Tom was completely dumbfounded when he heard this.He thought to himself, ‘Is this something that a f*cking person should be saying?! How can there be such a thing?! This b*tch is deliberately protecting her own family. She knew that I had offended her own nephew, and that is the reason why she is deliberately refusing to help to intercede on my behalf?!’Just as Tom was feeling extremely angry, Carmen said apologetically, “Tom, I’m really not lying to you. If I were to speak up, I might only be aggravating Charlie’s punishment for you instead of alleviating it…”When Tom heard the sincerity in Carmen’s tone, he could not help but feel even more puzzled as he blurted out and asked, “This… What do you mean by this, Aunt Wade? I… I cannot figure it out at all… Aren’t you, his aunt?! Wouldn’t he be willing to show you some respect at least?”Carmen laughed in a self-deprecating manner as she said, “Haha… Charlie showing me respect? His subordinates even dare to beat me up! Furthermore
She could not help but criticize him in her heart, ‘If you did not plan on letting Tom go, you could simply have said that you cannot forgive him and that it’d be useless for anyone to beg for mercy, right?’‘But you just had to force me to admit that I did not come to plead for mercy on Tom’s behalf in front of Tom. Aren’t you setting me up for injustice? Perhaps I might be his stepmother in the future! If I were to fall for your trap because of this matter, wouldn’t this child hold a feud against me in the future, then?’So, Carmen could only bite the bullet as she pleaded, “Charlie, this kid, Tom, is actually quite a good person. He is simply a little too bad-tempered at times. I hope that you will be willing to forgive him and let him off this once on my account.”Charlie smiled as he spoke, word for word, “I’m sorry, Aunt, but you really do not deserve such great respect!”As he spoke, Charlie’s voice became cold and stern as he said, “If you did not come to Aurous Hill and ac
Tom began quivering as soon as he heard that Charlie was going to break his legs and make him crawl all the way back to Eastcliff.He had already been in Eastcliff’s circle of rich heirs for more than twenty years, and based on his understanding of this circle, although the people in this circle were all arrogant, domineering, and ruthless, they would basically only be acted that way toward people who were outside this circle. Most of them would hold back and restrain themselves when it came to people from the same circle.Take Tom himself for instance. He had also bullied many people throughout so many years, and he had broken other people’s legs more than once. However, that was when he was targeting people with backgrounds that were far more inferior as compared to him. If it was someone who was in the same circle as him, he would certainly have to show the other party some respect.After all, all of them were rich and powerful, and they would have to be interacting with one anot
Carmen’s words instantly woke Tom up.Carmen was right. Even if he was still hoping that he would still have the opportunity for any mediation, he should seize the best condition that he had right now first. Otherwise, two years would end up becoming three years, and if he had no choice but to accept it, that would be equivalent to him losing another year in vain!As he thought about this, Tom hurriedly said to Charlie, “I choose the first option!”Charlie nodded and smiled as he said, “Unfortunately, one minute has already passed. The first option now is for you to go to sea and become a seaman for three years. You’re not allowed to get off the ship during these three years.”Tom’s legs suddenly went weak as he cried and said, “Charlie, I beg you not to toy around with me anymore. I chose the first option. Isn’t it okay if it’s two years?”Charlie said helplessly, “Sorry, but the rules of the game cannot be broken. The first option is now three years. I’ll give you another minute
Tom recognized Quinn’s voice instantly.At this moment, he was completely stunned as though he had just been struck by lightning, and his entire body was frozen in place as he was unable to move.He really did not know that Charlie even knew Quinn.After all, he had never heard of the marriage contract between Quinn and Charlie when they were young.At this time, Charlie looked at Quinn, who was in the video, as he smiled and asked, “Why do you think that I’m the mastermind behind this matter?”Quinn smiled broadly as she said, “Although Tom Zielinski is indeed quite stupid, I think he should not be so stupid to that extent. Besides, Brother Charlie, I think you’re the only person that would be able to pull off such an evil prank. Anyone else would never have been able to think of such a damaging prank!”When Tom heard this, he instantly felt very sad, and he could not help but wail in his heart, ‘Am I really just a fool in Quinn’s mind?!’At this time, Charlie simply smiled cal
‘Could it be that she really does not want me to appear at her concert that badly?!’When Charlie heard Quinn’s request, he said with slight embarrassment, “Nana, I forgot to tell you just now that Tom Zielinski is right in front of me.”As he said that, he switched to the rear camera on his phone as he pointed the camera at Tom, who was kneeling on the ground.Quinn was indeed a little surprised for a moment when she saw Tom. After that, she then said, “Tom, since you’re here, I’ll not beat around the bush. I specially prepared my concert in Aurous Hill for Brother Charlie! Moreover, the day of my concert is also Brother Charlie’s birthday! I do not want any flaws in my concert, so I cannot accept your appearance at my concert! Before this, you used all kinds of connections, and it was very difficult for me to make things clear to you. Since everything is already out in the open now, I’ll not continue hiding the truth anymore. I’m sorry, then.”Tom instantly broke down emotionally
