Chapter 586 - 582: I Smell a Rat

"Seymour?"

Tony Yates was so agitated his voice nearly cracked.

Summer Lynn repeated, "5,000 grams, ten jin!"

As she spoke, she gestured with her hands. "It was in a small box, about this big. Inside was a longevity lock made of ten jin of gold."

Tony Yates was stunned.

Even though he had amassed a sizable fortune over the years by relying on his brother, he couldn’t help but be shocked upon hearing this.

’Ten jin of gold for a one-month celebration? Just how much money does this Cecilia Sterling have?’

"Where is it?"

"Mom has it. That young woman said she set up some kind of safe deposit box for Phoebe and wants to store this longevity lock for her."

The price of gold changes daily. It was bound to be worth even more in ten or twenty years.

It was without a doubt the most stable type of investment.

Tony Yates calmly schooled his expression just as he saw Mrs. Yates and Zelda Warner, who was holding the baby, enter through the banquet hall’s main doors.

"Mom, give that to Duane to take away for safekeeping."

The old lady had been carrying the small box around, prompting Zelda Warner to speak up.

Duane, who was standing to the side, took the cue and reached out to take it. The old lady hesitated for a long moment before handing it over, her eyes following Duane eagerly as he carried the longevity lock away.

Zelda Warner couldn’t help but smile at the sight. "Don’t worry, Mom. It won’t get lost."

"We can’t let it get lost. It’s so valuable. Cecilia said it’s to be part of Phoebe’s dowry," the old lady murmured.

Zelda Warner smiled and nodded. Lifting her eyes, she saw Cecilia Sterling walking over. She quickly moved forward, holding the baby. "Cecilia."

Cecilia Sterling’s eyes fell upon Phoebe in her swaddling clothes, and she reached out, smoothly taking the baby into her arms. "Phoebe."

"I heard from Mrs. Yates. Why did you get her something so extravagant?" Zelda Warner grumbled, though her eyes showed how touched she was.

Cecilia cooed at Phoebe. "It’s not extravagant. Our Phoebe is a little princess. She deserves to be spoiled."

Then she looked up at Zelda Warner and added, "From now on, everything I buy for Phoebe will be the most expensive and the very best. My brother isn’t here, so I’ll spoil her in his place."

Zelda Warner smiled helplessly, already imagining what a pampered little lady Phoebe would become under Cecilia’s care.

But speaking of Wesley Yates, Zelda Warner lowered her voice. "Your brother’s prison admission notice arrived. I’ve applied for visitation. Will you come with me then?"

Cecilia looked up at her words, thought for a moment, and said, "Visiting hours are limited. The first visit should be for you and Phoebe. We’ll have plenty of opportunities later. There’s no hurry."

’Besides, things have been relatively stable lately. There’s nothing urgent I need to discuss with my brother.’

Zelda Warner understood Cecilia’s reasoning and gave a slight nod.

On the other side of the room, just as Mrs. Yates was about to approach, Tony Yates pulled her away.

"What are you doing?"

Mrs. Yates irritably shook his hand off and looked at her son. "Today is Phoebe’s one-month celebration. Our guests are all prominent figures who came for your brother’s sake. You and your wife need to be more hospitable."

Tony Yates was in no mood to hear any of that. He looked at his mother and asked, "Mom, did my brother’s sister give Phoebe five kilograms of gold?"

"Why do you ask?" As Mrs. Yates spoke, she couldn’t help glaring at her younger daughter-in-law. Summer Lynn guiltily lowered her head. Mrs. Yates then turned back to her son and warned, "Are you short on cash? Don’t get any ideas. That was a gift for Phoebe."

"Of course not! Am I that kind of person? Didn’t I myself give my niece a ’ten Dollar’ gift?"

"You—you have the nerve to say that?" Mrs. Yates grimaced in disgust. "How much money have you scraped together over the years by leeching off your brother? For Phoebe’s one-month celebration, you gave a mere ten dollars, but Mr. Young gave ’thirty Dollar’! You’re worse than a stranger. I can’t be bothered to talk to you."

Mrs. Yates turned to leave, but Tony Yates grabbed her arm.

"What is it now?" Mrs. Yates asked, exasperated, and started hitting his shoulder.

Tony let his mother strike him, saying urgently, "Didn’t you say you couldn’t find anything my brother left behind at my sister-in-law’s? I’ve been thinking, Mom. She probably wouldn’t keep something that important on her person."

Mrs. Yates’s hands froze. She paused for a moment before resuming her pounding. "Still thinking about it! Still thinking about it! I told you, there’s nothing! Stop coveting things that aren’t there!"

"Hey, stop hitting me," Tony said urgently, grabbing his mother’s hands. His face was serious. "I’m sure I’m right this time. My sister-in-law must have hidden everything."

"Hidden it?" Mrs. Yates asked, puzzled. "Where could she possibly hide it?"

"The bank!" Tony Yates declared with an air of certainty. "Listen, Mom, banks offer safe deposit services for valuable items. A lot of big bosses use them. When my brother’s sister just mentioned putting Phoebe’s longevity lock in the bank, it clicked! My sister-in-law must have put all of my brother’s important things in a bank!"

When she heard that, Mrs. Yates pushed him away. "Oh, give me a break. I couldn’t find it when I searched the house. If it’s in a bank, I’ll have even less of a chance of getting it out."

"Mom, I’m not asking you to get it!" Tony Yates said urgently, blocking her path. "That all belongs to your son! Haven’t I told you before? You can just ask my sister-in-law for it directly. It’s perfectly reasonable."

Mrs. Yates froze, her mind slowly turning over the idea.

In the end, she still shook her head. "No. Today is Phoebe’s one-month celebration. We can talk about this some other time."

"Don’t wait! Today’s the perfect opportunity. Our uncles are all here. They’re family. They’ll definitely be on your side. Would my sister-in-law dare to refuse?"

Tony Yates nodded in self-assurance as he spoke. In truth, he had planned this all out in advance and had already spoken to these relatives. The plan today was to present a united front and force Zelda Warner to hand over the company shares and private assets their older brother had left behind before his imprisonment.

"But today is Phoebe’s one-month celebration. How can you talk about this on such a happy day?" Mrs. Yates felt a pang of guilt. After all, Zelda Warner hadn’t done anything wrong.

"This is serious business, Mom. Anyway, after the banquet ends, our family needs to sit down for a good, long talk."

Before Mrs. Yates could say anything else, Tony Yates pulled Summer Lynn away with him.

Mrs. Yates sighed. Her mind was in a turmoil, and for a moment she seemed completely out of it.

But the atmosphere today was wonderful, and everyone was in high spirits. Because the event was held in Aetherium’s banquet hall and both of its owners were present, the service was absolutely top-notch.

Since Zelda Warner had just finished her postpartum confinement and couldn’t drink alcohol, Cecilia accompanied her, toasting the elders in her place.

When they reached the table of close relatives, Zelda Warner holding a cup of tea and Cecilia a glass of wine, Tony Yates sidled up before they could speak and interjected, "Sister-in-law, the elders were saying that since it’s so rare for all of us to be together, we should all stay and chat for a while after the banquet."

His words served as a signal, and the relatives he had spoken to in advance all nodded in agreement.

Zelda Warner glanced at him, just as Cecilia’s hushed voice sounded in her ear, "This stinks."