Chapter 546
“This is the treasure you brought back?”
Randy and Erica leaned over the suitcase, peering through magnifying glasses at the contents
Debra sat off to the side, sipping on her tea. She had already seen everything in the suitcase earlier. Except for
the sapphire ring, there were no noteworthy Items
Erica rubbed her chin thoughtfully. “Based on my knowledge of jew ir,, Melody’s collection here is worth at least
300 million dollars.”
Randy stood up, shaking his head. “Not quite. If you add in the Debra is wearing, it’s at least 1.3 billion.
“Leaving 1.3 billion just lying around at home? She sure knows how to live,” Erica said with a touch of
sarcasm.
“No kidding.” Randy agreed, slapping the table lightly.
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He looked confused as he continued, “But what's all this treasure talk you did before? Does it have something to
do with these jewels?”
Debra set her teacup down. “According to what Andrew told me, the four prominent families back in the day
were the Potter family, the Frazier family, the Houston family, and the Osborne family. The Nichols family rose to
power later. But recently, when | went into the ancestral hall with Juan...”
Marion suddenly interrupted, his voice sharp, “Why did he take you to their ancestral hall?”
Debra paused, a bit thrown off by the question. Ancestral halls were typically off-limits to outsiders, only
reserved for direct family members.
She let out a nervous laugh. “He just tookto have a look around.”
*Really?” Marion's eyes narrowed, a glint of suspicion flickering behind them.
Debra cleared her throat, quickly changing the subject. “Anyway, that’s not the point. The point is, while we were
in the hall, I noticed two plaques.”
Randy frowned. “Isn’t it normal?”
“Yeah,” Marion chimed in. “Our ancestral hall has plenty of them too.”
Debra shook her head. “These were different. The plaques were for Juan's great-grandparents. Juan mentioned
that the Nichols family didn’t originally make their fortune in Seamar City. They moved here later. He didn’t go
into much detail, but | have a feeling that the Nichols family isn’t the ‘new money they're made out to be. They
might be an old, secretive family.”
Erica snorted, “Now it sounds far-fetched. If the Nichols family was that powerful a hundred years ago, there's
no way they wouldn't have had a seat among the Four Great Families.”
Randy settled back into the couch, crossing his legs thoughtfully. “My parents mentioned the Four Families a few
times, but they moved overseas a long tago. They don’t care about that stuff anymore. Now I'm the only one
left running the family business. My grandparents passed away, so there’s no one to ask about those old
stories.”
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Chapter 54
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Erica rolled her eyes. “I think the Four Families thing is just a glorified business alliance. They banded together to
monopolize the market. There's nothing mystical or secretive about it.”
Debra thought for a moment. “But if it wasn’t for shidden secret, how else do you explain the sudden influx
of people trying to dig up the past?”
Silence fell over the group as her words hung in the air it was a question no one seemed eager to answer.
Randy, lost in thought, pulled out a cigarette and lit it. He passet another to Marion, who didn’t take it.
“What's up?”
“No thanks.”
Randy was surprised. “You quit smoking?”
Erica couldn't help but laugh. “The chain smoker quitting? Love does work miracles.”