After saying that, he quickly asked Charlie, “My dear son-in-law, can I take this painting, then?”Charlie nodded and said with a smile, “Dad, if someone asks you about this painting, just say you bought it from someone but you can’t remember the person’s appearance. As for the process of buying it, you can use your imagination freely to exaggerate and brag about it as much as you want. It’s fine as long as you don’t deviate from the main idea.”Jacob asked in surprise, “My dear son-in-law, wouldn't it be better if I simply said it was a gift from a friend or that it was from my own collection?”Charlie replied earnestly, “Dad, other people might not recognize this painting, but my client would. If he finds out that you're bragging about someone else's painting, he might blame me. If you do it my way, he will know we're protecting his privacy rather than trying to brag about ourselves, and he will feel better as well.”Jacob sighed reluctantly and said, “Okay, then. I’ll do as you
As the Boeing 777 carrying the three elders was still flying over the ocean, Jacob, who was extremely excited, carried the portrait given to him by Charlie and drove the Rolls-Royce Cullinan gifted by Kathleen to the entrance of the Calligraphy and Painting Association.At this moment, Jacob’s face was filled with confidence, almost as if he had just won a crucial battle and was waiting to show off in front of the other troops.Jacob was somewhat unpopular at the Calligraphy and Painting Association. Most of the people here were literati and scholars. Although some of them lacked true talent and were merely here for the sake of elegance, at least they knew what it meant to be subservient.Since they had no professional skills, they came here to provide more space for the professionals to show off. This was called being subservient.If one had no professional skills and came here to be the second-in-command and not only pretended to be superior all the time even though one had no sk
A large group of people were incited and began mocking Jacob.Jacob said coldly, “You people really don't know what you're talking about. How could I not have any fine artwork? It's just that some of the artworks are too exquisite and it’s not convenient for me to take it out!”At this moment, Jacob had already imagined himself as the client mentioned by Charlie.When the others heard Jacob boasting, they sneered disdainfully and did not take him seriously at all. Jacob did not say much and placed the cylinder containing the painting directly on the large desk used for display and appraisal in the Calligraphy and Painting Association, and he said, “Here, I’ll let you see a piece of ancient painting that I picked up today!” “Pfft…” The disdain on the faces of everyone present was even more apparent. Calligraphy and painting were not easy to preserve, and the paper used for traditional Oskian painting, although diverse, was almost never as tough as Western canvases. It could be
After all, Madam Jenson’s ancestor lived to be a hundred and thirteen years old, which was almost unheard of among ancient people. Moreover, Madam Jenson’s ancestor himself didn't understand cultivation. Instead, he spent most of his time practicing painting. He surpassed the vast majority of painters by a long shot just in terms of his skill alone.Furthermore, for the latter half of his life, Madam Jenson’s ancestor had been waiting for Marcius to return. He painted portrait after portrait of Marcius for decades, reaching a level of mastery that no one else could match. This particular painting was his favorite. He had practiced the brushwork thousands of times without making a single mistake, achieving absolute perfection.Another person approached and carefully examined the details of the painting with a magnifying glass, before he exclaimed excitedly, “This painting… This painting is indeed an ancient silk painting! You can tell it's an old item just from its texture at first
With the approval of the well-respected man, the portrait of Marcius immediately caused quite a stir in the Calligraphy and Painting Association. Jacob finally regained some recognition and stood a little straighter. Mr. Bay hurried over when he heard the news and found that the painting was indeed extraordinary. So, he quickly instructed his secretary to shoot a video, capturing the details of the painting and posting it on the official account of the Calligraphy and Painting Association on the short video platform to increase the influence of the calligraphy and painting exhibition.Soon, Charlie saw the introduction of this painting on the official short video account of the Calligraphy and Painting Association. In the video, the cameraperson used a cell phone to capture many details of the painting, especially the lifelike portrait of Marcius and the inscription by Charlie himself.This video caused a great sensation among the circle of fans of the Calligraphy and Painting As
So, he focused on all the private jets and cargo planes flying to the northern hemisphere first, paying attention to all their routes. Once this video went viral, if a certain plane turned back over the ocean and flew back to Argentina, that plane would almost definitely be the plane that the three elders were on.Meanwhile, on the edge of Antarctica, Fleur was also closely monitoring every move in Aurous Hill.A cargo plane dispatched by the Central Military Governor Office this morning had just flown over Aurous Hill an hour ago. The plane's destination was Lisken, near Aurous Hill. Just as it passed over Aurous Hill, it lowered its altitude according to air traffic control requirements, and it happened to capture the terrain of Aurous Hill very clearly.The photos taken on the plane were quickly transmitted back to the Qing Eliminating Society’s headquarters. Fleur immediately discovered a circular blank area with a radius of hundreds of meters in a valley near Willow Manor.She
Fleur was in disbelief. After living for four hundred years, she never thought that she would see the name ‘Marcius Stark’ again! He was her master who had already passed away more than three hundred years ago!She quickly picked up her phone again and tapped on the push notification with trembling hands. The phone immediately redirected her to the short video app and started playing the video from the Calligraphy and Painting Association.In the video, Marcius was wearing a robe as he stood on the edge of a cliff with long hair and a white beard that fluttered in the wind, giving off an extraordinary aura that inspired awe.Fleur instinctively covered her mouth, and her eyes filled with fear. She was in a state of panic as she murmured to herself, “How could Master's portrait appear in Aurous Hill? But Master has been gone for more than three hundred years, so who painted this portrait of him?!”Her heart seemed to be struck by a heavy hammer, and she anxiously thought to herself,
It had been over three hundred years since Fleur had felt such fear as she did today.That unfamiliar feeling of fear surged into her mind like a flood, giving her the sensation as if she was on an accelerating descent. Despite living for four hundred years and growing stronger with time, her courage seemed to diminish as she aged. Over the years, she had feared two things the most: growing old and dying, and that her true identity would be exposed.Thus, even though there were many members in the Qing Eliminating Society, very few actually knew the true identity of its leader.Apart from the four great earls, all the rest were the Griffin family members. Those Griffin family members were all descendants of Fleur as well, and they relied on her for their luxurious lifestyles, so their loyalty to her was extremely high.As for the rebellious few among the Griffins, Fleur never showed them any mercy. If they deserved to die, she made sure they did, and she showed no hesitation in e
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
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