“Doris Young?!”After hearing Doris’s name, only then did Jacob realize that the beautiful and sexy lady he saw in the video was actually the vice chairperson of Emgrand Group, who came to his daughter’s studio to congratulate on its commencement.Jacob was left dumbfounded.Afterall, Doris, who was the vice chairperson of Emgrand Group and a business elite in Aurous Hill, had great reputation all over Aurous Hill.Furthermore, Jacob also knew that Emgrand Group gave Claire a lot of renovation businesses, and they were literally bread and butter of her career.However, he really did not expect that Doris would take initiative to visit his house. Therefore, Jacob hurriedly said to Claire, “Claire! Quickly! Emgrand Group’s vice chairperson, Doris Young is here!”“Ah?” Claire was astonished, and immediately said with a slight nervous tone, “Why is Miss Young here…… I will open the door for her!”Loreen was also surprised.Although Doris’s value was incomparable with Loreen, after
Doris hurriedly replied, “Hello, Mr. Wade…”At this moment, Loreen stood up and spoke with an awkward tone, “Hello Miss Young…”Only now did Doris notice Loreen and said with surprise, “Oh? You’re here too, Loreen? Did you not go home?”Loreen said with an unnatural tone, “Um… I will have to head over to the airport in a while.”The moment Dylan who was standing aside saw Doris, a flash of affection was visible in his eyes. He had seen a lot of beautiful girls, but he had never seen a white-collar beauty with such captivating elegance and exquisiteness. Therefore, his heart immediately palpitated with eagerness.Subconsciously, he stood up and asked Loreen, “Loreen, why haven’t you introduced this beautiful lady yet?”Loreen immediately began introducing. “Oh yea, Miss Young. Let me introduce you to my cousin, Dylan.”Soon after, she turned to Dylan and said, “Cousin, this is our Emgrand Group’s vice chairperson, Miss Young.”Dylan stretched out his hand right away and said i
Dylan was just thinking about finding some common topics to try to get closer to Doris when he suddenly received a WhatsApp message from his mother, Sylvia.The content of the WhatsApp message hit him very hard, as if he were struck by lightning.“How did you useless brat provoke Charlie Wade?! Wrigley from the Golding family just called and chewed me out, saying that you were in trouble again and Charlie wants to extend your punishment period in Aurous Hill to two years!”Dylan was on the verge of collapse!“Two years?! Isn’t that going to kill me?”“I had just stayed in Cliffcouls of Aurous Hill for two days and I couldn’t take it any longer. I have no idea how I am supposed to endure it for a year. Why did Charlie suddenly add another year to my punishment time? What did I do to him?”As he thought about it, Dylan looked at Charlie and subconsciously asked, “Mr. Wade, I…”Charlie did not even wait for him to speak. He passed a cup of tea and said with a faint smile, “Come! Pl
With that, while gritting his teeth and stomping his feet, he picked up the teacup and finished it in a single gulp.Drinking the cup of tea was equivalent to agreeing tacitly to Charlie’s new arrangement.One year’s worth of sentence was suddenly doubled and became two years.Dylan could only cry without tears. At that instant, he was entirely devoid of energy like an empty shell without a soul.At this moment, Loreen was also a little surprised.The others did not know about the conflict between Dylan and Charlie but she knew everything about it.It was Charlie who made Dylan ride a bicycle from Eastcliff all the way to Aurous Hill, and made him suffer hardships for his reformation in Aurous Hill. When Charlie started playing charades with numbers all of a sudden now, she immediately had a bad feeling about it.So, she asked Dylan in a soft voice, “Dylan. What in the world just happened?”Dylan handed his handphone over to Loreen with great disappointment. A WhatsApp message,
Loreen really wanted to look into the actual relationship between Charlie and Doris.However, it was impossible to do so due to time constraints.She needed to rush off to Eastcliff and spend time with her family during the New Year. Therefore, after staying for about ten minutes, Loreen turned to both Claire and Charlie and said, “Claire, Charlie, I have to go now and head over to the airport for my flight. All the flights to Eastcliff are completely booked today. If I miss this flight, I would be spending the New Year here in Aurous Hill.”Claire replied, “Loreen, do you want us to send you off at the airport?”Loreen hurriedly said, “You don’t have to trouble yourselves. All of you should just stay here.”As soon as she finished speaking, she turned to Doris and greeted, “Miss Young, I shall take my leave now.”With a gentle nod, Doris replied, “Have a safe flight! Also, Happy New Year in advance!”“Thank you!” Loreen nodded. After bidding farewell to Claire’s parents, only t
Originally, Lady Wilson had agreed to work at the supermarket today.The supermarket supervisor had also promised to give her double pay today.However, Lady Wilson slumped on a chair and could not get up as her blood pressure rose critically all of a sudden, after her hard-earned money was stolen and getting mocked by Elaine.Although there was nothing serious with her health, she could only helplessly cancel the thought of going to work today as her blood pressure rose critically due to extreme anger.Seeing her hard-earned money was stolen and losing the opportunity of earning double pay at work, Lady Wilson was extremely dejected.She wanted to let Wendy work at the supermarket today for the double pay. However, once she thought of Christopher and Harold who were lying on the bed, paralyzed, and herself, who suffered hypertension, could not even take care of herself let alone the two paralyzed men, she dared not let Wendy leave.The four of them could only stay in the luxu
