Ben Gates ignored William's words, pulling him aside and whispering angrily, "God, can't you focus a bit? William, don't forget your family is the guardian of the treasure. You're a descendant of the Knights Templar, one of the six founding Knights. Can women really be more important than the treasure? Even if we don't want to look for it, remember that Ian and his gang are after the Declaration of Independence and the treasure. Are you really okay with watching them find the treasure and get rich?"
William cursed inwardly, knowing that women weren't more important than the treasure. If it weren't for Ben, who was protected by the System, and in the way, he might already be at the treasure vault. As for Ian's gang, William believed that with Shaw as an informant, they'd soon meet their end. If Ben had died at Barrow Point, Ian's men might have lived a few more days, and William wouldn't have to act out this charade.
"Come on, Ben. This is the modern age. The Knights Templar are long gone. I'm not stupid enough to uphold some meaningless promise. Besides, who am I? I'm the 20-year-old billionaire William Devonshire, heir to an English earl, with countless beauties waiting for me. Even if we find the treasure, what would it matter? It would just add more zeros to my bank account, and the treasure might not be worth more than the balance in my account. You have to understand, Ben, the treasure might exist, but it's more likely it was already divided or used during the American War of Independence."
Ben rolled his eyes at William's bragging, knowing he was just showing off to a poor guy like him. Seeing Ben remain silent, William continued to persuade him. "Think about it. How could the guardians of such a huge treasure not leave any clues? Right, Ben? In over two hundred years, apart from my family and yours, have you ever heard of any other founding families looking for this treasure?"
Ben thought about it and shook his head. It seemed no prominent family from the founding era was focused on this treasure. Could it really have been divided or used up?
Ben's mind was in turmoil, sweating coldly. Seeing Ben waver, William kept pressing, "Right? The information I've got is just a bunch of modern treasure hunters and professional thieves like Ian looking for it. In all these years, have your family or any other found any concrete clues about the treasure?"
Ben nodded again, recalling how his family had convinced numerous people to fund their treasure hunts over the past two hundred years, only to keep chasing one lead after another without any definitive clue about the treasure's existence.
William almost believed his own story and pretended to be kind-hearted. "So I think you should, like me, give up this treasure that's troubled our families for centuries and live your own life."
Patting the disheartened Ben, William said, "Let's call it a day. I still have a dinner date with Abby. Don't disturb me, Ben."
As he spoke, William watched Ben closely. His long speech was just to distance himself from the Declaration of Independence and give Ben a plausible reason to believe William really didn't care about the treasure, making Ben comfortable enough to steal the Declaration.
Sure enough, Ben wasn't swayed by William's words to give up on the treasure. After a brief moment of discouragement, his eyes filled with determination again. "I won't give up, William. I have to stop Ian from getting the treasure. Even if we can't fight together, thank you, William. I'll prove to you and everyone who mocks the Gates family that I was right. Goodbye, William. Thank you."
With a look of gratitude, Ben hugged William tightly for a few seconds before leaving. William would later realize how glad he was not to antagonize Ben Gates.
In the future, after Ben spent some time in jail, he would see him in the news, saving a plane and police officers in midair, and being pardoned by the President, before becoming a motorcycle stuntman. William would be thankful he didn't offend Ben at this moment and even gained his friendship.
At this moment, William was happy to have gotten rid of the meddling Ben. He tidied his clothes and hair, put on a satisfied smile, and knocked on Abigail's office door. Staring at her, he smiled and said, "Finally got rid of Ben Gates. I'm so glad I didn't get swayed by a mythical treasure. Thank you, Miss Abigail and Miss Bolla."
Abigail blushed slightly at William's return, understanding why he lingered. She was quite satisfied with his appearance and didn't mind getting to know him better. "No need to thank us, William. Any archaeologist knows the Gates family has been treasure hunting for over two hundred years. You're not the first to be convinced to invest in their search. Every decade or so, someone is persuaded to spend years or even decades searching. From what I know, Ben Gates' father, Patrick Gates, has sought many investors and spent over thirty years finding nothing."
William feigned shock. "Really?"
Seeing him flustered, Abigail chuckled and nodded, convinced William had been duped by Ben Gates.
William pretended to be angry. "God, Ben told me the treasure's secret is in the Declaration of Independence. He said he could find it if he could inspect the document."
Joe Bolla sympathetically said, "I'm sorry, William. Maybe that's Gates' brilliance. He knows you can't get a chance to inspect the Declaration. After getting your money, he can delay and not be held accountable. We can tell you clearly, we've inspected the Declaration for over fifty years annually and never found anything special. You've been tricked, Mr. Devonshire."
William looked at Abigail, who was chuckling, and pretended to be confused, waiting for her confirmation. Abigail, seeing William's serious look, covered her mouth and nodded.
William sighed. "God, thank you so much. Losing some money is one thing, but if I got stuck hunting treasure for years, I'd go crazy. Thank you, ladies. I think I owe you a big meal to show my gratitude."
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