The drivers behind the trucks got out of his car to check what happened, curious and angry.At this moment, a person from the fleet got off the truck and shouted using a loudspeaker, “Everyone, we have just received an urgent notice from the management that the bridge has become hazardous and there is a risk of collapse at any time. We are trying our best to repair the damage as soon as possible. For your safety, please make a detour. Thank you for your cooperation.”The drivers were blowing a gasket, but their anger dispersed in an instant upon hearing the announcement. No one doubted their credentials, especially when they saw so many heavy-duty trucks parked on the bridge. In fact, they were feeling fortunate that they had been following behind these trucks. If they had been in front of the fleet, wouldn’t they drive on this dangerous bridge?Hence, everyone quickly got back into their vehicles, turned around, and took a detour, avoiding the bridge at all costs.Behind the whe
Gibson finally realized that something had gone terribly wrong at this point. How else could he explain the sudden appearance of so many trucks that surrounded them for no reason?Moreover, from the looks of their stance, they didn’t intend to let them escape, hence the parallel formation.They had heavily-loaded trucks sandwiching them both front and rear, with the river roaring under the bridge. If these trucks were really coming at them, they would have no way out.Gibson shuddered in horror and said, “Are they here for the kids? Why? These kids are just a bunch of low-life orphans!”“That’s right!” Gibson’s brother said, “Besides, the police didn’t even come after us yet. Why are these people here?”As the two fleets of trucks were inching closer and closer to them, Gibson’s brother had no choice but to stop the van.Everyone in the van panicked, including Max.Max stumbled into an unending horror at the moment. No one knew the orphanage better than he did. If these children
At this moment, a loud sound of helicopters roaring from outside the van.Everyone was even more panicked as the helicopters’ movement was very loud coupled with the overly familiar chopping sound.Max asked frantically, “What is going on? Why are there helicopters? Who are these people?”Gibson’s father pulled the curtain open in a small gap and peeked outside when he saw several helicopters lined up in the sky like an army of metallic birds. He gaped in shock and remarked, “Oh my god, there are many helicopters in the sky! Even if the police want to arrest us, they wouldn’t use helicopters! Did we get on some VIPs’ nerves?”While talking, the helicopters were directly above their car as the loud roar resonated throughout the bridge and into the van.Charlie was sitting on one of the helicopters, overlooking the scene that was unfolding on the bridge.The entire bridge was being blocked by the fleets of trucks. In the middle of the bridge, dozens of large trucks surrounded the I
Turning on the PA system on the helicopter, Charlie aimed the mic to his mouth directly and shouted, “Everyone in the van, listen carefully, you are being surrounded. Surrender yourselves right now, or I’ll start shooting!”Charlie’s announcement sent shivers down the spines of the seven adults in the Iveco.Gibson was on the verge of collapsing. Even if he murdered someone, why would the law enforcement use such excessive tactics to apprehend him?His family was shaking in terror. Earlier, they were still dreaming about the wonderful trip to the Maldives as soon as they got the money, but they had never expected to be surrounded like rats in a ghastly trap.Max was even more frightened than all of them. He regretted his decision very much!It wasn’t just regret, but there was also panic.However, he blinked as if something struck his mind. Why did he find the voice of the person doing the announcement from the helicopter so familiar? Yet, he couldn’t figure out that it was actua
Gibson’s family shrieked at the top of their lungs upon the horrifying sight!They didn’t expect that the person would literally command his shooter to shoot immediately after three seconds!The victim, who was the eldest son of the Little family, was also the son Gibson’s parents adored the most. As blood trickled down his temple, the parents went berserk and cried devastatingly.Since Gibson was sitting right next to his brother, reddish blood and whitish mushy brain matter was splattered on his face and body.He was also so shocked by the absurd scene that his heart almost jumped out of his ribcage.When he started the trafficking business, he had never thought that it would be so deadly!Charlie’s cold voice sounded again from the helicopter’s PA system. “I’ll give you three more seconds. If you still refuse to get out of the van and surrender, I’ll let the snipers kill the second person randomly!”Losing the courage to resist, all six of them ran out of the van in a hurry.
