Charlie lowered his voice and said with a smile, “The value of this store is not even worth one-tenth thousandth compared to the value of the Rejuvenating Pill or the Phoenixica. In fact, as long as I’m willing to sell the Rejuvenating Pill for the price of ten thousand stores, many people will be rushing to beg me to sell it to them. However, the value of the Rejuvenating Pill is not even as valuable as the value of the Phoenixica bracelet you gave me. So, please do not feel pressured or anxious just because I’m giving you these things. Just treat it as if I’m making up the price difference for your bracelet. You have this store now, and if you take good care of it, you will be able to support three generations in your family. You should live realistically with your son, and your life will be on the right track in less than three months.”Lady Jenson knew that Charlie was her benefactor, so regardless of the value of the Phoenixica, the fact that he had saved her life and her son’s l
Although Charlie had saved Lady Jenson and her son, he was still grateful to Lady Jenson.This was because she had given him her Phoenixica bracelet without hesitation.Charlie had initially thought that the old lady only knew that the Phoenixica bracelet was inherited from her ancestors and made out of rare material, but she probably did not know how rare and valuable it was.However, after this meeting, Charlie realized that Lady Jenson actually had a clear understanding of the value of the Phoenixica bracelet. Back then, Marcius, who was the Jenson family’s benefactor, had only taken one of the Phoenixica bracelets from Fumiko’s ancestor, kept Fumiko’s ancestor by his side for decades, and even given him two Rejuvenating Pills successively. That was not all, but Marcius had even promised to give Fumiko’s ancestor a chance if he managed to find a way to longevity in the future before he parted ways with him.Although Marcius did not do this just to repay Fumiko’s ancestor for
After admiring it for a long time, just when Charlie was about to roll the painting up again, he suddenly felt that there was a faint Reiki fluctuation in the painting.This shocked him!According to Lady Jenson, her ancestor had painted this painting in his old age. Since he was old, he must have parted ways with Marcius long ago.Fumiko’s ancestor had not mastered Reiki himself, so apart from living longer than ordinary people because of the two Rejuvenating Pills, it was absolutely impossible for him to possess Reiki. This also meant that the painting he had painted in his old age should not contain any Reiki.However, there was indeed a very subtle trace of Reiki in this painting. Charlie could not help but think to himself, ‘Could Marcius be the one who left the Reiki in this painting?! Perhaps Marcius came back during a certain period of time without the Jenson family’s knowledge!”Charlie calmed down immediately when he thought of this. He transferred a little Reiki and
A middle-aged man in a green shirt then came in with a resounding pace. This man’s clothes and appearance were the same as in the portrait of Marcius, but he looked a little younger than Marcius was depicted in the portrait. Charlie could conclude that this person was Marcius. Marcius paused in front of the three paintings for a long time and then looked at the old self-portrait of Fumiko’s ancestor on the right before he sighed and said, “You’re already gone... Micah, if you could have waited for me for three more days, I would have been able to fulfill my promise to you, then. Now that you’re gone, I should give this opportunity to your son, but I’m extremely disappointed with his words and actions. So, I’m not going to pass on this opportunity to him.”After saying that, he stretched out his hand and tapped on his portrait gently as he murmured, “I’ll leave the memory of this matter behind in this painting. Your descendants will know the reason after your descendants blame me i
The subtle Reiki in the painting also disappeared as the image dissipated, but when Charlie looked at the painting again, he could not help but associate it with the image of Marcius. He suddenly felt that Marcius seemed to be even more lively and vivid in the portrait. He couldn't help but speculate what Marcius’s life had been like after leaving that mountain village. Although his lifespan had been extended, there seemed to be no important people in his life. His wife and son had passed away long ago, and his only disciple who was like his son had also passed away. He was the only person who remained alive. With his obsession with cultivation and struggle for longevity, perhaps he would still choose to return to his cave somewhere and continue living in seclusion to cultivate alone after leaving the mountain village. He probably only knew the sunrise and sunset from then on, but not about what year, month, or generation it was in the outside world.When his daily life was all
Although his family members also knew about the villa, since the upgraded door locks were now all based on facial and fingerprint recognition, he was the only one who could open them so he did not have to worry about his family finding out about it. When Isaac heard that he was going to Champs Elys hot spring villa, he hurriedly said, “I’ll send you there, then!”Charlie shook his head and said, “No need. You’ve worked hard all day, so you should go back and rest first. I can go there myself.”When Isaac saw Charlie’s insistence, he nodded immediately, beckoned his subordinates to give Charlie the key to one of the Rolls-Royce, and said respectfully, “Young Master, please contact me at any time if you need anything.”“Okay.” Charlie took the car key and said to him, “I’ll go there first, then.”After parting ways with Isac, Charlie drove to Champs Elys hot spring villa alone. After arriving at the villa, he put the painting into the safe on the first floor of the villa.Charlie
