Just as Nanako looked up into the sky and thought about Charlie in her heart, Charlie, who was hiding on top of a wall, saw the beautiful silhouette in the courtyard below.He bypassed the Ito residence’s security and circled the residence halfway around its perimeter before seeing Nanako, whom he had been missing in his heart.Seeing Nanako wearing a kimono with a classic bun, he couldn’t help but sigh. “No wonder Nanako is the perfect role model of Yamato Nadeshiko. It is not an exaggeration at all. She is definitely the most beautiful and perfect Japanese woman I have ever seen.”However, the sight of Nanako sitting in a wheelchair was such an eye-sore that made him feel somewhat sorrowful.She could have sat out of the final match with Aurora, or admitted defeat early in the match, and withdraw herself from the competition, but she persevered to the end, which caused her to suffer great trauma.At this moment, Charlie wished he could just leap from the wall to meet her, but th
Eikichi had a luxurious private suite that was explicitly reserved for him in the lavish nightclub that he frequented. It was lavishly furnished with the highest standard of privacy and seclusion. This was where he slept with many actresses.A convoy of three Rolls-Royces escorted Eikichi to Shibuya. Inside the car, Eikichi was extremely excited and looking forward to an erotic lovemaking evening with his current lover.As the convoy crossed an underpass, a truck that was traveling at a constant speed suddenly braked and swerved, blocking the entire road. Several black commercial vehicles immediately came from behind them and blocked Eikichi’s convoy.Realizing the dangerous situation, the bodyguards in the first and last cars pulled out their guns, ready to protect Eikichi.Suddenly, a large group of men in black with automatic weapons emerged from the black vehicles in the back! Their firearms consisted of automatic rifles and mini submachine guns, which were much more powerful t
The next five minutes were the most painful, torturous, and devastating five minutes of Machi’s life.He didn’t dare to end the call because he knew that this might be the last chance he could hear his son’s voice ever again.It was also clear to him that the killers wanted to torture his son to death and make him suffer great pain before his life came to an end.Even as his father, he could only listen to his son’s agonizing screams but could not do anything about it.Immediately afterward, the attackers poured gasoline into the Rolls Royce in which Eikichi was riding and let him scream hysterically in the car.After the gasoline was poured in, the leader took out a pack of cigarettes and a box of matches, coolly lit a cigarette, took a puff, and threw the burning matchstick through the broken window!The luxurious Rolls Royce was instantly turned into an incinerator, with the blast even spewing wildly outward.The screams of Eikichi, his assistant, and the driver resonated dev
Charlie could sense that it was an invasion of sorts, and they certainly bore a bad intention. He immediately concealed his breath and observed them in secret. Sure enough, these people climbed over the wall at a breakneck speed and approached Nanako from many directions!Although Nanako was seriously injured, she was still a martial artist with high sensitivity and alertness, so she was already aware of the six people before they approached.She wanted to shout for help, but before she could do so, she abruptly shut her mouth and gave up the idea.From these people’s advancement toward her and their sheer speed, she could sense that they were none other than ninjas! The Ito family had their own team of ninjas too, but they were all in Tokyo, not Kyoto.These ninjas were exceptionally strong and had greater combat abilities than ordinary martial artists. Even if she was not injured, she was no match for even one ninja, let alone six! Besides, it looked as if they were at least mid-
In fact, just as the man raised his sword, the other five took two steps backward because they didn’t want the blood splattering on their bodies when it spurted out of Nanako’s body.Their gazes were locked on Nanako, waiting for the bloody scene to unfold, and Nanako herself was ready to meet her death.However, the mental image they had prepared for came to a screeching halt at this very moment!The ninja sword, raised high in the air, had been hovering there for a moment, and the others wondered why he was taking so long to behead her.When they marched forward to look, they realized that the executioner who had wielded the sword was now dead!A few centimeters of a short blade was stuck on his forehead, and because the cut wound was so clean, only a very small amount of blood seeped out of the wound and dripped onto the thick white snow, painting it red!While these people were dumbfounded and could not figure out what was going on, they realized that the shuriken that pierce
The smiling man who was standing right in front of Nanako was indeed Charlie, the man whom she had been missing and fallen in love with for a long time!At this moment, a lot of questions sprang up inside her mind at once.‘It’s him?!’‘How could it be?’‘Why is he here?’‘Am I dreaming?’‘Am I dead and this is just an illusion after all?’‘Just a moment ago, I thought that I would have no regrets if I could see Charlie even once more before I died, but never in my wildest dream did I expect that he would suddenly come to save me like an angel from heaven!’Numerous thoughts converged in her mind with mixed emotions of surprise, hesitation, anxiety, and excitement. She shuddered to the point of speechlessness.At this moment, it was Charlie who broke the silence. He looked at Nanako with a smile and asked, “Ito-san, it’s been a while. How have you been?”Hearing Charlie’s voice, Nanako was finally certain that it was not an illusion!Charlie, whom she had been infatuated wit