Charlie and his family next door started preparing New Year’s Eve dinner after noon.All kinds of ingredients were piled up on the entire kitchen counter.Charlie was the best cook in the family, so he did not decline to shoulder the responsibility and became the main chef for New Year’s Eve dinner.Due to her leg injury, Elaine sat on the floor prepping the vegetables. Claire helped Charlie wash and cut the vegetables and prepare other ingredients, while Jacob chopped the dumpling fillings manually with a kitchen knife.It was such a rare and harmonious atmosphere as the four of them were helping out in the kitchen.As the sky gradually darkened, dishes one after another were served on the dining table.At villa A04, Jennifer, Yara, and Yulia were getting busy in the kitchen as well.The three ladies lived quite a modest life. In addition to the preparation of dumpling dough and meat fillings, they also bought a chicken, a fish, and two pounds of ribs to cook a few home-cooked
At this moment, Charlie and his family were in the living room, eating New Year’s Eve dinner while watching the Spring Festival Gala on TV. The whole family was happy and harmonious, enjoying the atmosphere.Jacob and Elaine, the old couple who always found each other despicable, had made an exception and held back their bickering during the dinner.Jacob and Charlie drank some white wine together, in which Jacob was in a delightful mood.Claire wanted to drink some red wine with Elaine, but Elaine snatched the red wine from her hand and poured it for herself while saying very seriously, “Claire, you can’t drink alcohol if you are trying to get pregnant. It’s not good for the baby!”With that, she turned to Charlie and said with a smile, “My dear son-in-law, don’t drink too much. Drinking too much wine will affect seeds’ qualities in men! Eventually, it will affect the quality of pregnancy and the development of the fetus!” Claire was immediately flustered. Blushed in embarrassme
Jacob's brain blanked out, leaving only a dull hum as soon as Walker mentioned 'Professor Hall'.Already feeling nervous in the first place, he quickly said, "Okay, okay—I got it. Anyway, I'm hanging up if there's nothing else!"With that, he promptly pressed the button to hang up.Nonetheless, Elaine was soon asking in curiosity, "Who's Professor Hall?"If Jacob had any semblance of composure, he would have said 'a colleague at Senior University' as if it was perfectly natural, and the matter would have been forgotten.But the reality was that he didn't—in fact, he was the champion when it came to dropping the ball as a casual question from Elaine left him sweating all over his brow.Even as he slid nervous glances at her face, he stammered uncontrollably, "N-Nobody…"Elaine promptly noticed his strange reaction and frowned. "I'm talking about Professor Hall. What do you mean, nobody? Who are they? And what's this about an invitation? Inviting you for what?"Seeing that he was
Jacob had really had too much to drink and couldn't remember the later parts of what had happened last night—even how he had gotten home was a blur.Naturally, he also forgot that Walker had brought Matilda's wedding invitation, and therefore didn't hesitate to answer the in-car answer button.Over the phone, Walker was positively fawning as he asked, "Mr. Wilson? It's Walker. Why didn't you come in today? Had too much to drink last night?""Uh-huh," Jacob grunted, lethargic. "I did—my head still hurts now… Anyway, what's up? Trouble at the association?""No, of course not," Walker quickly said. "I was just worried you're still hungover, so I called to ask. If you need a driver or anything, you just need to ask!"Then, before Jacob could answer, he continued, "By the way, my wife is somewhat knowledgable in Oskian medicine, and she has recipes for brews that cure hangovers and nourish the liver. I'm sure you'll need the latter since you're always drinking at social events, so I as
Fortunately, Elaine and Jacob's bickering never escalated.Even though Elaine was winning, Jacob found it tolerable.After Jacob finished his lunch and cleaned up, he never looked up as he said, "Charlie sent a text, saying Claire's flight would touch down earlier at three. We will leave at two."Elaine grumbled. "Why leave so early? She's coming back from abroad, and there'd be checkpoints she has to clear—she'd be lucky if she could leave by half past three. I'm sleeping a few winks now, and we'll leave at half past two."As she left the dining room, she didn't even look back as she said, "Clean up for me too."Jacob had a million complaints but said nothing as he kept his head down, throwing Elaine's lunchbox in the trash can as well.With Elaine gone, he sat on the couch as her hangover slowly cleared while his mood soured with the lack of alcohol.In the end, the pleasure of being fawned over at the Diamond Room was but temporary—the pain of his beloved leaving with someone
