Jasmine smiled before she stroked the hair behind her ears as she said, “I was actually feeling very tired, and I really wanted to sleep well. However, I couldn’t stand the bumpy and rough waves anymore. So, I came up to get some fresh air.”Charlie asked with concern, “You are suffering from seasickness?”Jasmine nodded slightly before she said, “Fortunately, it is not too serious.”With that, Jasmine walked toward Charlie’s side as she leaned against the railing and looked at the rising sun. After that, she said emotionally, “The sunrise at sea is simply too beautiful. This is the first time I have ever seen the sunrise at sea in my whole life.”When Charlie saw the hint of worry and nervousness between her brows, Charlie could not help but call out, “Jasmine…”Jasmine hurriedly looked at Charlie and asked, “Master Wade, is there something you want to say?”Charlie asked her, “Are you feeling troubled now?”Jasmine hesitated for a moment before she nodded gently and said serio
After a day and night of sailing, Charlie’s ship finally docked smoothly at the pier at Raventon.The ship docked at nine o’clock in the morning according to Eastcliff time. There was another hour and a half to go before Tyler and Reuben would convene the board meeting.That happened to be the flight time of the helicopter. So, Charlie would not be able to make it back in time for the Moore Group’s board meeting.However, although he would not be able to make it, he would be able to make an appearance at the press conference that followed.Jasmine, Rosalie, and a few crew members working for the Schulz family followed Charlie off the ship.In addition, the vice-chairman of Nippon Steel, Hashimoto Kazumi, who had been bound up, was also with them.As the helicopter whizzed directly toward Aurous Hill, Tyler stepped into the largest conference room in Moore Group.At this moment, more than a dozen shareholders and directors of Moore Group including Tyler’s son, Reuben, had already
If they continued waiting endlessly, they would not only be exhausting their patience, but the investors and stockholders’ patience would also quickly be exhausted.In that case, Moore Group would certainly suffer heavy losses.After thinking about it, all of them gradually consented to Tyler’s proposal as they believed that the best solution at this time would be for them to elect a formal chairman as soon as possible to stabilize the situation.So, someone spoke up, “I support the decision of the acting chairman.”“Me too!”When Reuben saw this, he was overjoyed, and he hurriedly said, “Why don’t we express our views on the spot, then? There are seventeen people present here today. As long as there are more than eight people who agree to elect a new chairman, we will formally pass on the appointment of the acting chairman and propose to start the new voting process.”Having said that, Reuben stood up and said, “I am the first to agree to the proposal to elect a new chairman.”
The father and son, Tyler and Reuben, were both very displeased when they heard Xavier’s words!After all, the father and son’s true purpose was to kick Jasmine out of Moore Group’s board of directors forever.Regardless of whether Jasmine was dead or alive, they did not want her to have anything to do with Moore Group’s board of directors anymore.However, even though Jasmine had already been missing for so many days, there were still people on the board of directors who were thinking about her.Furthermore, Xavier’s words quickly resonated with the others.Everyone started speaking up, one after the other, as they expressed their agreement with Xavier’s point of view.Tyler and Reuben did not dare to say anything at all.After all, the other members of the board of directors did not know that they were the ones who had tried to harm Jasmine.They were also displaying a very regretful attitude at this time, as though they had no choice but to re-elect a new chairman for the sa
As he spoke, Reuben immediately raised his hand and said, “Since you want to vote, I will set an example for everyone. I hereby recommend Mr. Tyler Moore as the new chairman of the Moore Group, and I give him my vote.”Tyler smiled slightly at this time as he said, “Since everyone in the board of directors has the right to vote and be elected, I will also vote for myself, then! I believe that I will definitely be able to lead Moore Group to overcome all difficulties and reach even greater heights and glory in the future!”After that, someone else immediately stated, “I vote for Mr. Tyler Moore too!”“Count my vote too!”Reuben said indifferently, “If that is the case, Mr. Tyler Moore will have already received four votes. All the others here should hurry up and vote too!”The others murmured to each other for a while. When they saw that Tyler had already gained control over the situation, and since this was a real name voting system, there would be a risk of settling the score eve
Tyler’s selfless and perfectly impartial attitude made all of the shareholders feel more or less in awe of him.After all, the stock market was constantly changing rapidly, and anyone who could grasp any inside information would certainly be able to make a lot of money.Therefore, the most difficult thing to eliminate was insider trading.For instance, if a listed company were to collaborate with another larger multinational company, as soon as the news was announced, the stock price of the listed company would undoubtedly rise sharply.Any ordinary person who did not know any inside news from the company would naturally not be able to seize the opportunity to do some insider trading.However, the executives of the listed company would certainly have known about the inside story during the in-depth collaboration negotiations.If they deliberately purchased a large amount of their own company’s stock at this time when the stock prices had not risen yet, they would be able to sell
