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
Vera wasn't truly surprised by Charlie's remarks. She processed Charlie's explanation within seconds and softly responded, "This logic aligns with the hypothesis I considered before although I couldn't confirm it. Now, everything makes sense. The Dragon Fate is extraordinarily rare, and not all individuals with the Dragon Fate can pass it on to their descendants. Furthermore, for someone to willingly separate their own Dragon Fate and give it to their child is even rarer. From this perspective, looking across the entire world, it seems that aside from you, it would be nearly impossible to find a second person with the Ascended Dragon Fate." Charlie asked curiously, "Are you saying that the child of someone with the Dragon Fate might not inherit it?" "Of course." Vera nodded and explained, "Think about it. The Dragon Fate is inherently exceptional. Its configuration ensures that regardless of circumstances, such individuals can excel and acquire abundant resources. In the polygamo
Vera was surprised to hear Charlie say that he was scared, and she asked worriedly, "I wonder if you can tell me what you're scared of?" Charlie was silent for a long time as he sorted out his thoughts. Then, he cleared his throat and began, "I have already told you the story of how I obtained the Apocalyptic Book, as well as the life experiences that followed. Since we opened our hearts to each other, many events have been things we've shared and experienced together, so you know them well. Moreover, during my recent trip to America, I confirmed our earlier speculation—the Apocalyptic Book was not something I stumbled upon by chance. Instead, it was all part of a series of plans my father made after transferring his destiny to me." At this point, he continued, "Look at how these clues are all intricately connected. First, over thirty years ago, my father accidentally came across the Preface of the Apocalyptic Book. This text not only allowed him to gain enlightenment but also to u
Vera bit her lip, her expression filled with shame as she muttered, "Actually, that day, I didn't tell you all the details..." Charlie was not surprised and simply asked, "Can you speak about it now?" Vera nodded and began, "Since things have come to this point, I will not hide anything anymore." She then seriously explained, "That day, the fake nun knew everything about me, and she also knew about you and Fleur. She knew I had lived for over three hundred years, and she knew Fleur had lived nearly four hundred years, and that the Qing Eliminating Society was very powerful. But at that time, she said the real danger ahead was actually another person. She said that compared to 'that person', Fleur was just a three-hundred-year-old small-time clown." "That person?" Charlie exclaimed, "Who is that person?!" Vera shook her head. "She didn't say it directly because she hinted that if she revealed too much, it might affect your judgment. If you thought she was just trying to make t
Vera's reasoning instantly made Charlie see things more clearly. He spoke, somewhat excited and nervous, "What you've said is absolutely right! If this is a scheme set in motion over three hundred years ago, the one who set it up would definitely ensure that every step stays under control. If all of this is truly Master Marcius's doing, then the Apocalyptic Book must contain a way for both me and my father to possess the Dragon Fate!" He then looked at the photocopy of the Preface of the Apocalyptic Book again and said, "If it's convenient, why don't we study this book together?" Without hesitation, Vera nodded, stood up, and said, "Please help me move the table back to the hall. Let's go inside and discuss it." Charlie immediately moved the table and went into the main hall of the top-floor courtyard with Vera, which was also the living room. There was a long desk in the main hall which had been specially prepared by Vera when she painted the landscape scroll. It remained he
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