Garrett, is there something wrong?"

00:05:12 Dorothy asked hesitantly.

00:05:13 "No, Aunt Dorothy, there's nothing wrong.

00:05:14 Nothing at all.

00:05:15 I still have some work to do, so I have to get going.

00:05:20 Bye."

00:05:21 Then he immediately hung up the phone.

00:05:23 Dorothy angrily threw her phone onto the bed.

00:05:26 She really didn't understand what was going on with Garrett.

00:05:29 She was certain that he had said that he was interested in Lily.

00:05:33 Suddenly there was a knock on the front door.

00:05:36 Dorothy frowned slightly and walked over to answer it.

00:05:39 "Who is it?"

00:05:40 "Hi, Aunt Dorothy."

00:05:42 She opened the door and Rachel walked in.

00:05:44 "Hi, Rachel.

00:05:46 Please have a seat," Dorothy said with a smile.

00:05:49 She turned around and shouted upstairs, "Lily, Rachel is here."

00:05:54 When Lily walked downstairs, she sat down on the sofa next to Rachel and started chatting

00:05:58 with her.

00:05:59 Dorothy shouted upstairs again, "Kevin, what are you doing?

00:06:03 Come down here."

00:06:04 When Rachel heard this, her smile turned into a look of surprise.

00:06:08 She gulped and asked Lily, "Is Kevin home?"

00:06:13 Ever since Rachel found out who Kevin really was, she didn't dare to come over and visit

00:06:17 Lily.

00:06:18 The night before, when she was talking to Lily on a video call, she found out that Kevin

00:06:23 hadn't been home in a few days.

00:06:25 So she figured it was safe to come over and hang out with her friend.

00:06:28 She certainly didn't expect Kevin to actually be there.

00:06:32 He just came back today.

00:06:34 Lily didn't notice the change in Rachel's expression.

00:06:37 Just as Rachel was about to find an excuse to head home, she saw Kevin walking slowly

00:06:42 down the stairs.

00:06:44 When he saw Rachel, he gave her a slight smile.

00:06:47 "What are you still standing there for?

00:06:49 Make a cup of coffee for Rachel."

00:06:51 Dorothy snapped at Kevin.

00:06:53 But he just stood there on the bottom step, leaning lightly on the handrail.

00:06:57 Rachel stood up and said, "Oh, you don't need to go to any trouble.

00:07:01 I'm not thirsty."

00:07:03 Lily frowned at her friend.

00:07:05 "Rachel, you don't seem to be yourself.

00:07:07 Are you okay?"

00:07:09 Lily asked her with a hint of doubt in her voice.

00:07:11 "That's possible.

00:07:13 Maybe it's because I didn't get enough sleep last night," Rachel explained.

00:07:17 But Dorothy also felt that something was wrong.

00:07:20 She thought about the strange conversation with Garrett and now Rachel's odd behavior.

00:07:25 "Why is everyone so afraid of this bum?"

00:07:28 Dorothy thought to herself.

00:07:30 "Then go to the fridge and get her some fruit."

00:07:33 Dorothy barked at Kevin.

00:07:35 "No need, Aunt Dorothy.

00:07:37 I still have some things to do, so I have to head home.

00:07:40 I just stopped by to say hi."

00:07:43 Rachel was afraid of what she'd say if she stayed there any longer.

00:07:47 Kevin hadn't said a thing, but Rachel couldn't stand the pressure.

00:07:50 "Oh, don't leave so soon.

00:07:53 Why don't you stay a little longer?"

00:07:55 Kevin asked with a smile.

00:07:57 "I really have something to take care of, so I've got to run," Rachel said apologetically.

00:08:02 "Okay, we won't keep you," Lily said.

00:08:06 She looked at Kevin and then back at Rachel and asked her, "How did you get here?

00:08:10 I didn't see your car."

00:08:12 "It's in the shop," Rachel forced a smile.

00:08:15 "I'll just take a cab or something."

00:08:17 "You don't need to pay for a ride," Dorothy said.

00:08:21 "Kevin's got his boss's car today.

00:08:23 He can drive you home."

00:08:25 Rachel looked at Dorothy in surprise.

00:08:27 Didn't she know who Kevin really was?

00:08:30 "That's too much trouble.

00:08:32 I'll be fine."

00:08:33 Rachel was on the verge of tears.

00:08:35 "Rachel, why are you being so polite to him?

00:08:38 He'll only hang around here and do nothing," Dorothy replied.

00:08:42 Kevin sighed.

00:08:43 He pulled his keys out of his pocket and said, "It's no problem, Rachel.

00:08:47 Let's go."

00:08:48 At this point, Rachel had no choice.

00:08:51 She grabbed her purse, said goodbye to Lily and Dorothy, and headed out the door with

00:08:56 Kevin.

00:08:57 As she got in, she noticed that Kevin's new car was a Maserati Coupe, a pretty modest

00:09:02 choice considering what he could have bought.

00:09:05 After a few minutes, Rachel said timidly, "You can just drop me here, Kevin.

00:09:09 I can really take a taxi home."

00:09:12 Kevin steered with one hand while he adjusted the steering wheel with the other.

00:09:16 "What did you just call me?

00:09:18 Have you forgotten already?

00:09:20 Boss," Rachel said softly.

00:09:22 "That's better."

00:09:24 Kevin smiled and said, "Don't be so nervous, Rachel.

00:09:27 As long as we're already out, I might as well drop you off at home.

00:09:31 Anyway, I don't have anything else going on today."

00:09:33 "Thank you, boss," Rachel said.

00:09:37 Kevin laughed and turned onto Michigan Avenue.

00:09:40 While he was waiting for a traffic light, he heard a voice in the car next to him.

00:09:44 "Isn't that Kevin?

00:09:46 So you're driving a fancy sports car now?"

00:09:49 Kevin looked over and saw that it was Jason.

00:09:51 Unfortunately, traffic was starting to back up so he couldn't hit the gas and get away

00:09:55 from him.

00:09:56 "Kevin, you sure are living well now.

00:09:59 That car must have cost, what, $200,000?"

00:10:02 After Jason said that, he looked in the passenger seat and saw Rachel.

00:10:06 "I see you found a lovely rich woman to support you.

00:10:09 And who is this pretty lady?"

00:10:11 "Don't bring her into it," Kevin said coldly.

00:10:15 "Kevin, you're just a poser," Jason replied.

00:10:18 In fact, when Jason saw Rachel, he figured the sports car was really hers.

00:10:23 Then he assumed Kevin had found a rich woman to pay for his lavish lifestyle.

00:10:27 "Kevin, you really are amazing.

00:10:30 You've had free room and board for three years with Lily and now you're looking for another

00:10:34 rich woman to support you?

00:10:36 I should have known."

00:10:38 Jason sneered and revved his engine.

00:10:40 Because Jason was making so much noise, the pedestrians who were waiting to cross the

00:10:44 street heard everything.

00:10:46 Their comments were pretty insulting.

00:10:48 "So he's married into the Joneses family?"

00:10:52 Another commented, "I'm a handsome guy.

00:10:54 Why can't I find a rich woman to buy me a car?"

00:10:57 This was pretty frustrating for Kevin and he started to lose his temper.

00:11:01 But Rachel, who had been sitting calmly in the front passenger seat, got even more angry

00:11:06 than Kevin.

00:11:07 The traffic wasn't moving at all, so she opened the car door and walked over to Jason's window.

00:11:13 Suddenly, everyone heard a loud slap.

00:11:16 "You actually hit me?

00:11:17 Do you know who I am?"

00:11:20 Jason was a little surprised.

00:11:21 The young woman who was sitting in Jason's car was also shocked.

00:11:25 She said to Rachel, "This is one of the most important people in the Jones family."

00:11:30 "So what?

00:11:32 What are you going to do about it?"

00:11:34 Rachel glared at Jason.

00:11:36 Because Jason had no class, he said loudly, "Not only does this beauty have a hot body,

00:11:41 she also has a hot temper."

00:11:43 Then he added, "She really ought to be with me."

00:11:46 The bystanders who were anxiously waiting for the light to change spoke quietly to each

00:11:51 other.

00:11:52 But nobody said anything that might risk provoking Rachel.

00:11:55 Rachel glanced at Kevin and saw the smile on his face.

00:11:58 This gave her even more confidence.

00:12:01 With the support of Williams Media's CEO, what was there for her to be afraid of?

00:12:06 She put her hands on her hips and said, "You?

00:12:09 You're nothing compared to Mr. Williams."

00:12:12 "Mr. Williams?"

00:12:14 Jason wondered.

00:12:15 The onlookers were stunned.

00:12:17 Jason also looked surprised.

00:12:19 Rachel turned around and walked back to Kevin.

00:12:22 She leaned in the passenger window and said, "Boss, I did well, didn't I?"

00:12:28 "You did really well."

00:12:30 Kevin smiled with satisfaction.

00:12:32 "Boss, it's backed up all the way to Lakeshore Drive.

00:12:36 You don't have to take me home.

00:12:37 I don't want to waste your time," Rachel continued.

00:12:41 "I'll go a few blocks west and catch a ride.

00:12:43 Don't worry about me."

00:12:45 "Okay, be careful," Kevin nodded slightly.

00:12:49 Rachel reached in, took her purse off the front seat, and crossed the street.

00:12:53 The onlookers broke up pretty quickly when the light changed and the traffic was able

00:12:57 to inch forward.

00:12:58 As the car started to move, Jason yelled at Kevin, "Lily's gonna hear about this."

00:13:04 "Have you already forgotten the lesson that Drake taught you?"

00:13:08 Kevin reminded him.

00:13:09 The lane opened up in front of Kevin, so he put the accelerator down and jumped forward,

00:13:15 finally ending the conversation.

00:13:17 "Lily must have pulled some strings to buy him a sports car with our family money."

00:13:22 Jason whined as he watched Kevin's taillights disappear ahead of him.

00:13:27 If Kevin had heard what Jason said, he'd definitely find it funny.

00:13:31 "He just bought this car yesterday, and the Jones family hadn't paid a cent."

00:13:37 As long as he was downtown, Kevin decided to head to his office and wait for traffic

00:13:41 to clear.

00:13:43 He sat down at his desk and sent Lily a text saying that he wouldn't be home that night.

00:13:48 Just then, Miss Wilson walked into the office with two small boxes.

00:13:52 She put them on the large meeting table and said, "Mr. Williams, these were sent over

00:13:56 by President Wright at West Chicago International and Mr. Cook from the Whitsler Hotel.

00:14:02 They said they're a gift for you."

00:14:04 "Adriana and Mitch?"

00:14:06 Kevin put down his phone.

00:14:07 "What could this be?" he wondered.

00:14:09 "Yes, sir," Miss Wilson nodded.

00:14:12 There was a trace of excitement in her voice.

00:14:14 "Thank you, Miss Wilson.

00:14:16 Please don't let me keep you from your work," Kevin said gently.

00:14:20 She left the office and Kevin opened the box for Mitch.

00:14:23 There was a red pill inside.

00:14:25 Kevin clearly remembered the pill that Mitch had given him a few days before.

00:14:29 Since he took that pill, it seemed his body had gone through some changes.

00:14:34 He wanted to find out more about this fiery red pill, so Kevin called Cook.

00:14:38 "Mitch, are you busy right now?"

00:14:41 "No, I'm not.

00:14:42 What's up, my friend?"

00:14:44 Cook had a sense of urgency in his voice.

00:14:47 Kevin frowned and asked him, "Did you just send me another pill?

00:14:51 What's this one supposed to do for me?"

00:14:53 He wasn't sure if he wanted to hear what Cook had to say.

00:15:16 Kevin opened the box on his desk and looked inside.

00:15:19 Inside was a red pill, similar to the tan one that Cook had given him a while back.

00:15:24 He decided to call his friend to find out what this one would do since the last one

00:15:28 had disastrous side effects.

00:15:30 "Kevin, didn't I already give you a pill?"

00:15:34 Cook slowly said.

00:15:35 "Anyway, I found out from the head researcher that the medical properties of the new pill

00:15:39 actually enhance the properties of the first one you took.

00:15:43 It should help you a lot."

00:15:45 Cook's tedious explanation started to give Kevin a headache.

00:15:49 "I have to get back to work.

00:15:51 Talk to you later."

00:15:52 Kevin hung up the phone and stared at the pill.

00:15:55 He clearly remembered how he'd felt after taking the first one.

00:15:58 "Do I take it or not?"

00:16:00 Kevin pondered.

00:16:02 He thought for a while and decided that his friend wouldn't try to hurt him.

00:16:06 So he picked up the pill and swallowed it.

00:16:08 Within seconds, Kevin felt like his whole body was engulfed in flames.

00:16:13 It was like his brain was burning with an indescribable pain.

00:16:17 Then Kevin fell to the ground in agony.

00:16:20 He closed his eyes and passed out.

00:16:23 Half an hour later when Kevin slowly came to, he couldn't find any change to his body.

00:16:29 That was fine with him since the last pill had given him that disgusting smelly ooze

00:16:33 all over him.

00:16:35 He thought to himself, "I hope those researchers didn't trick him.

00:16:39 I don't really feel any different."

00:16:40 Kevin's phone rang and startled him back to reality.

00:16:44 "Hello?

00:16:45 Hello?

00:16:46 Hello?

00:16:47 Is this Kevin?"

00:16:48 Kevin didn't recognize the charming voice that was speaking to him.

00:16:52 "Who's this?"

00:16:53 Kevin asked in confusion.

00:16:54 "This is Phoebe Anderson.

00:16:55 We met at the Whitsler Hotel."

00:16:56 She paused for a moment.

00:16:57 "At the celebration the family threw after getting the Williams contract."

00:17:05 The event had turned into a real mess because of Jason's behavior, but Kevin hadn't forgotten

00:17:10 her.

00:17:11 "Oh, of course.

00:17:12 I remember you now.

00:17:14 What can I do for you?"

00:17:15 He was polite but still had his doubts about what he was getting into.

00:17:19 He hadn't spoken with Phoebe since that day.

00:17:22 Why would she suddenly call him out of the blue?

00:17:25 "I've been meaning to ask you.

00:17:28 At Grandma Jones's birthday party, did you give her an antique tiara?" she asked with

00:17:34 a hint of curiosity.

00:17:35 "Yes.

00:17:36 Why?"

00:17:37 Kevin asked in an aloof tone.

00:17:40 He did give Grandma Jones a tiara, but before he could present it to her, Bradley had ruined

00:17:45 his plan.

00:17:46 Kevin ended up angrily taking back the gift and leaving.

00:17:49 "Do you still have the tiara?"

00:17:52 Phoebe asked excitedly.

00:17:53 "It's only a trinket.

00:17:55 Are you interested in it?"

00:17:57 Kevin said teasingly.

00:17:59 Phoebe replied in a very serious tone of voice.

00:18:01 "Kevin, the Jones family isn't aware of it, but I peeked in the bag when nobody was looking.

00:18:08 I'm sure that it's the legendary Golden Sunburst tiara."

00:18:13 Kevin slightly raised his eyebrows.

00:18:15 He really didn't expect Phoebe to know about this.

00:18:18 "So, what would you like to know?"

00:18:21 Kevin asked with interest.

00:18:22 "Don't worry.

00:18:23 I just want to take a few photos," Phoebe said hesitantly.

00:18:27 "Okay.

00:18:28 I think we can arrange that."

00:18:30 Kevin agreed readily.

00:18:31 "Really?

00:18:32 If you're free now, you can come to our antique store, Anderson Fine Jewelry and Antiques.

00:18:38 I'll wait for you here," Phoebe said excitedly.

00:18:42 She was afraid that Kevin would refuse.

00:18:45 After all, the Golden Sunburst only existed in legends.

00:18:49 There were few written records of it, and she was only aware of it from rare eyewitness

00:18:54 accounts.

00:18:55 Phoebe had only seen sketches of it, but she had studied them well.

00:18:59 An hour later, Kevin arrived at the entrance of the Anderson Family store.

00:19:04 This was the biggest antique store in all of Chicago, and it contained many priceless

00:19:09 treasures.

00:19:10 Kevin had heard a lot about the place, but he'd never been there before.

00:19:14 Just as he was entering the door, an employee stopped him.

00:19:17 "Excuse me, sir.

00:19:18 Are you on the list?"

00:19:20 Kevin glanced at the nameplate on the man's chest.

00:19:23 "Doug Birch."

00:19:24 Then he asked, "What list?"

00:19:26 "If you're not aware of the list, then you probably shouldn't be here," Birch said

00:19:31 disdainfully.

00:19:32 "There are only two ways to get in here.

00:19:34 The first is to have a special invitation, and the second is to be an antique dealer.

00:19:38 Which one are you?"

00:19:39 "I was invited by Phoebe Anderson," Kevin replied calmly.

00:19:44 The man took a look at Kevin's clothes and smirked.

00:19:47 "Wearing those rags?

00:19:49 You can't possibly know President Anderson."

00:19:51 Kevin's irritation showed on his face.

00:19:54 He didn't expect a staff member to be so rude.

00:19:57 "Get lost," Birch said as he pushed Kevin out the door and onto the sidewalk.

00:20:03 Kevin didn't strike back, but Birch staggered back and fell to the ground like he'd been

00:20:07 hit really hard.

00:20:08 "How dare you push me!" he shouted as he got up off the ground.

00:20:13 "Security!

00:20:14 Robbery!"

00:20:15 Two security guards showed up immediately.

00:20:17 "Arrest him and take him to the police station," Birch said as he pointed at Kevin.

00:20:23 The two security guards looked menacing as they rushed up to Kevin and grabbed his arms.

00:20:28 "You'd better cooperate or you'll regret it," one of the guards said coldly.

00:20:33 "That's enough!"

00:20:35 Kevin shouted.

00:20:36 "This is such an overreaction," he thought.

00:20:39 Kevin struggled slightly and the two guards flew six feet away, hitting the ground with

00:20:43 a thud.

00:20:45 Kevin was stunned by this.

00:20:47 He looked down at his hands in disbelief.

00:20:49 "How did I get so strong?" he thought to himself.

00:20:53 "You're in big trouble now!"

00:20:55 Birch yelled.

00:20:56 "What are you talking about?

00:20:58 You attacked me first," Kevin pointed out.

00:21:02 Birch looked over at the two security guards who were getting up from the sidewalk.

00:21:06 "Arrest him!"

00:21:07 Just then they heard a loud voice.

00:21:09 "What are you doing?"

00:21:13 Kevin turned around and saw a man walking out of the store.

00:21:16 "Sir, you have to help me," Birch quickly ran to the store's manager, Stephen Burrows,

00:21:21 and sobbed.

00:21:22 "He came here to rob the store.

00:21:24 When I tried to stop him, he threw me to the ground," he continued his accusation.

00:21:28 "Then he beat up these two guards."

00:21:32 Burrows walked up to Kevin.

00:21:33 "Sir, do you have a reasonable explanation for this?"

00:21:38 He looked threatening but remained polite.

00:21:40 "Who do you believe?

00:21:42 Me or him?"

00:21:44 Kevin asked flatly.

00:21:46 Burrows frowned, turned around, and said to Birch and the guards, "Please show him off

00:21:50 the property."

00:21:51 "All right, Mr. Burrows," Birch said with a smile.