In Max’s opinion, he would not be surprised no matter who stepped down from the helicopter, but Charlie was totally unexpected that he could only stare in disbelief.However, he was absolutely certain that the tall, handsome man with a cold face was indeed Charlie Wade, the man he grew up with in the orphanage!It was beyond his imagination as to how and why Charlie was so capable to mobilize such a powerful force to pursue them!The helicopters, the former special forces members, and the weapons they carried were definitely not something ordinary people could own, not even the richest man in Aurous Hill!He couldn’t help asking himself, ‘Who the hell is Charlie Wade?’‘Isn’t he an orphan? He is a moocher who lives off his wife! How can he own such a powerful force?’At this moment, Charlie stood in front of the six adults. Instead of looking at the other five people, he glared coldly at Max and exclaimed, “Max Wyatt! How dare you!”Max trembled in horror and cried, “Charlie, it
Gibson knew that Charlie had looked into all his details when he heard Charlie’s remark. He pleaded in desperation, “Boss, this is all a misunderstanding! I have some enemies and that’s why they tarnish my reputation all the time. I’ve never been involved in child trafficking before, it’s all just fake rumors!”Charlie chuckled. “Do you think I’m an idiot?”Gibson pleaded by knocking his head to the floor until his forehead turned bloody. “Please, boss, you have to believe me, this is all Max’s idea! He approached me first, saying that he was involved in some deep shit that he needed money urgently. It was him who told me that there are many children in the orphanage. He had even come up with the whole plan for us to abduct those children!”Charlie said coldly, “Don’t worry, I’ll settle the score with each of you one by one later, but first, tell me, who had you planned to sell these children to?”Gibson hurriedly admitted, “Boss, these children were to be sold to the beggar clan i
Charlie did not expect the Webb family to be involved in this matter to some extent. The vicious Beggar Clan was actually Donald’s brother-in-law’s creation! He bet that they must receive indispensable support from the Webb family.Initially, he was waiting for the Webb family to strike him first instead of him making the first move. But, this time, he had to strike Donald’s brother-in-law first!He glared at Gibson and said, “I’ll give you a chance to redeem yourself. Perform it well or you’ll end up like your brother!”Gibson said with gratitude and excitement, “Boss, I’ll do anything you ask me to! Anything!”Charlie urged, “Now, I need you to call the senior who is supposed to get the children from you. Tell him that your car broke down and you need him to come here in person to take the children.”Gibson hurriedly nodded and said, “Okay, boss, I’ll make the call right now! Since we’re not very far from Sudbury, I’m sure they will come soon.”Charlie nodded. He turned to
Holding up a thumb at Charlie, Julien exclaimed in approval, "You're right, my friend! That's far more exciting than having him jailed!"Just hearing that he would be sent to a kennel, Jimmy knew nothing would come of it—even if he didn't know the details, it was so obvious that Julien was thrilled by the very idea!Turning nervously toward Charlie, he was sobbing as he asked, "Mr. Wade…? What's this about a kennel…?"Julien chuckled coolly even before Charlie said a word. "A kennel is where you keep dogs, of course. Though there are literal dogs and metaphorical dogs, and you are the latter."Oh, don't worry. It's a really nice place where you get your own cage, and you'll be fed every day. You don't even have to work, so just sit tight and keep eating until the day you die."Jimmy's soul left his body in that instant.He was going to be locked in a cage?! That was way worse than being locked up and sent to jail! Where was the humanity around here?!Even as the thought struck h
Matilda was actually caught off guard by Jimmy's pleas, and even Paul found it hard to watch.Turning to Charlie, he said, "Please, Mr. Wade—my uncle can be a little despicable, but he is my father's brother. Please, let him have a chance to turn over a new leaf, seeing that he's earnestly repenting."While Paul spoke with Charlie, Jimmy was still confused and wondered why Paul would plead his case with Charlie instead of Julien. If there was anyone Paul should ask, it was Yolden since he was Julien's friend. So, why would he ask some young man instead of Yolden?That was when Charlie asked in curiosity, "You want to let him off? After he tried to take away your parents' legacy?"Paul smiled awkwardly. "I mean, I know the guy. He made sure to travel all this way to make a scene because he had nothing legal that could help him claim Smith Group Corporate Law from us. Otherwise, he'd have already filed the lawsuit in the States. Sure, it's a dirty move, but that's basically a des