The four ninjas of the Fujibayashi family were certain that they could kill Charlie with one attack.As for Nanako, her heart was in her mouth as she watched the scene, fearing that something might happen to Charlie. She would rather be the one to die than see Charlie suffer a single injury.Right at this moment, Charlie suddenly retreated a few meters at extreme speed, so fast that the four ninjas were dumbfounded!They were the first to strike, and they were faster than Charlie in initiating their attacks. Moreover, they all had ninja swords that were nearly a meter long, which undoubtedly further strengthened their attack distance, allowing them to gain the upper hand and be one step ahead of the attack.Based on their calculation, it was almost impossible for anyone to escape their attacks in an instant. After all, a normal person couldn’t dodge a bullet that was about to hit him!However, Charlie did it!As he was retreating, he pocketed the Thunder Order. Then, he pulled ou
“Charlie-san…”Sobbing, Nanako whirled the wheels of her wheelchair toward Charlie.Charlie took a few quick steps toward her and asked, “Ito-san, are you okay?”“Yes, I’m okay…” Nanako nodded vigorously, then, she covered her face and cried bitterly as the emotions came rushing toward her.At this moment, she was not sad because of the near-death experience, but she was overwhelmed by Charlie’s sudden appearance, so much so that she couldn’t control her emotions.Seeing her crying uncontrollably, Charlie stretched out his hand, gently stroking the back of her cold hand, and said softly, “It’s okay, Ito-san. Everything’s fine now. Don’t cry.”Nanako wiped away her tears, shook her head, and said, “I’m not crying over what just happened…”With that, she lifted her gaze, which was filled with intense love and passion, and said as she continued sobbing, “Charlie-san, why did you come to Kyoto?”Charlie smiled. “I came to Japan for some business matters, and I just happened to be i
Falling apart in both mind and spirit, Jacob was crying as he disembarked and took a cab to the hotel.Elaine, who had been lying around for 24 hours, was stunned speechless as she watched him enter, crying like a child.In contrast, Elaine looked like a mother to Jacob just then as he threw himself into her arms and bawled, "Darling… That prick Mr. Bay screwed me over… I have nothing left now…"Taken aback for a moment that Jacob would bawl in her arms like that, Elaine soon came to her senses and patted his back as she comforted him, "Oh, stop crying already. Who cares about some Calligraphy and Painting groupies? We certainly don't! Just hear me out and don't ever go there again!"Jacob kept sobbing, "But I care… I want to go…"Annoyed, Elaine's hand that had been patting Jacob a moment ago slid down to his hip and pinched him viciously before he noticed."Ow!" Jacob yelped in pain, and he demanded indignantly, "What was that for?!""Shut up!" Elaine snapped, glowering. "I wa
Jacob couldn't even be bothered by the looks others were giving him, and he called Mr. Bay immediately.Mr. Bay had already gone home and was seated on the couch with his wife, watching his phone and waiting for Jacob to call and demand an explanation.Mr. Bay knew that he had to answer for this and that if he avoided Jacob, it may well be a confession that he had screwed Jacob over.So, to avoid unnecessary trouble, he decided to come clean with Jacob.Naturally, by coming clean, he meant passing the buck as his wife had suggested.Hence, as he answered Jacob's call, he immediately sighed in embarrassment, "Hey, Jacob. I'm so sorry about that…"However, Jacob was so furious he immediately started bellowing, "Mr. Bay! Are you fucking with me here?! You said that the resignation letter was more of a formality, but you just made it public instead! So, all those things you said about helping me were just a trap, was it?! You're despicable! And to think I've been so good to you, even
The repeated flights had left Jacob tormented.Even before he actually had the time to enjoy Dubai, he had already gotten sick of the place and didn't want to ever return.And on the flight, he couldn't stop his thoughts from going astray.Now that he was not getting back the money he had lost, his only hope was Mr. Bay.Fortunately, Mr. Bay was serious about his promise that he would at least save him a job as department head. That was why, despite his thoughts running astray, he never considered the thought that he would be kicked out of the Calligraphy and Painting Association.As soon as his flight landed, he didn't wait to turn off his phone's flight mode, waiting for the internet connection to return so that he could ask Mr. Bay about the meeting.Once he did, he received a ton of messages from public accounts to acquaintances—many had already found out that he had resigned from the post of administrative vice-president and wanted to ask how he was doing.And Matilda was
