After settling Elaine’s problem, Elaine and Charlie parted ways. Hugging the suitcase happily like a child holding a lollipop, Elaine went to the bank to make a deposit while Charlie went home.Upon entering the house, Charlie saw Claire’s shoes in the hallway, so he knew that she had returned and went straight to their bedroom.As soon as he entered the room, he saw his wife just hanging up the phone, her face painted with surprise and excitement.He asked curiously, “Dear, who was it on the phone?”Claire shrieked excitedly, “It’s my bestie, Loreen! Do you remember her?”“Yes, I do,” Charlie nodded and continued, “She used to study in Aurous Hill and was very close to you. In fact, if I recall correctly, she is the daughter of the wealthy Thomas family in Eastcliff, isn’t she?”“Yes!” Claire said, “Loreen’s family is quite prominent in Eastcliff.”Charlie smiled and asked, “So what is it about? Is she coming to Aurous Hill for a visit?”“Not just for a visit, she’s coming to
Charlie ordered her to keep an eye on Loreen after she started working and to always report to him if there were any abnormalities.After talking to Doris, Charlie took a taxi to the airport to pick Loreen up.When he was at the airport, Charlie disembarked the taxi and was about to go to the arrival hall when a Mercedes-Benz G-Class braked abruptly and stopped in front of him.Harold, Claire’s cousin, stretched his head out of the car window and frowned when he saw Charlie. “Why are you here?”“I’m here to pick Claire’s friend up. Why are you here?”Charlie frowned too when he saw the familiar faces sitting in the car—besides Harold, there were Gerald and Wendy.Harold sneered. “Do you mean Miss Thomas? We’re here to entertain her, you’re nothing but redundant, get lost!”Charlie snorted indifferently and said, “You get lost.”Thus, Charlie ignored them and walked directly into the airport’s arrival hall.Harold’s face turned into an ugly shade of red and he was about to swea
Charlie was a little surprised when he heard that Harold had also booked a suite at Heaven Springs.What a coincidence. Didn’t Albert say that he owned Heaven Springs? He had prepared a suite for him in the restaurant as well, hadn’t he?Meanwhile, Gerald gaped in shock. “Wow, Harold, did you actually manage to make a reservation for the Golden Suite in Heaven Springs? Not everyone can do it!”Harold laughed triumphantly. “Honestly speaking, apart from the Diamond Suite that’s really out of my reach, other suites are a piece of cake.”Despite his pompous statement, it was nothing but Harold’s bragging. Truth be told, in order to make a reservation for the Golden Suite, Lady Wilson herself had requested for a lot of favors from many people to book it.Loreen had heard about Heaven Springs even in Eastcliff. She hurriedly said, “We’re all friends, you don’t have to make such extravagant arrangements just for me.”Harold uttered coyly, “Oh no, you are our distinguished guest, how
Wendy asked with a coy smile, “Charlie, didn’t you also make a reservation here? Which suite? Bring us to check it out!”Charlie said flatly, “I didn’t think about which suite to reserve, to be frank. I just sent a text message to their boss and asked him to arrange it for me. I’ll check the message now, give me a minute.”Harold sneered disdainfully, “Shut your mouth! Do you know who the boss here is? It’s the famous Don Albert Rhodes! How dare you talk such bullsh*t here? Careful, if he hears you, he will squeeze you to death with his fingertips.”Charlie ignored their heinous remarks and proceeded to check his message on the phone. “He said he reserved the Diamond Suite for me.”Harold laughed instantly. “Hahaha…Diamond Suite? Charlie, don’t make me laugh, will you? Do you know who can enter the Diamond Suite? No more than ten people in the whole Aurous Hill! You’re nothing but a fart!”Loreen stayed silent in the midst of the commotion, although a thought was slowly brewing in
Loreen was taken aback in astonishment and bewilderment. She didn’t expect Harold to be so well-connected in Aurous Hill. He was so much more reliable as compared to Charlie. She contemplated that it would be more convenient for her to get close to Harold for her daily routine.The man in a black suit escorted the group respectful to the door of the Diamond Suite. He took out a bill, handed it to Charlie directly, and said softly, “Sir, please sign here.”The Diamond Suite was specially reserved for Charlie and his signature was needed for confirmation.Charlie smiled and took the pen and paper, but before he could sign his name, Harold’s loud shriek echoed.“D*mn it! Put the pen down!”Harold marched forward with a gloomy face. He snatched the pen and paper from Charlie’s hands, signed his name quickly, and yelled at Charlie, “You shameless rat! Do you really have no f*cking idea who reserved the room? Who do you think you are to sign your name here!”The man in black was take
On the other hand, he was scared because there was only one set of the extravagant banquet menu ready in the Diamond Suite and it had already been served to these people. What should he do when the real honorable guests were here?Harold raised to his feet and shouted in dismay, “What are you doing? I reserved this suite, who do you think you are to create trouble here?”Bill pointed at Harold and asked, “You’re Harold Wilson?”Harold nodded and said proudly, “Yes, I am!”Bill commanded coldly, “Bring him to me!”Two sturdy men immediately pulled Harold out of his seat and dragged him away.“What do you think you’re doing? Let me go!”“F*ck, shut up!”One man kicked Harold’s knee and he knelt directly in front of Bill as he shrieked in pain.Bill eyed Harold from head to toe with his cold and dagger-like glare, making him shiver like a scaredy-cat.Slap!The signature bill was thrown directly at Harold’s head.Bill shouted loudly, “Who gave you the right to use this room?”