00:21:56 He stared spitefully at Kevin and said, "So you want to cause trouble?

00:22:00 Well, I'll teach you a lesson."

00:22:02 A moment later, Birch was lying on the ground, staring up at Kevin.

00:22:06 Half of his face immediately swelled up.

00:22:09 Kevin had barely touched him.

00:22:10 "This is getting annoying," Kevin said unemotionally.

00:22:14 "You're a dead man!"

00:22:16 Birch growled as he rubbed his face.

00:22:19 When Burrows saw this, he was very upset.

00:22:21 "Do you have a death wish or something?"

00:22:25 Burrows had lost patience with Kevin.

00:22:27 Kevin decided he'd wasted enough time with these stooges.

00:22:31 He took out his phone and called Phoebe.

00:22:32 "If you're not down at the front door in two minutes, I'm out of here."

00:22:37 He didn't give Phoebe a chance to respond.

00:22:39 He just hung up the phone.

00:22:40 "It's useless to call for help.

00:22:43 We're calling the police.

00:22:44 But first we're going to beat the crap out of you!"

00:22:47 Birch shouted as he struggled to get up.

00:22:49 He stood next to the manager and glared at Kevin.

00:22:53 In fact, Birch and Manager Burrows were cousins.

00:22:56 Burrows used his influence to get him his job as the head of security.

00:23:00 Needless to say, the job and his family connection went to Birch's head.

00:23:04 "Mr. Birch, he looks pretty poor.

00:23:07 I don't think he can even afford a lawyer," one of the security guards said.

00:23:11 "That's right.

00:23:12 His clothes look like he got them at the thrift store," the other guard said.

00:23:17 "I don't care," Birch responded.

00:23:20 Then he turned to look at Burrows.

00:23:21 "Cousin, I'll leave it up to you."

00:23:24 Burrows took a deep breath and walked over to Kevin.

00:23:27 "You've been a lot of trouble today.

00:23:30 I think I'll let security spend a little time with you before we send you to the police

00:23:34 station."

00:23:36 The manager's attitude gave Kevin an uneasy feeling.

00:23:39 How would he get out of this without even more trouble?

00:23:43 Suddenly they heard a woman's voice from the entrance.

00:23:45 Phoebe practically ran out the door.

00:23:48 "Kevin, when did you get here?

00:23:50 Why didn't you come inside?"

00:23:53 Burrows and the others immediately snapped to attention when they saw her.

00:23:57 "President Anderson!"

00:23:59 Kevin looked Phoebe in the eyes and explained.

00:24:01 "President Anderson, your security guards just threatened to beat me up and have me

00:24:06 arrested.

00:24:07 Are you sure I'm still welcome?"

00:24:09 "What are you talking about?

00:24:11 You've misunderstood, sir," Birch said to Kevin.

00:24:15 Phoebe was stunned at first, but when she saw the look on Birch's face, she understood

00:24:19 what was going on.

00:24:21 "What's this about?" she asked sternly.

00:24:24 "President Anderson, he's the one who barged in and hit me," he replied.

00:24:29 She didn't want to hear another word.

00:24:31 "You're fired!"

00:24:32 "Don't you think you owe me an apology?"

00:24:35 Kevin asked Birch.

00:24:36 "Never," he replied arrogantly.

00:24:39 Kevin turned around and looked at Phoebe.

00:24:41 He smiled and said, "Why, President Anderson, I'm surprised that you hired someone like

00:24:46 this."

00:24:47 When Phoebe heard this, she turned to the man and said, "Yes, I think an apology is

00:24:53 in order."

00:24:55 Birch was about to argue with her, but he decided it would be easier to just apologize.

00:24:59 "Yes, ma'am."

00:25:01 "Then what are you waiting for?

00:25:03 If you want to continue working here, you have to apologize to this gentleman."

00:25:08 Phoebe crossed her arms and waited.

00:25:10 Burroughs closed his eyes.

00:25:12 He knew that his cousin had finally gone too far and had been rude to the wrong person.

00:25:17 Even though he was the store manager, he was an Anderson family employee.

00:25:21 There was no way he was going to stand up for his cousin.

00:25:25 On top of that, he didn't expect Kevin to be so important, especially the way he was

00:25:29 dressed.

00:25:30 Birch walked meekly over to Kevin and said quietly, "Sir, I apologize."

00:25:36 Kevin cupped his ear and said, "I'm sorry, I don't think I heard you."

00:25:42 Birch took a deep breath and shouted, "I'm sorry, sir."

00:25:47 "That's better," Kevin said with a slight smile.

00:25:50 Then Kevin handed the bag containing the gold sunburst tiara to Phoebe.

00:25:54 "Here you go.

00:25:56 Go ahead and take all the photos you want."

00:25:58 She looked very excited.

00:26:00 She immediately grabbed Kevin's elbow and pulled him into the shop.

00:26:04 Phoebe led him into the store's photography studio.

00:26:07 She set up a camera and placed the tiara on a beautiful backdrop that helped highlight

00:26:11 all the details of the piece.

00:26:13 Kevin watched her intently.

00:26:15 After taking quite a lot of shots, Phoebe turned off the studio lights and put the camera

00:26:19 away.

00:26:20 She turned to Kevin and said, "Thank you so much."

00:26:24 "No problem.

00:26:26 If you ever want to see it again, just give me a call.

00:26:28 Anytime."

00:26:29 Kevin slowly put the valuable item back in his bag.

00:26:33 Phoebe nodded.

00:26:34 Then she hesitated for a moment and said, "Kevin, there's something else I'd like to

00:26:38 ask."

00:26:39 "Go ahead," Kevin said with a smile.

00:26:42 "The legendary golden sunburst has been lost for many years.

00:26:46 How did you track it down?" she asked him.

00:26:49 Having grown up in a family that was involved in the antique business, Phoebe was well aware

00:26:53 of its value.

00:26:55 She was very curious how Kevin, who everyone claimed had been freeloading off the Jones

00:26:59 family for three years, had found such a precious object.

00:27:02 "If I told you that this was a family heirloom, would you believe me?"

00:27:07 Kevin replied with a smile.

00:27:09 A staff member suddenly ran into the room and interrupted them.

00:27:12 "President Anderson, we need your help downstairs."

00:27:15 Phoebe was surprised by this and replied, "Is it something that you can't handle

00:27:20 yourself?"

00:27:21 The man's name was Albert Landau.

00:27:23 He was a senior antique appraiser who had worked for the Anderson family for more than

00:27:27 ten years.

00:27:28 It was extremely unusual for Mr. Landau to have trouble appraising an antique.

00:27:33 "This gentleman has brought a string of antique pearls.

00:27:36 There's something about their quality that's giving me some trouble arriving at a value.

00:27:40 I really can't make a decision," Mr. Landau said somewhat awkwardly.

00:27:45 Kevin wondered if he might be able to help.

00:28:08 Phoebe had just finished taking photos of Kevin's antique, the Golden Sunburst Tiara.

00:28:13 Her senior appraiser rushed into the studio to ask for help with the string of pearls

00:28:16 that he was unsure of.

00:28:18 "Let's go take a look," Phoebe said to Kevin and she immediately left the room.

00:28:23 Mr. Landau looked at Kevin in surprise.

00:28:26 He wasn't sure what to think.

00:28:27 How could this young man in tattered clothes be of any help?

00:28:31 When they reached the main showroom, Kevin saw a group starting to form around a young

00:28:35 man.

00:28:36 On the table in front of him was an old mahogany box.

00:28:39 "May I ask your name?"

00:28:41 Phoebe inquired politely.

00:28:43 "My name is Sam McKay.

00:28:45 Are you the owner of this shop?"

00:28:46 The surprised young man asked her.

00:28:48 "Yes, Mr. McKay.

00:28:50 May I have a look?"

00:28:51 Phoebe said with a smile.

00:28:53 He casually handed the box to Phoebe.

00:28:55 At the same time, he explained, "This is a family heirloom.

00:28:59 It never leaves the house, but we're in desperate need of money."

00:29:03 Phoebe nodded to show her understanding of his predicament.

00:29:06 As she reached to open the box, a few of the local antique shop owners hurried in to see

00:29:10 what all the buzz was about.

00:29:12 When Phoebe opened it, a string of beautiful golden pearls glistened under the store's

00:29:17 lights.

00:29:18 They were strung together with what looked like a pure gold clasp.

00:29:22 "Pure gold South Sea pearls?"

00:29:25 Phoebe asked in surprise.

00:29:27 Judging from the luster and craftsmanship, they looked a date from the late 18th century.

00:29:33 The antique shop owners who were looking on immediately began to discuss the rare find

00:29:37 in hushed tones.

00:29:38 "You sure know a lot," a young man commented.

00:29:42 Phoebe examined the string of pearls for a few minutes before she looked up and asked,

00:29:46 "How much do you want to sell them for?"

00:29:49 McKay smiled and said, "Fifty thousand dollars.

00:29:53 Since you're the owner of this establishment, you also know that they're worth far more

00:29:57 than that."

00:29:58 Phoebe nodded slightly and stared intently at the pearls.

00:30:02 For some reason, she felt that something wasn't quite right.

00:30:07 Kevin snorted mockingly when he saw the string of pearls.

00:30:10 However, the other onlookers were more impressed.

00:30:13 One of them said, "Only fifty thousand?

00:30:16 President Anderson sure has found a bargain."

00:30:19 While everyone was discussing the find, another young man walked in.

00:30:22 "Excuse me, may I be of assistance?"

00:30:26 Mr. Landau quickly walked forward and politely greeted him.

00:30:30 "My name is Charles Grant.

00:30:32 I'm in town for a business trip.

00:30:34 I like to collect antiques and I heard that Anderson Antiques is quite famous, so I came

00:30:38 in to take a look around."

00:30:40 He eyed the store and said, "As long as I like what I see, money is no object."

00:30:46 Suddenly the young man's gaze fell on the golden pearls in Phoebe's hands.

00:30:50 "Are those actually golden pearls?"

00:30:54 Grant said as he quickly walked up to her.

00:30:56 "Be careful.

00:30:58 Don't damage them.

00:30:59 They're worth a lot of money," McKay said nervously.

00:31:02 Grant waved him off casually and said, "Don't worry.

00:31:05 I'm good for it."

00:31:07 The young businessman looked at the pearls for a minute and asked with a smile, "So,

00:31:12 how much are you selling them for?"

00:31:14 McKay said excitedly, "Fifty thousand."

00:31:17 "Okay," Grant said as he placed them in the box.

00:31:20 "I'll take them."

00:31:22 The look on McKay's face said, "Well, lady, you missed your chance."

00:31:27 "This seemed to bother Phoebe," she said.

00:31:32 "Mr. Grant, haven't you ever heard of first come, first served?

00:31:36 I was still negotiating with Mr. McKay when you interrupted us."

00:31:40 "Well, maybe you shouldn't have taken so long to make up your mind.

00:31:44 I'm ready to buy them right now," Grant replied with a smile.

00:31:48 "So am I. Mr. McKay, I'll take them."

00:31:52 Phoebe immediately agreed to the transaction.

00:31:55 Kevin shook his head.

00:31:56 What a shame, he thought to himself.

00:31:59 A real string of pearls like these would be worth a couple hundred thousand dollars.

00:32:04 "Ma'am, are you trying to snatch these away from me?" he acted indignant.

00:32:09 Then he turned around and looked at McKay.

00:32:11 "I'll tell you what.

00:32:13 I'll give you seventy-five thousand for them."

00:32:16 Phoebe was a little unnerved.

00:32:18 She said, "Mr. McKay, you came in here today with a valuable item.

00:32:23 I just said that we were willing to accept the deal, and now you're considering selling

00:32:27 to this man.

00:32:29 Don't you have any integrity?"

00:32:32 The onlookers all nodded their heads in agreement.

00:32:35 Grant's behavior was not the way reputable people did business.

00:32:38 One of them said to him, "This isn't a very honest way to handle things.

00:32:42 You came in here to deal with President Anderson."

00:32:46 They were all on Phoebe's side in this.

00:32:48 After all, the family had an excellent reputation in the Chicago region.

00:32:52 Why wouldn't they support her?

00:32:54 But Grant interrupted and spoke to McKay.

00:32:56 "Be realistic.

00:32:58 I just offered you fifty percent more than she was planning to give you."

00:33:03 Kevin almost laughed out loud.

00:33:05 McKay and Grant were clearly trying to scam them.

00:33:08 Couldn't Phoebe tell?

00:33:11 Finally McKay seemed to have made a big decision.

00:33:13 He let out a long breath and said, "I'm sorry, Mr. Grant, but they're right.

00:33:18 I can't go against my principles.

00:33:21 I'm selling them to the young lady."

00:33:22 "Then you're the biggest fool in the world," Grant said as he shook his head.

00:33:27 He turned to Phoebe and said, "Ma'am, it's your lucky day.

00:33:32 These pearls are worth at least a hundred thousand."

00:33:35 Phoebe happily took the box.

00:33:37 "Let's arrange for Mr. Kay's payment."

00:33:40 Just as Mr. Landau was about to ask the man for his information to prepare the check,

00:33:45 Kevin walked up to Phoebe.

00:33:47 "President Anderson, if you buy these pearls, you're making a huge mistake," Kevin said

00:33:53 with a polite smile.

00:33:55 Silence fell on the crowd.

00:33:56 "What do you mean?"

00:33:59 McKay glared at Kevin.

00:34:00 "It's quite simple.

00:34:02 They're fake.

00:34:03 Also, your acting skills aren't that great either.

00:34:06 I'm exhausted from trying not to laugh," Kevin said with a big grin.

00:34:11 Phoebe frowned and looked at Kevin.

00:34:13 The antique dealers who were still there watching all this started whispering to each other

00:34:16 again.

00:34:17 "Who is this guy?

00:34:19 He's actually questioning Miss Anderson's judgment?"

00:34:22 "She's one of the best young antique appraisers in the city," added another.

00:34:26 "How does this guy dressed in rags know anything?

00:34:29 We know it's genuine."

00:34:32 McKay was indignant.

00:34:33 "Who are you?

00:34:35 How can you say my family heirloom is a fake?"

00:34:38 Charles Grant glared at Kevin, too.

00:34:41 Suddenly one of the antique store owners pointed at Kevin.

00:34:44 "Aren't you married to one of the Joneses?

00:34:47 What do you know about antiques?"

00:34:49 Everyone started laughing.

00:34:51 "Thanks to Jason's gossiping, almost everyone in the city knew about Kevin's relationship

00:34:56 with the Jones family."

00:34:58 One of the antique dealers said to him, "You don't know what you're looking at.

00:35:02 In any case, this is Anderson jewelry, not Jones.

00:35:06 We don't care what you think."

00:35:08 After hearing this, Phoebe looked at Kevin with a puzzled expression.

00:35:11 "This golden pearl necklace was gorgeous.

00:35:15 Why did Kevin say it was fake?"

00:35:17 "Maybe he doesn't know all that much about antiques," she thought.

00:35:21 McKay was getting impatient.

00:35:22 He turned to Phoebe and said, "Ma'am, please make a decision.

00:35:26 I came here to make an honest transaction, and now I'm being accused of trying to pass

00:35:30 off a fake."

00:35:32 Then he turned to Kevin and moaned, "If you don't give me an explanation right now, I'll

00:35:36 call the police and sue you for slander."

00:35:38 Kevin mocked him, saying, "Still sticking to your role, huh?

00:35:42 You should leave acting to the professionals."

00:35:45 Kevin took the wooden box from Phoebe and opened it.

00:35:49 "Everyone here is in the antique business.

00:35:52 You should all know how to rate a pearl.

00:35:55 Size, shape, color, luster, and all that."

00:35:59 Kevin pulled the pearls out of the box and continued his lesson.

00:36:03 "You're about to pay a ridiculous price for pearls that are of the lowest grade.

00:36:08 Sure, the size of these pearls is impressive.

00:36:11 However, they've been treated to improve their color and luster.

00:36:16 Even the clasp is cheap."

00:36:18 Kevin held the string up for everyone to see.

00:36:20 "A large, perfect pearl should roll like a marble."

00:36:23 "These pearls are perfect," McKay argued.

00:36:27 Kevin stared right in the man's eyes, took one of the pearls between his fingers, and

00:36:32 pinched it hard.

00:36:34 It turned into powder before their eyes.

00:36:37 "How dare you destroy my family's most precious treasure?"

00:36:42 McKay whined.

00:36:44 Grant was beginning to regret the whole scheme.

00:36:46 "Now how am I supposed to pay my mother's hospital bills?"

00:36:51 McKay sobbed.

00:36:52 Kevin applauded and said, "There, that's a little better.

00:36:56 Your acting is improving."

00:36:57 McKay kept trying and said to Phoebe, "This is outrageous.

00:37:02 The pearls are worth at least two hundred thousand.

00:37:04 I demand that this man compensate me for my loss."

00:37:08 Phoebe couldn't believe her ears.

00:37:10 She looked at Kevin and realized he actually did know what he was talking about.

00:37:15 Kevin spoke to the antique dealers who had come over to watch and said to them, "You

00:37:19 really ought to get your eyes checked.

00:37:21 I can't believe you're in the antique business."

00:37:24 They were indignant.

00:37:25 "What right do you have to say that about us?

00:37:28 Grandma Jones will hear about this."

00:37:29 "Quiet!"

00:37:31 Phoebe shouted angrily.

00:37:33 Everyone quieted down.

00:37:35 "Kevin, please continue," Phoebe said politely.

00:37:39 Kevin looked at McKay and said, "You should at least put some effort into your counterfeits.

00:37:44 Has anybody fallen for this cheap crap?"

00:37:47 When Kevin finished talking, he threw the whole string of pearls onto the floor in disgust.

00:37:52 They were all stunned, especially the two dealers who had been doubting Kevin.

00:37:57 But it wasn't really their fault.

00:37:59 The pearls that McKay claimed to have were extremely rare and valuable.

00:38:03 They probably had never seen real ones in their entire lives.

00:38:07 "I demand proof, otherwise I'm calling the police," McKay continued.

00:38:13 "Wow, you really are stubborn."

00:38:16 Kevin turned around and looked at Phoebe and said, "I'm sure you have some modern equipment

00:38:20 in your lap.

00:38:21 Go ahead and check them out.

00:38:23 I'm sure that they're cheap grade A pearls, maybe even beads of glass or plastic, that

00:38:28 have been chemically treated to fool the eye."

00:38:31 Phoebe handed them to Mr. Landau and said, "Go and examine them.

00:38:35 Quickly."

00:38:36 "Yes, Madam President, right away."

00:38:38 Mr. Landau quickly picked up the string of pearls and headed back to the lab.

00:38:42 "How do I know you won't switch them with fakes?"

00:38:45 McKay shouted loudly.

00:38:47 "Don't worry, we would never do such a despicable thing," Phoebe answered sharply.

00:38:52 She was no longer excited, but she definitely felt lucky.

00:38:57 If Kevin hadn't been there, her reputation might have been tarnished.

00:39:01 Mr. Landau returned quickly and whispered something in Phoebe's ear.

00:39:05 She looked at the printout that Mr. Landau had handed her and you could tell right away

00:39:10 she wasn't pleased.

00:39:12 McKay turned pale.