The Calligraphy and Painting Association was certainly efficient—soon after the meeting was dismissed, the news that the administrative vice-president had resigned was posted on their official page and social media.The notice was simple and never mentioned what Jacob had done, only that the administrative vice-president had asked to resign for personal reasons. The request had since been voted upon, and all members had agreed to it.And that was how a simple and short message kicked Jacob out of the Calligraphy and Painting Association entirely.In the city, other associations closely connected with the Calligraphy and Painting Association were the various cultural societies and circles of antique enthusiasts and the Senior University. In fact, most fans of the public page of the Calligraphy and Painting Association were from the Senior City, and every lecturer, student, and even guest lecturer were subscribed.As a matter of fact, that was entirely Jacob's doing. After his lect
There weren't that many members in the Calligraphy and Painting Association—just a handful over twenty.Hence, at Mr. Bay's request, everyone showed up at the conference at 1 pm.He chose the afternoon as there were a handful who were away on outreach, including Walker, who was subbing for Jacob's lectures.Once the entire Calligraphy and Painting Association save for Jacob was informed of the mandatory meeting, every member was there on the hour, seated primly and in attention in the huge conference room.Mr. Bay didn't waste his breath on the preamble either—as soon as he saw that everyone had arrived, he announced, "Everyone, I've gathered you here today because our administrative vice-president, Jacob Wilson, has been alleged to be involved in a certain malicious scheme."Last night, Mr. Wilson submitted his resignation to me, and after a discussion with my vice-presidents, we've all decided to hold a vote. It will be open to every member in the association as we will be decid
Having sent his resignation letter, Jacob had no idea that it would be the catalyst for his dismissal.He didn't sleep well at the rundown motel either and had dark circles under his eyes as he rushed to the airport early the next morning.Clearing the checkpoint and boarding his flight, everything went smoothly until his flight to Dubai lifted off at 10 am.-Meanwhile, the other vice-presidents of the Calligraphy and Painting Association had arrived at Mr. Bay's office.They all had the same goal—pressure Mr. Bay and get Jacob kicked out of the association no matter what it took.Naturally, they knew that Mr. Bay most definitely would have to help Jacob since Jacob was close with Don Albert. If Mr. Bay insisted on protecting Jacob, they shouldn't insist, or Jacob would hear about it, and the man would bear a grudge.Even so, as the vice-presidents entered Mr. Bay's office and closed the door behind them, one of them couldn't help asking, "So, Mr. Bay—how do you intend to deal
Hence, Mr. Bay sent a reply in under five minutes after Jacob sent his resignation letter.As Jacob tapped on it, he immediately saw Mr. Bay's reply: Mr. Wilson's resignation is a huge loss to the association. However, we should also respect his individual situation and opinion. As such, to discuss our direction forward, all vice-presidents are required to attend a meeting at 10am tomorrow to discuss this matter.Jacob was still perplexed as to why Mr. Bay would reply to his mail and even summon the other vice-presidents for a meeting, and when he had a closer look, he saw that Mr. Bay had forwarded his mail to everyone else.Seeing that, Jacob thought to himself that Mr. Bay could just stick to a discussion involving just Mr. Bay and the vice-presidents instead of the entire association.As such, he sent a voice message on WhatsApp: "Mr. Bay, did you make a mistake and forward my mail to everyone else?"Mr. Bay soon replied, "Everyone already knows about your situation, so there'
Mr. Bay was left pursing his lips awkwardly. "T-That's way too despicable, don't you think? I'm the one who asked him to write a resignation and give up his place as vice-president while I handle the other vice-presidents and resolve the entire matter internally. Everyone can take a step back from escalation, and it's a solution that could please everyone."If I take that resignation at face value, won't it be like a bank goading a client into taking a scam loan? Won't he hate me to the bone if he finds out I screwed him over?""What are you worried about?" Mrs. Bay shot back in annoyance. "Are you that scared of Jacob Wilson turning against you? Hell, my own sister hates me to the bone—but what did you think I told her? That I'm never lending her the money no matter how much she hates me!"What do you think would have happened if I were worried about her feelings and loaned her the money she asked for? She wouldn't have to use a single cent to get herself a new house! She would say
"Don Albert… is giving up on Jacob Wilson?!"Mr. Bay exclaimed in shock. "B-But he was so respectful toward Jacob just the other day when we had dinner at the Heaven Springs… He gave us the best private room and even offered his best wine, filling our glasses personally…"Mrs. Bay waved him off. "You've been stuck with the retirees of the Calligraphy and Painting Association for so long that you've lost your nose for danger! Just think about it—married couples who were just sharing a bed one night could pull a knife on their partner the very next day. And these are men with priorities we're talking about."Also, you should take into account that Zachary Evans is Don Albert's right-hand man, and Jacob somehow dragged him into a fraud scheme. So, do you think Don Albert would be happy with that?"And according to Zachary's public statement, all the money they got went straight into Jacob's pocket—and what does that mean? It means Zachary is an accessory to a crime—at worst, an accomp