While Jasmine could tolerate Mick's lack of accomplishments, she wouldn't tolerate him destroying Vintage Deluxe's reputation. Since his incompetence had now affected Vintage Deluxe severely, the only thing to do was to fire him.Still, there were procedures when it came to dismissal as the employee must sign a contract and the incident had to be proven. If said employee had made a severe blunder that had ultimately affected the company or incurred losses, they could terminate their contract on their own side without paying any compensation.As manager of Vintage Deluxe, Mick was in charge of all affairs in the outlet.As he had rejected someone who had come trying to sell the bronze sculpture worth 20 million for just a few hundred thousand, it certainly counted as a terrible loss.Moreover, Mick was shooting himself in the foot by recording the whole process, even paying to make it go viral. He was proving his own blunder without any chance of overturning it.Hence, while Mick
Mick swore under his breath.If the Moore Group's human resources manager had come looking for him, it couldn't be for anything good.The thought left him even more furious at Zachary, and he promptly told the employee, "Just take them to the VIP room for now. Tell them I'll be right over.""Yes, sir," the employee nodded and turned to leave.As for Mick, he whipped out his phone and called Zachary.The instant Zachary answered, he bellowed, "Zachary Evans! You've really screwed me over this time! The Moore Group human resource manager is here at Vintage Deluxe to see me—the way I see it, he's here to fire me on the spot! If I'm going to lose my job because of you, I will spill the beans and make sure everyone knows you're the one who came up with this stupid idea!"However, Zachary was infuriated too, and he immediately snapped in turn, "Have a conscience, Mick Crane! This entire plan was meant to help you chase Raymond Cole out of Antique Street, and I never took a cent from yo
At that point, Zachary was completely seized by panic.He didn't think that trying to sell Mick a favor would only result in Mick turning against him now.However, he had been crawling amongst the dregs of society for years and knew human nature all too well.There was every reason for Mick to despise him now—it was just like a driver offering a car ride, but because of his poor driving skills, he had caused an accident that left his passenger paraplegic. If the poor man demanded damages in that state, there was no way a driver could just charge into the hospital and snap at him for being an ingrate.Moreover, Mick was a man with no talents, and it was a miracle that he had managed to land himself a respectable position that paid well.Most importantly, he was basically a feudal lord, and no one would prey on anything he did. As such, if Mick really lost this job that he had gotten by chance in the first place, he would hate Zachary to the bone.And even if Zachary could be con
Zachary was already shaking with rage and promptly bellowed, "How fucking impressive, Cardensky! But let me give it to you straight: that bronze sculpture was sold for 300 thousand to Raymond Cole, so it's not just you—Mr. Montague wants it too!""If you want it back, ask Raymond Cole yourself—but don't blame me for not warning you, Vintage Deluxe's Mick Crane was already humiliated because of your so-called forgery and might be fired as we speak. Not only that, but he thinks it's all my fault and wants me out so that I will go down with him."But what a coincidence it is, because I think this is all your fault! So, if he rats me out, I'm ratting you out as well! We will all just die together!"Also, you know that I know where you work. If the cops get involved, I'm leading them right to you. So, don't blame me for being unreasonable—it's all your fault for being blind. If you actually had any skill, you'd have kept that bronze sculpture for yourself and gotten rich with it. But the
Charlie was at the Champs Elys hot spring villa, and while surprised for a moment as to why Zachary was calling him, he soon had an inkling why.Answering his call, he chuckled, "To what do I owe the pleasure, Zachary?"Zachary's tone was at once fearful and remorseful. "Master Wade, I've called to apologize to you…""Apologize for what?" Charlie asked despite knowing the answer.Zachary sighed, his voice choking with tears, "Master Wade, I must have lost my mind… When I found out that Raymond Cole had returned, I remembered that he had hurt your father-in-law and that your father-in-law must still be holding a grudge. So, I reached out and tried to hatch a plot for revenge, but it all went south…."With that, Zachary told Charlie everything without missing a single detail.And Charlie listened, after which he asked, "So, Zachary—you never thought to tell me before, during, and after you succeeded in your plot, yet now you're telling me when everything has spiraled beyond your co
At this point, Zachary wasn't afraid of being exposed—he was afraid of Charlie and Don Albert kicking him to the curb.As such, when Charlie told him to expose his own wrongdoing and apologize personally to Raymond, he felt salvation.Sobbing, he said, "Thank you for forgiving me, Master Wade! From now on, I will keep myself grounded—no more cheeky tricks, I swear on my life!"Still, Charlie asked, "I told you to apologize—when did I say you're forgiven?""What…?" Zachary blurted. "B-But the way you put it, it was as if you were going to spare me…"Charlie sighed. "You are smart, Zachary—like I said, you should use that smartness in the right way. Understand?""Yes, yes, I understand!" Zachary promptly replied."Good," Charlie said quietly. "I can understand that such plots are normal for when you worked in Antique Street, what with defrauding and deception being the rules for survival. But you're no longer working there now, so your mistake is breaking the rules."While Raymon
Zachary nodded, exclaiming respectfully, "Yes, Master Wade! I understand now!"Charlie nodded in satisfaction. "Good. Then, I will see how you do."Remembering Jacob again, Zachary then said awkwardly, "There's something else, Master Wade. Mr. Wilson is on a flight heading to Dubai, and he warned me that he expects me to retrieve the bronze sculpture when he lands. He said he'd be asking for your help if I failed…""Doesn't matter," Charlie told him. "I'll get him to back off when the time comes. Also, toughen up when he comes to you again—don't yield to him for my sake, or in time, he'll forget his place and stray further."Pausing, Charlie then continued, "So, I'm telling you, Zachary—you're lucky no one lost anything this time. Or if Raymond really lost a few hundred thousand and pressed the issue, you'd both be going to jail!"Zachary was really traumatized then, and he promptly made himself clear, "Don't worry, Master Wade! I'll ignore Mr. Wilson if he comes to me again! No m
Considering how Elaine had had the guts to wire away twenty billion dollars, heaven knows how much worse she would be now if Charlie hadn't taught her a lesson to remember.-Just as Zachary was rushing to Antique Street, Mick finally appeared before the Moore Group human resources manager.The Moore Group human resource manager drew out a document envelope and slid it to him, cutting to the chase right away. "This is your termination notice as you have inflicted significant monetary losses and tarnished the reputation of the company. With those as our legal basis, we are unconditionally annulling your employment contract."Delegate any tasks you have and pack up all personal effects, and you can leave by the end of the day. Your remaining salary will be counted until today and wired to your account on the tenth of the next month as is customary for employees of the company."Mick was left thunderstruck, and he blurted, "That's against labor laws! I didn't cause any loss—all I did
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