00:39:14 His partner Grant was about to say something, but knew that the evidence was against them.

00:39:19 "Call the police," Phoebe said to the security guards.

00:39:23 "Run!"

00:39:24 McKay shouted as he sprinted for the door.

00:39:47 Kevin had just exposed the conman who was trying to sell a fake golden pearl necklace

00:39:51 to Phoebe.

00:39:52 He was able to stop him from running out by throwing a box at his leg, knocking him to

00:39:56 the ground.

00:39:58 Phoebe ordered her guards, "Call the police and have him taken to the police station."

00:40:03 Everyone immediately surrounded McKay.

00:40:06 Grant pointed an accusatory finger at him and yelled, "You're selling fakes?

00:40:11 I can't believe I almost fell for it!"

00:40:14 However, as he turned around to leave, Kevin had already blocked his path.

00:40:18 "What's with you?

00:40:20 The thief is over there.

00:40:21 Why are you stopping me?"

00:40:23 Grant complained.

00:40:24 This made everyone turn around.

00:40:26 "Why are you in such a hurry to leave?

00:40:29 Aren't you going to take your partner along?"

00:40:31 Kevin said with a sneer.

00:40:33 "I assure you I'm a legitimate businessman," Grant said in a haughty voice as he tried

00:40:38 to go around Kevin and head for the door.

00:40:41 But Kevin suddenly grabbed Grant's wrist.

00:40:44 "Your acting skills aren't that great either," Kevin said to him.

00:40:48 "Can't you see that I'm a victim too?"

00:40:51 Grant pleaded.

00:40:52 He struggled hard but found that Kevin's hand was like a steel clamp, tightly gripping his

00:40:57 wrist.

00:40:58 No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't break free.

00:41:01 They all heard sirens in the street and looked out the front window.

00:41:05 Kevin had just sent an urgent text message to Officer Emmett.

00:41:09 The police lieutenant walked directly to Kevin and asked, "Where are the suspects?"

00:41:14 "One is here and the other is over there," Kevin pointed at McKay and Grant.

00:41:19 "Officer, don't listen to him.

00:41:21 I just came in here to shop for antiques.

00:41:24 If he tells you anything else, he's a liar," Grant said.

00:41:28 The antique dealers from the neighboring shops pulled McKay over to Emmett.

00:41:32 One of them said, "Officer, Mr. Grant is telling the truth.

00:41:35 We're all witnesses."

00:41:37 He paused and continued.

00:41:38 "He's framing Mr. Grant to make himself look good and impress President Anderson."

00:41:44 Kevin couldn't believe how misguided these men were.

00:41:48 How could they have fallen for this nonsense?

00:41:50 Officer Emmett looked disappointed.

00:41:52 She turned to look at Phoebe who was standing next to her.

00:41:55 "Miss Anderson, do you think this person is involved in the crime?"

00:42:00 Phoebe didn't know what to say, so she just shook her head.

00:42:03 Emmett sighed a little and turned to look back at Kevin.

00:42:06 She informed him.

00:42:07 "Since none of the witnesses say that he was involved, I have no choice but to let him

00:42:11 go."

00:42:12 Kevin couldn't believe that someone with Officer Emmett's experience couldn't see through the

00:42:16 deception.

00:42:17 He was about to give up and let go of Grant's arm when he noticed that there seemed to be

00:42:21 something wrong with the man's face.

00:42:24 He reached out and pulled on Grant's skin.

00:42:28 Everyone was shocked to see him standing there, holding the man's face in his hand.

00:42:33 Well, it was actually a mask.

00:42:35 And the nasty face that underneath was pretty frightening.

00:42:39 "So it's you!"

00:42:41 Emmett exclaimed as she tightly grabbed onto Grant's collar.

00:42:45 Kevin looked at her in surprise.

00:42:46 "You know him?"

00:42:48 Emmett nodded and explained.

00:42:50 Half a year ago, a rich Chicago art collector was swindled out of a painting worth about

00:42:54 a quarter of a million dollars.

00:42:56 "We've been following leads ever since but couldn't find a trace of suspects."

00:43:00 "It was them?"

00:43:02 Kevin asked her.

00:43:03 "Yes, it's them."

00:43:05 Emmett nodded again.

00:43:06 "They have a unique approach, using various disguises to trick their victims."

00:43:11 A few backup officers entered the store to help and Emmett ordered them to pull the mask

00:43:15 from McKay's face.

00:43:17 It was made of very realistic artificial skin.

00:43:21 Very convincing to say the least.

00:43:23 "Kevin, thank you for helping us catch these two criminals.

00:43:27 You've made a great contribution."

00:43:29 Officer Emmett said happily.

00:43:32 Kevin smiled and shrugged his shoulders.

00:43:34 Then he glanced at the owners of the antique shops.

00:43:37 The ones who had been speaking in Grant's defense were especially embarrassed.

00:43:41 They were staring at Kevin in surprise.

00:43:44 The masks on Grant and McKay's faces were so realistic that nobody noticed anything

00:43:49 unusual.

00:43:51 But how did Kevin see through the deception?

00:43:54 As the prisoners were being escorted to the squad cars, Officer Emmett suddenly asked

00:43:58 Kevin, "I'm very curious.

00:44:01 How did you see that they were wearing masks?"

00:44:04 To tell you the truth, it was Grant's fault.

00:44:07 When he struggled, the edge of his mask curled up.

00:44:09 Pretty careless of him, Kevin said casually.

00:44:13 Officer Emmett had some doubts about his explanation.

00:44:16 Grant had disguised himself incredibly well.

00:44:19 The mask and his entire face were really convincing.

00:44:23 But Kevin could actually see the tiny gap in the slightly raised corner at a glance.

00:44:28 "When did my eyesight get so good?"

00:44:31 Kevin thought to himself.

00:44:32 "In any case, I owe you my thanks.

00:44:35 When I have the time, I'll treat you to dinner."

00:44:38 After Officer Emmett said this, she headed out to her squad car and drove away.

00:44:43 The owners of the neighborhood antique shops also left.

00:44:46 Phoebe slowly walked up to Kevin and said a very sincere, "Thank you."

00:44:51 "No need to thank me.

00:44:53 It was my pleasure," Kevin said with a smile.

00:44:56 When Phoebe heard him say this, a faint smile appeared on her face.

00:44:59 "By the way, I could tell from your discussion of the pearls that you know a lot about the

00:45:05 subject.

00:45:06 Have you had any formal training in antique appraisal?"

00:45:10 Kevin thought for a second and said, "I used to know an old gentleman who taught me a lot

00:45:15 about antiques."

00:45:17 What Kevin didn't expect was that Phoebe would suddenly become so excited to hear this.

00:45:21 She asked him, "Are you still in touch with him?

00:45:24 Do you know his name and address?"

00:45:27 Phoebe gave Kevin a hopeful look.

00:45:29 She wondered how he had been able to see through the deception at a single glance.

00:45:33 He obviously knew things that she didn't.

00:45:36 Phoebe figured that his teacher must be even more knowledgeable.

00:45:39 "I'm sorry to disappoint you, but I haven't seen him in a very long time.

00:45:43 I have no idea where he is," Kevin said apologetically.

00:45:48 Phoebe let out a disappointed sigh.

00:45:50 She hesitated for a moment before saying, "Kevin, can I ask you for a favor?

00:45:56 Just name it, Phoebe.

00:45:57 As long as it's something I can help with, I'll do my best," Kevin said straightforwardly.

00:46:01 "I want to invite you to be the chief antique appraiser for Anderson Fine Jewelry and Antiques,"

00:46:08 she said.

00:46:09 Phoebe seemed to be afraid that Kevin would refuse, so she quickly added, "You don't have

00:46:13 to come to work every day, but if I need your help, I'll expect you to come in.

00:46:18 I can give you a salary of $150,000 a year for your effort.

00:46:23 Would that be okay?"

00:46:25 Phoebe was nervous because she didn't know if he'd be interested, but at the moment,

00:46:29 Kevin was the most insightful expert she knew.

00:46:32 Mr. Landau, who was standing nearby, gasped when he heard this.

00:46:36 He had worked for the Andersons for over ten years, but he barely made a third of that

00:46:40 salary.

00:46:41 If Kevin was only going to be a part-time consultant, why would his salary be so high?

00:46:47 On the other hand, Mr. Landau had witnessed Kevin's profound knowledge and insight, so

00:46:51 he couldn't disagree with the decision to hire him.

00:46:54 He was envious of Kevin's offer, but felt that he deserved his good fortune.

00:46:59 "Let me get this straight.

00:47:01 I don't need to come into work every day and I'll earn $150,000 a year.

00:47:05 Why would I say no to that offer?"

00:47:08 Kevin agreed right away.

00:47:10 He felt that it was getting late, so he said goodbye to Phoebe and headed back to the office,

00:47:14 carrying the tiara in his bag.

00:47:17 That night, Kevin went home to his new apartment.

00:47:19 He sent a message to Lily, showered, and went to bed.

00:47:23 The next morning, as soon as Kevin arrived at his office, Ms. Wilson came in to give

00:47:28 him a report on the company's activities.

00:47:30 "Mr. Williams, today is the premiere of Brittany Davis' show, the one that the Jones family

00:47:36 took the lead on.

00:47:37 Do you want to attend?" she asked him.

00:47:40 "I won't be able to attend.

00:47:42 If I go, it may affect Brittany's performance.

00:47:45 If you can set up the live feed, I'll just watch it here at my desk," Kevin explained.

00:47:49 He was well aware that Brittany's deal had been set up by the Jones family.

00:47:53 Moreover, Lily was personally responsible for it.

00:47:56 If he appeared in front of his wife, his true identity would certainly be exposed.

00:48:01 "I understand, sir," Ms. Wilson replied.

00:48:05 Then she left to make the arrangements for him.

00:48:07 A while later, the live feed was set up on his computer and Kevin watched Brittany slowly

00:48:12 walk on the stage.

00:48:13 He noticed that you could hear a lot of noise from the audience, which made it hard to appreciate

00:48:19 Brittany's performance.

00:48:21 Then when Brittany was halfway through her song, there was a problem with her microphone.

00:48:26 The crowd began to boo.

00:48:28 As the sound engineers were trying to fix it, Brittany stomped her feet angrily and

00:48:33 turned around to go backstage.

00:48:36 Kevin slammed his fist on his desk and called Ms. Wilson in.

00:48:38 "What's going on over there?" he asked her.

00:48:42 "I have no idea, sir.

00:48:43 I'll go find out right away," Ms. Wilson replied.

00:48:47 Then she left the room and went to her desk to make a call.

00:48:50 Kevin looked in astonishment at the dent that he'd just made in his desk with his fist.

00:48:55 He stared at the deep indentation and wondered, "How did I get so damn strong?"

00:49:01 Just then, Ms. Wilson hung up her phone.

00:49:04 Kevin grabbed a few documents and used them to cover his desk so that she wouldn't see

00:49:08 what he'd done.

00:49:09 "Sir, I have an update on the show.

00:49:11 There are four engineers in charge of Brittany's sound equipment backstage.

00:49:15 Unfortunately, they've all made a mess of the production," Ms. Wilson explained.

00:49:19 When Kevin heard this, he understood immediately and said, "Please call them to my office."

00:49:24 "Right away, sir."

00:49:26 Ms. Wilson also had some suspicions, so she was glad that Kevin had made this request.

00:49:31 After she left, Kevin immediately picked up his phone and called Mitchell Cook.

00:49:35 "Hi, Mitch.

00:49:36 I'm in my office at the Williams Building.

00:49:39 I need some help with a few things.

00:49:41 You think you can come downtown?"

00:49:43 A little over a half an hour later, the four staff members who had screwed up Brittany's

00:49:47 show entered the CEO's office and saw Mitchell Cook sitting in Kevin's office chair smoking

00:49:53 a cigar.

00:49:54 There were several men in black suits and sunglasses on either side of him.

00:49:59 Kevin could have easily gotten the four of them to talk, but he didn't want to expose

00:50:03 his identity.

00:50:05 "So, I understand you're all sound engineers.

00:50:09 Were you just working backstage at Brittany's show?"

00:50:12 "Well, what I'd like to understand is what the hell happened to our star performer's

00:50:17 microphone?"

00:50:19 Cook asked sternly as he blew a smoke ring toward the ceiling.

00:50:24 Kevin who was standing with Cook's bodyguard shook his head when he saw the four of them.

00:50:28 "Cat's got your tongue?

00:50:30 Do you know who I am?" he asked with a sneer.

00:50:34 "I'm Mitchell Cook.

00:50:35 If you dare lie to me, I guarantee there will be consequences."

00:50:40 When they heard his name, the four unlucky sound engineers were quaking in their boots.

00:50:45 Everyone knew about Cook's reputation throughout Chicago.

00:50:49 After about a minute of this staring contest, one of them couldn't take the pressure and

00:50:53 he stammered, "As long as you don't hurt me, I'll tell you whatever you want to know."

00:50:58 The other three men looked at each other and started to cooperate too.

00:51:01 A few minutes later, Cook ended the impromptu meeting and waved them out of the room.

00:51:06 Then Cook stood up and smiled, saying, "Kevin, everything is clear to me now."

00:51:11 "Why, that's amazing, Mr. Cook.

00:51:13 I didn't realize you were so well known around here," Kevin teased.

00:51:17 "No need to thank me, Kevin.

00:51:19 If it wasn't for your help, I wouldn't be so successful right now."

00:51:23 After saying this, Cook said with a hint of curiosity in his voice, "Kevin, there's one

00:51:28 thing I don't understand.

00:51:30 Now that you're the head of Williams Media, why are you still staying in the Jones family?"

00:51:35 "I have my reasons, Mitch.

00:51:37 Let's drop the subject for now," Kevin answered.

00:51:40 After a few more minutes of small talk, Kevin asked Miss Wilson to walk Cook back to the

00:51:44 elevator.

00:51:45 Then he let her know that if Williams Media needed any hotels in the future, they should

00:51:50 put the Witzler Hotel at the top of the list.

00:51:53 After Cook left, Kevin's phone rang.

00:51:56 Dorothy's voice blared in Kevin's earpiece, "You're a real piece of work.

00:52:00 You haven't been home in days.

00:52:01 Do you have any idea what just happened?

00:52:02 Hurry up and meet us at the hotel."

00:52:03 "Actually, Dorothy didn't want to see Kevin.

00:52:10 It was Grandma Jones who had ordered everyone in the Jones family to come right away.

00:52:14 She was furious."

00:52:15 "All right, I'll be right there," Kevin responded.

00:52:19 Then he hung up the phone and rushed over to the Jones Mansion.

00:52:23 Of course, he knew what this call was about.

00:52:25 While waiting at a stoplight, Kevin called Brittany.

00:52:28 At that very moment, Brittany was in her room crying about the disaster at her show.

00:52:32 There were tears flowing down her face, and she was heartbroken.

00:52:36 When she saw that Kevin was calling, Brittany answered very politely and nervously, "Mr.

00:52:40 Williams, I'm sorry.

00:52:42 I just don't know how this happened."

00:52:45 The bot show had ruined her image, erasing all of her previous success.

00:52:50 And the company suffered an enormous loss.

00:52:52 So Brittany assumed that Kevin was calling to chew her out.

00:52:55 "No need to apologize.

00:52:57 I've already sent someone to investigate this matter.

00:53:00 This has nothing to do with you.

00:53:02 It looks like it's an internal problem in the Jones family," Kevin said with a sigh.

00:53:07 "Oh, Mr. Williams, is this true?"

00:53:10 Brittany asked in surprise.

00:53:11 "Don't ask any more questions right now.

00:53:14 Miss Wilson will send you an email later, and I'll need you to do exactly as I say,"

00:53:19 Kevin instructed her.

00:53:20 When Kevin hung up the phone, he'd just arrived at the Jones Mansion.

00:53:24 As he walked in the room, Kevin saw that the entire Jones family was standing in the main

00:53:28 reception room.

00:53:30 Grandma Jones, who was sitting on a chair, had a gloomy expression on her face.

00:53:34 Since the Jones family was in charge of the project, they assumed that Williams' media

00:53:39 would blame them for a disastrous show.

00:53:41 When they saw Kevin walk in, they all looked displeased.

00:53:45 They didn't know why she'd asked him to come to their meeting.

00:53:48 What use could he be?

00:53:49 Had he just come to poke fun at them?

00:53:52 Suddenly, Jason stood up and pointed at Lily.

00:53:55 He sneered and said, "Lily, it wasn't easy for our family to set up the deal with

00:54:00 Williams' media.

00:54:01 You screwed everything up, so now it's up to you to tell Grandma how to fix it."

00:54:06 "I'm sorry, Grandma," Lily said sadly.

00:54:10 Without waiting for Grandma Jones to reply, Jason interrupted and said, "What's the

00:54:14 use of being sorry?

00:54:16 Are you just looking for Grandma's pity?

00:54:18 Whether you're sorry or not, Williams' media is going to blame us for your blunder."

00:54:23 Then Jason turned his head to look at Grandma Jones and continued, "Grandma, I think Lily

00:54:28 did a terrible job.

00:54:30 In order to keep something like this from happening again, I suggest you pull her out

00:54:33 of all her duties in the company.

00:54:36 That way, she won't be able to interfere in our business anymore.

00:54:39 We can't let Williams' media hold us responsible for her incompetence."

00:54:44 One of the younger members of the family said, "That's right, Grandma.

00:54:48 What Jason said makes sense."

00:54:50 Another one commented, "Lily really blew it.

00:54:53 I think this would be a good way to punish her for her failure."

00:54:57 Everyone around him nodded in approval.

00:55:00 Grandma Jones looked around the room and then looked at Lily.

00:55:03 She coldly said, "Then it's agreed.

00:55:06 From this moment on, you will have no say in the company's affairs."

00:55:11 When Lily heard this, her face instantly turned pale.

00:55:14 She wanted to explain but just couldn't find the words.

00:55:18 Kevin had been watching all of this from the sidelines.

00:55:21 What could he do to help without revealing his true identity to Lily?

00:55:46 Just as Grandma Jones finished speaking, Kevin stepped forward and declared loudly, "I

00:55:50 disagree."

00:55:52 Everyone in the room burst into laughter.

00:55:54 "Did I hear that right?

00:55:56 He actually disagreed?" they were asking each other.

00:56:00 One of the older members of the Jones family said, "Just because you know the owner of

00:56:05 the Whitsler Hotel and the president of West Chicago International, don't let it go to

00:56:10 your head."

00:56:11 One of Lily's aunts agreed, "That's right.

00:56:15 Since when do you have a voice in our private business?"

00:56:18 They all looked at Kevin like he was a bonehead.

00:56:20 "What did you just say?"

00:56:23 Grandma Jones asked sternly.

00:56:25 "I said I object," Kevin sneered and added.

00:56:29 "As for the problems with Britney's show, you should investigate what really happened

00:56:34 before listening to Jason's nonsense and putting all of the blame on my wife."

00:56:39 "So do you believe we're being unfair to Lily?"

00:56:43 Grandma Jones asked.

00:56:44 "After you look into it, you'll find out what a huge mistake you've made," Kevin replied

00:56:51 calmly.

00:56:52 Just as Grandma Jones was about to say something, Jason interrupted.

00:56:56 "Kevin, you really have some nerve.