Since the relevant person in charge at Aurous University also knew that Marianne was in Hong Kong, he had specially scheduled Marianne’s interview to be at three o’clock in the afternoon. This way, Marianne would have more than enough time and would not be too rushed regardless of whether she chose to come to Aurous Hill the day before or on the day of the interview. Marianne also booked a return ticket to Hong Kong at half past nine according to this time. Under normal circumstances, the interview would definitely be done before six o’clock in the evening. Regardless of whether she could get the results she wanted or not, she intended to return to Hong Kong first so as not to be found out by Charlie. This was also why Marianne wore a mask and a pair of sunglasses throughout the flight.Ten minutes later, Marianne had already walked out of the airport and was prepared to take a taxi to Aurous University first. Although the interview was set in the afternoon, Marianne wanted to tak
Marianne was relieved when she heard Shawn’s words. She could not help but mutter, “Dad, why didn’t you tell me in advance that Mr. and Mrs. Carrick are here? That way, I could have prepared some gifts for them in advance. It’s inappropriate for me to visit them empty-handed now...”Shawn smiled and said, “As far as your personality is concerned, if I told you about it, you definitely would not want to go. You would surely say that you’re simply going for an interview and it’s better not to bother others. You would also instruct me not to tell anyone about this. I’m your father, so don’t I know you well enough?”Marianne was speechless for a moment. She felt that what her father had said was reasonable. It was usually difficult for her to get along with her father because of her personality, so if her father had told her about it, they would probably have ended up arguing.So, she said, “Okay, I’ll visit Mr. and Mrs. Carrick first, then.”Shawn said with a smile, “Good girl! Have
However, Jimmy realized something important even as he sighed in relief. "Wait, Mr. Wade… I know I should settle things in the family Stateside, but won't I be arrested upon arrival?""That's Julien's department," Charlie chuckled and turned toward the man. "Tell your butler not to send the evidence to the feds. If it has reached them already, ask to have it back and tell the feds they saw nothing."Julien promptly nodded. "I'll text him right now. You have nothing to worry about, Mr. Wade."Jimmy remained worried. "But sir, I think Nate's not going to let this slide. The man is cunning—he deliberately dug a pit so we'd fall into it, and he gathered all the dirt he could on us to be used as leverage when necessary."Charlie shook his head. "That's no big deal. Julien can make sure that you're fine even if the feds get the evidence."Julien nodded nearby. "Don't worry, Mr. Wade. The decision remains in your hands, either way. Just say the word, and it's 25 to life… otherwise, not e
The fact that Jimmy was a partner in Ares LLP already meant he had skill, while Matilda had herself been retired for years and definitely had lost her touch a little. So, having someone like Jimmy who had stayed on the frontlines all this while would definitely be no issue.And in turn, it was a good thing for Jimmy as it was better than the kennels either way.Charlie then asked Jimmy pointedly, "You say you're interested, but are you sincere about it?"Jimmy nodded without hesitation. "Yes, absolutely!""No regrets? We're talking about ten years here.""None, absolutely none!""Do you know what to say if anyone asks?""Yes, of course! I chose to further my career here in Oskia, and it was absolutely voluntary! That's what I'd say even if my family asked!"Charlie nodded. "Good. Then, you will have two weeks. Go home and set your affairs in order and report in for work afterward.""No problem!" Jimmy nodded repeatedly, actually surprised and grateful that Charlie would let hi
And yet, Julien was suddenly clapping his hands, and exclaiming excitedly, "Yes, right! We should get his wife and son over too for a happy reunion!"He then paused and quickly corrected himself, "Wait, no! I mean, they should each be caged with one empty cage separating each of their cages. They can see each other and talk, but there will be no touching. How dare he flex on me—I gotta teach him a lesson to remember!"Jimmy dropped limply on his rump, and Matilda beckoned for Paul to help him up while turning toward Julien as she pursed her lips. "Please, Mr. Rothschild… Even if you don't accept his apology, don't bring his family into this. It's against Oskian tradition—you'd insult your family's name!"Julien shrugged, not hesitating to retort, "What do your traditions have to do with me? If I mean to hurt him, forget his family—I'll drag his dogs over too!"Seeing that Julien was so furious, Charlie decided to stop him, or he might actually go through with it."That's enough, J
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