Chapter 43: Dividends

"What?! Tony, your manuscript has been stolen?" Upon hearing this news, Mannon stood up in surprise.

Monet nodded with frustration, "Yes, not only the manuscript, but even the notes and drafts I made were taken!"

"How many pages are there in total between the stolen manuscript and drafts?" Mannon inquired further.

Monet thought for a moment and then replied, "I haven't actually counted, but there must be at least one or two hundred pages!"

"Well, this doesn't make sense. Why would a thief steal so many writings?" Mannon questioned.

"Exactly, Chief Klein also said the same. So, he suspects that someone from within my field, out of jealousy, might have done this. As a result, he advised me to file a report with the police, detailing the content of this issue's manuscript and the general idea of the drafts. This way, if any plagiarism is found in the future, there would be evidence to catch the culprit!" Monet explained.

Mannon nodded in agreement, "Yes, Chief Klein's suspicion does make sense. Only someone within the same field could do such a thing. So, here's the plan: give me a copy of those records as well. I'll keep an eye out for you."

"Well, thank you so much, Mannon!"

However, to the surprise of Monet, Mannon, and Chief Klein, two whole months had passed with no clues whatsoever. If it weren't for Monet's good relationship with Mannon and Chief Klein, they would have suspected that Monet made up the whole story. After all, it made no sense for a thief to steal manuscripts and not use them. Why steal them in the first place?

While Monet was waiting for leads, something happened that left him quite frustrated—Wendy's Rêve Coffee was distributing dividends!

The dividend percentage was so high that even Nicole, who was well aware of the schemes and truths behind Monet, asked with envy, "Tony, do you think Rêve Coffee will continue to bait investors, or will they directly pull in the net?"

"I'm just asking," Nicole replied with feigned composure. She continued, "But if we can be sure they're still baiting, it might be worth investing a bit. The dividends are just too lucrative!"

As Monet continued to work on his manuscript, he casually answered, "Figuring out whether they'll bait or pull the net is quite simple. It depends on whether Rêve Coffee is still actively seeking investment. If they're aggressively raising funds, that's pulling the net; if they're only attracting a small amount, it's likely they're continuing to bait."

"But what if they're not seeking investment at all?" Nicole probed.

This answer surprised Monet, causing him to pause and ask, "Not seeking investment at all? How is that possible? Could it be that they're actually making money from their coffee shops in China?"

Nicole hesitated for a moment and then answered, "Well, it's not that they're not seeking any investment. Although Rêve Coffee publicly claims that due to their thriving business, they can secure significant bank loans, behind the scenes, those with connections to Rêve Coffee's owner, Wendy, or those with power and influence, can still invest. For instance, considering your relationship with Wendy, I believe if you wanted to invest, she would still accept it as a favor."

Upon hearing this, Monet sighed and exclaimed, "Oh no! The more you resist, the more they persist! Human nature works that way. The more you try to prevent them from doing something, the more they want to do it! Since Rêve Coffee has already proven their ability to make money, the more you resist taking investments, the more people will want to invest. Especially when they see wealthy and influential individuals secretly trying to get in, they'll feel even more convinced that this venture is worthwhile. So, at that point, a few eager individuals will emerge, willing to help establish connections. Not only will you be begging them to accept your money, but you'll also have to pay intermediaries for their efforts. Even on the day they realize they've been deceived, they won't have any reasonable grounds to argue!"

Hearing Monet's words, Nicole couldn't help but inhale sharply and say, "Gosh, just thinking about it gives me chills!"

Speaking up to this point, she seemed to recall something, so she asked Monet, "By the way, dear, you told me not to buy anything with the words 'radium' or 'radiation' in them last time, claiming they're harmful to health. Is that true?"

Without hesitation, Monet replied, "Of course, it's true. How could I possibly deceive you about something like this? Wait, you didn't actually buy any, did you?"

Nicole quickly waved her hands and said, "No, no, I haven't bought anything yet. But there's really a trend now with these radiation-infused facial creams that are said to make a woman's skin as smooth as a baby's!"

"Don't listen to those merchants' nonsense. I assure you, these things are genuinely useless. Actually, forget about these radiation creams—most cosmetics have toxic side effects. They probably contain lead at the very least. Besides, beautiful women like you don't need to put these things on. You're already very beautiful as you are!" Monet patiently advised.

Nicole replied somewhat unwillingly, "Alright, fine. I won't buy them. I'll also try to convince Doris and the others not to use them."

Monet could tell Nicole was a bit disappointed. To console her, he said, "How about this? I don't have much to do today, so let's go shopping. We'll see if there's anything you like!"

It turned out that whether in ancient times or the present, regardless of culture, women had a natural talent for shopping. In the end, Monet was so exhausted from walking that he couldn't go on any longer. They decided to take a break at a roadside café, and at that moment, a young man was sketching nearby. Driven by the instinct of an artist, Monet approached him, which surprised the young man. He was drawing something akin to Picasso's style of Cubism—a technique that presents three-dimensional space on a two-dimensional plane.

Seeing Monet's serious expression, the young man asked cheerfully, "Sir, do you like this style of painting?"

Monet nodded and replied, "Well, although I don't paint in this style, I do quite like it. This kind of artwork reminds me of the works by Picasso and Cézanne."

"You're the first person since I arrived in New York who appreciates my work. Thank you so much. By the way, I'm called Rick Astor. And you, sir?" Rick introduced himself.

"Tony Monet!" Monet replied casually.

"Huh? Are you the Mr. Monet who wrote 'Titanic'?" Rick asked with excitement.

Monet nodded and said, "Yes, that's me."

"That's amazing! Coincidentally, I'm also a passenger on the Titanic!" Rick exclaimed enthusiastically.

At this moment, Nicole interjected with a question, "Are you from the Astor family?"