00:56:59 Take a look around.

00:57:00 None of us want to hear what you have to say," Jason said disdainfully.

00:57:04 "I just want Grandma to investigate this matter further.

00:57:09 Why would that bother you?"

00:57:11 Kevin looked Jason in the eyes and asked him.

00:57:13 "Does this have something to do with you?"

00:57:17 A strange look flashed across Jason's eyes and he sneered.

00:57:20 "What right do you have to question my involvement?"

00:57:23 "Then how can you be so sure that this must be my wife's responsibility?"

00:57:30 Kevin noticed something in Jason's reaction and he asked him seriously.

00:57:33 "Could it be that this whole mess really is your fault?"

00:57:38 Jason looked at Kevin awkwardly.

00:57:40 Just as he was about to attack Kevin physically, he remembered what had happened at Grandma

00:57:45 Jones's birthday party and he lost his nerve.

00:57:49 Kevin took advantage of Jason's hesitation and said, "I don't care who caused all the

00:57:55 trouble behind the scenes at Brittany's show.

00:57:57 All I know is my wife is innocent."

00:58:01 Kevin's intent was obvious and they all knew what he meant.

00:58:04 However, nobody was willing to agree without some solid evidence.

00:58:08 "I think you're deliberately looking to start trouble.

00:58:12 Don't talk nonsense."

00:58:13 Jason shot back as he clenched his fists.

00:58:16 "Remember, you're not a true member of the Jones family and you have no say here."

00:58:21 "I didn't say you did it, Jason.

00:58:24 Why are you getting so worked up?"

00:58:27 Kevin replied as he looked deep into his eyes.

00:58:30 Suddenly Grandma Jones slapped the table hard.

00:58:33 She had been very unhappy to see Kevin show up for the meeting, but because of his close

00:58:37 ties to Cook and President Wright, she didn't say anything.

00:58:42 But he was causing a lot of trouble for her favorite grandson in front of the entire family.

00:58:47 She couldn't take any more of it.

00:58:49 "Kevin, if you plan to say another word about this, you can get the hell out of here right

00:58:54 now!"

00:58:56 Grandma Jones said callously.

00:58:58 Seeing Grandma getting so angry, most of the Joneses were curious to see how this would

00:59:02 play out.

00:59:03 Lily, who looked very worried, walked over to Kevin and tugged on his sleeve.

00:59:08 "Grandma's getting upset.

00:59:10 Please stop, Kevin.

00:59:12 This isn't getting us anywhere."

00:59:15 Dorothy walked up to them and said, "Kevin, you're only causing trouble.

00:59:20 What gives you the right to open your big mouth here?"

00:59:24 First Kevin looked at Dorothy, who was obviously irate.

00:59:27 Then he looked at the rest of the Jones family surrounding him.

00:59:30 Finally, his gaze stopped on Lily.

00:59:34 Taking a deep breath, Kevin patted Lily's shoulder and calmly stepped aside.

00:59:39 "Okay, everyone, get back to work!"

00:59:42 Grandma Jones ordered.

00:59:44 Then she said, "Jason, go and discuss this with Williams Media.

00:59:49 Try to minimize the impact on our company."

00:59:51 "Okay, Grandma," Jason replied as he gave Lily a scornful look.

00:59:58 Just as the Joneses were about to leave, they heard a charming voice from the mansion's

01:00:02 foyer.

01:00:03 "May I ask if Grandma Jones is here?"

01:00:07 Everyone looked over and saw a beautiful woman slowly walking into the room.

01:00:12 Grandma Jones recognized Britney at a glance and her face fell.

01:00:15 She subconsciously believed that Britney was there to accuse them.

01:00:20 But she forced a smile and asked, "Why, Britney, what brings you here today?

01:00:25 You should have let us know you were coming so we could have prepared a proper welcome

01:00:29 for you."

01:00:30 "Why, thank you, Grandma Jones," Britney replied with a polite nod.

01:00:35 "Please have a seat," Grandma Jones offered with a smile.

01:00:39 "I'm sorry, but I prefer to remain standing," Britney said graciously.

01:00:44 She had already seen Kevin standing in the crowd and felt a little uneasy about the situation.

01:00:50 Grandma Jones spoke to her in a serene voice.

01:00:52 "Miss Davis, please don't be angry.

01:00:56 The problems at the show were all our fault and it will cost us dearly.

01:01:01 Rest assured that I've already taught Lily a lesson.

01:01:04 She's been pulled from all our company projects."

01:01:08 When Britney heard this, she turned to look at Lily.

01:01:11 Lily could barely make eye contact.

01:01:13 Even though she knew she was innocent, she was starting to believe that everything was

01:01:18 her fault.

01:01:19 As everyone watched, Britney slowly walked over to her.

01:01:22 "Please don't blame yourself, Lily.

01:01:25 I've already looked into this and it isn't your fault at all."

01:01:29 Everyone was stunned to hear this.

01:01:31 Some of them immediately remembered what Kevin had said.

01:01:34 They couldn't help but look over at Jason.

01:01:36 "Britney, are you sure?"

01:01:39 Lily asked in disbelief.

01:01:40 "Yes, Lily, it's the truth," Britney reassured her.

01:01:45 Grandma Jones was also a little stunned and asked her.

01:01:47 "Ms. Davis, can you be more specific about what happened?"

01:01:52 Britney slowly turned around and looked directly at Jason who was standing off to the side.

01:01:57 When Jason met Britney's gaze, he got a strange feeling in the pit of his stomach.

01:02:01 He wondered, "Could she have found out that I'm responsible for all of this?"

01:02:06 Just as Jason was trying to figure out what to do, Britney turned and shouted towards

01:02:10 the door.

01:02:11 "You guys can come in now.

01:02:13 Tell Grandma Jones everything that happened.

01:02:16 We have to clear Lily's name."

01:02:19 They all saw the four Williams Media sound engineers walk in slowly, looking incredibly

01:02:24 guilty.

01:02:26 Jason was frantic, but he forced himself to look calm.

01:02:29 "Why haven't you told Grandma Jones about any of this?"

01:02:33 Britney snapped.

01:02:34 One of the Williams employees pointed right at Jason and shouted, "It's him!

01:02:39 It was Jason Jones who ordered us to do it!"

01:02:42 The second one added, "That's right!

01:02:44 He gave us $75,000 each to sabotage Britney's microphone!"

01:02:49 The third employee finally spoke up and said, "Mr. Jones also said that he would give us

01:02:54 each another $75,000 after it was done."

01:02:58 The last one was too afraid to speak, but instead just stared at Jason and nodded in

01:03:03 agreement.

01:03:04 The entire Jones family was now glaring at Jason.

01:03:08 Because Britney was there, he tried not to curse.

01:03:11 "Stop slandering me, you bastards!

01:03:14 I've never seen any of you guys before!"

01:03:16 Jason screamed hysterically.

01:03:18 "Don't you know who I am?

01:03:20 Do you know what the consequences will be for trying to frame me like this?"

01:03:24 Grandma Jones turned to look at Britney and asked her gently, "Are you sure what they've

01:03:29 said is true?

01:03:31 This is a very serious matter and I can't let my grandson be wrongly accused."

01:03:36 Kevin shook his head in disbelief.

01:03:38 He really didn't understand what Grandma Jones was thinking.

01:03:41 How come she refused to believe Britney and these four men?

01:03:45 "We're telling the truth," the fourth employee blurted out.

01:03:49 "I still have a record of the bank transfer.

01:03:51 I haven't moved a single cent of the money he gave me."

01:03:54 As he spoke, one of his partners took out his phone and shouted, "I've got proof too!"

01:03:59 "Don't try to put all the blame on us," said another one as he also pulled out his phone.

01:04:05 They knew what kind of man Jason was.

01:04:07 However, they decided they'd rather face Jason's wrath than have to explain themselves to

01:04:11 Mitchell Cook.

01:04:13 Jason was furious.

01:04:14 He stared at them as they stood there holding out their phones.

01:04:18 "Jason, are you really responsible for all this?"

01:04:22 Grandma Jones looked very upset.

01:04:25 Jason didn't know what to say to her.

01:04:27 Suddenly Kevin nudged Lily's shoulder and asked her mischievously, "How are you doing?

01:04:32 You feel any better now?"

01:04:33 "Shut up," Lily scowled, but she was definitely relieved.

01:04:38 After a while, Grandma Jones took a deep breath and looked at Britney awkwardly.

01:04:42 "You'll have to forgive Jason.

01:04:45 He's young and foolish.

01:04:47 If you want to blame someone, blame me for not teaching him better."

01:04:52 Even though the evidence was right in front of her eyes, Grandma Jones was still defending

01:04:56 Jason out of love for her grandson.

01:04:59 "I understand, Grandma Jones.

01:05:02 It's all right," she replied.

01:05:04 "I just came here to make sure that Lily wouldn't be wrongly accused."

01:05:08 But Britney still had a sad look in her eyes.

01:05:11 Grandma Jones seemed to understand what she meant.

01:05:13 Then she turned to look at her favorite grandson.

01:05:16 "I'm disappointed in you, Jason.

01:05:19 I've obviously been too easy on you.

01:05:22 How could you do such a terrible thing?

01:05:25 As of right now, I forbid you to be involved in our family business, and I also forbid

01:05:30 you to leave the property for one year.

01:05:33 If you do, there will be serious consequences."

01:05:37 On the outside, Jason was incredibly arrogant, but he could never argue with Grandma.

01:05:43 He bit his tongue and answered, "Yes, Grandma."

01:05:47 Grandma Jones turned to look at Britney again.

01:05:49 "Are you satisfied now?"

01:05:52 Britney took a moment to answer.

01:05:54 After she saw Kevin lightly nod his head, she said, "It looks like you have the situation

01:05:59 under control."

01:06:01 But then she got a serious look on her face and added, "That's all in the past now, but

01:06:06 I do have a request."

01:06:07 "Please tell me what you have on your mind," Grandma Jones said without thinking.

01:06:13 As far as Grandma was concerned, as long as Britney didn't pursue this matter any further,

01:06:17 the family wouldn't suffer, and neither would Jason.

01:06:21 Britney's eyes swept across the room and she looked at them one by one before she slowly

01:06:25 said, "In order to prevent this kind of thing from happening again, Lily will be my contact

01:06:32 for any further projects.

01:06:33 I don't want to work with anyone else."

01:06:36 "What do you mean by this?"

01:06:39 Grandma Jones asked in confusion.

01:06:41 "Because Lily is the only one that I trust."

01:06:44 Britney didn't even look at Grandma Jones.

01:06:46 "Do you agree?"

01:06:48 "You have my word," Grandma replied.

01:06:52 Even if she didn't like the idea, all she could do at this point was smile and agree.

01:06:57 Everybody in the room was jealous of Lily, and even though Britney's image had taken

01:07:02 a hit, she still had the full support of Williams' media and was sure to make a comeback.

01:07:07 As long as they were behind her, they would definitely make Britney famous again, and

01:07:11 Lily would have lots of opportunities to earn money on future projects.

01:07:16 Just when everyone thought that Britney had finished, she walked up to Kevin and asked

01:07:20 him, "Mr. Williams, what do you think of my solution?"

01:07:24 "Very good," Kevin said awkwardly.

01:07:27 He didn't expect Britney to do this.

01:07:30 His response made Britney smile.

01:07:32 Then she announced to everyone, "As long as Mr. Williams is satisfied, I guess I can head

01:07:38 home."

01:07:39 She turned around and slowly walked out of the Jones mansion to her car.

01:07:43 Everybody started to whisper to each other, "What did I just see?

01:07:48 Did Britney actually ask Kevin for his approval?"

01:07:51 Grandma Jones almost fell off of her chair.

01:07:54 She looked at Kevin in disbelief.

01:07:56 "That's funny.

01:07:58 Maybe you should get someone to look into this further," Kevin said mockingly.

01:08:02 Lily pulled on Kevin's arms and pleaded with him, "Please stop."

01:08:07 She didn't want to risk upsetting her family further, especially Grandma Jones.

01:08:12 But Kevin had other things on his mind.

01:08:14 Hi guys, Kevin here!

01:08:16 Listen to full episodes of Insta Empire exclusively on the Pocket FM app.

01:08:21 Click the link in the description to install the app now.

01:08:25 Hi guys, Kevin here!

01:08:26 Listen to full episodes of Insta Empire exclusively on the Pocket FM app.

01:08:31 Click the link in the description to install the app now.

01:08:36 After bringing in the sound engineers who had sabotaged her premiere, Britney made Grandma

01:08:40 Jones promise that only Lily would work with her from now on.

01:08:44 And Grandma gave Jason what she thought was a suitable punishment - house arrest.

01:08:49 Before he left, Kevin told the Jones family, "Maybe you should get someone to look into

01:08:54 this further."

01:08:55 The sarcasm in his voice wasn't lost on them and it showed on their faces.

01:09:00 With Grandma Jones giving him a very dirty look, Kevin slowly walked out of the mansion.

01:09:05 Lily trotted out of the front door right behind him and said, "Kevin, wait a second."

01:09:10 "What's the matter, my love?"

01:09:12 Kevin asked with a smile.

01:09:13 Lily blushed a little when Kevin called her that.

01:09:16 She gathered herself and asked, "Kevin, tell me honestly.

01:09:20 Did you already know the truth before you came here?

01:09:23 And how do you know Britney?

01:09:25 Why did she call you Mr. Williams?"

01:09:28 After hearing Lily's last question, Kevin raised an eyebrow.

01:09:31 With a mischievous smile, he replied, "Don't tell me you're jealous."

01:09:36 "No, I'm not.

01:09:39 Please tell me the truth."

01:09:40 Lily didn't know why, but she couldn't look directly into Kevin's eyes.

01:09:45 Kevin smiled, shook his head, and said gently, "That's enough.

01:09:48 I won't tease you anymore.

01:09:50 To tell you the truth, Britney and I went to school together."

01:09:52 "If you were classmates, then why did she call you Mr. Williams?

01:09:58 And why did she come over and ask if you were okay with her decision?"

01:10:01 Lily surged Kevin's eyes, hoping to see the truth.

01:10:04 "I have no idea.

01:10:06 Maybe it's because I'm so charming?"

01:10:09 Kevin answered with a shrug.

01:10:11 However, before Lily could press the issue any further, Kevin's phone suddenly rang.

01:10:16 Without looking at the caller ID, Kevin said right away, "It must be my boss looking for

01:10:20 me.

01:10:21 I have to head to work.

01:10:22 You do yourself."

01:10:23 Kevin didn't give Lily a chance to ask any more questions.

01:10:26 He just turned around and left.

01:10:28 Kevin walked pretty far from the Jones mansion before he took out his phone again.

01:10:33 He saw that it was Phoebe calling.

01:10:35 Slightly confused, Kevin dialed her number.

01:10:37 "Hello, Ms. Anderson.

01:10:39 Sorry about the delay getting back to you.

01:10:40 Is there anything I can help with?"

01:10:42 "Kevin, I really need your help.

01:10:44 Do you have the time?"

01:10:45 Phoebe sounded anxious.

01:10:47 "I think I can pull myself away from work.

01:10:49 Where are you?"

01:10:50 Kevin asked straightforwardly.

01:10:52 "I'm at the store.

01:10:53 I'll be waiting for you at the door when you get here," Phoebe replied.

01:10:57 She wanted to make sure Kevin got a better welcome than last time.

01:11:02 After hanging up, Kevin waved down a taxi and got to Anderson Antiques in half an hour.

01:11:08 As he paid the fare, he felt something in the pit of his stomach.

01:11:11 What was it?

01:11:12 He wondered.

01:11:13 As soon as Phoebe saw Kevin, she immediately grabbed him by the arm and ushered him through

01:11:18 the front door.

01:11:20 As they walked toward the middle of the room, they could hear at least 10 of the local antique

01:11:24 shop owners arguing loudly.

01:11:26 "This is definitely fake!"

01:11:29 Then another one said, "I bet everything I own.

01:11:32 This painting is definitely authentic!"

01:11:35 Then a third one responded, "You don't know what you're talking about.

01:11:39 Just look at the frame.

01:11:41 There's no way this is genuine!"

01:11:44 Kevin squeezed through the crowd and saw a man watching all of this with a distraught

01:11:48 look on his face.

01:11:49 It was Phoebe's father, Truman Anderson.

01:11:52 He was examining a landscape painting very attentively.

01:11:56 "Uncle Truman, you've been looking at that painting for so long now.

01:12:01 What's your opinion?"

01:12:03 When Kevin heard the pleasant voice, he looked around and saw a familiar face - Matilda Jones.

01:12:08 "Kevin, what are you doing here?"

01:12:10 Matilda asked curiously.

01:12:12 Before Kevin could say anything, Phoebe turned to Truman and asked, "Dad, what do you think?

01:12:18 Do you want me to ask another appraiser to take a look?"

01:12:22 Truman knew more about art history than almost anyone in Chicago.

01:12:26 If even he couldn't identify it, how could anyone else do better?

01:12:30 Just then, the man who was trying to sell them the painting asked nervously, "Mr. Anderson,

01:12:35 can't you see that this is an authentic landscape?

01:12:38 We need a decision right away."

01:12:40 "Please, don't be impatient," Truman replied.

01:12:44 "This certainly looks like a 17th century Dutch landscape.

01:12:48 However, I'm not familiar with the artist, so it's difficult to come to a conclusion.

01:12:54 The material looks authentic and I can even see the proper copper and iron pigments."

01:12:59 He continued and then paused.

01:13:01 "My instincts tell me that this is from the Dutch Golden Age, but I don't recognize the

01:13:06 artist.

01:13:07 I just can't say it with certainty.

01:13:09 Something's not right."

01:13:10 "So you're saying that my painting's a forgery?"

01:13:14 the man said angrily.

01:13:16 "I think it might be," Truman replied.

01:13:19 He just couldn't give a definite appraisal.

01:13:22 The other experts in the room mumbled in agreement, "Mr. Anderson must know what he's talking

01:13:26 about."

01:13:28 While they were all discussing the painting, Kevin slowly walked up and asked, "May I take

01:13:32 a look?"

01:13:33 One of them spoke up and rudely asked Kevin, "What are you doing?

01:13:37 Do you think you know more than one of Chicago's leading experts?

01:13:40 You're just going to make a fool of yourself."

01:13:43 Matilda heard all these men scoffing at Kevin and looked over to see his reaction.

01:13:47 She didn't know him well, but what she did know was that at Grandma Jones' birthday party,

01:13:52 he had been able to appraise an 18th century brooch at a glance.

01:13:56 He had definitely made an impression on her.

01:13:59 But this was different.

01:14:01 Even Mr. Anderson thought that the painting was probably a fake.

01:14:04 If Kevin made a fool of himself, she might open herself up to ridicule too, especially

01:14:09 by her family.

01:14:10 Truman looked at Kevin in surprise and then asked, "Aren't you Dorothy Jones' son-in-law?"

01:14:17 Phoebe interrupted awkwardly, "Dad, this is the antique appraiser that I brought in as

01:14:22 a consultant."

01:14:23 When the onlookers heard this, they all started laughing.

01:14:26 "Ms. Anderson actually hired this moron as a consultant?"

01:14:30 One of them jeered.

01:14:32 Truman looked at his daughter and let out a slow sigh.

