The next day happened to be a Saturday.Claire had already set her heart on going to New York to see the concert and so, she proposed to Charlie that she wanted to take advantage of this opportunity to get to New York earlier as she wanted to take a stroll around New York, go to the concert at night, and then stay in New York for the night before strolling around New York for another day again tomorrow before they came back on Sunday night.Charlie also felt that his wife had been working too hard in her classes and so, he naturally wanted to take this opportunity to let his wife relax and unwind.Therefore, Charlie agreed to Claire’s proposal without any hesitation and asked someone to help him book a suite at Shangri-La in New York. After the both of them had had breakfast, they drove to New York.According to Claire’s previous knowledge of New York, Charlie took her to Times Square first and then to see the famous Statue of Liberty. While the two of them were touring around,
When Charlie heard this, he could not help but frown slightly. He had indeed had this vague feeling that his grandmother’s family might come to support and cheer for Quinn, but he did not expect that his guess would really be right.In order to avoid any direct contact with his grandmother’s family, Charlie had not wanted to attend the concert.But on one hand, he didn’t want to make his wife sad, and on the other hand, there was a VIP room. Therefore, he hadn’t taken it too seriously. Now, when he heard that Lady Acker was here with Lord Acker, he spoke up and said, “The visitor is a guest and so, Miss Golding, you should be nice and entertain them.”Quinn said, “Master Wade, I think so too, but there is another situation. The two elderlies are old and have a rather special status. I’m afraid that it would not really be appropriate if I were to let them watch my performance in the auditorium. So, my idea is to arrange for them to be in the VIP room so that the two elderlies can
Claire seemed to understand Charlie’s Feng Shui theory. She had always felt as though it made sense, but she also felt that it was a little mysterious. However, she was in awe of the things that she did not understand most of the time and so, she did not ask any questions. Meanwhile, Charlie, who was next to her, was already feeling a little nervous and uneasy at this time.He was not worried that he would be exposed in front of his grandfather’s family at night, but he couldn’t help but have a nostalgic feeling.Although he had had some complaints about what his grandfather’s family had done back then, subconsciously, he still had a blood relationship with his mother’s natal family. Tonight would be the first time that he would be so close to them in more than twenty years, and it was inevitable for him to feel nervous.Meanwhile, Charlie’s grandparents and several of their children had arrived at Ark Building in Manhattan.As they took the elevator all the way up to the t
There were many insurance and financial services companies worldwide. However, only a handful of them could afford to build a skyscraper in Manhattan, where land was expensive. Ark Group was among said handful. The Acker family started their business in Los Angeles, but they grew bigger after they expanded to Silicon Valley and New York.Many years ago, Ashley invested in a large number of companies with great potential in Silicon Valley at a very low price. In order to better help these investments in their capital planning, the Acker family went to the financial center of the United States, New York, and built the core of their family’s business there. The Acker family had many subsidiaries under their group, which also included investment companies. However, Ark Group remained the Acker family’s core business. After the establishment of Ark Group, Ashley merged her investment funds in Silicon Valley into Ark Group. Ark Group suddenly became the country’s largest Internet vent
Everyone was stunned by Keith’s sudden anger, and looked at each other in dismay.They knew Keith could never get over it. He couldn’t understand why Curtis insisted on returning to Eastcliff. The Acker family was powerful enough to keep him and were sincere towards him, yet Curtis staunchly refused to stay. Even so, everyone knew how egoistical Keith could get. When dealing with Curtis, he was always arrogant and unyielding. He was akin to a superior eager to poach a good talent. He was willing to pay ten million or more for a talent who could only make one million in another company.In his view, the other party had no reason to reject him.He never imagined that Curtis would be unwilling to accept his offer and ended up rejecting him. The thought frustrated and infuriated Keith to no end.Initially, Keith admired Curtis very much. Curtis’s family might be less significant than the Acker family, but Curtis had potential in him. He could be better than Keith’s three sons combi
Holly sighed, helpless.She solemnly reminded her father, “Keith, I have to make this clear to you. I can’t curb your hatred for Curtis, but you have to change how you feel about him.” Keith, however, remained stubborn and lost his temper. “No! I won’t change! Even if I die, I won’t change how I feel about Curtis!”At that, Holly grew furious. “Good! Keep acting stubborn and don’t change, Dad! When Charlie comes home, the family will mention Ashley and Curtis. How about you say all that to him? He’ll definitely sever all ties with you after hearing what you’ve said about his father. If you send my grandson away, I’ll cut ties with you too! Just wait and see!”Keith’s anger immediately dissipated as Holly’s warning hit him.He knew it was unlikely for Holly to cut ties with him, but it was different with his grandson. Charlie might not forgive him if he insisted on hating Curtis. After all, no children could bear to hear others humiliating their late parents.As Keith thought of
Listening to Merlin’s reply, Keith sensed there were a lot of stories behind Merlin’s hardships.Keith said, “It’s alright, I don’t mind listening. We can have a long chat at the table later.” Keith had just recovered from a close brush with death. He had serious memory problems, and he was wholly unaware of the current happenings in the United States.However, he understood Merlin well and knew Merlin to be a stubborn brat who couldn’t admit defeat. Therefore, he found himself getting more and more curious about what Merlin had to say. Merlin knew it was impossible to explain everything to Keith with just a few words. Therefore, he said vaguely, “Alright, Uncle Keith. I shouldn’t bother you with my troubles. Why don’t I join you for a couple of drinks later?”At this, Holly said, “Merlin, you mustn't drink with Keith. If Keith drinks again, I’m afraid he might not even recognize me!”“Right, right, right.” Merlin realized what he had just said and hurriedly amended his words.
