Chapter 321

Michael's hunch was spot on. Jasper had turned all the public funds into gold and used the metal's unique properties to craft them into cars.

When Tim stumbled upon the gold cars, he couldn't contain his excitement. He scraped off the paint from each one, confirming they were all solid gold. Without wasting a second, he called Michael.

Michael was in bed with Isabella when the phone rang, waking them both. Isabella groaned in annoyance as Michael reluctantly answered the call.

"Who is it, babe? Who's calling you this late?" Isabella mumbled, still half-asleep.

Michael rubbed his eyes, checked the caller ID, and after a moment's hesitation, picked up the phone.

"Mr. Williams, we have a lead. I found where Jasper stashed the public funds. You were right; he turned them into gold!" Tim's voice buzzed with excitement.

Michael's eyes lit up, and Isabella, hearing the commotion, perked up.

"Did I hear my dad's name? Is this the private detective you hired?" Isabella asked, surprised.

Michael nodded. "Yeah, I had the PI team up with my dad's old contacts. They managed to track down your dad using their international connections."

Tim, realizing the time difference, felt a bit guilty for disturbing them.

"Sorry for calling so late, Mr. Williams. I got too excited," Tim apologized.

Michael leaned back against the headboard, pulling Isabella close, and switched to speakerphone.

"No worries. Tell us everything. We need some good news," Michael said, smiling.

Tim quickly filled them in on how they tracked Jasper to an abandoned chemical factory.

"It's so stinky here that no one comes around. Using this place as a gold stash is pretty clever," Isabella admitted, impressed.

"Now that we know where my dad's hiding the funds, but they're overseas. What do we do next?" Isabella asked, looking at Michael.

Tim, still on the line, waited for Michael's instructions.

Michael drummed his fingers on his knee, a mischievous glint in his eyes.

"Babe, I just had a fun idea," Michael said, grinning at Isabella.

Isabella's curiosity was piqued. "Tell me more."

"We'll have Tim take photos of the gold cars, then we'll buy identical ones and gold-plate them. When your dad finds out his cars are fakes, think he'll be pissed?" Michael suggested with a playful smirk.

Isabella's eyes sparkled with mischief. "That's a bit naughty, but I love it. I can't wait to see his face when he realizes his precious cars are fakes. It'll be priceless."

Isabella laughed, feeling like a total villain in that moment.

With Isabella's nod of approval, Michael spoke into the phone, "Tim, you catch all that?"

Tim chuckled on the other end, "Loud and clear, Mr. Williams. I know what to do."

Michael nodded. "I'll call you later about buying the cars and covering the costs. I'll also send some extra hands your way. Be careful, though. I heard the four major families are also hunting for Jasper. If they find him, avoid any conflicts and keep yourselves safe."

Tim's tone turned serious, "Got it, Mr. Williams. We'll handle it safely."

After hanging up, Tim wanted to drive the cars out but realized there were no keys. Jasper must've hidden them.

Unfazed, Tim jotted down the car models and left the chemical factory, making sure to cover his tracks so Jasper wouldn't notice if he came back.

The next night, local car dealerships were buzzing with orders from a young man buying up a bunch of cars.

Similarly, a repair shop got a bizarre request from the same young man, asking for all the cars to be gold-plated!

"What kind of request is this? Do these people have too much money to burn? Gold plating isn't even real gold," one repair shop employee grumbled.

The shop owner walked over and smacked the employee on the head. "The customer is king. They've paid us a fortune, so get to work and stop whining!" the owner barked.

The employees got to work immediately.

Meanwhile, Jasper was blissfully unaware that his secret had been uncovered. He was busy contacting wealthy businessmen to sell the gold cars at a good price.

Finding someone willing to buy that much gold at once wasn't easy. Jasper had painstakingly accumulated the embezzled public funds and had the gold cars made one by one.

If he had the patience, he could sell the cars individually like before. But given the current gold prices, even if selling them all at once meant a slightly lower price, it was still acceptable. The main thing was that he could quickly move into a wealthy area and live the high life without worrying about safety.

In another city, members of the three major families gathered. This time, it wasn't the leaders but their reps.

The Larson Family's rep was Tanner Skye, a small, wiry guy with fierce eyes.

Tanner slammed the table and shouted at the others, "Didn't we have a lead on Jasper? Why the hell hasn't he been nabbed yet?"