“Charlie?” Jasmine heard Nanako's question and then saw her big eyes filled with expectation. Her heart couldn't help but feel some emotion. ‘It seems that this little girl’s feelings for Charlie are truly buried deep in her bones, but she lives in Japan most of the time, so I really don't know what she will do in the future.’ Immediately after, she thought of herself and couldn't help but secretly mock herself. ‘Just thinking about her, how am I not the same? Although Charlie and I both live in the same city, he is, after all, a married man, It is not so easy to meet with him.’ Thinking of this, she sighed and said to Nanako, "I truly haven't seen Charlie these days. The last time I saw him was the time I went to Aurora's house for a dinner gathering."Nanako nodded somewhat disappointedly and sighed, "Well, I don't know if I would have the chance to meet Charlie-kun more frequently this time..." Jasmine asked in surprise, "You didn't tell him that you came this time?"
Nevertheless, Jasmine didn't explicitly say it over the phone, so Charlie couldn't directly show that he already knew the exact situation. He pretended to be curious and asked, "Why do you suddenly want to invite me to dinner?"Jasmine said, "Grandpa said he hasn't had the chance to invite you over recently, so he wanted me to ask if you had time to come over for dinner tonight."Charlie didn't expect that Jasmine's words would be that Lord Moore wanted to invite him to dinner. She never mentioned Nanako, so Charlie guessed that it should be Nanako who wanted to give him a surprise.When he thought of that beautiful and generous but also gentle and quiet Yamato Nadeshiko, Charlie’s yearning for her would inevitably surge in his heart. The scene of him with her in Kyoto’s snowy night stroll again in his mind.After a moment of contemplation, Charlie pretended to know nothing and said to Jasmine, "Since the old man has invited me, I naturally can't refuse, so please tell him that I w
After hearing the words of his father-in-law, Charlie was dumbfounded. ‘When was I supposed to have a meal with my father-in-law?’ Just as he was wondering, Jacob kept winking at him, and at the same time, he urged, “Oh, Charlie, why are you still wearing an apron? Go back into the house and change your clothes, we are going to be late!” At this moment, Elaine asked, “Jacob, you do nothing at the Calligraphy and Painting Association all the time, so why do you still bring your son-in-law along? Since when does he have the time to socialize with you?” Jacob curled his lips and said, “What do you even know? Charlie knows Albert, and Albert is very famous in Aurous Hill. Mr. Bay from our association would definitely give face to Albert. It just so happens that the top management of our Association is about to change. This time around, I have to make Mr. Bay recommend me as the vice president. If that happens, I will be the second in command of the Calligraphy and Painting Associat
Charlie replied with a hum, went back into the room to change his clothes, and then came out to the garage. Jacob was already eagerly waiting in the passenger seat. Charlie got into the car and asked him, “Father, are you really going to have dinner with Mr. Bay tonight?” Jacob waved his hand. “No. I have no intentions to dine with him. That guy has done nothing but constantly shower me with flattery, trying hard to suck up to me. I’m bored of it and I am too lazy to entertain him.” Charlie then asked curiously, “Then, what are you up to now?” Jacob hurriedly said, “Just now, Aunt Matilda informed me via WhatsApp that she seemed to have a fever. Just so happens that Paul has gone on a business trip again, and your Aunt Matilda is home alone with no one taking care of her. I was just thinking of buying some medicine and food and sending it to her.” Charlie was taken aback, and he immediately asked, “Are you going to Aunt Matilda’s house?” “Yes.” Jacob nodded and blurted out,
As soon as Charlie had driven away, Jacob grew a little impatient and hastened his pace. In truth, ever since Matilda had told him on the phone that she was returning to Oskia, his heart had been filled with thoughts of Matilda. After Matilda had returned to Oskia, it had ignited the spark that had been buried in his heart for so many years. In the recent two to three decades, Jacob’s happiest moment was when Matilda had returned. When they were at his house and cooked together. That moment when Matilda and himself were embracing in the kitchen. However, Matilda was a very sensible person. She knew that Jacob and Elaine were yet to divorce, therefore, she had always kept a strong sense of rationality and was unwilling to make any substantial progress with Jacob. Jacob often found himself distressed over this, but he had never had a chance to find a breakthrough for their relationship. Although Jacob had been very useless all his life, he was, at the very least, a normal man
Matilda replied, “I just measured it. It was thirty-nine point two degrees Celsius. I already ate the fever medicine, but it seems like it hasn’t taken effect yet.” Once Jacob heard the temperature, he felt as though his heart was being torn out. He proactively bent down and pressed his forehead against Matilda’s forehead. After feeling it for a moment, he blurted out, “Your forehead is indeed terribly hot. Why don’t you go sit down on the sofa first, and I’ll get you a wet towel.” Matilda said in embarrassment, “I’m so sorry to trouble you, Jacob…” Jacob said solemnly, “Why are you being so polite with me? Do you remember the time during university, when I was in my dormitory and had a fever which made me unable to attend class? You took the initiative to skip class and went over the wall to the boys’ dormitory and took care of me for the entire day.” When Matilda heard this, her expression immediately became extremely shy. The past that Jacob had mentioned, naturally, she r
“Oh!” Although Jacob felt a sense of disappointment, he still had to pretend to have a sudden realization. He patted his head and exclaimed, “Oh! My stupid mind keeps recalling memories of the past and forgetting the more important matter at hand.” He then hurriedly said, “Matilda, please sit down and wait for me. I will get you the wet towel!” Matilda hurriedly replied, “There is a bathroom on the first floor. Just make a left turn in front.” “Great!” Seeing that Jacob had turned around and gone to the bathroom, Matilda finally felt a sense of relief. In truth, Jacob’s purpose was very clear to her. To be honest, Jacob was not only her first love, but he was also the man she had loved the most in her entire life. So, naturally, she has some fantasies and expectations for Jacob. However, she was a woman who had received higher education and had been decent her entire life. She knew that although Jacob and Elaine were separated for now, their marriage was still official.
Jacob smiled and said, “Why are you thanking me? That time, didn’t you do the same for me?” Matilda heard those words, and her face blushed even more. She whispered helplessly, “It’s all in the past… You shouldn’t be constantly talking about it…” “Impossible!” Jacob said emotionally, “I will never forget what happened that day, even till the day I die. After so many years, I have been wanting to tell you. It’s just that I didn’t get the chance. Now, a good opportunity has arisen, and yet you still want to stop me from saying…” Matilda said helplessly, “I didn’t stop you from saying it… I just… I just…” Matilda didn’t know how to continue the topic. So, she sighed and said, “Hey, I was just thinking… If you come here after such a late hour, wouldn’t Elaine be very upset if she finds out? Why don’t you go home now? Let’s not make Elaine unhappy.” The moment Jacob heard her mentioning Elaine’s name, he snorted coldly. “Matilda, don’t mention that old hag in front of me. If i
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