Harrison, beaming with joy and excitement, sat in the main chair in the meeting room. He then looked at the crowd around him and said with a smile, "Everyone, please sit down!" Everyone sat down one by one. Harrison smiled as he looked at the crowd and began, "It's the first time so many people have gathered in this meeting room. I see many of you don't have formal seats. Originally, I planned to convene everyone at the group headquarters so that it would be more comfortable for everyone. However, I haven't been to the company in the past few days, so I could only have you come here. I apologize for the inconvenience and the discomfort it may have caused. Please don't take offense." "N-None taken." The members of the branch families quickly waved their hands with humble expressions, not daring to show any signs of discomfort. Not even the slightest hint of fatigue could be seen on their faces. They didn't expect Harrison, who had always been very cold to them, to suddenly bec
But this time, Harrison's perspective on the matter had undergone a complete transformation compared to before. He came to understand one thing—what he truly needed to care about now was no longer the future of the Rothschild family, but his own future. As he grew older and remained unwilling to pass the position of family head to his sons, it was inevitable that discontent would arise among them. In the future, it was possible that one of his sons might attempt to overthrow or sideline him. Therefore, he decided to first extend goodwill to the collateral branches of the family, offering up a portion of the family's benefits in exchange for their absolute support, ensuring a safer future for himself. At this thought, he stood up amidst the crowd's applause, full of vigor, and said, "From today, remember that as long as you remain steadfastly united with us, we will never let you suffer losses or endure humiliation, because we are family!" The thunderous applause, like a wave o
Harrison's promise made Jennie so excited that she kept crying as she expressed her gratitude. "Thank you, Mr. Harrison! Thank you!" Jennie had long since run out of options and had no effective way to resolve her situation. Initially, she didn't dare seek help from the Rothschild family, fully aware that they looked down on distant relatives like her. But today, this was a stroke of luck! Harrison had suddenly extended an olive branch to the collateral families, and this immediately made Jennie realize that this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Seeing Harrison's sense of responsibility for the collateral families, the others were very grateful and excited. Harrison stood up and announced with a calm smile, "If anything similar happens in the future, do not hesitate to visit the Family Relations Office at any time. I will have my most trusted subordinates stationed there to help solve your problems." When Harrison said the word "subordinates", all his sons realized tha
It would be the easiest if they were dead. All that had to be done was to find their bodies and bring them home to Jennie. If it was the second or third possibility, the mission was to find Edmund and Salem, whether they were hiding voluntarily or involuntarily. It would be considered done when they were brought back to the United States. Hence, Harrison looked at the direct family members on either side of the table and asked, "Who among you wants to volunteer to go to Oskia and help Jennie locate her husband and son?" The crowd exchanged sheepish and uneasy glances. No one was willing to leave New York at a time like this. If something were to happen while they were in Oskia, they would lose their competitive edge completely. Seeing that no one was stepping up to respond, Harrison became irritated. His descendants, who usually acted confident and obedient, were now showing no initiative. He would die of embarrassment if no one took the lead. Just when Harrison was stari
Harrison believed that Helena's delivery of the elixir was a gesture of Julien's filial piety. So, naturally, Julien's voluntary offer to take on the task made him very pleased. He looked at everyone and loudly declared, "Additionally, I would like to announce something here today: effective immediately, Julien will officially become the next heir to the Rothschild family! After my retirement, he will be the one to lead the family forward!" Upon hearing this, the branch family members began to applaud, but Julien's brothers and nephews remained expressionless. They all knew that once Harrison made such an announcement in front of the family, it was unlikely to be changed. This also meant that after Harrison's passing and Julien's assumption of the title of the family head, they would slowly become part of the collateral branch. Their descendants would eventually end up in a position like those of the other collateral families—sitting on the sidelines, grateful for the smallest of
As the golden sunlight bloomed on the eastern skyline in the early morning, the plane Charlie was on landed at Aurous Airport facing the rising sun. At that moment, Charlie had no idea that Julien, who was far away in the United States, was eagerly planning a trip to Oskia to meet him. Charlie instantly called Vera as soon as the plane landed. When the call was answered, Vera's gentle and delicate voice echoed into his ear. "Mr. Wade! Why did you call me so early?" Charlie said with a smile, "Good morning, Miss Lavor. I've just landed in Aurous Hill. I'm not sure if it's a convenient time for you, but if it is, I can go to Scarlet Pinnacle Manor to meet you." Vera responded with a bright, cheerful laugh, saying, "I've prepared some drinks and snacks and was just about to boil some water for tea. If you don't mind, would you like to join me for a bite?" "Give me half an hour," Charlie replied with a chuckle. In the hangar, Albert was standing beside a car and waiting patie
A query popped up in Charlie's mind once again as he spoke. Previously, he believed Stephen was loyal to his father. However, Stephen's sudden disappearance along with the likelihood that the photo album had been left behind by him suggested that Stephen might serve a different master. Judging by Stephen's character, consistent actions, and the clues in the photo album that led to Raymond, Charlie presumed that Stephen and the one he served were unlikely his enemies. In fact, they might even be allies. However, he couldn't understand. If they were indeed allies, why stay hidden in the shadows? Wouldn't it be better to meet face-to-face, have an open and honest conversation, and join forces against their common enemy? The traffic was smooth as they were traveling early in the morning. Their car sped off on the road and arrived at the gate of Scarlet Pinnacle Manor half an hour later. Seeing the grand plaque of the manor, Charlie collected his thoughts and said to Albert, "
"Sure, Mr. Wade!" Albert respectfully said, "I'll get everything done today." Charlie nodded slightly, saw him off, and then went into Scarlet Pinnacle Manor with Logan, Decan, and Sarah. When they reached the stone stairs leading to the top-floor courtyard, Charlie said, "Go ahead and get busy. I'll go alone." Logan asked, "May I know if you will stay for lunch? I can have the chef prepare it in advance." Thinking about meeting his grandmother after meeting Vera and going back to Thompson First afterward, Charlie declined his offer. "Thanks, but no thanks. I have something to do at noon, so I'll take my leave by then." Logan nodded and watched as Charlie walked toward the courtyard. Outside the courtyard gate, just as Charlie was about to knock, Vera's sweet and melodious voice resonated, "Just come right in, Mr. Wade. I didn't lock the door." Charlie's heart skipped a beat, like a tranquil lake rippled by a gentle spring breeze. He pushed open the gate to see Vera dress
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