Chapter 240

Chapter 240

Riley described the situation on set, her voice lighter than usual.

"The costume requirements are very detailed — every accessory, head to toe, has to match the period. You were the first person I thought of."

Rachel glanced at the unfinished sketches on the table and tapped her fingers along the edge: "I need to see the script and the costume list before I can decide whether to take it."

"I already sent the list to your email. The script should follow in the next day or two."

After hanging up, Rachel opened her laptop. The email was already in her inbox.

She clicked on the attachment. The screen filled with dense lines of text. She read through them one by one, stopping here and there to jot something down on paper, then kept scrolling.

Edmund had been busy lately, and Rachel figured this was a good time to step out and try the job.

Arthur left for Raymond's place three days later.

He didn't tell Vivian in advance. He just sent a short message before leaving, saying he was heading to Country M to take care of a few things and would be back in a couple of days. Vivian replied with "OK" and left it at that.

Arthur stared at the screen for a few seconds, then slipped his phone into his coat pocket.

Raymond's place sat on a clearing outside the city, surrounded by trees. The iron gate opened automatically as Arthur's car pulled up.

He parked on the gravel in front of the main building, pushed open the door, and stepped out. The stones crunched softly under his feet.

Raymond was on the living room sofa, wearing a dark shirt with the top two buttons undone, leaning sideways against the cushions. When Arthur walked in, he didn't get up — just lifted his chin toward the chair across from him. "Sit."

Arthur sat down. The room was dim, the curtains only half open. On the table in front of Raymond sat a half-empty bottle of liquor and two empty glasses. He picked up the bottle, filled one of the glasses most of the way, and slid it over to Arthur.

"It's been a while."

"Been busy." Arthur didn't touch the glass, just let it sit within reach. He looked at Raymond. "Have you been dealing in a batch of silver drinking vessels?"

Raymond took a sip from his glass, then smiled — a small smile, like he'd just heard something he found mildly amusing. He set the glass back down. "Ellis, you drove all the way out here just to ask me about artifacts?"

Arthur didn't respond. He waited.

"Have you thought any more about what I mentioned before?" Raymond leaned forward slightly, elbows on his knees, watching Arthur. "Work with me. Those silver vessels are just the first step — there's a much bigger operation behind it. I know you've always wanted to stay out of this, but your situation isn't what it used to be. Some things you're going to have to deal with eventually."

Arthur sat there and let him finish.

His eyes dropped to the untouched glass on the table. The liquor caught the light from the ceiling, a faint shimmer on the surface.

"What are you planning to do with the vessels?"

"Move them." Raymond leaned back against the sofa. "The buyer's ready and the route is set. If you're in, the shipment goes through your end. The cut isn't small."

Arthur was quiet for a moment. "Where's the merchandise?"

Raymond smiled — the kind that said he'd been expecting that question. He didn't answer directly. "Once you're in, you'll know."

Arthur stood up. As he did, his eyes swept across a cabinet in the corner of the room. On the upper shelf sat a small silver ornament, tucked in an unremarkable spot.

The detailing didn't look modern. He didn't linger on it — just let his gaze pass over and move on.

"I'll think about it." He walked toward the door.

Raymond called after him: "Ellis, you and I are cut from the same cloth. You'll understand that eventually."

Arthur didn't look back. He pulled open the door and left.

He walked to his car, got in, and sat in the driver's seat without starting the engine. He stayed there for a moment, turning the shape of that ornament over in his mind.

It was sitting in an out-of-the-way spot on the shelf, like an ordinary decorative piece. But Arthur recognized that finish, that way of working the surface. If it was real, it wasn't any later in date than the batch he'd seen in the warehouse.

He started the car. As he drove back out through the estate gates along the way he'd come, Arthur glanced in the rearview mirror at the main building. A blurry shape seemed to be standing behind one of the second-floor windows.

Vivian got the call on the evening of the day after Arthur left.

She was in the living room going through assessment files from the cultural relics bureau when her phone lit up on the table. The number on the screen belonged to a friend of Arthur's in Country M — someone she'd met twice, not someone she knew well.

"Ms. Perkins, Arthur went to see Raymond today." The voice was low. "That batch of silver drinking vessels he's been looking into — it's connected to Raymond. Raymond wants him to help move them. Today's visit was reconnaissance."

Vivian's grip on the phone tightened slightly, but she didn't say anything.

"He went alone. You know how Raymond's people operate — it's not just business." A brief pause. "I thought you should know."

"Did he ask you not to tell me?"

"Yes. But Dr. Hoffman said you should know."

Vivian closed the assessment file in her hands and set it on the table.

She was quiet for a few seconds. "Got it."

After hanging up, she went upstairs, folded a few pieces of clothing into a bag, and booked the next available flight to Country M.

The flight was in the early hours of the morning. When she got to the airport, the terminal was nearly empty.

Past security, she sat down near the gate and didn't look at her phone. She just watched the departure board as it cycled through arrivals and departures.

The plane landed in Country M in the small hours of the morning, local time.

Vivian didn't go to Arthur's place and didn't reach out to him. She first sent a message to the person who'd called her, and they arranged to meet at a 24-hour café in the city.

When he arrived, he was wearing a dark hoodie pulled low over his face. He took it off after he sat down.

He skipped the small talk and went straight to his phone, holding the screen out for Vivian to see. It was a photo of a corner of a living room — a cabinet with an ornament on top. The light was dim, but the shape of the piece was clear.

"This is from Raymond's place." He said. "Raymond's been short a specialist since his last one left. No one's filled the spot."

Vivian studied the shape and texture of the piece on screen. The finish, the way the details were worked — she could tell right away it wasn't a regular decorative object.

She looked at it for a moment, then set her gaze aside and picked up her coffee.

"Set it up for me. I want to meet Raymond."