Carmen, who was far away in Eastcliff, had been silent all this while as she listened to the conversation over the phone. The more she listened, the more she felt sorry for Tom.Carmen also could not understand why Tom would end up being such a failure. After all, everything he had done was because he had wanted to pursue Quinn, but in the end, Quinn actually despised him to this extent.It would be fine if Quinn were to simply despise him, but since Tom had offended Charlie because of Quinn, the losses really outweighed the gains.At this time, Carmen also did not know how she should explain things to Zacheus. He was still waiting for her to save his son, but his son had actually been detained directly by her own nephew, and Zacheus would have to wait for at least three years before he would be able to see his son again.Just as Carmen was feeling extremely worried and frustrated over this matter, she suddenly received a prompt on her cell phone. It was an incoming phone call from
Zacheus ground his teeth and asked, “Then, what does he want before he will be willing to let Tom go?”Carmen hesitated for a moment before she said awkwardly, “Charlie said that he would let Tom work as a seaman on his ship for three years. Tom will not be allowed to leave the ship at all during these three years, let alone set foot on ground. He will only be able to regain his freedom after three years.”“F*ck!” Zacheus immediately burned with rage as he roared angrily, “Is this a f*cking joke? He wants my son to work as a seaman for him for three years?! Who does he think he is?! If he does not return my son to me today, I’ll make sure that he pays for it!”Carmen persuaded, “Zacheus, listen to my advice. Charlie is not someone you can afford to mess with. Even I cannot afford to offend him. If you offend him, he will deal with you arbitrarily. Even my father would not side with me at all. Now that Tom has already fallen into his hands, no one will be able to save him, including
Before Charlie had arrived, Jacob was still furious that Matilda would soon marry Yolden.After Charlie came, however, he was instead worried that Matilda would send him a wedding invitation.Meanwhile, Matilda and Yolden were discussing their list of guests.They had different social circles, but most of their friends were Stateside, and they only had some distant relatives in this country.Still, they had colleagues in Aurous Hill. Matilda had classmates too, but she was out of touch with them aside from Jacob, whom she often met.Still, as they discussed who should be invited, Matilda first suggested, "Let's go through everyone. First, our Stateside friends… I don't think we should tell them at all since it's a long journey, and inviting them would seem tactless. What do you think?"Yolden nodded, smiling, "I was just thinking the same thing. We're close with our Stateside friends and always keep in touch, but inviting them to our wedding might be a stretch. We'd just hit a wa
With that being said, once Matilda was thrown in the mix, Elaine would suddenly become an African honey badger, with every bit of black air force energy that was implied.As such, if Jacob had managed to be brave and take that one step back then, Charlie would have tried to help, stopping Elaine from harassing Jacob or Matilda.However, the reality was that Jacob had to bungle the chance when Matilda offered it to him.That was why the best option was for Jacob to understand that he couldn't get together with Matilda now so that he would feel much better.And since he had always been a coward, Charlie's slight intimidation cleared his head considerably.He then sighed, "Well, that's just life—you don't always get what you want, and you should never try to claim what you couldn't. I couldn't bring myself to choose Matilda over thirty years ago, so not being together now only makes sense.""Now, I can only pray that Elaine never finds out… or at least that things don't get out of h
Then, Jacob quickly pressed, "Dear boy, maybe you could stay a few days instead of taking more jobs. At least you could be there to stop my wife if she snaps.""Sure," Charlie chuckled, cheerfully agreeing to it. "Don't worry—Claire's returning in a couple of days too, and you'll be fine with us around. You're cheating in your mind, anyway…"Pausing, he then added a reminder, "But if she's really furious, just bear with her beatings and clawings. Live and let live, as they say."That left Jacob sulking, however. "What the hell! If I knew this would happen, I should have just taken her to court and divorced her openly! That way, I'd definitely make things work with Matilda. Yolden wouldn't even stand a chance!"Charlie had to keep a straight face. "Now, you're not quite right there—don't you know what would happen to your wife if you took this to court?"Jacob snorted coolly. "Elaine would just snap at me, hit me, and make sure I don't get a cent in the divorce. That's no big deal—