Gerald was so frightened that he shivered uncontrollably and almost pissed himself. His stuttering voice sounded, “Big Boss Bill, I’m the White family’s…”“The White family?” Bill grinned sinisterly. “What the heck? Don’t make me laugh, okay!”Bill spat disdainfully. He kicked Gerald to the ground and snarled, “The don just finished teaching an idiot from the White family a lesson yesterday, that fool was slapped by one of our guys ten thousand times in the face! You still have the nerve to mention the White family to me, huh!”“Huh?” Gerald recoiled in extreme shock.He thought that Kevin had been beaten while being robbed, but it turned out that it was actually Don Albert who had beaten him up!Just as he was still in the midst of extreme shock and terror, Bill raised the bat and slammed it down against his head!Bang!Gerald felt the world spinning around him. A buzzing voice kept humming inside his head, blood flowed from his mouth and nose, his vision was getting blurry and
Don Albert was here!Mr. Wade? Who was Mr. Wade?Albert marched into the room and pounded Bill to the floor. “You f*cking idiot, how could you not recognize Mr. Wade! I’ll f*cking kill you!”Albert cursed while kicking Bill frantically.Bill, who was so invincible and pompous earlier, was crouching on the floor yelping like a dog being beaten.Loreen was genuinely bewildered. What was going on?All the men were also panicking. Was the young man actually Mr. Wade? They had almost laid their hands on him too. They were literally digging their own graves!Albert growled at the rest of the gang, “And you fools too! What are you standing there like stupid logs? Apologize to Mr. Wade now!”“Mr. Wade, we’re so so sorry. We were a bunch of fools to not have recognized you! Please forgive us!”All the men knelt down simultaneously and apologized profusely.Bill was equally terrified. He slapped himself in the face while begging for mercy. “Mr. Wade, I’m terribly sorry, please forgive
Later, after Charlie told Jeremiah over the phone about the joint venture with the Ackers to establish Curtis Autos, the old man was awash with tears, especially after Charlie told him that it was Keith who suggested it. After all, Curtis was his favorite son whose death he could never really get over. Moreover, he once believed that only his family mourned Curtis while the Ackers never did, and he held a grudge over his son's passing. As such, he was surprised that Keith held such great respect toward his late son and didn't hesitate to say yes when Charlie invited him to Aurous Hill to sign an agreement with the Ackers.Still, Charlie wasn't in a hurry to arrange for a specific time, and he was going to let the Ackers sort out the human resources of Godot Autos over a few days. It still wouldn't be too late by then.Moreover, he was keen to allow the buzz to have time to grow so that the automotive industry would be astounded by the joint project between the Ackers and the Wade
Christian was the first to exclaim in approval, "Yes! Curtis Autos sounds wonderful! It has my vote!""Seconded!" Kaiden nodded, pumping the air with his right fist. "I've looked up to Curtis the most, and I absolutely agree with naming the company after him!"Jaxson was nodding too. "Me too!""Yes!" Lulu chirped.Yolden couldn't help agreeing as well. "Curtis Autos is definitely a good name!"Merlin raised his hand gingerly as well. "Quit it with your flattery already," Keith chuckled, and he turned toward Charlie solemnly. "In the end, Curtis is Charlie's father, and the final decision goes to him!"Charlie's eyes were welling up with tears—his parents had been gone for almost three decades, yet he had never thought of dedicating anything to their memory.As such, Keith's suggestion to use Curtis's name for the car company left him thrilled. After all, wouldn't his father's soul be honored if Curtis Autos rocked the country, maybe even the world?With that in mind, he nodd
Charlie also had to agree that this was an opportunity to formally reconcile the Wades and the Ackers.While he couldn't reveal himself just yet, the Wades and the Ackers had been in-laws for years. Even if they had had a dispute for the longest time, restoring good relations made sense now that the Ackers had come to Oskia, and it wouldn't arouse any suspicion.That was why Charlie agreed to it without hesitation, even making a mental note to invite his paternal grandfather, Jeremiah, to Aurous Hill.The old geezers could meet up and clear the air while deciding on the partnership.Yolden was prepared to resign as a professor as well so that he could help the Ackers and Charlie fully develop their automotive company.With a general direction planned, he asked everyone, "Since we're creating a new brand, has anyone come up with a name?"No one was feeling inspired at that moment, but that was when Lulu, who had been silent throughout, said, "Since Charlie and our family are worki
Neither Charlie nor the Ackers expected Yolden's insight to cover all corners.In fact, it felt like the man had a blueprint ready and was only waiting for the time to put it to use.That was why everyone was immensely approving of Yolden and wanted no other man for the job of CEO.Kaeden smiled, "Well, since everyone has agreed, let's put this to rest as soon as possible—this will be a joint investment between our family and the Wades, and Professor Hart will take the post of CEO. Let's all do our best to make this a good one!"Yolden also made up his mind, deciding that he didn't want to let slip a chance to realize his ambitions. "I'll resign from the university after my honeymoon trip. It probably shouldn't be long, and I can get involved in early preparations via teleconference."Charlie nodded. "Then, we can have Uncle Kaeden stay on schedule while I'll ask the Wades to send a representative over to sign a memorandum for the investment."Keith smiled and nodded. "You should