01:14:35 He'd never seen Kevin before, but he had heard a lot of rumors about him.

01:14:39 It was the usual gossip that Jason had been spreading around amongst the members of the

01:14:44 Jones family.

01:14:46 According to them, Kevin was useless, and they all hoped that he and Lily would get

01:14:49 a divorce as soon as possible.

01:14:51 But he trusted his daughter.

01:14:54 After all, she had been doing a fantastic job with the store.

01:14:57 If she had thought that he had something to contribute, Truman was willing to listen.

01:15:02 "Please be careful.

01:15:04 If it turns out to be a forgery, we don't want to owe this man anything for damages,"

01:15:09 Truman said.

01:15:10 "Don't worry, sir," Kevin replied as he started to study the painting.

01:15:15 The atmosphere in the room changed.

01:15:18 Everyone watched patiently to see if Kevin would make a fool of himself.

01:15:22 Some of them were wondering if Phoebe was still too young to be in such a prominent

01:15:25 position in the company.

01:15:27 Phoebe started to get nervous.

01:15:29 Suppose she was very confident in Kevin, she wondered if he was making a mistake.

01:15:35 After all, her father had just given his own opinion.

01:15:39 After only half a minute, Kevin's eyes flashed and he stood up straight with an astonished

01:15:43 look on his face.

01:15:45 The mumbling and comments from the onlookers started up again.

01:15:49 They were all wondering how he could have come to a decision so quickly.

01:15:52 But Kevin didn't pay attention to them.

01:15:55 He turned around and looked at Phoebe and asked, "How much does he want for it?"

01:15:59 Before she had a chance to reply, the man said hurriedly, "Two hundred thousand."

01:16:03 "That sounds about right," Kevin nodded slightly.

01:16:07 The rudest of the onlookers said loudly, "Who does he think he is?

01:16:12 It's not worth fifty bucks.

01:16:14 Mr. Anderson already said it was a fake."

01:16:17 Matilda was disappointed to see this.

01:16:20 Truman let out another sigh and looked at his daughter glumly.

01:16:23 "So this is your expert?"

01:16:26 If there hadn't been so many people around, he would have scolded his daughter.

01:16:31 She was actually paying this guy a hundred and fifty thousand dollars a year?

01:16:36 Sure they could afford it, but he still didn't like to waste money.

01:16:40 When Phoebe heard this, she felt awful.

01:16:43 How could Kevin have come to a decision so quickly?

01:16:46 Did he really know anything?

01:16:48 She was starting to have her doubts.

01:16:51 Truman looked directly at Kevin and asked him bluntly, "Can you tell me why this thing

01:16:55 is worth two hundred thousand dollars?"

01:16:59 Kevin knew that the painting was worth ten times that amount, but he hesitated to say

01:17:03 it out loud.

01:17:05 Instead he asked Truman, "Have you ever heard of someone named Vermeer?"

01:17:10 Truman was stunned by this question.

01:17:12 He answered with a hint of indignation in his voice, "Of course I have.

01:17:18 One of the finest Dutch masters, but he only painted two landscapes in his lifetime.

01:17:24 What you're suggesting is impossible."

01:17:26 "How could this possibly be a Vermeer?"

01:17:30 Truman asked him.

01:17:32 The antique dealers surrounding them all had very puzzled expressions, not knowing what

01:17:36 the two of them were talking about.

01:17:38 Kevin explained, "Look closely at the style, the artist's use of light and shadow.

01:17:45 There's a distinctive depth to this piece, and the pigments match Vermeer's preferences

01:17:50 too.

01:17:51 You can't help but feel some emotion as you look at this landscape."

01:17:55 "But he hardly ever painted landscapes," Truman responded excitedly.

01:18:01 Kevin interrupted him and appealed to his experience, "Mr. Anderson, take another look

01:18:07 and I'm sure you'll agree.

01:18:09 This is a lost Vermeer landscape.

01:18:11 I'm certain of it."

01:18:13 Truman looked at Kevin in surprise.

01:18:15 If this young man was right, this was an extraordinary discovery.

01:18:20 After hesitating for a moment, he went back to the painting and took another look.

01:18:25 This time he pulled a magnifying glass out of his suit pocket.

01:18:29 Less than a minute later, Truman practically jumped up and down.

01:18:33 He shouted, "Mr. Landau, please arrange for this gentleman's payment."

01:18:38 The antique dealers who had been watching this spectacle with great interest couldn't

01:18:42 believe what they had just witnessed.

01:18:45 But seeing Mr. Anderson's excited reaction, they felt very awkward that they had been

01:18:49 so rude to Kevin.

01:18:51 Matilda looked at Kevin in disbelief.

01:18:53 She thought to herself, "How could he have identified this painting so easily?"

01:18:58 Phoebe wasn't quite sure what to think.

01:19:01 She asked her father, "Dad, are you sure?"

01:19:04 "Of course I'm sure.

01:19:07 Hurry up before the seller changes his mind," he whispered hurriedly in her ear.

01:19:12 The man seemed to be anxious to complete the sale and leave.

01:19:15 "Fine, then go ahead and pay me.

01:19:17 I still have other things to do today and I've already wasted a lot of time here."

01:19:22 Kevin laughed to himself.

01:19:24 The man had no idea what he was giving up for only $200,000.

01:19:28 He obviously knew nothing about art, just some guy making a quick buck.

01:19:33 So how did someone like that get hold of such a valuable piece of art?

01:19:38 Trim and

01:20:00 Anderson Phoebe's father was ecstatic.

01:20:03 Kevin had correctly identified a lost Vermeer landscape and the store was sure to see an

01:20:07 enormous profit from the deal.

01:20:09 Kevin was pleased to have help, but then he suddenly noticed a few traces of dirt on the

01:20:14 painting.

01:20:15 Then he recalled that when he bent down to look at the painting, there was a slight moldy

01:20:19 scent.

01:20:20 "Could this painting have been buried somewhere?"

01:20:23 Kevin thought to himself.

01:20:25 Truman was so happy about this find that he hugged Phoebe and said, "Please make sure

01:20:30 this gentleman is paid immediately."

01:20:32 Then he turned and walked up the stairs to the second floor.

01:20:36 While this was going on, most of the local antique shop owners who had watched the whole

01:20:40 scene took out their phones and started looking up the Dutch masters on the internet.

01:20:45 When they saw how much the painting was actually worth, they were filled with envy.

01:20:50 The seller happily accepted the payment and walked out of the store whistling.

01:20:54 After a little while, Truman returned to the showroom.

01:20:57 He walked up to Kevin and put a card into his hand.

01:21:00 "Kevin, I didn't expect you to be so gifted and discerning.

01:21:04 I'm really grateful to you.

01:21:07 Please accept this token of my appreciation."

01:21:09 "That's very kind of you, Mr. Anderson, but after all, I am one of your employees,"

01:21:14 Kevin replied with a smile.

01:21:16 Of course, he gladly accepted Truman's gift.

01:21:19 This bonus was probably nothing compared to the profit that the store could make on the

01:21:22 painting.

01:21:23 "Phoebe was right about you," Truman said sincerely.

01:21:27 "You may be young, but you're an excellent appraiser.

01:21:31 Let's have a drink later.

01:21:32 My treat."

01:21:34 Truman was obviously excited about his newest acquisition.

01:21:37 Seeing Kevin's potential, he thought it would be nice to have a talk with him.

01:21:40 "Thank you for the kind offer.

01:21:42 Unfortunately, I have some things to take care of today.

01:21:45 I'll have to take a rain check.

01:21:47 We'll get together soon and it can be my treat," Kevin said while giving him a warm handshake.

01:21:52 "All right, then.

01:21:53 I won't keep you," Truman replied gratefully.

01:21:56 "Let's get together soon."

01:21:58 Then Kevin headed out the door.

01:22:00 Phoebe, Matilda, and the others were surprised to see Kevin leave in such a hurry.

01:22:05 Why would he pass up this opportunity to make friends with the company's owner?

01:22:09 Kevin wasn't worried about that right now.

01:22:11 As soon as he stepped out of the door, he spotted the man who had just sold the painting.

01:22:15 "There's something wrong with this guy.

01:22:17 I'm sure he dug that priceless painting up somewhere," Kevin thought to himself.

01:22:22 Then he tailed him to see where he could be heading.

01:22:25 After two hours of this, he saw the man go below street level to Wacker Drive, the road

01:22:29 that runs under part of downtown Chicago.

01:22:32 It's mainly for through traffic and deliveries to keep congestion off the surface straights.

01:22:37 Otherwise things would be an even bigger mess at rush hour.

01:22:41 There wasn't much room to walk but Kevin watched the guy go up to a few men near a loading

01:22:45 dock.

01:22:46 This was in a part of the underground street that was off the beaten path.

01:22:50 Not many prying eyes, except for his.

01:22:53 He could hear one of them talk.

01:22:55 "Greg, what took you so long?

01:22:57 Did you sell that thing?"

01:22:59 "I wasted a lot of time in that shop," he said as he pulled out his bank card.

01:23:04 "I sold the painting for 200 thou, easy money."

01:23:07 The one who seemed to be in charge asked him, "Was it worth that much?"

01:23:12 "I guess so," Greg answered.

01:23:14 "Not bad for a day's work, eh Johnny?"

01:23:17 The other man asked, "Should we head down to the south side again tonight and see what

01:23:21 else we can dig up?"

01:23:23 Greg was interested in trying again.

01:23:25 "Yeah Max, good idea.

01:23:28 Last night we only dug out one painting and got 200,000 for it.

01:23:32 Maybe we can find some more good stuff."

01:23:34 Kevin who was hiding in the shadows heard everything they were saying.

01:23:38 He couldn't believe it.

01:23:39 Could they be grave robbers?

01:23:41 Did anyone still do that?

01:23:44 Just then the head grave robber suddenly looked over to where he was hiding.

01:23:47 "Who's over there?

01:23:49 Why don't you come a little closer?"

01:23:51 "Could they have seen me?"

01:23:53 Kevin wondered.

01:23:54 Just as he was about to escape he heard a woman's voice.

01:23:57 "You guys are really bold.

01:24:00 Robbing tombs?

01:24:01 Aren't you superstitious?"

01:24:03 The woman walked out from behind a container less than ten yards away from Kevin, on the

01:24:08 other side of the loading dock.

01:24:10 Kevin was stunned to see Officer Emmett.

01:24:13 How come he kept running into her in all these different places?

01:24:16 "So, who's our visitor?

01:24:18 You know you're interrupting a private meeting," Johnny said in a threatening tone.

01:24:23 Then he turned to his buddies and said, "She's a beauty, isn't she?"

01:24:27 "Yeah, I like what I see," Greg added.

01:24:30 "Why don't you come over here and have a seat?"

01:24:33 Hearing their boorish comments, Officer Emmett started to get a little ticked off.

01:24:37 Actually, she'd been aware of this group of thieves for a long time.

01:24:42 Early this morning she caught a break when she spotted them near one of the older cemeteries

01:24:46 on the south side.

01:24:47 It was pretty much abandoned, so it was surprising to see traffic there, especially so early

01:24:52 in the day.

01:24:53 She had figured they were up to something, so instead of heading to the station, she

01:24:57 followed them here.

01:24:58 It had turned out to be a long sneak out while she waited for Greg to come back, but she

01:25:03 wanted more proof of how they were fencing their loot.

01:25:06 Just as Officer Emmett had suspected, they'd robbed one of the mausoleums that were hidden

01:25:11 back in the woods away from the Holy Redemption Cemetery's main entrance.

01:25:16 Never had it that bootleggers had hidden a lot of their valuables in the cemeteries back

01:25:20 in the 1920s.

01:25:22 Maybe they had stumbled onto something.

01:25:24 She wanted to call for backup, but the cell signal was really crappy down there under

01:25:28 the street, especially in her hiding place behind a shipping container.

01:25:34 Officer Emmett advised them, "You're under arrest.

01:25:37 I've recorded your conversation and thanks for having it out here in public, where I

01:25:41 wouldn't need a warrant.

01:25:42 If you surrender quietly, I might ask the court to go easy on you."

01:25:47 Johnny answered in a creepy tone, "I'll tell you what.

01:25:50 Why don't you come with us?

01:25:52 It can get pretty lonely down at the cemetery."

01:25:55 Max added, "Good idea.

01:25:57 I never seen such a pretty cop."

01:26:00 In spite of her training in conflict resolution, Officer Emmett was getting irritated.

01:26:04 "If you guys keep this up, I'll have to use force."

01:26:08 She pulled her badge out of her pocket and informed them, "I'm Lieutenant Kelly

01:26:12 Emmett of the Chicago Police Department.

01:26:14 You're all under arrest."

01:26:16 "I don't care who you are.

01:26:18 We don't want you here."

01:26:20 Johnny laughed.

01:26:21 Then a few more men came out of the shadows and joined them.

01:26:24 They started walking towards her.

01:26:26 "I order you to stop."

01:26:29 Emmett knew she was in trouble and she was kicking herself for not calling for backup.

01:26:33 "Don't worry.

01:26:34 I won't hurt you."

01:26:36 Johnny the group's leader had a sadistic smile on his face.

01:26:39 "But these guys might."

01:26:42 He ordered them again, "Stop right there.

01:26:44 Don't move."

01:26:46 Emmett instinctively reached for her hip.

01:26:48 But she wasn't in uniform so her service weapon was locked up safely at the station.

01:26:54 "Great.

01:26:55 Now what am I going to do?"

01:26:56 She anxiously thought to herself.

01:26:59 By then the men had surrounded her.

01:27:01 There were six of them.

01:27:03 Just as Kevin was about to show himself, he saw Officer Emmett knock one of them to the

01:27:07 ground with a beautiful sidekick.

01:27:09 She moved like lightning.

01:27:11 Emmett was impressed with her fighting skills.

01:27:14 In less than a minute four or five of them were on the ground either unconscious or writhing

01:27:19 in pain.

01:27:20 "Pretty good."

01:27:22 Johnny said in surprise.

01:27:23 She spoke to the two robbers who were still standing.

01:27:26 "Put your hands on your heads and kneel on the ground."

01:27:29 Greg, the one who'd sold the painting to the Andersons, had been lying on the pavement.

01:27:34 Emmett thought she had knocked him out but she was wrong.

01:27:38 The man jumped up, pulled out a switchblade and held it to her throat.

01:27:43 "Not today, officer.

01:27:45 It looks like maybe we're going to be arresting you instead."

01:27:48 Johnny said as he motioned for the others to tie her up with their belts.

01:27:53 Officer Emmett began to worry that they were interested in more than robbing graves.

01:27:58 Just then they were all surprised to hear a man's voice from the shadows.

01:28:02 "You guys really are scum.

01:28:04 Grave robbery is one thing, but what were you thinking of doing to this nice lieutenant,

01:28:09 one of Chicago's finest?"

01:28:12 They all looked over and saw Kevin deliberately walking out from behind a box truck while

01:28:17 he brushed the dust off his clothes.

01:28:19 "Kevin?"

01:28:21 Officer Emmett exclaimed.

01:28:22 "Hurry up and call the police."

01:28:25 Kevin heard her but kept moving forward.

01:28:27 He didn't have any intention of leaving.

01:28:30 "Damn it, Greg, you let someone follow you?"

01:28:34 Johnny said in an annoyed tone of voice.

01:28:36 "Boss, don't worry, it's just the appraiser from the antique store."

01:28:40 "An appraiser?"

01:28:42 Johnny scoffed.

01:28:43 They were all stunned, especially Officer Emmett.

01:28:47 "Kevin, run!

01:28:48 Just call the police and we'll be fine!" she shouted as she struggled against her restraints.

01:28:53 "Shut up!"

01:28:55 Johnny said as he grabbed her mouth and poured in a bottle of pills.

01:28:58 "After we deal with him, we'll get back to you," he snarled.

01:29:04 Emmett coughed and asked him frantically, "What did you just do?"

01:29:08 "Don't be such a killjoy," he answered.

01:29:11 "You're going to take a nice nap."

01:29:14 Officer Emmett struggled even more intensely when she heard this.

01:29:18 "What the hell is wrong with this guy?"

01:29:20 Kevin wondered.

01:29:22 Then Greg shouted at Kevin, "You followed me?

01:29:25 I sold the painting and you guys bought it.

01:29:28 Just business.

01:29:29 What do you want now?"

01:29:30 "Don't get excited," Kevin said calmly.

01:29:33 "Shouldn't you be thanking me?"

01:29:35 "Why should I be thanking you?" he shouted.

01:29:39 Kevin shook his head and replied, "If it wasn't for me, you wouldn't have gotten a penny for

01:29:43 your forgery."

01:29:44 "You're saying it was a fake?" the man asked in shock.

01:29:48 Kevin saw the other thugs starting to move towards him.

01:29:51 He ripped through them in seconds, tossing the large men left and right.

01:29:55 "Who the hell are you?" the last man standing asked in horror.

01:30:00 Kevin couldn't resist.

01:30:02 Gritting his teeth, he snarled, "Who am I?

01:30:05 I'm an antiques appraiser."

01:30:07 After he said this, the man fainted.

01:30:10 Officer Emmett looked like she was in shock.

01:30:13 Kevin knelt down next to her and started to remove her restraints.

01:30:16 "Are you alright?

01:30:18 Do you think you can stand up?"

01:30:20 She didn't answer right away.

01:30:22 She just shook her head in disbelief.

01:30:25 Kevin took the belt and walked over to the unconscious men.

01:30:28 He began to search their bodies as he tied them up.

01:30:31 Looking through the pockets of the head gangster, Johnny, he found a pill bottle.

01:30:36 "What the heck is this?"

01:30:38 Kevin wondered.

01:30:39 "It could be worse," Officer Emmett said slowly.

01:30:41 "When he poured the pills in my mouth, he was so distracted by you that I managed to

01:30:45 spit most of them out."

01:30:47 She nodded over to the gross pile on the pavement.

01:30:51 Kevin handed her the bottle so she could take a look at the label.

01:30:54 Then she added, "Yup.

01:30:56 Looks like they were tranquilizers.

01:30:58 I may have swallowed a couple, but it would still be nice to get an ambulance down here

01:31:01 right away.

01:31:02 And a couple of squad cars."

01:31:04 "Can you get a signal down here?"

01:31:06 She asked him.

01:31:08 Kevin nodded and then he took out his phone to call for help.

01:31:10 Hi guys, Kevin here!

01:31:12 Listen to full episodes of Insta Empire exclusively on the Pocket FM app.

01:31:17 Click the link in the description to install the app now.

01:31:21 Hi guys, Kevin here!

01:31:22 Listen to full episodes of Insta Empire exclusively on the Pocket FM app.

01:31:27 Click the link in the description to install the app now.

01:31:31 The ambulance will be here soon, Kevin said as he slowly put away his phone.

01:31:37 Officer Emmett looked at the six men lying on the asphalt tied up with their own belts.

01:31:42 Then she stared at Kevin and hesitated for a few seconds before saying, "Why are you

01:31:46 here?"

01:31:48 Kevin pointed to one of the men lying on the ground and explained, "This guy sold a 17th

01:31:53 century Dutch landscape to Anderson Antiques.

01:31:57 I had my suspicions so I followed him here."

