Claire’s announcement sent a shock wave across the room, making everyone gape in extreme surprise!Everyone thought that Claire must be out of her mind! It was the worst time to stand under the limelight now! Other than failing miserably, there’s nothing else she could achieve!Emgrand Group was the largest company in Aurous Hill and the Wilson family was nothing more than an insignificant ant to them! Whoever took the challenge would only end up failing!Harold couldn’t help but mock sarcastically, “Claire, do you really think you can get a deal from Emgrand Group?”Wendy continued in the same mocking tone after her brother, “Claire, who do you think you are, what do you think Emgrand Group is? You being so reckless and irrational will only humiliate us, the Wilson family!”Someone else added, “Wendy is right! If she is kicked out by Emgrand Group, our family will be a laughing stock in Aurous Hill!”Blood rushed to Claire’s face and she felt her face burning in embarrassment.
Looking at her parents ridiculing Charlie, Claire sighed and said, “Dad, Mom, don’t blame Charlie for this. It was my idea, I just don’t want our family to be looked down on anymore. Haven’t we suffered enough all these years?”Claire’s mother blurted, “But still, you can’t take on such a task. It’s not just you—even if your grandma goes in person, they wouldn’t entertain her!”Charlie managed a bitter smile as he watched the bickering. He bet that his snobbish in-laws would never believe that he was the real owner of Emgrand Group.At this exact moment, there was a knock on the door.“I’m coming…”Elaine heaved a distressing sigh as she walked to the door and opened it.Charlie shifted his gaze to the door and saw a young man donning an Armani suit standing at the door. The man looked very charming and alluring with a Patek Philippe watch on his wrist, which seemed to be worth at least four million dollars.Elaine shrieked excitedly, “Hey, Wendell! Why are you here?”The man w
The next morning, Claire brought the file filled with proposals that she had prepared overnight and went to the Emgrand Group office with Charlie.Standing in front of the 100-story building, Claire suddenly felt as if her heart was hollow and empty.How could such a magnificent company like Emgrand collaborate with the Wilson family? Not to mention that they were aiming for a thirty million dollars deal.It was like a beggar approaching a wealthy man and asking for a thirty million dollar change. It was absolutely ridiculous.However, she had promised her grandmother and accepted the challenge in front of everyone, so she had to go for it no matter what…Sensing her anxiety, Charlie stroked her head tenderly and said, “Dear, don’t worry, go ahead, you’ll make it. Trust me.”Claire sighed dejectedly and murmured, “Alright, let’s hope so! Wait for me here.”She took a deep breath and walked through the door.As he watched her walking in, Charlie took out his phone and called Dor
For an instant, an abrupt and outlandish thought appeared in Claire’s mind.The Mr. Wade that Doris mentioned—could he really be her husband, Charlie Wade?When she processed it again, she found it to be too preposterous.How could it be!Charlie was an orphan who grew up in a welfare home!However, who else in the world would treat her so well besides Charlie?Thirty million dollars was an extravagant hope, but they gave her sixty million…She couldn’t help but asked curiously, “Miss Young, may I know if your chairman is Charlie Wade?”Doris’s heart skipped a beat. The boss had already demanded her to keep his identity secret, only to reveal his last name to the public. She would be blamed if his wife guessed it!She shook her hands frantically and said, “Miss Wilson, I hope you can drop it. Our chairman is the descendant of a prominent family in Eastcliff. His identity is highly confidential and I have no right to disclose it.”Claire nodded gently. She composed herself upo
Everyone was stunned upon the sudden roar.Everyone hurriedly took out their phones and searched for Emgrand Group’s official social media account!Indeed!The certified official account of Emgrand Group had posted the latest statement!A shock wave swept the conference room as the post was announced!Claire really did strike the deal! With twice the intended total value!It only took half an hour!How was it possible? How was it so easy?It didn’t make any sense!Harold was feeling shocked and regretted!Before today, Claire Wilson was incomparable to himself in terms of status or identity.If he had accepted the task yesterday, he would not give Claire a chance to shine herself regardless of the results!Yet, he refused because he feared that he w
After the three bows, tears were swirling in Harold’s eyes but he didn’t dare to do anything rash now.He knew that his grandma was very disappointed and agitated at him now, so no matter what, he shouldn’t enrage her any further.Lady Wilson heaved a sigh of relief after seeing Harold bowing and admitting defeat. She didn’t wish for his precious grandson to bow his head at Charlie the loser, but they had made a bet that involved her.She was a very devoted Buddhist. If Harold didn’t keep his promise, she would certainly be so afraid of the retribution and karma to come at her that she would have trouble eating and sleeping.Thus, she looked at Harold and said flatly, “Harold, treat these three bows as a lesson for you. Next time, don’t bet on something that you have no absolute certainty of. Even if you wish to make a bet, keep your family out of it!”With a pouty face, Harold grumbled, “Okay, Grandma, I know better now. I’ll never do it again…”As he spoke, his eyes glared to
