But Kay wasn’t in a hurry. He had saved his uncle, William. Even if Whitaker Scarlett moved to the ends of the earth, wouldn’t she still care about her uncle?
William saw Kay and Leo as smugglers, but they weren’t. At most, what they did was considered speculation and profiteering. William was the real smuggler. How much money could a bricklayer make? William’s personality couldn’t bear mediocrity; he wanted to make big money, fast money.
He spent half a year figuring out the ropes and did indeed make money. He wasn’t just simply transporting and guarding goods; he also invested, putting all his earnings into the goods. This time, he was intercepted halfway, and at least half of William’s fortune accumulated over half a year was lost!
It hurt, of course, but at least he got away with his life.
The other two men with him, however, were beaten to death on the spot.
Smuggling was quick money but high risk. After experiencing it firsthand, William refused to let Whitaker Scarlett and Kay date. Kay said he was an active serviceman, but William refused to believe it. Kay didn’t explain, patiently waiting for William’s discharge. He and Leo also brought William along when they unloaded the goods.
Kay and Leo’s truck had its rear compartment filled with boxes.
They unloaded the goods in Zoriville and loaded up again before leaving.
What did they load? As Kay and Leo checked the goods, William’s heart pounded.
Cigarettes, boxes and boxes of cigarettes!
Kay and Leo had swept clean the cigarettes with quotas in Zoriville but were difficult to sell locally, transporting them back to their brand’s origin for sale. The price difference might be insignificant for a single pack, but they weren’t dealing with just one pack, one carton, or even just one box.
A whole truckload of cigarettes, of various brands!
A pack of cigarettes certainly earned more than a dime. How many connections did Kay have? They were constantly loading and unloading along the way, not just swapping boxes in the back of the truck. Box after box of cigarettes was unloaded and new boxes were loaded into the truck. This kind of business certainly involved sharing profits; Kay and Leo were essentially middlemen, needing people to handle everything from sourcing to distribution.
But even if only a dime of profit per pack reached Kay and Leo, that’s one dollars per carton, and a large box easily held hundreds of cartons. The truck’s rear compartment didn’t hold tens of thousands of cartons but several thousand, right?
It wasn’t just earning thousands per trip; they stopped at every major city along the way. From Capital to Zoriville, and back from Zoriville to Capital, William couldn’t even calculate how many cartons they had traded and how much money they had made!
Even smugglers didn’t make this much.
If this business belonged entirely to Kay and Leo, how rich would they be!
William was dazzled, unable to fathom Kay and Leo’s background. Fugitives? Well-connected individuals? Without connections, this business wouldn’t be possible. Leo deferred to Kay, but what was Kay’s background?
William wasn’t at ease. A man like this had his eyes on Scarlett; would he really give up easily without getting her?
The Miller family was small and insignificant, completely incapable of confronting Kay.
William was pessimistic about his niece’s future with Kay. Even if Kay had no intention of playing with Scarlett, their disparate backgrounds made it difficult for them to end up together.
On the return journey, William became increasingly silent.
Kay spoke frankly, “This business is quite profitable, but I won’t be doing this for long. What are your plans, Uncle? Will you continue your old line of work?”
William gritted his teeth, “I’ll withdraw my remaining capital; I won’t touch this business again.”
William wasn’t lacking in courage; he knew the risks before entering the business. But this near-death experience served as a wake-up call. No one is unafraid of death. If he died on the road, leaving behind a family of women and a six-year-old child, wouldn’t they be bullied to death?
“Uncle, about how much capital do you think you can withdraw?”
Kay wasn’t short of money, and William wasn’t worried that he would covet his little money, so he spoke frankly:
“Most of it was lost this time. If I withdraw my shares immediately, I might get 5,000, or maybe only 3,000.”
William was quite regretful.
Leo, however, was somewhat impressed.
William, let alone compared to Kay, even compared to him, Leo, didn’t have the same advantages.
Physically, William wasn’t cut out for fighting. To earn a sum of money in half a year relied entirely on his brains and courage.
If it weren’t for Kay’s support, Leo would still be working in a capital unit, living on a barely enough-to-survive salary, relying on his loving grandmother’s support to make ends meet.