01:32:00 Officer Emmett believed him and didn't ask any more questions.

01:32:04 After an awkward silence, Kevin asked her, "I keep running into you, but I still don't

01:32:08 know your name."

01:32:09 "Most people just call me Officer Emmett," she replied quietly.

01:32:13 Then she added, "Kelly Emmett."

01:32:16 Kevin was surprised at this softer side that she was showing.

01:32:20 Then Officer Emmett looked at Kevin with a serious expression and said, "Tell me honestly,

01:32:25 who are you really?"

01:32:27 Kevin didn't answer right away, he wasn't exactly sure what she meant.

01:32:31 After thinking for a while, Officer Emmett rephrased her question, "What I mean is, what

01:32:36 school of martial arts are you from?"

01:32:39 Kevin was speechless, it sounded like she was talking about something from the movies.

01:32:43 "I'm sorry, I don't understand your question," he answered candidly.

01:32:48 "I know what I saw," Officer Emmett said seriously.

01:32:51 "When you defeated these men, your moves looked spontaneous, but I saw something deeper in

01:32:56 your movements.

01:32:58 I've studied martial arts for years and I studied Eastern philosophy in college.

01:33:02 You were keeping something from me."

01:33:05 Kevin really didn't know how to respond.

01:33:07 Officer Emmett, you stream a lot of Kung Fu movies in your off time, don't you?

01:33:12 "Do you still want to play dumb?" she said sternly.

01:33:15 "Didn't you take an oath not to let outsiders see you using your techniques?"

01:33:19 "I have no idea what you're talking about," he assured her.

01:33:23 "I used to practice some Taekwondo when I was a kid.

01:33:27 Everything I just did was entirely subconscious."

01:33:30 Officer Emmett wasn't buying his explanation.

01:33:34 "So, you really think I'm mistaken?" she muttered to herself.

01:33:38 She was so convinced that Kevin started to get curious.

01:33:41 "Officer Emmett, what did you mean by what you said earlier?"

01:33:46 Kevin asked.

01:33:47 "Of course I'm talking about developing your inner power.

01:33:50 Don't tell me you really don't know about this."

01:33:53 Officer Emmett stared at Kevin while they waited for help to arrive.

01:33:57 She continued explaining to Kevin.

01:33:59 "I've studied a few different martial arts.

01:34:02 You saw me use them a little while ago.

01:34:04 What's even more interesting to me is the study and development of life energy.

01:34:09 A lot of people spend years working on this.

01:34:12 You seem to be tapping into it without even trying.

01:34:15 But you really should be careful.

01:34:17 Without guidance, this can be very dangerous.

01:34:20 It's even more important to avoid getting the attention of the people who want to keep

01:34:23 all this a secret."

01:34:25 "This sounds like a comic book or something."

01:34:28 "Are you kidding me?"

01:34:30 Kevin asked in disbelief.

01:34:31 "Trust me, I'm deadly serious," Officer Emmett replied gravely.

01:34:36 "So, are you one of these people?"

01:34:38 Kevin asked with a faint smile.

01:34:40 "The ones who are into all this stuff?"

01:34:43 Officer Emmett didn't answer Kevin's question right away.

01:34:46 Her eyes were half closed, but she managed to talk some.

01:34:49 "There's a lot going on that the average person doesn't know about.

01:34:53 And there are some very powerful people who have decided to put their energy into developing

01:34:58 businesses, believe it or not.

01:35:00 They've become wealthy entrepreneurs and some of them have very powerful families."

01:35:06 Her voice took on a very solemn tone and she took a deep breath.

01:35:10 Even with all her training, the few pills that she'd taken were starting to make her

01:35:15 sleepy.

01:35:16 They heard sirens approaching.

01:35:18 Help was just a few blocks away now.

01:35:21 Kevin counted five or six police cars heading towards them.

01:35:24 "Looks like the Calvary is here," Kevin said with a smile.

01:35:28 "Time for me to go."

01:35:29 "Wait," Officer Emmett said as she struggled to stand up.

01:35:33 But she was feeling too sleepy.

01:35:36 "You're safe and the grave robbery case has been solved.

01:35:40 You know how to reach me if you need a statement."

01:35:42 "Do I really need to stay?"

01:35:44 Kevin asked.

01:35:45 "I'm not asking you to make a statement.

01:35:47 I'm asking you to take me home," Officer Emmett said slowly.

01:35:51 She wasn't feeling much like talking anymore.

01:35:54 "Why me?

01:35:55 Help just arrived.

01:35:57 Don't you want to go with them?"

01:35:58 Kevin asked in confusion.

01:36:00 "Don't worry about it.

01:36:02 Can you please do this for me?" she asked quietly.

01:36:05 She didn't want to admit to Kevin that she was embarrassed for letting the gang of robbers

01:36:09 get the best of her.

01:36:11 She'd never be able to live it down and it could undermine her authority at the precinct.

01:36:15 "I guess I could take you home.

01:36:17 Do you think you can walk?"

01:36:19 Kevin asked her.

01:36:20 "Do you think you could carry me?"

01:36:22 Emmett asked him.

01:36:23 Her voice was barely audible.

01:36:26 Kevin nodded and waited for the officers to arrive.

01:36:29 Officer Emmett mustered enough strength to give them their order so they could take the

01:36:32 men to the station for processing.

01:36:35 Kevin supported her as they walked slowly to her car, which was parked on the street

01:36:39 above this underground loading dock.

01:36:41 She wasn't very heavy so nobody suspected just how much Kevin was actually helping her.

01:36:47 Kevin managed to get Officer Emmett home safely.

01:36:50 He eased her into a recliner in her living room then he sat down on the sofa and wiped

01:36:55 the sweat from his forehead.

01:36:57 He looked around and wondered out loud, "What's the average salary in the police department

01:37:02 these days?"

01:37:03 He knew that a house in this neighborhood cost at least half a million.

01:37:07 "My mom bought it for me," Officer Emmett said sleepily.

01:37:11 She paused for a moment and then asked him, "I'm really curious.

01:37:16 How did you get your strength?

01:37:17 I could feel your power as you carried me in."

01:37:21 Before Kevin could reply, she asked him, "If you haven't gotten it through any special

01:37:25 training, did you have any help from someone?"

01:37:28 "Help?"

01:37:29 Kevin frowned.

01:37:31 He thought of the two pills Cook had given him.

01:37:33 They were supposed to help him restore his strength.

01:37:36 Maybe they did something more.

01:37:38 "What have those pills done to me?"

01:37:40 Kevin wondered.

01:37:41 "If you don't want to tell me, I won't force you.

01:37:44 But remember one thing.

01:37:46 Try not to let anyone see just how much power you have.

01:37:49 Otherwise…"

01:37:51 Officer Emmett yawned and changed the subject.

01:37:53 "Sit down and rest for a while.

01:37:55 I'm a little tired."

01:37:57 Then she closed her eyes and fell asleep.

01:38:00 "I can't believe she trusts me enough to let me in her home like this," Kevin thought

01:38:04 to himself.

01:38:05 Then he thought again about what Emmett had said.

01:38:08 Kevin wondered about the two pills Cook had given him and he quickly took out his phone

01:38:12 and called his friend.

01:38:14 Cook answered in his deep voice, "Hi, Kevin.

01:38:17 What's up?"

01:38:18 "Mitch, I want to know what was in those pills you gave me," Kevin said directly.

01:38:23 "Let me think about it.

01:38:25 One of them was supposed to help boost your energy levels and the other was supposed to

01:38:29 help you with your focus," he replied.

01:38:31 Then he asked, "Why are you suddenly asking me about this?

01:38:35 Are you having a problem because of the pills?"

01:38:37 "No, don't worry.

01:38:39 I'm fine," Kevin smiled before adding, "Just curious.

01:38:43 I'll let you get back to work."

01:38:46 Then he sent a quick text to his office to have his car dropped off around the corner

01:38:49 from Officer Emmett's house.

01:38:51 No explanations necessary.

01:38:54 It's good to be the CEO, he thought.

01:38:56 Kevin put his phone back in his pocket and looked back at Officer Emmett, who was sleeping

01:39:00 soundly in her recliner.

01:39:02 He sat back and looked around the room while he wondered what was going on in his body.

01:39:08 His eyes fell on the top shelf of her bookcase.

01:39:11 There were a lot of martial arts books, guides to natural health, but there were also a couple

01:39:16 of old books with tattered spines.

01:39:19 Kevin walked over and took them down.

01:39:21 The first one he opened was a very old translation of an ancient book on training your ki, your

01:39:28 inner power.

01:39:29 He was surprised to find that it talked a lot about what Officer Emmett had been saying

01:39:33 about training your internal energy.

01:39:36 It was a quick read, maybe because of his recent improvement in his focus.

01:39:40 Kevin put that book aside and flipped open another one.

01:39:44 It talked about the yin and yang, negative and positive energy, and harmony, as well

01:39:49 as some ways to make natural medications.

01:39:53 Kevin lost track of time and read throughout the night.

01:39:56 When Officer Emmett woke up and saw that Kevin was still there, she immediately jumped up

01:40:00 from her chair.

01:40:01 "Why haven't you left yet?"

01:40:03 "Well, you asked me to bring you back here and then you fell asleep.

01:40:07 How could I let you sleep alone in the living room?

01:40:09 What if those guys have accomplices and they want to harm you?"

01:40:12 Kevin explained.

01:40:13 "Even so, it wasn't appropriate," she said, looking slightly embarrassed.

01:40:18 "It can be our little secret," Kevin said while leaning back on the sofa.

01:40:23 He didn't look like someone who had been up all night.

01:40:26 On the contrary, he looked very energetic.

01:40:28 Kevin suddenly remembered the pills that Officer Emmett had been forced to swallow the day

01:40:32 before and he asked her, with the concern showing in his voice, "How are you doing now?"

01:40:39 It was only a couple of them.

01:40:40 "I keep myself in pretty good shape, so I think I'm getting over it," she replied.

01:40:44 "I just wish I could have developed my internal energy more, like in those books you've been

01:40:49 reading," she said as she nodded at the pile of old books that Kevin had taken down from

01:40:53 her shelf.

01:40:55 "Oh, I'm sure it isn't all that hard," Kevin teased her.

01:40:59 Officer Emmett raised an eyebrow.

01:41:01 She felt that he didn't know just how long that kind of training could take.

01:41:05 "You wouldn't understand if I told you.

01:41:07 Anyway, I think it's time for you to leave," she said impatiently.

01:41:11 "I have to go to work."

01:41:13 Kevin just sat there with a cryptic smile on his face.

01:41:16 "Why aren't you leaving yet?

01:41:18 Do you want me to call a squad car for you or something?"

01:41:20 Her annoyance was starting to show.

01:41:22 "I've got something here and I hope it can help you," Kevin said as he slowly took a

01:41:27 reddish-brown pill from his pocket.

01:41:30 Last night, Kevin had followed the instructions in the book on alternative medicine to come

01:41:35 up with something he thought could help Officer Emmett recover more quickly.

01:41:39 "Did you use one of the herbal recipes in that book?

01:41:42 What is it supposed to do?"

01:41:44 Officer Emmett asked.

01:41:45 You could tell she had her doubts, but for some reason she trusted Kevin.

01:41:49 She was tempted to try it.

01:41:52 Hi guys, Kevin here!

01:41:56 Listen to full episodes of Insta Empire exclusively on the Pocket FM app.

01:42:01 Click the link in the description to install the app now.

01:42:04 Hi guys, Kevin here!

01:42:06 Listen to full episodes of Insta Empire exclusively on the Pocket FM app.

01:42:11 Click the link in the description to install the app now.

01:42:16 Kevin had spent the night reading about vitamins in natural medicine.

01:42:20 He only knew the basics, but decided to use a recipe in one of the old books to make some

01:42:24 herbal medications to help Officer Emmett recover.

01:42:28 He offered her a reddish-brown pill that looked a little like the one Cook had given him.

01:42:34 "What will it do?" she asked him.

01:42:36 "I'm not exactly sure," he answered.

01:42:39 Of course, he didn't want to tell her that he'd made it using simple ingredients he found

01:42:43 in her kitchen.

01:42:44 "You don't know?

01:42:46 So what makes you think it can help me?" she said in an exasperated tone.

01:42:51 "So are you going to take it or not?"

01:42:54 Kevin was about to take the pill back as he spoke, but she snatched it out of his hand.

01:42:59 Officer Emmett stared at the pill in her hand.

01:43:02 She looked at Kevin and asked him, "You've already taken something like this, haven't

01:43:06 you?

01:43:07 That's how you got so strong.

01:43:09 If you're not going to take it, then I'd like to have it back," Kevin said.

01:43:13 "Who said I don't want it?"

01:43:15 She tossed the pill in her mouth and swallowed it with a gulp of water.

01:43:20 They waited anxiously for about five minutes.

01:43:23 Finally, Kevin asked her, "Do you feel anything?"

01:43:26 "I feel like I'm going to be another five minutes late to work," she remarked.

01:43:31 Then she asked him, "Are you sure you followed the recipe right?"

01:43:34 "I'm not sure.

01:43:36 The one I took was given to me by someone else," Kevin said awkwardly as he scratched

01:43:41 his head.

01:43:42 It was starting to look helpless.

01:43:44 The book sounded serious, but maybe none of the things it talked about actually worked.

01:43:49 Just then, Kevin's phone rang.

01:43:51 He pulled it out of his pocket, looked at the caller ID, and said, "Lily?"

01:43:55 "Where are you?

01:43:57 Hurry up and come to Grandma's.

01:43:59 My father's back from his trip."

01:44:01 Lily's voice sounded a little urgent.

01:44:04 "Okay, I'll be there in a little while."

01:44:07 Kevin hung up the phone and picked up the two old books.

01:44:10 Looking at Officer Emmett, he asked her, "Do you mind if I borrow these?"

01:44:14 She nodded and said, "Knock yourself out."

01:44:18 Then they said goodbye and he headed out the front door.

01:44:21 He walked around the corner and found his car.

01:44:24 While driving across town to the Jones mansion, Kevin thought about his father-in-law.

01:44:29 Oliver Jones had been overseas for the past few years handling family business.

01:44:35 Grandma Jones used to dote on Oliver, but after Lily married Kevin and Oliver went overseas,

01:44:41 Grandma gradually stopped.

01:44:42 For some reason, Kevin felt that it wasn't a good time for Oliver to return.

01:44:48 After driving for more than an hour, he finally arrived at the Jones family's mansion.

01:44:53 When he saw Kevin enter, Oliver, who was sitting on a big leather chair, waved at him.

01:44:59 "Kevin, come here.

01:45:00 Let me take a good look at you."

01:45:02 "Dad," Kevin said as he walked over to him with a smile.

01:45:06 "It's been a long time.

01:45:08 You're looking stronger," Oliver said pleasantly.

01:45:11 Jason, who was standing nearby, sneered.

01:45:14 "He eats at home every day and doesn't do anything.

01:45:18 He must have gotten fat."

01:45:20 This remark brought laughter and snickering from most of the Joneses, all except Oliver,

01:45:25 whose smile turned into a slight frown.

01:45:28 Grandma Jones glared at Kevin, then said to her son, "Oliver, what brings you back after

01:45:33 all this time?"

01:45:35 "Mom, I've found a great business opportunity for the family," Oliver explained as he stood

01:45:41 up excitedly.

01:45:43 That's when Kevin noticed how proud Dorothy looked as she sat next to her husband.

01:45:48 Grandma Jones asked in surprise, "What opportunity?"

01:45:51 "Mom, I met a very powerful businessman.

01:45:55 All I have to do is send him the amount we agreed on and half a month later he'll be

01:46:00 able to triple our investment," Oliver said excitedly.

01:46:04 The family members who were in the room started discussing this with each other.

01:46:09 One of his cousins asked him, "Oliver, you chump, what were you thinking?"

01:46:14 Some of the other comments were even worse, but Oliver didn't care what they said.

01:46:19 He never lost his smile.

01:46:21 He handed his phone to Grandma Jones and reassured her.

01:46:24 "Mom, take a look!

01:46:26 This is the transfer record between me and my friend."

01:46:30 After Grandma Jones saw the financial report, she passed Oliver's phone around the room

01:46:34 for everyone to see for themselves.

01:46:36 The transfer records show that as long as Oliver Jones invested a certain sum of money

01:46:41 every time, he would receive three times that amount after 10 days.

01:46:46 One of his nephews asked him, "Uncle Oliver, you aren't laundering money or something,

01:46:51 are you?"

01:46:52 But everyone knew he was an honest man, and the accounts looked genuine.

01:46:56 Grandma Jones slapped the table next to her.

01:46:59 "Oliver, it's not that I don't trust you, but our family's business isn't doing that

01:47:04 well right now.

01:47:06 The most I could give you is $90 million.

01:47:09 As you know, it would be wise to watch this investment over time.

01:47:14 I think we should be more patient," Grandma Jones said hesitantly.

01:47:18 "Mom, this friend of mine is doing development overseas.

01:47:23 He's focusing on some real cutting-edge industries.

01:47:26 I guarantee that we'll earn a lot of money from this," he said confidently.

01:47:31 Then he added, "If we hesitate, he may look for a new partner.

01:47:35 It would be a shame for us to miss out on such a fantastic opportunity."

01:47:40 Kevin stood up and said, "Dad, I think you should go and check on your friend."

01:47:45 Dorothy immediately reprimanded Kevin.

01:47:48 "What are you talking about?

01:47:50 How can you interrupt your dad when he's speaking?

01:47:53 If you don't understand what we're talking about, just sit there with your mouth shut!"

01:47:58 Dorothy still couldn't bear to look at Kevin, and she was disappointed that Lily refused

01:48:02 to divorce him.

01:48:04 "Mom, I'm telling the truth," and Dad didn't say exactly what his friend would do with

01:48:08 the money.

01:48:09 "If we invest everything we have, we stand to lose a lot," Kevin explained very seriously.

01:48:15 As usual, the rest of the Jones family started criticizing him one after another, saying

01:48:19 things like, "Just go home," "You don't belong here," and "You don't know what you're talking

01:48:25 about."

01:48:27 Then Lily whispered to Kevin, "Stop it, Kevin.

01:48:30 Dad's finally home again.

01:48:32 What if you make him angry?"

01:48:34 "Lily, what do you think of Dad's deal with his friend?"

01:48:38 Kevin asked gravely.

01:48:39 "Of course I don't believe it, Kevin, but we need to support him," Lily pleaded.

01:48:45 She didn't know what else to say.

01:48:47 And she really didn't believe that anyone would offer her father such a good investment,

01:48:51 even his best friend.

01:48:52 It had to be a scam, but she just couldn't get herself to disagree with him, especially

01:48:57 in front of the entire family.

01:49:00 Grandma Jones didn't pay any attention to Kevin's objections.

01:49:03 Her eyes lit up and she stared at Oliver and thought about all the money they could make.

01:49:08 Grandma Jones finally let out a breath as if she had made up her mind and said, "Oliver,

01:49:13 why don't we invest five million first?"

01:49:17 "Mom, what are you talking about?

01:49:20 We aren't some tiny little unknown family.

01:49:22 We're one of the most respected families in all of Chicago.

01:49:26 If I only invest five million, my friend will think that we're not committed."