Assuming that Charlie was simply joking, Claire didn’t take it seriously. She walked aside and dialed Doris’s number.Soon, the call was answered.Doris’s sweet and pleasing voice resonated from the other end of the line. “Hello, Miss Wilson.”“Hi, Miss Young. I have a favor to ask from you,” Claire said timidly.“Okay, what is it?” Doris replied.Claire rehearsed the sentence in her head once again, taking a deep breath before she said determinedly, “May I know if the chairman is available tomorrow night? My family will be organizing a banquet tomorrow to officially announce our collaboration with Emgrand Group. I hope that the chairman would kindly accept my invitation…”There was silence at the other end of the line before Doris spoke again, “Miss Wilson, I’m sorry but I cannot make the decision on behalf of my chairman. Or, perhaps I could ask him for you, would that be alright?”Claire said respectfully, “Thank you, sorry for the trouble caused.”After the call was ended,
Claire’s heart was still thumping excitedly when she exited Wilson Group’s office.Grandma would officially announce her new position tomorrow. Finally, she could hold her head up high!She turned to Charlie and said gleefully, “Charlie, thank you! If it’s not for your encouragement, I wouldn’t have dared to step up and take the challenge.”Charlie replied with a smile, “Dear, you deserve this.”He turned his head away, then turned back to her and said, “Oh yes, it’s such a great and happy event. Let’s celebrate, shall we?”Claire nodded. “How do you want to do it?”“Our third anniversary is around the corner, let’s celebrate it together! I’ll prepare everything, you just have to sit back and relax.”Claire gaped in surprise. “Are you going to surprise me?”“Yes!” Charlie nodded and laughed. “I’m giving you a surprise!”Claire felt a dash of warmth surging her heart. “Okay, I won’t ask you for any details then.”“You don’t have to, just wait!”Charlie had several plans linin
Jimmy was taken aback since he didn't recognize Julien at all, mainly because the Rothschilds had always kept out of the public eye.In fact, it was basically impossible to gather genuine information about the Rothschilds online, as it was a mix of press releases and gossip. Most online biographies would only be about the older generations or certain frivolous figures. Any information about key members like Steve would never be searchable online.Matilda was confused as well, not quite understanding who Julien was since he wasn't on the list of guests invited.Seeing that she was confused, Julien turned and smiled at Yolden, "So, Professor, shouldn't you introduce me to the bride?"Yolden finally remembered that and quickly nodded, "Sorry, it slipped my mind."Turning toward Matilda, he smiled, "Darling, this is Julien Rothschild… A friend of mine from the states…"Julien's full name left everyone within earshot gaping as the Rothschild name was way too famous across the globe.
Seeing that Jimmy was getting a little nervous, Charlie smiled and assured him, "Please, you have nothing to worry about. No one's going to do anything to you, but if you feel threatened in any way, you can call the cops. The Oskian emergency hotline is 110, by the way."Jimmy was slightly relieved as he could see that Charlie really wasn't trying to make things awkward for him, and he straightened his collar as he said, "Actually, I didn't mean to cause trouble—I'm pleased that Matilda has found true love once more, and if we can be friends, I can set aside my claim and stay for the rest of this wedding, offering the newlyweds our best wishes as a representative of my family."Still, his expression showed contempt as he turned toward Yolden. "Also, I'm really curious and looking forward to seeing what connections Professor Hart might have that you say could be better than Bill.""You'll see soon enough," Charlie smiled and nodded.Jimmy remained skeptical and scoffed, "I really do
If Charlie really did get Jimmy to stay, who knew what other rubbish Jimmy would spout.As for Jimmy, he was actually surprised Charlie was asking him to stay, and his instincts told him that Charlie definitely didn't mean well.Not only that, he was on foreign soil—wouldn't he be defenseless if Charlie called in his friends to beat him up?Hence, he shook his head without hesitation as he said, "I'm sorry, but my sister-in-law is quite keen for me to leave, so I have no reason to stay and add to her problems. And it is her big day. I can afford to let her save face instead of spilling the beans on her all at once.""Oh, but you were complaining about the lack of important people just now!" Charlie quickly interjected. "It just so happens that we have a big-shot on his way here, and he's a good friend of the groom. When I told him about you over the phone, he said to keep you here no matter what it took, since he would like to talk to you face to face."Jimmy frowned. "What, are y
