It seemed inevitable. Still, Julien was no fool. He quickly figured out the interests involved. If he didn't work with Charlie, Charlie might order Hank to kill him and Royce now. Hank had unbelievably become Charlie's subordinate. Charlie would not bear any responsibility for Hank killing them, and no one might even know about it. On the other hand, he would be in a safer place if he decided to work with Charlie. At the very least, he would still be alive, right? In addition, if he could help Charlie bring the Four-Sided Treasure Tower out of the United States, he could retain his position as heir. If he could keep his position as heir and outlive Harrison, he would be the patriarch of the Rothschild family. With so many advantages, Charlie's leverage over him would not be such a big deal. Moreover, the leverage wasn't always useful. The best time to use the leverage against Julien was when Harrison was still alive. As the first heir, Julien had to walk on thin
Julien had his own plans. For him, the Wade family was nothing but one of the inferior families that tried to act tough. If he could smoothly transition to the position of the head of the family, he would never take them seriously. Although he was now in Charlie's hands, once he got through the ordeal and became the head of the family, he would be someone so prominent that Charlie couldn't possibly reach. The Wade family would certainly not be a threat to him. Of course, at this moment, he only dared to keep this thought to himself. On the surface, he feigned a polite smile and promised, "Of course! We will become each other's most important partners in the future!" Charlie knew that Julien was acting. He was likewise acting too. His phone was still recording their conversation. The more pious Julien was, the greater the deterrent power of this video would be for him in the future. Charlie sighed and asked, "I heard that your father is over 80 this year, am I right?" "Y
Charlie then ended the video recording and called Helena. There was a time difference of six hours between Northern Europe and New York. Northern Europe, which was further east, was six hours ahead of New York. It was dark in New York, but it was already morning in Northern Europe. At this moment, Helena was discussing her schedule for the next few days with the royal housekeeper. The sudden call from Charlie delighted her. She swiftly sent the housekeeper away and answered Charlie's call, her voice full of youthful excitement, "Hello, Mr. Wade!" Charlie felt a ripple in his heart when Helena's cheerful voice echoed from the other end of the line. He asked with a smile, "Helena, how are you?" "Pretty good," Helena answered. "Everything is fine, except for the family's never-ending nagging, but these are all small things." Charlie asked curiously, "You're the queen. Who would dare to nag you?" "Oh, you have no idea." Helena sighed and murmured dejectedly, "Yes, I'm the q
Her first advantage was her exceptionally beautiful looks. No one across the entire European royal family could surpass her beauty. Even compared to the most beautiful Hollywood actresses, she was no less stunning than any of them. The second advantage was her youthful and positive energy combined with a healthy and radiant aura. Who in the elite circles of Europe and America did not have a bit of a dark past? Drug use, affairs, promiscuity, violence, prison time, or even connections with organized crime—it was not fair to say that the entire upper class of the West was a den of snakes and rats, but at the very least, it was full of all kinds of vices. But Helena was different. Born into a royal family, she received an aristocratic upbringing from a young age. When others reached puberty and began to indulge themselves, both of her parents passed away one after the other. As a result, she had to be extremely cautious to secure even a limited space for survival in the harsh
Helena's reschedule would be officially announced in a few hours. What awaited next was to see if Harrison would urge Royce to go to Canada. If everything went according to plan, Charlie could take Julien's helicopter and fly to Canada with Royce. Either way, Julien and Royce were now his so-called hostages. He did not have to worry about them spilling the beans. In fact, he could constantly control and threaten them using this collaboration, which was much more practical than psychologically manipulating them. Psychological manipulation would be risky as those who were most familiar with them would be able to sense the abnormality sooner or later. Hence, Charlie preferred this kind of mild blackmail, which would be efficient when facing a strong opponent. The harder the opponent struggled to break free, the tighter he would be bound. Julien and Royce were bewildered as they watched Charlie finish the phone call with Helena. They didn't expect that Helena, the Queen of Northe
This made the men monitoring the Cole family mansion shudder in bewilderment. An agitated voice suddenly echoed from Hank's walkie-talkie, "Sir, something is going on in the mansion!" "Shit!" Hank hastily shouted, "Maybe someone sneaked into the house through a secret passage we don't know about! Hurry! Catch them before they get away with the Four-Sided Treasure Tower! Everyone, move! Whoever catches them will be rewarded with 10 million! Whoever gets the treasure tower will be rewarded with 100 million!" As soon as the announcement was made, almost everyone sprinted out of their hiding places and rushed into the Cole family mansion like a herd of sheep. Even though they worked for the Rothschild family, they were in low-rank positions. Their annual salary was basically around a few hundred thousand dollars. Some had even less than that. It was no wonder that they would go berserk when they were offered such a lucrative reward. Besides, it was not their absence from duty but a
Charlie did not open the wooden box to save time. He used his Reiki to scan the box and immediately sensed two items inside. One was a thick book, which he assumed was the copy of the Preface of the Apocalyptic Book. The other was an item made of metal in the shape of a pagoda. After confirming that the items were intact, he wanted to retract his Reiki and quickly leave the Cole family mansion with the box. However, when his Reiki swept through the tower, the tower seemed to have sensed his presence. Immediately after, he felt his Reiki being forcibly drawn toward the tower without any warning. What shocked him even more was that because this strand of Reiki was controlled by his divine sense, effectively making it an invisible extension of his consciousness, when the Reiki was absorbed by the tower, it also forcibly took a wisp of his divine sense from his Reiki field. At that moment, he felt as if he was standing in a world of fuzziness. Whenever he looked, it was dark
The reason it seemed somewhat familiar yet unfamiliar was likely because the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda had undergone several renovations after its initial construction. Its appearance, features, and even the number of tiers had changed significantly. Moreover, these renovations happened hundreds or even thousands of years ago. People had only seen the pagoda as it appears today after five major reconstructions, passed down through history. No one knew what it originally looked like, which was why Charlie had that sense of déjà vu but couldn't be certain. Charlie muttered under his breath, "So, the priest I just saw was Saint Jerome?" In the midst of his thoughts, the image passed through the prosperous Coleham and arrived at a temple on a green mountain in the south outside of the city. From the terrain, Charlie recognized that the place was the northern foot of Mount Solis. The two large words ‘Josher Temple’ on the gate of the temple immediately enlightened him that this was S
Ares LLP was the biggest law firm in the States, and only the best of the best were recruited as associates.If Jimmy got to pick ten of their partners, he was basically taking a huge chunk out of their human resources.Moreover, the partners' salaries would be very expensive. With Jimmy included, eleven of them meant over a hundred million US dollars at minimum. Ares would definitely be maimed if they had to pay that much money while losing ten of their elites! Naturally, Jimmy didn't feel confident about achieving that, and he asked Charlie, "Mr. Wade… Don't you think it's too much? Would Nate even agree to that?"Charlie shrugged. "Of course he won't agree if you're the one asking, but he would definitely say yes if it were Julien."Julien almost rolled his eyes.The man was truly ruthless, ready to inflict so much damage at the drop of a hat.Worst of all, he was going to play the villain for Charlie.Still, he said confidently, "Don't worry, Mr. Wade! I will pressure him
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