Vera kept her plan to investigate the identity of the abbess deep in her mind and told Charlie nothing.Instead, she smiled as she said, "It seems that it's both yours and Ms. Ito's good fortune that she has attained enlightenment. You've never had anyone who could attain enlightenment and master Reiki at the same time, so Ms. Ito will definitely be a great help to you in the future."Charlie chuckled and said calmly, "I'm not hoping for her to help. I'm simply happy for her with her enlightenment and excited to have another comrade in my solo ventures into the dark forests."Vera nodded in understanding, and she murmured emotionally, "I've lived for so long, and it's only when I opened my heart to you that I felt that sensation you described."There was a flicker of wistfulness in her eyes.She really did not expect to attain enlightenment before meeting Charlie.Years ago, she thought that she would eventually avenge her father.Now, she no longer hoped to murder Fleur Griffi
Vera was inwardly disappointed to hear that Claire was returning.That meant there were fewer chances of Charlie visiting the Scarlet Pinnacle Manor, as were her chances of seeing him again.Still, she didn't let it show, instead asking casually, "How are things at Champs Elys? Are the warriors improving at a rate to your satisfaction?""Well, most of everyone's improvement is within expectations…" Charlie explained, just as he remembered a certain someone. "By the way, there's something I haven't told you yet. Are you perhaps acquainted with the name Ito Nanako?""Yes," Vera smiled. "The Japanese lady who was with you. What about her?""She attained enlightenment days ago.""Enlightenment?" Vera did a double take and soon pressed, "Enlightenment in what sense? Essential Qi or Reiki?"After all, the former was the path to enlightenment in martial arts, while the latter meant enlightenment in cultivation.But despite the distinction between both domains, enlightenment was a comm
While Charlie had long since gotten used to Elaine and Jacob's bizarre marriage, being near the heart of the storm still took a toll on his senses—to the point that he felt physically sick.Leaving right away was therefore his best solution.Once he left, however, he realized he didn't have anywhere to go. Champs Elys was quite far, and it would take a lot of time.As he started to feel bored stiff, he remembered Vera for some reason and called her.Once Vera answered, she quickly asked in curiosity, "To what do I owe the pleasure? Lunch, perhaps?"Charlie chuckled. "Since you've put it that way… I haven't eaten either, so lunch it is!"Vera giggled. "Come over to my place, then. It's cold outside, and I was just lighting up a hot pot. I'll have Madam Marilyn prepare an additional portion.""Okay!" Charlie agreed to it without hesitation. "I can return her car too. Just wait, I'll be right there!"Once he hung up, he got on the Rolls Roycs he had borrowed from Scarlet Pinnacl
Charlie shook his head. "It's alright, Dad. You can go ahead if you're busy—I can pick up Claire on my own.""No way!" Elaine promptly snapped. "It's been so long since she came back. We are all going to the airport!"Jacob sighed in exasperation. "Well, I'm sticking to my schedule—first the Calligraphy and Painting Association, then I'll be back an hour before to pick you guys up before going together to the airport."Elaine was left fuming. "Is there no getting through to you? You really have to go to that stupid association, don't you? Okay, fine. If you must go, I will be going with you!""You're their honored vice president who will be promoted to president soon, no? As Mrs. Vice President and the future Mrs. President, is there an issue if I went for a look?"Jacob shuddered at the thought of Elaine going to the Calligraphy and Painting Association as he absolutely didn't want her to humiliate him with her antics. People would talk, asking how a proper gentleman like him c
Jacob yawned, stretching his arms and smacking his cheeks, before finally retorting in contempt, "For Pete's sake, woman—don't make dissing me a habit. Or does it please you so much?"Elaine pursed her lips. "You call that dissing? It's all facts—do you think I don't know you? Tell me, what qualifications do you have? Your knowledge about calligraphy is skin-deep, and even the frauds working on Antique Street could beat you.""Only you would have the audacity to take the role of vice president at the Calligraphy and Painting Association—heaven's above, how blind is the president to appoint you as his second fiddle? Still, you'll be packing your things as soon as he realizes the truth.""Oh, Elaine, poor Elaine…" Jacob grinned smugly at her right then. "I'm afraid things won't go the way you want. Mr. Bay's been chasing a promotion lately, and once he gets it, I will take his place as president. That means I'll be the top dog instead of second fiddle!""Bullshit!" Elaine snapped in
Jacob slept in the next day while Elaine got out of bed past ten as well.However, in the case of the latter, she wasn't drunk and was simply watching livestreams and video clips on her phone—a hobby she had picked up recently.As for Charlie, he had initially planned to visit the Champs Elys hot spring villa and train Nanako in her Reiki control. However, since Claire would be arriving in the afternoon, he stayed home, planning to leave for the airport when it was time.Elaine appeared groggy as she emerged from the elevator, rubbing her eyes while holding her phone in the other hand.Seeing Charlie cleaning the living room, she asked in curiosity, "Not going out today, Charlie? Aren't you usually going out to meet clients?"Then, she became concerned in an instant, "Wait, don't tell me—the Feng Shui business is falling off? Are we going to be affected altogether?"Charlie laughed. "You're just getting paranoid now. Things are going fine—I'm just giving myself a day's leave.""