Charlie hadn't been born and raised in Aurous Hill, but he still started living here at the age of eight and was more attached to this place than Eastcliff.If he was going to take part in this automotive investment with the Ackers, he naturally found Aurous Hill the ideal location.Not only would it create a huge number of jobs for Aurous Hill, but it would also rake in much economic flow for the region.Yolden also nodded at his suggestion. "If the first plant is meant to cover the demand of the entire local market, there's no reason for a coastal plant. Aurous Hill stands at an intersection between the north and the south, so transportation is convenient. It's also killing two birds with one stone, as Mr. Wade is fond of the city."Charlie couldn't help but agree. "I won't lie—Aurous Hill has been good to me, and I hope to give back. Nothing's better than succeeding in that respect."Yolden spread his hands, "Heavy industries are certainly ideal to contribute to Aurous Hill's e
Yolden had actually been researching new energy for a while—in fact, it was when Tesla's first car models were produced.He was passionate about the subject and had his own opinions as well as ambitions, but he was busy teaching, so he couldn't realize any of it.But was this not a golden opportunity tailor-made for him?Seeing that Yolden was clearly interested, Charlie turned toward Kaeden, "Actually, the professor is getting married soon. There's no way we'd split up newlyweds so soon after the wedding, right? So, is it possible to set up base in Aurous Hill instead?""Not a problem!" Kaeden replied without hesitation. "Our family is planning to return to Oskia anyway, and everyone knows about Ashley and Curtis. So, why don't we invest in this enterprise alongside the Wades and have the base set up in Aurous Hill? And then bring Godot under as a subsidiary?"Turning to Yolden, he continued, "By the way, Godot's plant is already in the province—barely 100 miles from Aurous Hill,
Pausing, Yolden continued, "Moreover, the greatest advantage of AI is that it is self-conscious and has the processing power to analyze astronomical proportions of data. As car sales grow, every car owner's driving data will add precious new data to our data vault, and it will be processed by AI for even greater space of imagination."For example, kst's say I experienced a bumpiness along a certain road, and when the sensors pick up on that anomaly, the data will be uploaded to the servers along with images of the road condition in real time. The processing AI module would determine in no time at all that there was damage and label said location on the map, and then forward the data to other vehicles close to that location, sending notifications when they are close enough and providing the appropriate advice for countermeasures."Naturally, the AI can even be refined further so that it immediately warns us to slow down while uploading the data to the servers and informing any cars cl
Yolden's mind short-circuited at those words. "The most advanced AI module?!"He had been working on Wall Street for years, having invested in substantial startup tech companies as well as assisting plenty of Nasdaq tech enterprises with their IPO. That was why he especially had a sharp six sense for cutting-edge technology.It had been a while since he had gotten up the saddle, and AI had just become the trend recently, but he still paid close attention. He was well aware what applications were possible for AI modules, but he was shocked that Charlie already possessed what all the online giants were coveting!Thrilled, he quickly asked Charlie, "Can the Rothschilds resolve all the hardware and software issues? High-processing power display cards are a dime a dozen these days, and local enterprises are all planning to sell them one by one. The demand is just that high!"Charlie chuckled. "Don't worry—the Rothschilds will handle both issues for me, even the data centers. We bought i
Keith, who had been silent throughout, waved him off as he said solemnly, "Please don't sell yourself short, Professor Hart. I'm sure you can do well in this position, but it's still a matter of will."If your heart is truly set on educating future generations, then I'm sure you'd reject our offer no matter what we say."However, if you felt the slightest interest, even anticipation, for such a major project, then you really should consider our offer."We've already invested in Godot Autos for 3 billion USD and over 10 billion if we're counting in Ricebolt. But we still have 30 billion more in capital available—and that means it's 40 billion USD at play."I doubt any other global car maker can afford that much, let alone a new car maker. So, I dare say that this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!"Keith's words spoke to Yolden's very soul—a startup capital of forty billion US dollars was certainly unprecedented for electric-powered vehicles. Even Ricebolt had barely garnered ove