American Tax Officer

"Mr. Lynch is quite busy at the moment and cannot spare the time. Whatever the tax bureau wants to look into or ask, discussing it with me is just the same!"

"Discussing it with you, can you make the decisions?"

Before David could say anything, Nisen was clearly displeased.

The tax bureau had approached them, specifically asking to see Lynch, and this guy just sent a legal advisor to deal with them?

This was somewhat disrespectful!

Kyle did not get angry and replied, "If I am not in a position to make decisions, I will consult Mr. Lynch!"

"Alright, enough with the small talk!"

"On the 3rd of last month, our congress passed a black tax law, and I believe you, as a lawyer, would be aware of it!"

"We have also found out that your boss has been suspected of inflating the prices of antiques for money laundering, and that is why we are here today!"

David had already used the golden finger to check Kyle's detailed information.

He found out that he was not just a legal advisor but a facilitator in handling Lynch's money laundering issues, so he pointed it out directly.

Kyle's expression shifted slightly, but he quickly regained composure, feigning innocence as he replied, "Inspector, I think you are mistaken. Our Mr. Lynch is a legitimate businessman, not some antique money launderer!"

"Don't give me that. If we weren't completely confident, we wouldn't have come here today. Call your boss and have him see me immediately!"

"Otherwise, I will immediately apply to freeze all of Mr. Lynch's accounts, assets, including this auction house right now!"

David's assertive words left Kyle momentarily stunned, then he retorted with a dark look on his face, "Our Mr. Lynch is not just anybody. Are you sure you're ready to answer for what you've said?"

As a lawyer, he knew very well that the tax bureau inspectors had that power.

But there had to be concrete evidence.

"Of course!"

Watching David's confident demeanor, Kyle realized the other party might actually have something on them, and he stood up and walked out.

Soon after, he entered an office, knocked on the door, and said to Lynch sitting in the boss chair, "Mr. Lynch..."

A few minutes later, Lynch's face also grew dark as he asked, "Do you think he really has evidence of our crimes?"

"I think they must have something, otherwise they wouldn't dare come here so confidently and specifically ask to see you!"

Lynch propped his chin with his right hand and after several minutes of contemplation, he eventually stood up and walked out.

The reception room.

"My apologies for keeping you waiting, gentlemen inspectors. There were quite a few things to attend to just now," said Lynch as he walked in, greeting the two with a warm smile, showing no displeasure from being investigated.

"Mr. Lynch, I believe your advisor has already conveyed our purpose for being here. What are your thoughts?"

"The antiques sold here might be slightly overpriced, but they were all bought by friends. There's no question of using antiques for money laundering!"

Lynch thought it was the overvaluation of the antiques that had caught the attention of the tax bureau and preemptively defended himself.

David reached into his suit's inner pocket, pulled out an envelope, and tossed it in front of Lynch with a gesture inviting him to have a look inside.

Lynch narrowed his eyes before opening the envelope and examining the contents.

As time passed, his expression could no longer maintain the composure he had upon entering, and it gradually darkened.

Kyle, noticing something was off with his boss, also came over to take a look, and soon, his expression turned ugly as well.

"Where did you get this document?"

Lynch asked, staring intently at David.

David, unfazed, responded, "I don't need to tell you that!"

If looks could kill, David would likely have been slain by Lynch's glare by now.

But fortunately, it was at this point that Kyle spoke up, arguing, "Inspector, this is not our ledger. If you wish to review our accounts, I'll have our accounting department organize them and personally deliver them to your bureau for inspection!"

Of course, this was their internal ledger.

However, there was still room for manipulation with a ledger.

For example, he could get the accounting department to destroy certain documents or forge new data to make David's current evidence unverifiable.

The reason he suggested having the accounting department organize things and deliver them to the tax bureau was to buy time for these manipulations.

David didn't respond to his suggestion but reached into his pocket again, taking out another envelope and placing it on the table.

Looking at this new envelope, both saw it as a bad omen, yet in the end, Lynch picked it up and began to examine its contents.

But as they looked through the list of all the transactions with Li Gensheng, including detailed information on the items, their composure vanished.

The ledger might have offered some leeway, but now with this list of traded goods, how could they keep denying?

If David had obtained this list, wouldn't it be easy for him to get testimonies from Li Gensheng and others, or even to have them testify in court?

In short, these two pieces of evidence, laid out before them, meant their illegal dealings were irrefutably exposed.

"How about it, Mr. Lynch, nothing to say now?"

After a moment of silence, Lynch looked up at David and said, "Name your price."

David was taken aback and then replied, "What do you mean, you want to bribe us?"

"No, I just want to make friends with you guys!"

"Well, if you pay this tax debt, then personally, I don't mind becoming friends with you!"

"One Million USD."

At this figure, both David and Nisen were somewhat stunned.

One Million US Dollars, certainly not a small sum.

But compared to his career prospects, this One Million suddenly lost its allure for David.

He sneered back, "Mr. Lynch, do you realize how serious a crime it is to openly offer a bribe to an inspector of the tax bureau?"

Lynch had felt relieved seeing their initial stunned reaction.

One Million might not be a small amount, but if it could clear the investigation against them and have this case dismissed, it would be worth it.

But to his surprise, David quickly lost interest in the One Million and reverted to a tough stance.

This turned Lynch's face even more ashen.