Vera wanted to build a good relationship with Marianne, so she took the initiative to accompany Marianne to Aurous University to sign the contract, but she did not expect that Marianne would want to come to Thompson First after signing the contract. This decision really shocked her.Although Vera had come to Aurous Hill in order to find Charlie, she was not ready to meet Charlie at the moment, so she was absolutely unwilling to come to Thompson First. Fortunately, the back row of the SUV was covered with privacy tinting, so she stayed in the car and waited for Marianne, using the excuse that she was a little unwell. After Marianne had gotten out of the elevator, Madam Marilyn opened the sliding door on the right side of the back of the car. Marianne got into the car and said to the two with a smile, “Sorry to keep the both of you waiting. Let’s go.”Vera heaved a sigh of relief and said with a smile, “It wasn’t that long, it was just five to six minutes.”Marianne nodded and ask
Nanako was following behind Charlie, and when she saw Charlie suddenly stop and frown, she hurriedly asked him, “What’s wrong, Mr. Wade?”Charlie said with a confused expression, “I don’t know either...”After saying that, he subconsciously took the ring out.The ring was still shaking like a Parkinson’s patient when it was between Charlie’s fingers, but after Charlie took it out, it gradually became calm and motionless again.Charlie was even more puzzled. He could not help but wonder, ‘Why are you acting up again? Are you feeling hungry again? Are you trying to cheat me out of my Reiki again?’When Nanako saw Charlie looking at the ring in his hand with a puzzled expression, she asked again, “Charlie-kun, is there anything special about this ring?”Charlie came back to his senses and casually smiled as he said, “It’s nothing special. It’s just a broken ring that I picked up from the walkway earlier. I’ve been hesitating as to whether I should throw it away or not.”Nanako purs
Vera casually said, “It’s that handsome guy who walked past our car in the underground parking lot just now. He’s quite tall and handsome.”“I-Is that so...?” Marianne panicked and said, “I didn’t see him. I was a little distracted just now...”“Okay.” Vera laughed and said, “I’ll be sure to tell you as soon as possible when a handsome guy passes by next time.”“Okay...” Marianne subconsciously answered as she thought that she had fooled Vera successfully.Her series of performances also made Vera even more convinced of her previous judgment that Marianne had come to Aurous Hill for Charlie. Vera did not say anything else but took out her cell phone and typed the words ‘Ito Nanako’ on the search engine. She had already read all of Charlie’s files before and had carefully deduced Charlie’s identity, experience, current business map, and power blueprint.She guessed that Charlie must be leading Ito-Schulz Ocean Shipping Group behind the scenes, so she paid special attention and
When Charlie saw Yahiko once again, he found that he was in very good condition.To Yahiko, the significance of having legs again was comparable to having a new life, so it also made him cherish the present even more.Yahiko was very enthusiastic and respectful when he saw Charlie. He came out personally to welcome Charlie into the house, then served tea to Charlie. Although he was busy walking around the whole time, his excitement could not be concealed at all.Hiroshi, who was aside, was also very respectful as he maintained a bowing posture at a ninety-degree angle.Charlie greeted the two of them, looked at the house curiously, and then said with a smile, “I’ve lived in Thompson First for so long, but this is my first time coming to this high-rise building.”With that said, he looked at the river outside through the huge floor-to-ceiling windows in the living room and sighed as he said, “The scenery here is really beautiful! Mr. Tanaka, you have really good taste.”Hiroshi, w
After saying that, he pointed at the tuna sashimi on the exquisite dinner plate and said to Charlie, “Mr. Wade, these sashimi are from the two cheeks of the bluefin tuna. The auction price for this fish is three million US dollars, but such little meat from the two cheeks already cost hundreds of thousands of US dollars. When converted, a piece of sashimi would cost tens of thousands of US dollars, and it cannot be found even in the best Michelin restaurants.”Yahiko was not just talking nonsense. In Japan’s society of luxury and money, the price of truly top-notch products could be outrageously expensive.The highest recorded auction price for bluefin tuna was bought for an extravagant price of several million US dollars. Most of the meat from such a fish would go to high-end restaurants. It seemed that one would be able to eat this top-level ingredient at a high-end restaurant, and one would be able to eat a piece of sashimi from this fish in a restaurant for just a few hundred US
Charlie, Yahiko, and Hiroshi exchanged glasses, while Nanako stood by and kept refilling his sake for him.Interestingly, Nanako only refilled Charlie’s sakem and Emi only refilled Yahiko’s sake. Therefore, Hiroshi could only refill his own sake.In Charlie’s opinion, the so-called ‘Laughing Dragon and Nine Heavens’ did not taste good at all. Aside from its pure rice fragrance, this thing was really lackluster. If he wanted to feel slightly drunk, the alcohol content should be at least 40%. For Charlie, this kind of sake was no different from drinking tap water. However, since it was a national treasure that Yahiko had brought all the way with him, Charlie naturally accompanied and drank with him.Charlie was also full of praise for the top-notch sashimi prepared by Emi. In fact, he felt that sashimi itself did not have any taste, and he was only tasting the texture of different fishes. There was not much difference in the overall taste after dipping it in soy sauce and wasabi.
Charlie nodded and said, “That’s good. I was not in Aurous Hill during this period of time, but I probably will not be going anywhere soon. Please feel free to contact me if you need help with anything in Aurous Hill.”“Okay!” Helen was not overly polite and agreed with a smile. She then invited Charlie into the house.Charlie could not help but feel nostalgic as he entered the house.When his parents had rented this mansion back then, they had also restored it carefully, and it looked the same as it was now. Although it still looked very rustic, it gave people a refreshing feeling.After twenty years of idleness, this mansion was once dilapidated, but after Helen’s careful restoration, it seemed as if everything had been restored to the state it was in twenty years ago. For a certain moment, Charlie even felt as if he had gone back to the time when he was just seven or eight years old when his parents had just settled down in Aurous Hill. The family of three had lived an ordinar
Jaime said, “In the second month of departure, I began to treat this pilgrimage sincerely, so I dismissed the entourage that Mr. Wade gave special permission for me to bring along, and I intended to make it to the end by myself...”“I fell ill after being exposed to the rain, so I stayed overnight at a farmhouse. After all, many pilgrims would stay there along the way, so I didn’t think that there was anything wrong with it...”“As a result, the couple tried to sell me to the owner of a black coal mine when I was unconscious with a high fever.”“I heard them saying that an adult with all four limbs could be sold for twenty thousand dollars, and a normal coal mine worker would cost at least three to four thousand dollars a month. As long as the owner of the black coal mine bought someone, he would be able to recover his capital in more than half a year if he worked the person hard, and the rest would be pure profit.”“At the time, the owner of the black coal mine had already driven
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