Nanako hurriedly put her hands on the floor, bowed her head, and said, “Mr. Wade, I apologize to you and the Oskian people on behalf of all the Japanese who have hurt the Oskian people. I’m sorry! I will do my best to pay off Japan’s debt for the rest of my life!”Charlie waved his hand. “Never mind. This debt may never be settled, but I’m grateful for your effort.”Then, he reached out to help Nanako up to her feet and said, “You still have two upcoming matches, hurry back and prepare well. I, as Aurora’s coach, am looking forward to seeing the two of you meet in the finals. So, in the next semifinals match, you must perform well. Succeed to the finals to meet Aurora there.”Nanako said unwaveringly, “Please rest assured, Mr. Wade. I will do my best and meet Aurora in the finals!”“Good.” Charlie nodded. “See you in the final, then.”With that, Charlie got back into his BMW and drove it into his Thompson First villa.As the car sped off, Nanako locked her gaze on the car for a l
Nanako stayed up all night.Charlie’s words had been circulating in her mind all night long. Somehow, as she thought about it more, she suddenly felt that she must not give up on martial arts!In fact, she must double her efforts and work hard so that Charlie would look at her in a different light!Perhaps Charlie would never be willing to accept her as a disciple, but she must show him with her actions that she would become a qualified martial artist!Jiro, who had always wanted to pursue Nanako, had trouble sleeping as well.While he couldn’t wait to take Nanako’s hand, he was also looking forward to the next advertising campaign of Kobayashi Stomach Pill in Oskia.Since Kobayashi Stomach Pill was the title sponsor of the finals segment, it was the best time for the medicine to make a big promotion.Moreover, to Jiro’s surprise, Aurora, the Oskian athlete, had become the dark horse of the competition!This was very important to him. He wished to launch and promote his new sto
Claire couldn’t stay at the studio all day since she had work to do, so she went to her office halfway through the shoot, leaving Charlie and Liam there at the studio.After the advertisement shooting was finished, the staff of the advertising company immediately went back to their office with the material to do the post-production work while Charlie and Liam, once again, hosted a banquet in Shangri-La to entertain Quinn and Dorothy.Quinn’s work schedule was very hectic at the moment. After all, she was one of the top celebrities in the country. She was invited to the Spring Festival Gala this year and had a solo performance, so she had to rush back to Eastcliff for the first official rehearsal of the Gala.The celebrities who could be at the Spring Festival Gala were all top celebrities in the country. Because the Gala had the largest audience of any entertainment show in the world as well as the world’s most-watched television program, many big stars would do what it takes to get
The next day.Quinn’s flight was scheduled to take off at eight-thirty in the morning, whereas the semifinal of the combat and fighting competition would start at ten.Hence, Charlie decided to see Quinn off at the airport first and then head to the stadium to watch Aurora’s match.Early in the morning, Charlie went to Jacob and said, “Dad, will you use your car in the morning? Lend it to me if you don’t, I have something to do in the morning.”Jacob smiled sheepishly and said, “I’m going to give a talk on the antique and cultural appraisal in the morning at the Senior University on behalf of the Calligraphy and Painting Association.”With that, Jacob cast a glance at Charlie which indicated a “you know what I mean” hint.Charlie was instantly enlightened.Jacob must have met with Matilda during the activity collaboration between the university and his association, and he wanted to take this chance to meet Matilda more often before Elaine suspected anything.Thus, Charlie could
Hence, Jacob hastily conceded and said, “You! Can you please stop solving everything by making a scene?”Elaine chided in a cold voice, “Well, you said it yourself that you’re in charge of the family now, and I don’t have the right anymore. If I don’t make a scene, what can I do to establish my status in this family?”Jacob voluntarily backed down and said, “Okay, fine, I misspoke. You have the right to dominate the family. Are you happy now?”A triumphant grin appeared on Elaine’s face as she said, “Now that you say so, I must exercise my right and power. Jacob, tell me the truth. How much money do you have right now? Did you go behind my back and make some money by reselling the antiquities?”Jacob said with a grimace of exasperation, “I’m making sh*t! That’s what I’m making! Oh my goodness, frankly, I don’t have a f*cking penny in my pocket now! There’s no way to generate income from the Painting and Calligraphy Association! Previously, I was able to make some money by reselling
“You…”Jacob was so angry right now, and his eyes were filled with resentful red.His hands were tied when it came to counter-attacking the tactics of a shrew like Elaine. ‘A man with a pen can’t reason with a man with a gun’, that was what he felt like right now.At this moment, Charlie started, “Alright now, don’t quarrel so early in the morning.”Elaine immediately wilted as soon as Charlie’s voice sounded.If in the past, Charlie had dared to interrupt when she scolded Jacob, she would have bitten his head off for interjecting.But things were not like it used to be now. Fortune knocks once at every man’s door, and this time, it was Charlie’s door. Now that she didn’t have any money and had to live in a villa that was owned by Charlie, Charlie held the most significant status in the family.In order not to be kicked out by Charlie, she could only do whatever it took to please Charlie and not get on his bad side.Thus, she glared at Jacob viciously and said, “If it wasn’t fo
Claire leaned in and whispered to Charlie, “What’s wrong with Mom? Why is she in the kitchen cooking?”Charlie laughed and said, “Mom said she wanted me to try her cooking. She said she’s making tomato and egg with noodles.”Claire exclaimed, “Oh my goodness, my mom actually took the initiative to cook. Wonders never cease! I guess she does learn her mistakes and try to correct them.”However, Charlie did not share the same opinion. Instead, he felt that this so-called free breakfast was not free. After all, Elaine had to be up to something that she needed his favor for, otherwise, based on her character, she would never have taken the initiative to cook.Sure enough, at the dining table, as Elaine personally served the noodles for Charlie, she smiled coyly and said, “My dear son-in-law, I have a favor to ask you. I wonder if you will be okay with it?”Charlie replied, “Mom, please say whatever you want. I won’t refuse if it is something reasonable and also within my ability.”El
Frankly speaking, Elaine didn’t want to be a lickspittle to Charlie, but she was currently in a very awkward position.She no longer had the financial power of the family. She was almost penniless. Even the luxurious Thompson First villa was under Charlie’s name, which had nothing to do with her.More importantly, since she had lost more than 2 million in the mahjong scam that Hannah had set up, she knew that her status in the family had dropped significantly. Even Jacob, who had always been shouted at and bullied by her, had turned against her and even beat her up. Under such circumstances, she knew that she did not have the luxury to be arrogant and cocky like she used to be.Thus, Elaine knew that, for now, she could only behave with her tail between her legs, and tried to get on Charlie’s good side. She would be doomed if even Charlie turned against her one day and kicked her out of the house.Moreover, Charlie was even willing to help her ask about the expensive cosmetics. Of
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
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