01:49:30 Oliver implored, "He put our family at the top of his list because of our reputation.

01:49:36 If we don't show the same faith in him, we may lose the entire deal."

01:49:41 They all agreed with him.

01:49:43 Nobody wanted to risk being passed over because they were being stingy.

01:49:47 They had to commit more than five million dollars.

01:49:50 "Then how much do you think our family should invest in this opportunity?"

01:49:55 Grandma Jones asked him.

01:49:57 Oliver heard her and immediately became excited.

01:50:00 "Mom, I think we should invest more.

01:50:02 We should invest all available funds.

01:50:05 Then once we've made enough profit, we can pull back."

01:50:08 When Oliver said this, none of the Joneses knew what to do.

01:50:12 Even Grandma Jones was uncertain.

01:50:14 "Grandma, please don't listen to Uncle Oliver."

01:50:18 Matilda was the first to stand up and voice her opinion.

01:50:21 "We're not even the richest family in Chicago, let alone the world.

01:50:25 There's no way someone would approach us first.

01:50:28 This has to be a scam."

01:50:30 Oliver got upset with his niece and yelled, "Matilda, I'm talking with your grandmother.

01:50:35 Please don't interrupt."

01:50:37 Even though Oliver used to be one of the most respected members of the family, he was no

01:50:42 longer Grandma Jones' favorite.

01:50:44 A lot of the Joneses held a grudge against him.

01:50:47 For one thing, they thought his son-in-law, Kevin, was a deadbeat.

01:50:50 They also had a lot of unpleasant things to say about Dorothy and Lily lately.

01:50:55 And to top it all off, Oliver had been out of the country for years.

01:50:59 "I don't care what you think.

01:51:02 This is a scam," Matilda protested.

01:51:05 Then Kevin repeated his warning.

01:51:08 "Dad, in my opinion, you really ought to think twice about this."

01:51:13 When she heard this, Dorothy stood up from her seat, walked over to Kevin, and slapped

01:51:18 him in the face.

01:51:19 "What are you talking about?

01:51:22 Don't you want this family to succeed?

01:51:24 Just because you're a leech, it doesn't mean Lily's father is too.

01:51:28 If you say another word, you will never be welcome in my home again!" she shrieked.

01:51:34 Kevin couldn't let it go, even after Dorothy's ultimatum.

01:51:38 "But Mom, think about it.

01:51:41 This is too good to be true.

01:51:43 If it were this easy to make a fortune, nobody in the world would be poor."

01:51:49 Dorothy gave Kevin a vicious slap on the other cheek, shouting, "That's it!

01:51:54 Get out of here now!"

01:51:56 Before Kevin could say anything else, Matilda interrupted him.

01:52:00 "Uncle Oliver, you didn't come back home just to let the family get cheated out of millions,

01:52:05 did you?"

01:52:06 Suddenly, Jason had an idea.

01:52:08 The way he saw the situation, Oliver's friend claimed he could triple their money in ten

01:52:13 days.

01:52:14 Did he think that they were fools?

01:52:16 Of course it would be easy to trick Grandma Jones out of her money.

01:52:21 And at first, Jason wanted to speak out against the idea like Matilda had.

01:52:25 But now he saw an opportunity to chase Lily out of the family and make some extra money

01:52:30 for himself.

01:52:31 Plus, Oliver was Kevin's father-in-law, and Jason hated Kevin to the core because of all

01:52:38 the times he'd made him suffer.

01:52:40 He couldn't pass up this chance to get even.

01:52:42 So Jason sneered and said, "Matilda, Uncle Oliver has good intentions.

01:52:48 How can you say his friend's offer is a fraud?"

01:52:51 "Jason, what do you mean?"

01:52:53 Grandma Jones said as she turned to look at him.

01:52:56 Even though Jason had humiliated Brittany and almost cost the family a fortune, he was

01:53:01 still Grandma's favorite.

01:53:03 "Grandma, I think this is a good opportunity," Jason said respectfully.

01:53:09 He had already come up with a plan.

01:53:11 As long as Grandma listened to Oliver and invested the family's money, Jason would be

01:53:16 able to funnel company money to his own bank account.

01:53:20 This deal his uncle had found was definitely a scam.

01:53:23 By the time the family realized all their funds had disappeared, it would look like

01:53:27 Oliver was responsible.

01:53:30 He and the rest of his immediate family, including Kevin, would be ostracized.

01:53:35 Jason figured that nobody would suspect him.

01:53:38 Then, once Kevin and Lily were out of the family, he would pay someone to track them

01:53:42 down and punish them so he could finally get his revenge.

01:53:46 "Jason, have you lost it?

01:53:49 Can't you tell this is an obvious scam?"

01:53:51 Matilda asked in disbelief.

01:53:54 Kevin was about to say something, but Dorothy glared at him angrily and Lily pulled on his

01:53:59 sleeve.

01:54:00 He decided to keep quiet for now.

01:54:03 "Matilda, I think maybe you've lost it.

01:54:06 You actually agree with Kevin?"

01:54:09 Jason asked in a snotty tone.

01:54:11 He continued, "I don't care what Kevin thinks.

01:54:14 He doesn't know anything about business.

01:54:16 But you're a Jones.

01:54:18 You ought to know better."

01:54:19 "It's because I'm a Jones that I'm against this."

01:54:23 Matilda shot back angrily.

01:54:25 "Matilda, what do you have against me?"

01:54:29 Oliver said dejectedly.

01:54:31 Matilda was about to say more, but Grandma Jones suddenly slammed her fist on the table.

01:54:36 She first gave Kevin a fierce look and then said, "Enough!

01:54:40 We're all family.

01:54:41 What are you guys arguing about anyway?

01:54:44 You sound ridiculous."

01:54:47 Grandma Jones looked at Kevin again and her eyes were filled with contempt.

01:54:52 What was she going to do now?

01:54:54 Hi guys, Kevin here!

01:55:00 Listen to full episodes of Insta Empire exclusively on the Pocket FM app.

01:55:05 Click the link in the description to install the app now.

01:55:08 Hi guys, Kevin here!

01:55:10 Listen to full episodes of Insta Empire exclusively on the Pocket FM app.

01:55:15 Click the link in the description to install the app now.

01:55:19 While everyone watched anxiously, Grandma Jones took a deep breath and said, "I've

01:55:24 decided to give all available family assets to Oliver for this investment."

01:55:29 "Grandma," Matilda began to plead.

01:55:32 But her grandmother interrupted her.

01:55:34 "Don't say another word.

01:55:35 Matilda, you must remember one thing.

01:55:38 Above all else, you're a Jones."

01:55:42 Oliver was the most excited one in the room.

01:55:45 "Mother, don't worry.

01:55:46 We'll easily earn at least $200 million," Oliver said happily.

01:55:51 The next step was for Grandma to authorize the Jones family's chief financial officer

01:55:56 to transfer every available asset to Oliver's account.

01:56:00 As this was happening, Jason looked at his smartphone and smiled.

01:56:03 Meanwhile, Kevin closed his eyes and shook his head helplessly.

01:56:08 Soon afterward, everyone left the mansion.

01:56:12 Lily pulled on Kevin's sleeve as soon as they stepped out of the building and said, "Kevin,

01:56:17 do you have any free time now?

01:56:19 Let's go home and have a meal with Mom and Dad."

01:56:21 "Of course I have time, Lily," Kevin smiled and said, "Wait with them here while I go

01:56:27 get the car."

01:56:28 "Your boss let you drive his car again?"

01:56:31 Lily asked in surprise.

01:56:33 She didn't understand.

01:56:34 What kind of boss would let his employee drive his own car around all day long?

01:56:39 "Of course.

01:56:40 My boss thanks a lot of me.

01:56:42 You should see the one he let me drive today."

01:56:45 Kevin set over his shoulder as he walked towards his car.

01:56:49 Oliver came over and stood next to Lily.

01:56:51 He watched Kevin open the door of a Porsche Panamera and his eyes grew wide.

01:56:56 He commented, "Kevin isn't doing too bad, is he?

01:57:00 Just look at that car."

01:57:02 "That's his boss's car," Dorothy said with contempt.

01:57:06 "He could never afford such a nice sedan."

01:57:08 "He has an interesting boss.

01:57:11 Where exactly does Kevin work?"

01:57:14 Oliver asked suspiciously.

01:57:16 Just then Kevin pulled up in front of the three of them and greeted them warmly.

01:57:20 They all got in and sank into the plush seat to the sports sedan.

01:57:24 While pulling out of the mansion's gates, Kevin asked Oliver, "Dad, how long do you

01:57:29 plan to stay this time?"

01:57:30 "Your dad just got here and you're already talking about him leaving?"

01:57:35 Dorothy said coldly.

01:57:36 "You've got no common sense."

01:57:40 Kevin didn't say anything else.

01:57:42 He just focused on driving the car.

01:57:45 Lily let out a light sigh.

01:57:47 She knew that Kevin would never be able to change Dorothy's opinion of him no matter

01:57:51 what he did.

01:57:52 When they reached home, Kevin sat down on the sofa.

01:57:55 Dorothy glared at him and said, "Why are you just sitting there?

01:57:59 Are you waiting for me to bring you your food?

01:58:02 Why don't you go to the kitchen where you belong?"

01:58:06 Kevin got up and walked into the kitchen.

01:58:08 "Alright, Dorothy, let's stop talking about Kevin," Oliver groaned.

01:58:13 "I'm really tired of him.

01:58:15 What's wrong with chewing him out now and then?"

01:58:18 Dorothy complained.

01:58:19 "You don't know how it's been for the past three years.

01:58:23 He doesn't do anything around here.

01:58:25 Just a good-for-nothing freeloader."

01:58:27 "Alright now, that's all in the past," Oliver said as he looked toward the kitchen

01:58:33 to see if his son-in-law was in earshot.

01:58:36 When he saw that Kevin wasn't going to come out, Oliver turned to his daughter and said,

01:58:40 "Lily, I came back home to give my family a chance to make a fortune, but I'm also here

01:58:46 to talk about your marriage."

01:58:48 "What do you mean, Dad?"

01:58:50 Lily asked with a puzzled look on her face.

01:58:53 Oliver said sweetly, "Lily, I met a very rich man while I was overseas.

01:58:58 His son has been investing in Chicago for the past few years, which is a wonderful opportunity

01:59:03 for us.

01:59:04 If you want, I can arrange for the two of you to meet."

01:59:08 As it turned out, Oliver didn't really like Kevin after all.

01:59:12 He was embarrassed that his son-in-law had a reputation as such a loafer.

01:59:16 "Dad, what are you talking about?

01:59:19 I'm already married to Kevin," Lily replied, but she knew what her father was getting at.

01:59:24 "Couldn't you get a divorce?"

01:59:27 Oliver asked very seriously.

01:59:28 "My friend's son is young and he has a very promising career.

01:59:33 Best of all, he doesn't have a girlfriend yet.

01:59:35 You could marry him and then we could all move to Europe."

01:59:39 Dorothy was excited to hear this and asked her husband, "Are you serious?"

01:59:44 "Of course.

01:59:46 Over the past few years, I haven't had much financial success, but I made a lot of trustworthy

01:59:51 friends," Oliver said slowly.

01:59:53 "When the time comes, we can move overseas where I can keep you safe."

01:59:59 Before Dorothy could say anything, Lily stood up and said firmly, "Dad, I'm definitely not

02:00:04 going to divorce Kevin."

02:00:06 "Why are you shouting?"

02:00:09 Dorothy said as she jumped up from the sofa.

02:00:11 "Tell me, what good qualities does he have?

02:00:15 He's useless and annoying and he doesn't understand anything about the business world.

02:00:20 Today, right in front of the whole family, he actually dared to question your father.

02:00:25 He simply has no respect for us."

02:00:27 "Mom, Kevin is just looking out for the family's interests," Lily replied.

02:00:34 It made her anxious to say it, but she just had to.

02:00:37 "Actually, I don't believe dad's investment is a good idea.

02:00:41 It's just that I didn't say it out loud in front of everyone.

02:00:44 Listen, mom, Kevin has already made a lot of positive changes.

02:00:49 He's even found a good job.

02:00:51 Please don't look down on him."

02:00:53 "So what if he has a good job?"

02:00:56 Dorothy forcefully interrupted Lily as she spoke.

02:00:59 "He's never going to do anything with his life and I'm tired of waiting."

02:01:03 "Lily, you've got to listen to my advice and divorce Kevin," Oliver insisted.

02:01:10 "No, no matter what you say, I won't divorce Kevin," Lily protested.

02:01:16 "What's wrong with you?"

02:01:18 Dorothy said angrily.

02:01:19 "Why don't you want a divorce?

02:01:22 Don't you think I'd like to kick him out the door right now?"

02:01:25 "If he leaves, I'm leaving too," Lily said courageously.

02:01:31 Suddenly Oliver slammed his fist on the table.

02:01:33 He had lost his patience.

02:01:35 "Enough!

02:01:36 I'm the head of this family and I'll settle this right now.

02:01:40 Tomorrow you're going to divorce Kevin and the day after tomorrow you'll meet my friend's

02:01:44 son.

02:01:45 After that, I'll handle the paperwork for all of us to move to Europe."

02:01:49 Kevin, who was cutting vegetables in the kitchen, could hear every word of the conversation.

02:01:54 He was surprised to see Lily shove open the kitchen door and walk toward him.

02:01:59 She grabbed Kevin's hand and turned around to walk out of the room.

02:02:02 As she did this, she shouted at her parents, "When you change your mind, I'll come back.

02:02:09 With Kevin!"

02:02:10 "If you're with him, don't bother to come back!"

02:02:14 Kelsey yelled as she angrily picked up her coffee mug and threw it across the room.

02:02:20 Oliver sighed bitterly and said, "How senseless!"

02:02:25 Lily held Kevin's hand tightly.

02:02:27 They kept walking until they were around the corner from her parents' house.

02:02:31 When they reached the bus stop, Lily let go of Kevin's hand, sat down on the bench, and

02:02:36 cried.

02:02:37 Kevin looked at Lily.

02:02:39 He had mixed feelings about what was happening.

02:02:42 After sitting quietly with her for a long time, he asked softly, "Are you sure you want

02:02:46 to do this?"

02:02:48 Lily slowly raised her head, wiped the tears from her cheeks, and whispered, "Kevin, I

02:02:53 won't give up on you if you don't give up on me."

02:02:57 When Kevin heard her say this, he took a deep breath.

02:03:00 It made him so happy.

02:03:03 He never imagined that Lily would have such a big fight with her parents over him.

02:03:08 For a moment, he didn't know how to respond.

02:03:11 A few minutes later, Lily stood up and looked at Kevin.

02:03:14 She said, "Go get the car.

02:03:16 We'll go to your place tonight."

02:03:18 Kevin looked into Lily's eyes and asked her, "You're really not going back?"

02:03:23 "I said that I'll only go back if they change their mind," she explained.

02:03:28 Kevin could see that she had made up her mind.

02:03:31 Kevin nodded in agreement, turned around, and walked around the corner to get his car.

02:03:36 When he opened the door to let Lily in, he asked her, "Are you certain you really want

02:03:40 to go to my place?

02:03:41 I just want to be sure you are prepared for it."

02:03:44 As Kevin started to drive towards Corwin Tower, he was racking his brains trying to figure

02:03:49 out how to explain everything to Lily.

02:03:52 He had told her that his job included room and board, but he'd only said that to buy

02:03:56 some time.

02:03:57 If she went to Corwin Tower with him, wouldn't she figure out his secret?

02:04:01 He wasn't ready for that.

02:04:03 "I'll have to play it by ear," Kevin said to himself.

02:04:07 "Why don't you want me to see your apartment?

02:04:10 Do you have a mistress already?"

02:04:13 Lily asked him.

02:04:14 "Lily, that hurts.

02:04:16 You should know me better than that," he said with a sigh.

02:04:18 "I just hope you like the place.

02:04:21 No matter how dirty and messy your apartment is, it'll be your job to clean it up."

02:04:27 After Lily said this, she leaned back in her seat and fell asleep.

02:04:31 It had been an exhausting day.

02:04:34 Kevin turned the Porsche onto Lakeshore Drive and headed downtown.

02:04:38 Every now and then, he took his eyes off the road to look at Lily.

02:04:42 Finally, Kevin made up his mind and thought to himself, "Lily, don't worry.

02:04:47 As long as you're faithful to me, I'll be faithful to you, no matter what."

02:04:52 About a half hour later, Lily slowly opened her eyes.

02:04:55 She took one look out the car window and her jaw dropped.

02:04:59 "Kevin, where are we?

02:05:01 Didn't I ask you to take me to your place?"

02:05:03 "Lily, this is where I live," Kevin said as he pointed to the entrance of the luxury

02:05:09 tower.

02:05:10 "The apartment your boss gave you?"

02:05:13 Lily turned her head and looked at Kevin in shock.

02:05:16 Kevin knew he had to tell the truth.

02:05:18 As he was driving to the Corwin Tower, this was the only solution that he could think

02:05:22 of that would work.

02:05:23 If he told Lily a lie today, then from now on, he would have to tell her countless more

02:05:28 lies.

02:05:29 So, he decided not to hide it anymore.

02:05:32 "Lily, if I told you that I bought this place as a gift for you, would you believe me?"

02:05:38 Kevin asked her earnestly.

02:05:40 Lily didn't know what to say.

02:05:41 She began to explain, "I don't…"

02:05:44 Before she could finish, Kevin interrupted, "You were there the day I bought it!"

02:05:49 Lily immediately remembered and asked him, "Was it the day you and Garrett had that

02:05:54 fight?"

02:05:55 She recalled asking Kevin where he'd gotten the black card, but Garrett was being a real

02:05:59 bastard so Kevin never had a chance to explain it to her.

02:06:02 However, Lily had always thought that Kevin bought the condo for his boss, not for himself,

02:06:08 and especially not for her.

02:06:10 "Yes, it was that day," Kevin nodded.

02:06:14 After saying this, Kevin got out of the car and walked around to open the door for Lily.

02:06:19 After the valet took the Panamera down to the building's garage, Kevin took Lily by

02:06:23 the arm and they walked into Corwin Tower together.

02:06:26 As she looked up at the beautiful Neo Ardeco entrance hall, he asked her, "Well, what

02:06:32 do you think?"

02:06:33 Lily didn't answer Kevin's question.

02:06:35 Instead, she hung onto his arm tightly.

02:06:38 "Kevin, this is your boss' place, right?

02:06:41 Is it okay for us to even be here?"

02:06:44 Lily asked nervously.

02:06:46 She started to worry that they would get in trouble.

02:06:49 "Kevin," she said anxiously, "I know you're trying to impress me, but what we're doing

02:06:54 is against the law.

02:06:56 We have to get out of here.

02:06:57 No matter how bad your apartment is, I won't be upset.

02:07:01 Let's walk over to your place."

02:07:03 Kevin didn't know what to say.

02:07:05 He could tell Lily was terrified.

02:07:07 "Call your boss to apologize and then we'll go to your apartment," she pleaded.

02:07:12 She didn't know who Kevin's boss was, but she was sure that someone who could afford

02:07:17 a place in Corwin Tower had to be very important.

02:07:21 Kevin smiled and reassured her.

02:07:23 "Don't be nervous.

