1836: I Became a Literary Giant in Great Britain

Chapter 92 Free France

Charlie, LeBron feels like his life has returned to what it used to be.

He walked briskly along the cobblestone streets of the town, and even felt as if the wildflowers by the roadside were nodding to him.

With a large sum of money in his pocket and his son's praise, Charlie felt like the most insightful investor in all of Wilkesworth!

When passing neighbors greeted him, he responded with an exceptionally loud voice.

Charlie could almost feel that the eyes that used to point fingers at him had now turned into envy and admiration.

This feeling was so wonderful! He couldn't stop...

He soon found Vincent LeBlanc in the square in front of the church.

The important figure was surrounded by a crowd, eloquently describing the hopeful future of North America.

A confident smile graced his face, the medals on his chest gleamed in the sunlight, and his every gesture exuded a convincing charisma...

"Mr. Charlie is here!"

Someone in the crowd shouted.

Many people's eyes were drawn to Charlie, filled with envy.

Everyone knows that the LeBron family has a son who is a famous author writing books in London, and now they are rich again.

When he saw Charlie approaching, Vincent went up to him warmly.

"Oh, my dear Charlie! You look radiant; you must have brought good news!"

"certainly!"

Charlie patted his bulging chest, his voice full of confidence.

"Mr. Vincent, after discussions among our entire family, we've decided that we will not only invest, but we will also increase our efforts!"

He paused for a moment after saying this.

He seemed to be enjoying the envious glances from those around him...

Charlie held up his right hand, making a five-digit number.

"We're prepared to invest fifty pounds!"

Fifty pounds!

A collective gasp rippled through the crowd.

For a small-town family, this is almost an astronomical sum.

For many people, this is their life savings.

Is this Charlie really that capable?

A fleeting glint of barely concealed greed flashed in Vincent's eyes, but he quickly masked it with a smile.

He knew that Charlie had a son who was a great writer in London.

Charlie could easily come up with the money, and winning him over would mean winning the trust of the entire town.

This deal is a sure thing!

"Charlie, my friend! I admire your foresight!"

"You've made an incredibly wise decision! I guarantee that within a year, those fifty pounds will become a hundred pounds, or even more!"

Vincent gripped Charlie's hand tightly, as if the fifty pounds had already flown into his pocket.

"Words are no proof."

Charlie proudly pulled the contract out of his pocket.

"Mr. Vincent, my son works in London, and he told me that true gentlemen need a contract to guarantee their commitment."

He handed over the contract.

This is an investment protection agreement.

"

"Simply put, if the railway project is successful, our whole family is willing to set aside an extra 10% of the future dividends as a token of our gratitude to you personally."

Upon hearing this, Vincent's smile widened even further.

"But if..."

Charlie continued.

"I mean, if the project fails, you need to return my investment to me in full, in your personal capacity."

"Furthermore, if there are any problems with this project, you personally will be required to compensate me double my principal."

As soon as Charlie finished speaking, the surrounding villagers fell silent.

They all turned to look at Vincent, wanting to see his reaction.

Vincent's smile froze for a moment.

He took the contract and quickly glanced through it.

The terms of the contract were clear and straightforward, just as Charlie had said.

But a sense of unease flashed through his mind.

Guarantee in a personal capacity?

This doesn't sound quite right.

But do these country bumpkins even know this stuff? They're probably just following the trend of the adults in the city.

Country bumpkins always cause trouble.

Vincent couldn't help but curse inwardly.

But then he thought about it again and found it funny.

Double compensation?

Forget about double; by the time I get the money, you won't even be able to find me.

What's the difference between this contract and toilet paper?

Double compensation? Ten times the amount is fine!

This is a whopping fifty pounds right now! It's the best bait to catch all the big fish in town!

Refusing might not only arouse the old man's suspicion, but could also ruin all previous efforts.

If he agrees, he can immediately pocket this huge sum of money.

Thinking of this, Vincent's initial wariness was immediately swallowed up by immense greed.

"Ha ha ha ha!"

Vincent suddenly burst into laughter and patted Charlie on the shoulder.

"Brother Charlie, you're overthinking it! However, I completely understand your caution. After all, it's a large sum of money."

He picked up the pen and signed his name on the contract in a flourish.

Vincent LeBron.

"Don't even mention 20%, I guarantee the first year's dividends will be even higher!"

"Our railways represent the future forged in steel; how could they possibly fail?"

Then, feigning magnanimity, he added, "However, since this is a true gentleman's promise, I am of course willing to oblige! I have 100% confidence in myself and in our business!"

The pen tip scratched across the paper, making a soft, rustling sound.

At that moment, the conman thought he had signed a ticket to financial freedom.

Little did he know, he had signed a devil's contract that would send him into the abyss!

Vincent handed the signed contract back to Charlie.

"Now, are you finally relieved?"

When the surrounding villagers saw Vincent sign so readily, their last trace of doubt vanished.

"Look! Mr. Vincent signed it!"

"This shows he's not afraid at all! Investing in a railway company will definitely make him a fortune!"

"Mr. Charlie is so clever! He actually came up with such a good idea!"

Charlie took the contract, looked at Vincent's elegant signature on it, and listened to the praise from the crowd around him. He felt that he had the victory in his grasp.

He then pushed the money bag over.

"It's a pleasure doing business with you, Mr. Vincent."

"It's a pleasure doing business with you, my dear shareholders."

Vincent grabbed the money bag, weighed it in his hand, and was almost bursting with joy.

He cleared his throat and announced to everyone.

"Dear fellow villagers! To express my gratitude for your trust and support, and to celebrate the addition of Brother Charlie, I have decided to hold a grand fundraising gala here in three days, that is, the day after tomorrow!"

"That will be your last chance to invest! Our fundraising channels will officially close after the gala!"

"This is the last chance, everyone must not miss it..."

'

Yes, he couldn't wait a month... just three days, just the last three days.

He intends to use these last three days to completely drain the wealth of the entire town!

Then, with this huge sum of money, they disappeared from this land forever.

Vincent looked at the faces below the stage, which had become enthusiastic because of his words, and then glanced at Charlie next to him, who was holding the contract and looking smug. He couldn't help but feel a little contemptuous.

A bunch of foolish country bumpkins...

You covet my dividends, but I covet your principal.

You won't even be able to find a trace of me then.

He had already planned his escape route.

Head south from Derbyshire, straight to Dover.

Then board the fastest ship and head to free France!

There, he will live a life of luxury and wealth!

Speaking of which, that baroness last time was quite delicious...

Thinking about this, Vincent could almost see himself living a life of hedonism in Paris...