“Joanne, do you ever listen to yourself? Douglas is our best buddy, he will undoubtedly give us a hand if we need help.”A man with a square face spoke up. He picked up his glass and downed it in one go.Charlie glanced over at them briefly. He remembered them as his collegemates. The woman’s name was Joanne Hampton, and the man’s name was Jerry McLean.Douglas replied timidly, “Oh no, I cannot take credit for all of that. Sigh, it’s a long story, just forget about it!”He then looked at Charlie, feeling grateful with a tinge of emotion.It had been a stroke of misfortune to have been with a cheater and sl*t that he had almost lost everything to her, even getting beaten up for that.Luckily, thanks to Charlie’s help, he was able to reclaim ownership of the restaurant and receive two million in compensation. Thus, everything that he owned now was literally because of Charlie. He couldn’t take any credit for that.Hence, he changed the subject and started, “Anyway, Jerry, you’re p
Charlie stared daggers at them, but for Douglas’s sake, he couldn’t be bothered with these two idiots.Despite Charlie’s silence, Joanne and Jerry despised him even more for not defending himself after being ridiculed and insulted! What a loser!Jerry continued his insults, “Hey, in my opinion, Claire was truly blind. So many fine gentlemen in our class and yet, Charlie the loser was her final choice? Huh, such a waste!”In the middle of their banter, suddenly, the suite’s door was pushed open.Bang!Several brawny men in black barged into the room, and one of them, a young man with a crew-cut head and a cigarette in his hand said coldly, “Get out of here. I want this room.”Jerry frowned in annoyance. “What do you think you’re doing? Can’t you see that we’re having our dinner?”Then, he slammed the table fiercely and growled, “This is the Maple Hotel, first come first serve! Don’t you know the rules?”“First come first serve?”The fierce-looking young man came over to Jerry a
“That’s enough, Rambo. We’re having dinner here, get lost!”Charlie couldn’t care less about a small character like Rambo, so he waved his hand lazily and asked him to leave.Rambo bowed respectfully and said, “Okay, Mr. Wade. I’ll get out of here right now!”Then, he quickly retreated from the room like a pug.Jerry and Joanne were feeling extremely agitated and annoyed. Charlie, whom they had mocked and ridiculed in every possible way, had turned into Mr. Wade! What the hell was going on?!There had to be some sort of misunderstanding here. Charlie was just a deadbeat loser! Why did Rambo address him as Mr. Wade?! He wasn’t worth it!Douglas turned to them and said sternly, “You two, watch your mouth. Stay low-key and humble. You are wise enough to know what you can or cannot say out loud. Luckily Charlie was here today, otherwise, you guys would be in big trouble!”Jerry and Joanne stayed as quiet as mice after being beaten by Rambo.Douglas then turned to Charlie and said g
Zeke quickly said, “Mr. Wade, it’s the peak hour now, the hardest time to get a taxi. Why don’t I send you there, if you don’t mind?”Claire was curious and skeptical about this coincidence, but she was too desperate to say no to the generous offer. “Thank you so much for the lift, Mr. White.”“You’re too welcome, it’s my pleasure.” Zeke hurriedly got out of the car and opened the door for them happily.Charlie simply rubbed his nose sheepishly without a word. He was well aware that Zeke had grabbed the best opportunity to flatter him, and coincidentally, he needed his help, so he didn’t refuse the offer.The driver drove in front while Zeke sat in the front passenger seat and started a casual conversation with Charlie.On the way, Claire listened to their conversation while a puzzling sensation brewed inside her.Zeke White was one of the successful businessmen in Aurous Hill that earned a much higher honor and reputation in the business circle as compared to Lady Wilson. Such a
In the office.Sitting behind his desk with his legs on the table, George stared at his phone intensely as he flirted with several women on a dating app.Just then, his phone buzzed, and a text message popped up. George pursed his lips in annoyance. As he reluctantly opened the text message, he saw that it was the interview schedule from the HR department.He frowned as soon as he laid eyes on it with a tinge of shock, and then he sneered sarcastically, shaking his phone at the people sitting next to him. “Hey, guess who came to Spikeworth?”Sitting on the sofa with George were Jerry and Joanne who were here to meet George in hopes of currying favor with him.Seductive enchantment radiated from Joanne’s body as she sat with her leg crossed in a low-cut body-hugging skirt and her wavy long hair cascading down her shoulders. She checked her nails arrogantly and asked, “Who is it?”“Charlie Wade and Claire Wilson!” George clicked his tongue in disdain and sneered, “Claire applied
Claire didn’t know that George was up to no good, and so, she hurriedly said upon his politeness, “George, you are too welcome.”George pasted on a pretentiously kind smile. Taking Claire’s resume from the table, he flipped through it casually and said in a depressing tone, “Claire, I’m so sorry but from what I see in your resume, your qualifications don’t meet our requirements, regardless of skills or experience. You do not fit our demand.”Then, he sighed and continued, “Well, I’m sorry, Claire. You’ve failed the interview. I suggest you try another company. Good luck!”Claire was taken aback by his harsh rejection and hurriedly said, “But I’ve been working at the management department at the Wilson Group for so many years! I’m certain that my professionalism fits the criteria that your company has stated.”George shook his head and said firmly. “Oh, no. Your so-called qualifications and experiences are simply because you are part of the Wilson family. Now that you’ve been kicked
George laughed triumphantly. “Just wait and see. When I join the board of directors, these people will look up and worship me!”Jerry asked in surprise, “George, are you going to be one of the directors?”“Almost,” George said with a smug smile. “It’s under process. If everything goes smoothly, I’ll be promoted in a few months!”“Wow, that is so great!” Jerry gave him a thumbs up and exclaimed, “George, please don’t forget your buddy when you’re the director!”George nodded. “Of course! Don’t worry, I’ll look out for you.”In the middle of the conversation, there was a loud bang, and the door of George’s office was kicked open violently.“Who the f*ck dares to kick my door…”George was shocked by the sudden commotion. He was about to shout when he saw all the members of the board of directors standing at his door, bowing respectfully at a middle-aged man in a suit. He stared at them in a daze as he swallowed his curse.Zeke glared at George darkly and asked, “Are you George Har
George collapsed to the floor, his eyes filled with despair and agony.The reason why he was promoted to a senior executive position at such a young age had a lot to do with the strict employment contract that he had signed on his own will.To strengthen the control of their employees, the Spikeworth Corps had issued a very demanding and biased employment contract which guaranteed a promotion after signing, but they would be fully bound by the company. The promotion was guaranteed, but they had to prove that they were worthwhile and work hard to be loyal to the company. If they failed their performance indicator or had disagreements, the company would file a huge claim against them.Many people were afraid to sign such a contract due to its harsh and stern terms and condition, but at that moment, George was a fresh graduate who was full of ego and strived to succeed. Hence, he had signed the contract decisively despite the somewhat unfair consequences. Indeed, he had been promoted
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