Chapter 429

Paxton noticed John's face change, and his curiosity piqued.

What Paxton didn't see coming was that John was also questioning the diary's authenticity.

"Could it really be Joseph? He doesn't seem like the type! Is he a gentleman on the outside but a total creep underneath?" The more John thought about it, the more uneasy he got.

Whether it was Joseph or his family, even Joseph's dad, Richard, they all seemed pretty low-key and steady, treating everyone kindly. Could the whole family be a bunch of undercover weirdos?

John couldn't wrap his head around it, but then he felt a light poke. Frowning, he looked over and saw one of his guys pointing at Paxton.

John turned and saw Paxton on his tiptoes, trying to sneak a peek at the diary.

John smirked and shut the diary. Paxton looked less like the head of a big family and more like a kid trying to cheat on a test.

Paxton was just about to see what was in John's diary when John snapped it shut, leaving him frustrated.

"Mr. Williams, you know how important that notebook is to me. Name your price. How much for the diary?" Paxton asked coldly.

John sneered, "What? Another million bucks? Do you think I need it? Do you remember how you and the other two families tried to screw me over?"

Paxton shot back, standing with his hands behind his back, staring at John. "You know this was a plot by the three major families, not just me. The Brown Family's status isn't on par with yours. Go to the Davis Family and the Larson Family for this."

John clapped his hands, mocking Paxton. "You're really something. Do you think I don't know you teamed up with the Davis Family and the Larson Family to target me? Are you trying to weasel out of this?"

Paxton glared at John, raised his hand slightly, and all his henchmen behind him loaded their guns, aiming at John.

John's guys shielded him and raised their guns too.

The situation between the two sides went south again. The already shaky cooperation fell apart instantly.

"Mr. Williams, you should know that the game between the major families isn't that simple. You should understand why we're stopping you. I won't waste more words. Will you hand over the diary for 10 million dollars?" Paxton's voice was cold and indifferent.

"You think you can scare me?" John sneered, though he couldn't help but glance at his right-hand man nearby.

This guy knew John well and got the message right away. John didn't really want to argue with Paxton over this, but he had to make a stand to get Paxton to back down.

The subordinate immediately shouted, "Mr. Williams, let's all chill out. Mr. Brown is just trying to get justice for his daughter. Soon you'll be a dad too, so you should get where he's coming from. Why don't we all sit down and talk this out like fathers?"

Paxton glanced at the guy who spoke, a hint of approval in his eyes. This guy was pretty smooth, but too bad he wasn't on his team.

John hesitated for a moment, looking somewhat convinced by his subordinate.

"What kind of person do you take me for?" John sneered. "As if I couldn't afford a measly million dollars."

The subordinate's eyes lit up. He turned to Paxton and shouted, "Mr. Brown, we get it, but the diary was saved by our guy from the fire. Asking for 10 million dollars doesn't really match Mr. Williams' status."

Paxton figured out that John's goal was to make him yield, to get back at him for the past actions of the three major families.

Paxton didn't mind. He asked loudly, "Mr. Williams, how much money do you want?"

John looked at the subordinate who had saved the diary from the fire.

The subordinate hesitated for a moment, then extended five fingers.

Paxton glanced at the man's hand and shouted, "Alright, let's make it 50 million dollars! I'll transfer the money now, you give me the diary."

Paxton took out a check, filled in a number, and had someone deliver it to John.

John looked at the check, raised an eyebrow, and handed it to the subordinate.

The subordinate swallowed nervously, with a hint of confusion in his eyes. He had only wanted to add 5 million dollars. He didn't expect Paxton to raise the price directly to 50 million dollars. This was an unexpected surprise.

Paxton watched John's actions with a hint of dissatisfaction. John handed the check to the subordinate in front of him, indicating that he didn't care about the 50 million dollars. It was just pocket money to reward the subordinate.

'Just a flower grown in a greenhouse, without experiencing any storms, thinking that this way can provoke me? Simply foolish.' Paxton mocked John's actions in his mind.

John handed the diary to Paxton.

Paxton took the diary, a hint of surprise in his eyes.

Neither Paxton nor John left. They waited quietly until the cabin was completely burned down. They had people search for a while but found no trace of any papers; everything had been burned.

Seeing that nothing useful could be found, Paxton directly returned with his subordinates and the diary.

After Paxton left, John looked at the subordinate who received the money. "Hand over the 50 million dollars, that money is too much, I have other uses for it. I'll give you 1 million dollars as a reward."