02:07:24 I really do live here."

02:07:27 Then he patted Lily's hand gently to comfort her as he walked her over to the private penthouse

02:07:31 elevator.

02:07:32 "Kevin, please don't lie to me anymore."

02:07:36 Lily wept.

02:07:37 Her eyes swept around the magnificent room, then she lowered her head and said softly,

02:07:42 "We can't possibly afford to live in a place like this."

02:07:46 "Why don't you believe me?

02:07:48 I swear I really live here."

02:07:51 Kevin pulled out his key card and swiped it for the elevator.

02:07:54 He gently took Lily's arm and stepped in with her.

02:07:57 As the elevator rose to the top floor, he suddenly had an idea.

02:08:01 "Lily," he explained, "I helped the company sign a business deal worth billions.

02:08:07 My boss was so happy he gave me an enormous bonus.

02:08:10 So I bought this condo."

02:08:11 "Are you serious?

02:08:14 You're really not lying to me?"

02:08:17 Lily looked at Kevin and he could tell that she'd still had her doubts.

02:08:21 As the door opened and they stepped into the living room, he said, "We've been married

02:08:25 for almost three years.

02:08:27 Have I ever lied to you?"

02:08:30 Lily dried her eyes and looked around the lavishly decorated living room with the floor-to-ceiling

02:08:35 view of Chicago's skyline and Grant Park.

02:08:38 It was true that he'd never lied to her.

02:08:41 When she thought about it, since she had watched Kevin buy the place, she knew that it was

02:08:46 worth $8 million.

02:08:48 If Kevin really helped the company sign a billion-dollar business deal, it was definitely

02:08:52 possible for his boss to give him at least that much.

02:08:56 "So then you really did buy this place?" she confirmed.

02:09:00 "Of course.

02:09:01 For you.

02:09:02 For us."

02:09:03 Kevin said with a smile.

02:09:05 When Lily heard this, she broke into a wide grin and pulled Kevin to the window to look

02:09:10 out on the city.

02:09:11 "Kevin, I'm going to call my mother right now and tell her you bought the nicest condo

02:09:16 in Chicago."

02:09:17 Lily said excitedly.

02:09:19 But Kevin wasn't sure that would be a good idea.

02:09:46 Kevin was waiting with Turner in Garrett's office for Ambrose to show up.

02:09:50 He was one of the vice presidents at Williams Media and he was also Garrett's uncle.

02:09:55 Minutes later, he angrily burst in the door.

02:09:58 Garrett smiled when he saw his uncle walk in the room.

02:10:01 He quickly ran up to him and said, "Uncle Ed, thanks for getting here so fast."

02:10:07 Then Garrett lied about what had just happened in the sales office downstairs.

02:10:11 As Ambrose listened to his nephew's story, his eyes fell on Kevin.

02:10:16 "So this horrible situation is all your fault?"

02:10:19 Ambrose asked him.

02:10:20 "What did you say?"

02:10:22 Kevin replied with a smile.

02:10:25 Ambrose's eyes narrowed as he responded.

02:10:27 "How dare you talk to me like that?

02:10:29 You sure have a lot of nerve."

02:10:31 "You'd be surprised at how much nerve I've got," Kevin said as he sat down on the sofa.

02:10:38 Garrett pointed his finger at Kevin and shouted, "Who do you think you are?"

02:10:41 "Nobody said you could sit down."

02:10:45 Turner could only shake his head.

02:10:47 Since Ambrose was already here, it meant the whole thing was out of his hands.

02:10:52 "There's no quarrel between us, Mr. Turner, wouldn't you agree?"

02:10:56 Ambrose asked him.

02:10:57 Before Turner could say anything, Garrett whined, "But Uncle Ed, he said he wanted to

02:11:02 fire me."

02:11:03 Garrett folded his arms on his chest and looked at Turner arrogantly.

02:11:07 "Is this true?"

02:11:09 Ambrose said with a frown.

02:11:11 "Yes, Uncle Ed, not only did he say he wanted to fire me, he embarrassed me in front of

02:11:15 all the customers and even my employees."

02:11:17 Garrett blubbered.

02:11:18 "I told him you're my uncle, but he still wouldn't listen.

02:11:22 He obviously doesn't have any respect for you."

02:11:25 When Ambrose heard this, he frowned and looked over at Turner.

02:11:29 "Mr. Ambrose, I've seen the surveillance footage from the showroom.

02:11:34 It proves that this whole mess is entirely Garrett's fault.

02:11:38 If you let me show it to you, you'll see that the company has no choice," Turner explained.

02:11:43 "There's another choice that you seem to have ignored," Ambrose pointed toward the office

02:11:48 door and said, "Mark Turner, as Vice President of Williams Media, I must inform you that

02:11:54 you have been terminated."

02:11:56 Garrett smiled broadly as he saw the look of dejection on Turner's face.

02:12:01 "Turner, I told you this would happen," Garrett said with contempt.

02:12:05 "But if you make this worthless piece of crap apologize to me, I'll ask my uncle to keep

02:12:11 you in the company."

02:12:12 "Mr. Ambrose, you're quite an executive," Kevin said to Ambrose flatly.

02:12:19 "Who said you could speak?"

02:12:22 Garrett asked as he walked over to Kevin.

02:12:23 "There's nothing you can do about this, and your buddy Turner can't do anything either."

02:12:29 Kevin was getting tired of Garrett and got to the point.

02:12:32 "What are you asking for?"

02:12:35 When Garrett heard this, he smiled, thinking that Kevin was afraid.

02:12:38 "It's simple," he said.

02:12:40 "All I want is an apology.

02:12:44 Apologize for being a worthless piece of crap."

02:12:47 You could have heard a pin drop.

02:12:50 Even Garrett's uncle felt that he had gone too far this time.

02:12:53 But since Ambrose already had gone to the trouble to rush over to the office, he had

02:12:58 to follow through on his threat.

02:13:00 "Garrett, that's enough," Turner said in exasperation.

02:13:05 Ambrose and Garrett didn't know it, but he was under orders to protect Kevin.

02:13:09 He couldn't possibly let Kevin be humiliated like this and then report back to his director.

02:13:15 "Turner, this is none of your business.

02:13:17 To tell you the truth, I've never liked you," Garrett said arrogantly.

02:13:21 "You know what?

02:13:23 You can apologize too."

02:13:26 Kevin stood up and walked slowly up to Edward Ambrose.

02:13:29 "Are you sure you want to continue to let him do whatever he wants?"

02:13:35 Kevin asked in an unusually confident tone.

02:13:39 For some reason, when Ambrose looked into Kevin's eyes, he felt extremely uneasy.

02:13:45 Garrett came up to Kevin from behind and grabbed his shoulder.

02:13:48 "Didn't you hear what I said?"

02:13:51 In a flash, Kevin turned around and defended himself by pushing Garrett away.

02:13:56 Garrett in a daze rubbed his chin and moaned.

02:13:59 "How dare you hit me!

02:14:01 You'll pay for this!

02:14:02 Remember, the Butcher family didn't get its reputation for taking crap from people like

02:14:07 you!"

02:14:08 "Young man, aren't you going a little too far?"

02:14:12 Ambrose asked Kevin.

02:14:13 "Why don't you go downstairs and ask all the witnesses who's going too far?"

02:14:18 Kevin replied.

02:14:20 Ambrose responded sternly.

02:14:21 "It looks like this isn't going to end peacefully."

02:14:24 "I'm curious.

02:14:26 How do you expect it to end?"

02:14:29 Kevin retorted.

02:14:30 "It's quite simple.

02:14:31 You're going to apologize to Mr. Butcher, then you're going to give him an additional

02:14:35 $75,000 to compensate him for all the trouble you've caused."

02:14:40 Ambrose declared.

02:14:42 Turner opened his mouth to complain, but Ambrose slapped him on the cheek before he could say

02:14:46 anything.

02:14:47 "You have no voice here," Ambrose told him.

02:14:50 "You are no longer a Williams employee.

02:14:53 If you don't leave now, I'll call security and have you thrown out."

02:14:57 Seeing Ambrose strike Turner like that, Kevin decided that he'd had enough of this.

02:15:02 "Mr. Ambrose, do you always hit employees during company meetings?"

02:15:08 Then he added in a sarcastic tone, "You know, HR frowns on this kind of behavior."

02:15:14 Ambrose answered.

02:15:16 "If you can hit my nephew, then I can slap Turner," he continued.

02:15:20 "Now apologize and give my nephew his compensation.

02:15:24 Otherwise you won't like what happens next."

02:15:27 Kevin didn't answer.

02:15:28 He just stared at him as he considered his options.

02:15:31 "Uncle, finish him off!"

02:15:34 Garrett shouted angrily.

02:15:35 Then he took out his phone and made a call.

02:15:38 "Mr. Foster, where are you?

02:15:40 Someone else is threatening to beat me up.

02:15:42 Hurry up and bring some of your men to my office."

02:15:45 After Garrett finished speaking, he hung up and turned to Kevin.

02:15:49 "Now you're going to get your legs broken," he roared.

02:15:53 "Well, you can try," Kevin replied.

02:15:56 Garrett made a fist and started to take a swing at Kevin.

02:16:00 But before he could even hit him, Kevin gave him a hard slap in the face.

02:16:05 Garrett staggered and fell back into his chair.

02:16:08 Kevin was surprised at how hard he had hit Garrett.

02:16:11 He was only going to give him a slap to bring him back to his senses, but he was feeling

02:16:15 a lot stronger than usual.

02:16:17 "You shouldn't have done that," Ambrose snarled.

02:16:20 "Did you like that?

02:16:22 That's how you hit Turner just now," Kevin said calmly.

02:16:26 Turner stared at Kevin blankly.

02:16:28 He was starting to see that there was more to Kevin than meets the eye.

02:16:33 Ambrose pulled out his phone and made another call to Foster.

02:16:36 "Where are you?

02:16:38 Get up to Garrett's office right away."

02:16:40 Then he put his phone back in his pocket.

02:16:42 "So, it looks like you plan to beat me to death, Mr. Ambrose," Kevin commented dryly.

02:16:49 "Apologize now or you won't make it out of here in one piece.

02:16:53 You only have these two options."

02:16:55 Ambrose's eyes were burning with anger.

02:16:57 "What if I don't choose either one?"

02:17:00 Kevin said.

02:17:01 At that moment, the office door opened.

02:17:03 A very professional-looking woman walked in followed by a group of executives in suits.

02:17:09 She spoke to Ambrose directly.

02:17:11 "Well, Mr. Vice President, are you working hard today?"

02:17:16 Ambrose forced a smile when he saw her.

02:17:18 "Miss Wilson, what brings you here today?"

02:17:21 Since Kevin hadn't been showing up to work much lately, Ambrose had taken advantage of

02:17:26 the situation and passed along a lot of his work to Miss Wilson.

02:17:30 Even though Ambrose was one of the company's vice presidents, he still didn't have as much

02:17:34 authority as Miss Wilson.

02:17:37 She didn't even look at Ambrose but instead walked straight over to Kevin.

02:17:40 "Sir, I'm sorry I'm late," Miss Wilson said as she gave Kevin a very sincere handshake.

02:17:46 "Miss Wilson, what did you just call him?"

02:17:50 Ambrose asked as he stared at Kevin in shock.

02:17:53 She turned around and gave him a very sharp look.

02:17:56 "Mr. Ambrose, this is the new chairman of the Williams Group."

02:18:01 When he heard this, Ambrose's forehead began to sweat and he started to hyperventilate.

02:18:07 Garrett stared at Kevin in disbelief.

02:18:10 "Our CEO," Edward Ambrose said.

02:18:14 He couldn't hide the panic in his voice.

02:18:17 "I'm flattered to hear you call me by my correct title, Mr. Ambrose."

02:18:22 Kevin paused and looked him straight in the eye before continuing.

02:18:25 "I believe you were just saying something about kicking me out if I didn't apologize

02:18:30 to Mr. Butcher."

02:18:33 Ambrose shivered.

02:18:34 "Sir, I didn't know who you were.

02:18:36 Please accept my sincerest apologies."

02:18:39 After Ambrose said this, he glared at his nephew.

02:18:42 "So if I understand correctly, if I weren't the CEO, you would have had me thrown out

02:18:48 in the street?"

02:18:50 Kevin asked.

02:18:51 Ambrose didn't know how to answer.

02:18:53 Then he turned and shouted at his nephew.

02:18:56 "Get over here!"

02:18:58 Garrett was still rubbing his cheek as he slowly walked up to Kevin.

02:19:01 "Sir."

02:19:03 Garrett couldn't even look Kevin in the eyes.

02:19:05 "Go ahead, finish your apology," Ambrose said as he pushed his nephew forward like

02:19:11 he was a little boy.

02:19:13 Garrett's lip quivered and he said, "Sir, I was wrong."

02:19:17 Kevin looked at Garrett, then turned around and stared at Ambrose.

02:19:20 When Ambrose saw Kevin staring at him like that, he became furious with his nephew for

02:19:24 putting him in this position.

02:19:26 He turned around and slapped him right in the face.

02:19:29 "Look at all the trouble you've caused.

02:19:32 Do you still want the CEO to apologize to you?"

02:19:35 Ambrose said as he gave Garrett a couple more smacks.

02:19:38 He turned around and addressed Kevin again.

02:19:40 "Sir, my nephew has made a serious error in judgment.

02:19:44 His behavior is inexcusable.

02:19:45 Please, let me handle this."

02:19:48 Kevin glanced at Garrett, who was sprawled on the couch rubbing his cheek in pain.

02:19:52 It looked like Ambrose may have knocked out one of his teeth.

02:19:56 "Well, that takes care of Mr. Butcher.

02:19:59 But Mr. Ambrose, I believe you made a few threats of your own," Kevin replied.

02:20:05 Suddenly the office door was violently kicked open.

02:20:08 A man walked in with a few stocky young men.

02:20:11 "Mr. Ambrose, why did you call us here in such a hurry?

02:20:15 What's going on?"

02:20:17 Foster asked as he stood there confused.

02:20:18 "What are you doing here?"

02:20:21 Ambrose yelled.

02:20:22 "Sir, did I do something wrong?

02:20:24 Why are you yelling at me?"

02:20:26 Foster asked.

02:20:27 Now he was even more confused.

02:20:29 Ambrose wanted Kevin to forgive him, so he acted like this was all a big mistake.

02:20:34 "Who told you to kick the door open, and why did you bring so many men in here?"

02:20:39 Foster didn't know how to answer.

02:20:41 He'd only rushed over because Ambrose's call sounded so urgent.

02:20:46 Ambrose saw that he needed to get rid of the gangsters, so he said, "I'm fine.

02:20:50 This is a simple misunderstanding.

02:20:52 Please take your men and leave."

02:20:55 Foster shook his head in confusion and left with his men.

02:20:58 Then Ambrose walked to the door and slowly closed it.

02:21:02 It was the exact opposite of his attitude when he'd burst into the office a while before.

02:21:07 "Sir," Ambrose began to speak in a much more respectful tone as he walked back to

02:21:12 face Kevin.

02:21:13 "I don't want anything like this to happen again," Kevin said as he put his hand on

02:21:19 Ambrose's shoulder.

02:21:21 Then Kevin walked over to Garrett and sat down next to him.

02:21:24 He said, "So, Mr. Butcher, are you still going to have my legs broken?"

02:21:29 "I'm sorry, sir.

02:21:31 I didn't know who you were," Garrett said in defense of his actions.

02:21:36 Kevin slowly stood up.

02:21:37 He looked down at Garrett and asked him, "So this is how you apologize?"

02:21:43 Ambrose was disappointed in his nephew, but Garrett understood what Kevin meant.

02:21:48 After taking a deep breath, Garrett struggled to stand up.

02:21:52 Then he said with as much sincerity as he was capable of showing, "Sir, I was wrong."

02:21:58 "I'm sorry, your voice was too soft.

02:22:02 I couldn't hear you clearly," Kevin said with a slight smirk.

02:22:06 "Mr. Williams, I'm sorry.

02:22:08 Please forgive me."

02:22:10 His eyes were welling up with tears.

02:22:13 Kevin turned to Miss Wilson and said firmly, "Edward Ambrose is demoted but will continue

02:22:18 to work in the company.

02:22:20 His original position will be taken over by Mark Turner.

02:22:23 Garrett Butcher is terminated."

02:22:26 After giving her these instructions, Kevin left the office without even looking back.

02:22:31 When he got to the first floor, Lily and Rachel were still waiting for him.

02:22:35 Lily immediately walked up to him, touched his arm, and asked, "Are you alright?"

02:22:40 Kevin looked at her in surprise.

02:22:42 This was the first time he could remember Lily showing so much concern for him.

02:22:47 Then Kevin smiled and replied, "Of course I'm fine."

02:22:51 Vice President Ambrose, who works for Williams, came over to find out what had happened.

02:22:56 Then he apologized to me.

02:22:57 "Lily, I told you he'd be fine," Rachel said.

02:23:01 But when she saw Kevin looking at her, she quickly closed her mouth and didn't say anything

02:23:06 else that might divulge his secret.

02:23:08 "Where have you been for the past two days?"

02:23:12 Lily asked in a tone that was mixed with a little concern but a lot of curiosity.

02:23:15 "I found a job," he explained.

02:23:18 "The salary is pretty good and it also provides food and lodging."

02:23:21 "That's pretty good."

02:23:24 A smile suddenly appeared on Lily's face.

02:23:27 At the same time, Lily felt a great sense of relief.

02:23:30 She was starting to feel that Kevin was finally willing to make progress.

02:23:34 "Yes," Kevin said calmly.

02:23:37 Rachel almost laughed out loud.

02:23:40 Knowing Kevin's real identity, she thought the idea of the new CEO of Williams Media

02:23:44 going out to find a job was hilarious.

02:23:47 Suddenly Lily got a puzzled look on her face.

02:23:50 "Kevin, don't you plan to come home?"

02:23:53 She wasn't sure why she'd said this.

02:23:56 They hadn't been getting along for a long time, but now, after being apart for just

02:24:00 two days, she felt uneasy.

02:24:04 Kevin thought about it for a while and then replied, "Let's talk about it later.

02:24:08 I've been a little busy lately.

02:24:10 It's rare to have a boss who trusts me this much.

02:24:12 He even asked me to come down here and buy a home for him."

02:24:16 Lily didn't ask who it was.

02:24:18 After all, there were a lot of rich people in Chicago.

02:24:21 Then she asked nervously, "Why did you take my place as Bradley's hostage?

02:24:26 Weren't you afraid?"

02:24:28 Kevin looked at Lily lovingly and replied, "You're my wife."

02:24:32 Lily felt her heart flutter.

02:24:35 Then her phone rang.

02:24:36 Glancing at the caller ID, she saw that it was from her company.

02:24:40 Lily sent a few words and hung up.

02:24:42 "I'm sorry, but I have to go now.

02:24:44 There's something I need to take care of at work."

02:24:46 "Take good care of yourself."

02:24:49 After Lily said this, her eyes started to fill up with tears.

02:24:52 "Sure.

02:24:53 You take care of yourself too.

02:24:55 See you in a few days," Kevin said.

02:24:57 Then Lily tugged on Rachel's arm and turned around quickly to leave.

Insta Empire Ep 22 - 32

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