Since Rosalie and several of the other members of the Schulz family were still on the helicopter, Charlie asked the helicopter to send them directly to Shangri-La.Isaac had already prepared several very private rooms on the top floor for Rosalie and the other Schulz family crew members.However, Charlie still felt a little worried about them. So, he requested Isaac to put these people under house arrest and complete surveillance.Anyone in Shangri-La, including Rosalie, would be able to enjoy comprehensive and meticulous services after checking in, including meals and accommodation.However, all the telephones and any form of external communication methods in their rooms had been cut off completely because Charlie did not want them to have any contact with the public at the moment.Rosalie knew and understood that Charlie still had to be wary of her now. So, she naturally did not have any opinions about this.After settling Rosalie and the rest, Charlie brought Jasmine and Kazum
The longer Jasmine had gone missing, the more relaxed Tyler felt.He felt that over time, Jasmine’s chances of survival had already become smaller and smaller.Reuben was not as open-minded as him. He simply stood aside as he nervously said in a low voice, “Dad, Charlie will certainly have his own means of doing things. We have to be careful not to leave any clues!”Tyler nodded as he said, “That is for sure. All we need to do now is to play our roles well.”Reuben said again, “By the way, Dad, I’ve still felt a little uneasy in my heart over the past two days. Where did Jasmine go? How could she just have gone missing? How could there be no news about her at all, no matter whether she is dead or alive?”Tyler sneered as he said, “I think Jasmine is very likely to be dead already, but they simply have not found her body yet.”Reuben hurriedly asked, “How can you be so certain?”Tyler replied indifferently, “Everything depends entirely on the survival rate. If a person suddenly g
Elaine may have led a life as if she was above the rules, but beneath that tough exterior lay crippling insecurities and a horrific inferiority complex.She was always afraid of being belittled—but more than that, of being ostracized and betrayed.Over the years, the greatest source of her complexes could all be traced back to Matilda.After all, Matilda had been a star back in their school days. Because Elaine was a close friend of hers, many boys would get chummy with Elaine, but only because they were interested in Matilda.Being from a poor farmer's family, Elaine had been scorned plenty and therefore felt exceedingly inferior around Matilda.It was from that sense of inferiority that Elaine had inadvertently developed a one-sided rivalry against Matilda, and she believed her greatest triumph over Matilda in this life was the moment she had stolen Jacob from her.However, while Elaine presumed that she could hold that victory over Matilda's head, Lady Wilson had soured that v
Moreover, given Elaine's ridiculous temper, Jacob knew she would definitely go overboard and destroy him.He wouldn't even have a place to live at that point, and it would really be game over if she held a grudge and stormed the Calligraphy and Painting Association!Under such circumstances, he couldn't ask for a divorce—hell, he might even refuse a divorce if Elaine asked for one!However, that was when Elaine laughed coldly. "Oh, my… You're really not going to divorce me?""Come on—how long were we married?" Jacob quickly reasoned. "Getting divorced at our age? People would laugh at us."Elaine scoffed. "Now I'm curious… Matilda's quite old too, and she's a divorcee marrying again. Won't people laugh at her?""Technically, she's a widow—"Jacob blurted out, but soon turned pale, tensing up again not a second after he had just calmed down, asking gingerly, "W-Why would you suddenly mention her?'Elaine stopped pretending right then and snapped, "It's actually impressive that y
Horrified, Jacob promptly grasped the steering wheel and brought the Cullinan back under control while not hesitating to snap, "Are you crazy?! We're on the highway—that could have killed the both of us!"However, Elaine ignored him and seized the moment to open the armrest box, pulling out the large white envelope.As she opened it, she muttered, "So, it really was a wedding invitation… You really are a terrible friend, Jacob Wilson, hiding a wedding invitation like this! What's the point? Just look at that nervous face of yours—would I suspect you of having an affair with the bride-to-be?"She flipped open the card and was experienced enough to check the names first while disregarding the usual preamble. She wouldn't care about the venue or the time either, focusing solely on the professor who had somehow made Jacob very nervous.That was how Elaine found the names in less than a second: Yolden Hart and Matilda Hall.Matilda?!The name could well be knives stabbing Elaine in th
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