Charlie asked her: ‘Why do you want to thank me?’Nanako said: ‘You’ve helped me so much and even arranged for me to learn martial arts here. Isn’t it right for me to treat you to a meal now that I’ve finally entered the path of martial arts? Just think of it as a thank-you meal. Charlie-kun, I wonder if you’ll do me the honor?’Charlie thought for a moment and replied readily: ‘No problem. Just tell me the time, and I’ll be there on time.’Nanako replied: ‘Master Howton’s classes end at half past six in the evening every day. Let’s meet up a little later. What about 8:00 PM?’Charlie replied: ‘No problem. You should practice hard, then. I’ll see you at night.’Nanako was elated and hurriedly replied: ‘See you tonight!’Charlie knew that Nanako was eager to practice, so he did not plan to go in and bother Nanako. He replied directly: ‘In that case, you should go and practice well first. We will talk more when we meet later at night.’Nanako replied: ‘Okay!’ She then turned on th
Meanwhile, at Scarlet Pinnacle Manor. Vera was standing in front of the desk, looking at the landscape painting in front of her that was already completed. The winding mountains stood tall in the painting, and there seemed to be ripples in the water in the lake, which was extremely beautiful. Vera stretched out her slender fingers and touched the thickest part of the painting like a dragonfly splashing on water. After determining that there was no sticky feeling, she looked at her clean fingertip again and saw that there was no ink stain there. Thus, she was certain that the painting was already completely dry.She then used the scroll that she had prepared to carefully mount the painting into a golden scroll. After the mounting was completed and rolled into a scroll, Vera sealed the scroll with a silk ribbon. Mr. Raven’s voice sounded outside the door as he said, “Miss, can I come in?”Vera said loudly, “Come in.”Mr. Raven, who was already slightly hunched, staggered in. W
Mr. Raven bowed and left. Vera then held up the scroll with both hands and walked slowly to the long desk. The memorial tablet that Vera had always carried with her was placed on the long table. The characters ‘Elijah Lavor, Father’ were inscribed on the memorial tablet. Vera knelt down in front of the memorial tablet slowly, then carefully placed the scroll aside. She then clasped her hands together, looked at the memorial tablet, and said respectfully, “Dad, if I’m lucky, I’ll be able to meet again with my benefactor, Charlie Wade, tomorrow. When I appear in front of him, his vigilance will definitely be aroused. I don’t know if I will be able to gain his trust, but I hope that you will give me your blessings so I can gain his trust…”As Vera spoke of this, she had a complicated expression for a moment before she reached out and touched the scroll on the ground as she said softly, “If… If Charlie can’t trust me and treats me as his enemy, I… I may be left with no choice but to tel
Nanako was about to bow and thank Emi when she suddenly heard the doorbell ring. She quickly said, “Charlie-kun must be downstairs. I’ll go and pick him up!”Emi nodded and said with a smile, “Go ahead.”All the apartments at Thompson First had elevators for entry. One would not be able to take the elevator without a physical access card. When Charlie came to visit them, he could only ring the doorbell of the unit at the entrance of the door in the underground parking lot. After the access to the door was unlocked from upstairs, he could then enter the elevator and press the button for the designated floor. Nanako only needed to open the door for Charlie from upstairs, but she still said to Charlie through the access control system, “Please wait a moment, Charlie-kun. I will come down and pick you up.”In Nanako’s traditional Japanese concept, if she allowed the man she loved to take the elevator upstairs himself, it would be equivalent to a wife who did not kneel at the door to
Yahiko was actually a full-fledged martial artist when he was young. He was one of those men who were deeply influenced by Bruce Lee in the 1970s and 1980s.Nanako had become obsessed with martial arts since she was a child under his influence. Yahiko had always been willing to invest in his daughter’s hobby. Therefore, he had invited the best karate masters as well as combat and fighting masters in Japan to come and teach Nanako.Nanako showed extraordinary talents in the process of learning these foreign combat skills. When Nanako was fifteen years old, these famous masters in Japan had already taught her everything that they had learned throughout their lives. Yahiko had hoped to find an opportunity for Nanako to learn martial arts at the time.In Japan, the only two things related to martial arts were ninjutsu and swordsmanship.After all, ninjutsu was rather wretched and not suitable for a lady like Nanako. On the other hand, swordsmanship emphasized the extraordinary stat
After saying that, Nanako added, “Therefore, the difficulty of martial arts is to control and safely separate one’s consciousness from the body without causing damage to oneself. It will only be possible for one to gain endoscopic ability by doing this. Thus, I thought of the method of imagining my consciousness falling from a height and quickly finding that safe sense of near-death. I was just trying it out of curiosity, but I didn’t expect it to work…”Charlie said nothing, but he could not help but sigh as he thought to himself, ‘Nanako is truly a martial arts genius to be able to think of such a method…’After hearing this, Yahiko had a shocked and fascinated expression on his face. He could not help but murmur, “I never dreamt that martial arts could be so mysterious. It’s great to be young. I would have given my best to give it a try if I was still a young man!”Nanako smiled and said, “Otou-san, it’s never too late as long as you’re willing to take action!”“No, no…” Yahiko
Charlie could not help but sigh emotionally. In his opinion, Yahiko really cared for his daughter and only had her welfare in mind at all times. He had really done a good job as a father.Charlie’s feeling for Nanako was naturally different, and it seemed that with Nanako’s talent, it was highly likely that she would go very far on the path of martial arts. He had an intuition that the Dark Realm, Transformation Realm, and the Master Realm would not be the end for Nanako. In that case, Nanako might live for a hundred years or even more than two hundred years. Once she broke through to the Master Realm, she might be able to master Reiki just like Charlie himself. Once she mastered Reiki, she would probably live for five hundred years or even longer, just like the Longevity Master, Marcius Stark.How could he let her walk on this long path alone?With that thought in mind, Charlie stood up, took the glass from Yahiko’s hands with both hands and said firmly, “You can rest assured
Nanako hurriedly said, “Please don’t say that, Otou-san…”Yahiko looked at Nanako and sobbed as he said, “Nanako, it’s difficult for you to understand a parent’s emotion. If only one person between a parent and a child can survive, most parents will choose to sacrifice themselves. You will be able to understand my feelings when you become a mother one day.”When Charlie saw the sad atmosphere, Charlie said, “Mr. Ito, there is no need for you to make the topic so serious. Nanako has a long way to go in the future, but your future will not be short either.”After that, he picked up the wine glass and said loudly, “Why don’t we come to an agreement between us? What do you think?”Yahiko asked curiously, “What agreement do you want to make with me, Mr. Wade?”Charlie did not answer his question but asked with a smile, “I like your house in Kyoto. It seems to have a long history, right?”Yahiko nodded and said, “It should be nearly three hundred years old.”Charlie smiled faintly and
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