"Fuck!" When Jacob heard what Charlie said, he was horrified. He nervously asked, "Matilda isn't going to come to our house to deliver the invitation, is she? If Elaine finds out that I've been hiding Matilda's return from her all this time, I'll be so dead!" Charlie, having long seen through Jacob, knew he would never escape the shadow and claws of Elaine. He shook his head and said, "Whether they'll invite you, I have no way of knowing. If you're worried, you can tell Matilda that you don't want to be invited to her wedding and that you don't want to go." Jacob sighed. "That's just a temporary solution. Even if she doesn't know now, she'll probably find out sooner or later. A lot of our mutual friends already know about Matilda's return. You went to the gathering too. But those friends are not really in contact with Elaine, so she hasn't found out yet." Charlie smiled and said, "Matilda's return to the country was at a pretty sensitive time. If I'm not mistaken, she came b
Jacob then realized that Charlie was also driving a Rolls-Royce, and it was a more expensive Phantom. Surprised, he asked, "Charlie, where did you get this car?" Marilyn had prepared the car for Charlie when he left Scarlet Pinnacle Manor. He had driven it to Thompson First, so he had decided to use it today. Charlie replied, "A client lent it to me. You sounded urgent, so I drove it over." Then, he added, "You're something else. You're crying like a baby yet you're still in the mood to ask about the car. What's going on? Your friend said you'd cried twice already?" "That bloody Simon!" Hearing this, Jacob became furious and cursed, "He still doesn't have the slightest clue! He's such a damned fool! The more I try to avoid him, the more he keeps blabbering on and on. Argh, he's so stupid!" Charlie asked, "What exactly is bothering you?" Jacob's face instantly turned dejected, and with a long sigh, he choked up and said, "Charlie— Matilda— She's getting married—" "Gettin
Things were a little different and unique in the United States, though. Westerners tended to approach marriage with greater caution. Many couples stayed together for years, had several children, and yet remained as boyfriend and girlfriend. Being together, having children, and raising them jointly didn't necessarily mean they would get married. In fact, it was not uncommon for some to walk down the aisle only after having multiple kids. Because of this environment, elderly couples in the West often limited their relationships to dating, and at most, cohabitation. Very few progressed to the stage of marriage. However, Yolden, like a young man in the throes of passionate love, had invited her on a trip, secretly prepared a proposal ceremony by the seaside, and gotten down on one knee with a ring to propose. These actions deeply moved Matilda and, at the same time, gave her an unprecedented sense of security. Now, Yolden had moved their wedding up a big step and set the date just on
Hearing Jacob's tone, Charlie could tell that Jacob must have already learned about Matilda's plans to marry Yolden. So, Charlie said, "I'm just around the corner. I'll head over now, and we can meet at the gate." Choking up, Jacob replied, "Alright, I won't drive then. I'll wait for you at the gate. Hurry!" "Okay," Charlie agreed, but after hanging up, he deliberately waited for a few minutes. It was because Yolden had just left moments ago to pick up Matilda at Senior University. If Charlie had gone there right now, all four of them could have run into each other at the gate, which would make things even more awkward. Charlie wasn't worried about feeling awkward himself—he was more concerned about Jacob being further hurt. After intentionally waiting a bit, Charlie finally drove to the university. Just as Charlie drove toward Senior University, Matilda was waiting for Yolden by the roadside at the entrance of Senior University. At this moment, Jacob stumbled out of th
Charlie asked, "There are too many new domestic energy brands now. Do you think they still have a shot in vehicle manufacturing?" "Of course," Yolden affirmed. "There are indeed many new energy brands now, and many of them are struggling on the edge of survival. A lot of them have already disappeared, but the automotive market is so vast, and new energy vehicles only account for a small portion of it, which proves that the future of new energy still has great potential. Now, if the focus is only on competing with other new energy brands, the scale is indeed a bit small. The scope should be broadened to compete with traditional gasoline vehicle manufacturers. If you can cut Toyota, Honda, and Hyundai's global sales in half, that would truly be a giant." Yolden paused for a moment, almost as if remembering something, and then said, "Actually, you could consider researching this field. You don't lack money or resources, and with Ito-Schulz Ocean Shipping Group as your logistics channe
When Jacob came to his senses, he was already in tears. The student presumed he was unwell and asked, "Mr. Wilson, do you want me to call your wife to pick you up?" Elaine's sarcastic face immediately popped up in his mind, and he trembled with fear. He quickly wiped away his tears and stammered, "D-don't bother... I... I just got something in my eyes..." The student obviously didn't believe him and asked worriedly, "Why don't you call your wife? Or I'll call a cab for you." "No, no." Jacob waved his hand and said, "I'll call my son-in-law to pick me up. He has just returned to Aurous Hill, so it shouldn't be a problem." After that, he quickly took out his phone and called Charlie. Just a few minutes ago, Charlie had left the cafe and was about to walk Yolden to his car. When he saw Yolden walking straight toward a domestic new energy vehicle, he asked curiously, "I don't think you were driving this model before, were you?" "I just bought it," Yolden replied with a smil