Charlie smiled and exclaimed, “Fleur must be in great agony tonight. Shortly after Mr. Chardon arrived at Willow Manor, I blocked all signals there. She definitely will not be able to sleep tonight after two great earls disappear at the same time.” Ruby nodded slightly. “At that time, I did not have a signal on my cell phone either. Fleur should be very anxious. With her personality, she will definitely send someone to Aurous Hill to find out the situation as soon as possible.”Charlie laughed. “Would she send the fourth great earl here as well?” Ruby shook her head. “Probably not. Mr. Chardon perished in the explosion, and I disappeared as well. Three out of the four great earls are now gone, so Fleur should be wary of Aurous Hill, so it’s impossible for her to send Mr. Zorro here.”Charlie asked her, “With her personality, would she come to Aurous Hill personally?” “No way!” Ruby shook her head. “Fleur is extremely cautious and would never personally intervene to solve probl
Charlie noticed that Ruby’s expression had turned grim, so he frowned slightly and asked, “What’s the matter? Tell me.” Ruby clenched her teeth and said, “Fleur originally said in the beginning that it was dangerous for the four of us to execute missions outside, fearing that we might lose our lives if we encountered powerful cultivators. So, she spent several years setting up an extremely secretive and powerful formation inside our pineal glands. She said that activating this formation at critical moments could preserve a strand of our souls, allowing our physical bodies to die but our souls to survive. When Mr. Chardon said he would change his physical body and look for you to exact revenge, it was because of this…”Having said that, Ruby said bitterly, “But I didn't expect that it wasn't a formation to preserve our souls at all, but a highly powerful self-destructing formation instead…”After listening, Charlie nodded slightly. “No wonder Mr. Chardon was initially begging for me
Vera looked at Charlie and said, “Young Master, if Fleur really sends those three elders, I'm worried that you won't be able to handle them all. Young Master, it might be better to leave Aurous Hill for a while to avoid the limelight for your own safety.”Ruby also agreed, "Mr. Wade, Miss Lavor is right. With the three elders together, even Fleur would probably have a hard time winning. You haven't even activated your pineal gland yet. If you stay in Aurous Hill, once the three elders arrive, it'll be hard to escape!”After pondering for a moment, Charlie shook his head. “It’s simple for me to leave, but what about my grandparents? They're such high-profile targets, and there might even be insiders from the Qing Eliminating Society among them. The Qing Eliminating Society is bent on killing them, so no matter how they run, they won't be able to evade the pursuit of those three elders.”Speaking of this, Charlie suddenly asked Ruby, “How much do you know about my parents? Do you know
“Present a bold front to conceal your weakness?” Both Vera and Ruby looked confused after hearing Charlie’s words. They naturally knew the meaning behind Charlie’s words, but they could not figure out how Charlie was going to present a bold front to Fleur in order to conceal his weakness. Ruby was the first to persuade him as she said, “Mr. Wade, the strategy will only work if you can scare Fleur and make her afraid. However, to be honest with you, if you reveal your identity, even if Aurous Hill is full of traps, Fleur will definitely send those three elders to test your identity and background at all costs. She will only be wary of you if you’re hidden. I’m afraid that you will only be forced to fight her to death if your identity is revealed.”Vera could not help but persuade as well, “That’s right, Young Master. I feel that Miss Dijo’s words make perfect sense as well. The possibility of you being able to scare Fleur away at this time is close to zero, so I’d advise you not to
Ruby smiled and said in agreement, “Miss Lavor, you’re right. Over the past couple of years, Fleur has been noticeably more anxious than she had been before. For decades, Fleur had never worried about aging, as her appearance remained unchanged for hundreds of years. However, over the past two years, she has even started paying attention to skincare. Sometimes when walking past her, you can even distinctly smell the scent of skincare products. It seems she's afraid of aging.”Vera chuckled, “What's to come will definitely come. What's the use of being afraid?”With that said, she brought her thoughts back to the painting in front of her and suddenly seemed to understand Charlie’s plan.So, she widened her eyes instantly and was filled with joy as she asked Charlie eagerly, “Young Master, could it be… could it be that you want to use Master Marcius to present a bold front and conceal your weakness?”Ruby, who was aside, listened in surprise as she could not yet grasp the key points.
“Fleur has been monitoring Aurous Hill closely, right? Once this painting appears, she will definitely pay attention to it. At that time, she will surely have many questions in her mind!”“She must want to know who brought out the portrait of her master, and she must be even more curious about the relationship between the person who brought out the painting and her master. Could it be someone her master accepted as a disciple before her? If so, that person might be over five hundred years old by now and may have obtained extraordinary strength from countless cultivations!”“She must also want to know why her master's portrait appeared out of nowhere in Aurous Hill the next day after two great earls under her command died and went missing. She would definitely want to know if the person who brought out this painting and the person who forced Mr. Chardon to blow himself up are the same person. If so, why didn't that person die from Mr. Chardon’s explosion? She must also want to underst
At this moment, on a remote uninhabited island covered in ice and snow in South America, Fleur was leading Tarlon through the vast underground structures of the island. The two of them made their way to the deepest part of the underground building where there was a space completely sealed within the rocks with only one ventilation shaft connecting it to the outside world.The three elders of the Qing Eliminating Society were currently cultivating in seclusion here. Interestingly, during the hundred years of their cultivation in seclusion, they had unknowingly traversed more than half the globe with the Qing Eliminating Society, from Oskia, through Oceania, and finally to South America. These three individuals had completely cut off all contact with the outside world and had tightly wrapped their bodies with Reiki, almost halting the metabolism of their bodies. They had no idea how much time had passed in the outside world and only instinctively circulated Reiki continuously, makin
Fleur was very pleased with the performance of the three at this moment. What she wanted was their unquestionable obedience. Otherwise, she wouldn't have taught them the technique to activate their pineal glands in the first place.Furthermore, the technique Fleur taught them was somewhat incomplete. Although they had been cultivating in seclusion for a hundred years, without Fleur’s external assistance over the last few years, the three of them would never have been able to activate their pineal glands no matter what it was. Even if their pineal glands were right in front of them and there was only the last layer of paper window separating them from activating it, without Fleur, they couldn't break through this final barrier. However, at this moment, the three of them had no way of knowing this.Therefore, in Fleur’s opinion, if the three of them valued their cultivation more than her commands now, she would have to restrict their final breakthrough to prevent them from becoming e
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