As Julien finished, he realized something was wrong and turned toward Charlie before he knew it.Charlie held his gaze in turn, his expression quizzical and amused.Julien cleared his throat right then. "See, there are people who can order me around, but they have my utmost respect. However, a third-rate lawyer like you? Who do you think you are?"That was when Julien's butler called, and he reported respectfully as soon as the call was answered, "Sir, I've spoken with Nate Ellis, the owner of Ares LLC. He has since agreed to fire Jimmy Smith right away as well as disbar him nationwide."Julien asked, "Good. Anything else?""Well, Mr. Ellis also delivered some documents that can be used as evidence against Jimmy Smith, which he claims is enough for a lifetime sentence. If you deem it necessary, we can have it sent to the FBI.""Yes, let's go with that!" Julien replied, his tone satisfied. "And ask the director to handle it personally—I want this prick to never set foot stateside
Jimmy was sweating profusely in fear, but he argued back before he knew it, "That's impossible! Everything you say is bullshit! Gaiman simply thought he had a fair chance of winning and didn't want to pay Ares that much, and I have no idea who he partnered with, and I'm certainly not involved. Don't you try to slander me!"Nate chuckled. "Come on, Jimmy. We're all adults here, so there are things we shouldn't have to be so direct about. Mills Gaiman and your old classmate met in private many times, not to mention the private conferences you three had in secret, discussing your overall strategy and decisive points. Just so you know, Gaiman recorded every conversation, and I have the tapes with me."Jimmy's heart was left pounding as he blurted, "B-Bullshit! That's impossible!""Grow up, Jimmy," Mr.Goodman chuckled. "Every partner in every law firm always strives to rise higher, so I'm going to need as much leverage as I can. Otherwise, I'm not about to let them advance any further, e
Although the ringtone and vibration frequency were the ones Jimmy always used, this call somehow felt more urgent, leaving him exceedingly uneasy.When it abruptly stopped and left a missed call on his log, Nate Ellis soon sent a text: [Answer your damn phone this instant!]Just seeing the text left Jimmy feeling like his throat had gone dry, and as he gulped, it felt like his throat was being ripped, leaving him hurting.Still, he couldn't care less as his boss called again.Having seen the text, Jimmy didn't hesitate this time and promptly answered, watching Julien's smug face as he started tentatively, "Y-Yes, boss...?"Nate immediately yelled at him hysterically, "What the hell did you do?! Why did the Rothschilds call to complain about you?! And the complaint was from their heir apparent, at that! I worked hard for them and always toed the line for years, and I still haven't gotten a chance to meet the man, so how the fuck did you upset him?!"Jimmy's heart sank to rock bott
Fuming, Jimmy snapped at Julien, "If you insist on playing it like that, I will call my boss, and you can talk to him yourself!"Julien chuckled. "That's unnecessary. I've never met him. He would never recognize my voice."Jimmy laughed and nodded despite himself. "Impressive—you can really come up with anything! You don't have his number because he's beneath you, you refuse to call him because he's beneath you, and when I say I'll call him for you, you say he won't recognize your voice. Well, how do you suppose we should sort this out? At least prove you're a Rothschild, or anyone could claim that they are—"Julien held up a hand to stop him. "Then, how about this? I'll ask my butler to talk to your boss."Jimmy laughed even more loudly as if it were the best joke ever. "Hahaha!!! Butler, you say?! You really know how to talk! Alright, I'll wait and see what your 'butler' can do… I mean, what you can do. We'll see whether my boss calls me!"Julien ignored him and whipped out his
Naturally, Jimmy couldn't care less about Julien's suggestion, even looking at him pointedly from head to toe while smirking in contempt, "What, do you think I'd just do what any nutjob tells me to do just because they're claiming to be the Rothschilds' heir apparent?"Julien nodded, still smiling. "Good point, but don't worry—it's the same whether you call him or he calls you."Jimmy laughed. "I was offering you a way out, but you want to keep pressing your luck? Since you don't care to back off, let's see how you're going to finish this fight."Then, he shrugged while pointing at Yolden. "Well, it's the perfect chance to measure Matilda's husband, I guess."Based on what he saw of Yolden, there was no way he would buy Julien's claims, and thus labeled him an impostor in his mind.An ordinary lecturer in Aurous Hill, being friends with the Rothschilds' heir apparent? Not to mention that there had been plenty of fraudulent cases outside the States where the Rothschild name was use
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