And with those words, Jimmy turned to leave.Despite threatening Matilda, there was no such agreement, and he knew that Matilda was well aware of that.Regardless, the only strategy he had in mind when he came to Oskia was harassment. As such, he simply came up with a lie to make Matilda look bad in public. All it took from there was just for one person to relay what he had said—even if it were all lies, Matilda's character would still be called into question.He made himself very clear so that Matilda would understand that if she didn't give in, his family would keep hounding her to take their two pounds of flesh. Even if she wouldn't surrender the stateside estates and human resources of Smith Group Corporate Law, they would still claim a sizable chunk.But if that failed too, they would just have to destroy Matilda's reputation along with Smith Group Corporate Law.Either way, they were not letting her off easy!And reading that much from Jimmy's behavior, Matilda snapped co
Jimmy didn't expect Matilda to break down the share ownership of Smith Group Corporate Law to such detail, and he hollered as he was starting to feel embarrassed, "Now, you're just being irresponsible, Matilda. My father gave my brother a million to start the law firm in the first place, and they had agreed that the family would have a stake, albeit only at 49%, to not deny your decision-making as a startup. Or are you denying it?"Matilda immediately became furious and snapped, "Bullshit! That was just a loan of one million, and the agreed term was three years. However, your brother returned it in one! I even asked him to return the money with every single one of his siblings watching, since you might all get skeptical, yet suddenly, you're calling it an investment?""You said he's returned it? Well, what proof do you have?" Jimmy quickly shot back. "Our entire family can testify that the money hasn't come back to us!""So, this is how you're going to play it?" Matilda smirked. "Th
In the first place, Jimmy had come to Oskia to claim a stake in Smith Group Corporate Law, ideally strong-arming Paul and Matilda into splitting the firm in two, with Jimmy taking everything in the States while Paul kept what was left.The way Jimmy saw it, Paul and Matilda were going to be permanently residing in Oskia anyway. There was no way they could manage things over in another country properly, so it was basically returning the firm to the rightful owner.Naturally, Jimmy also knew that despite bearing the Smith family name, the success of Smith Group Corporate Law was all the work of Jimmy's brother and Matilda. Jimmy's father had helped to a certain extent, but that extent of financial support wouldn't amount to an investment at all. No judge in the world would support his claim to the law firm's shares.Therefore, when he learned that Matilda was remarrying, he thought he could seize the moment to cause a scene. Nothing could be better if she and Paul decided to sacrifice
Jimmy deliberately raised his voice as he said coolly, "Oh, but I didn't want to intervene. It's you and your mother who left the States in a split second, taking with you the law firm which bears the Smith family name. Don't you think such behavior is inappropriate?"Seeing the surprised reactions of the guests, Paul promptly retorted, "The law firm uses the Smith family name, but it is my parents' legacy! They worked blood and sweat to build it from the ground up, and as their only son, I have a veto when it comes to decisions. Or did we need your permission to move to Oskia?""Where's your conscience, Paul?" Jimmy pursed his lips. "Even if you don't know how Smith Group Corporate Law was founded, is that the case for you? It would have been a joke if it weren't for my father's connections!"Hell, it's no exaggeration that it was my father who fought to expand the law firm across America, and just using the family name means you're borrowing the family's influence. The family hono
The blonde man's voice drew everyone's attention in an instant.Despite his foreign appearance, he spoke Oskian fluently and walked with a haughty gait, almost as though he was above the rest.Paul's expression turned grim the instant he saw him, and he hurried over with Charlie.Still, before Paul could speak, Charlie stopped him, frowning at the man as he said, "Don't you think it's inappropriate to come slinging personal attacks at someone else's wedding?"The man clearly didn't know Charlie, and he wasn't worried, seeing that he was young.Snorting in disdain, he asked, "You must be from the groom's family, yes? Please tell him that he doesn't deserve my sister-in-law.""It's up to the happy couple to decide that," Charlie retorted quietly. "Deserving someone is no issue as long as they both love each other."The man pursed his lips and looked pointedly around him. "Just look at how simple this wedding is. Forget picking an unassuming city like Aurous Hill—is there a single
Pausing, Charlie then said, "I'll call Steve to drop by later too. I'm sure folks in Aurous Hill won't know him, but your potential troublemaker might.""I-Is that really fine?" Yolden blurted."What's not fine about it?" Charlie chuckled. "He has been treated like a tool ever since he came to Aurous Hill, and now that he has a chance to strut about, he wouldn't ask for more."Yolden appeared slightly relieved at that, and Charlie asked, "By the way, where's Paul, Matilda, and Autumn?""Getting their makeup done," Yolden replied. "Paul's my best man while Autumn's the maid of honor.""Good," Charlie nodded with a grin. "Don't worry—the wedding's going to be a success."As they spoke, Matilda stepped out of the dressing room in a stark-white wedding dress, flanked by Autumn and Paul.Seeing Charlie, Autumn nodded politely, "Good morning, Mr. Wade."As Charlie nodded in turn, Paul started, "G-Good morning… Mr. Wade…"Seeing that he was nervous and tentative, Charlie knew that he