Christian explained, “The cost of replacing a carpet like this only accounts for a small proportion of assets in our family. It’s the same as you changing a new garbage bag for your trash can. Do you feel distressed when you change the garbage bag?”“F*ck...” Merlin smacked his lips and grumbled, “You people are disgusting.” Christian sulked. “I’m just telling the truth.”They gradually moved to the dining area as they talked. Keith invited Merlin to sit next to him.Kaeden had informed the staff in advance. As soon as everyone was seated, the staff immediately served the prepared meals one after another. Kaeden offered a bottle of whiskey, wanting to have a few rounds of drinks with Merlin and Christian.Keith appeared concerned about how Merlin was currently doing and kept asking the latter about his latest troubles.Merlin, however, refused to elaborate any further and only gave Keith vague explanations pertaining to several unresolved major cases that had been going on l
With that in mind, Raymond quickly understood what had happened—Charlie must have been informed of the entire story and was intent on teaching Zachary, Mick Crane, and Jacob a lesson.Hence, he smiled at Zachary, "You really didn't have to apologize about that. I should be thanking you gentlemen since business isn't exactly booming in Antique Street, and I couldn't ask for more, opening up with such a grand deal."Zachary felt like he had been slapped in the face, but he was also relieved that Raymond wasn't pressing the issue, so he said earnestly, "Don't worry, Mr. Cole—I won't ever meddle with your business or conspire against you again. However, I won't hesitate to answer if you ever call on me!"Also, you have nothing to worry about—we will return the full amount of the 300 thousand we got from you. Please forgive us and don't charge us with anything else…"Raymond pulled him to his feet, smiling as he said, "After a conflict comes friendship. Do drop by more often if you have
At the moment, Treasure Measure was congested as crowds of people were there to congratulate Raymond on his new business or ask for appraisals of their items.Zachary stood at the door, hesitating for a moment before steeling himself and entering.Many in Aurous Hill's Antique Streett knew him and also knew that he wasn't the man he was before, so many greeted him the instant he entered, each person more respectful the next.Zachary was left sweating, only realizing then that he had really messed up and didn't deserve the privilege that Master Wade and Don Albert had given him.His eyes fixed on Raymond, and he went over, feeling very embarrassed.Seeing him, Raymond presumed that he was going to do it himself after his men had failed to recover the bronze sculpture, and he asked warily, "To what do I owe the pleasure, Zachary?"Zachary suddenly dropped to one knee, exclaiming in regret, "Mr. Cole, I'm sorry!"Raymond was frowning as he thought Zachary was up to more tricks, but
Mick was utterly hopeful as he watched the Moore Group human resource manager return, believing that he had turned things around.However, as soon as the human resource manager sat down, he immediately said, "Apologies, Mr. Crane. It seems that it's not just the significant losses you've incurred for the company—you are now also found guilty of personal misconduct, specifically unethical business stratagems. As per the company's wishes, your labor contract is terminated immediately."Mick certainly didn't think that telling the truth had failed to resolve the significant losses part, and he was now slapped with personal misconduct on top of that.Bracing himself, he asked the human resource manager, "But what did Ms. Moore say? She's close friends with Don Albert, and everyone involved in this are friends, anyway…"The human resource manager shook his head and said coolly, "Save your breath, Mr. Crane. The issue has been decided without grounds for further discussion. The notice of
With those words, Mick whipped out his phone, holding it in front of the Moore Group human resource manager and showing his chat records with Zachary as well as the script he had sent."I know words don't mean much, but here's the chat records between myself and Zachary Evans! See for yourself!"At this point, Mick had to do whatever he could.After all, Don Albert was a friend of Jasmine Moore, and the chat records would prove that he hadn't made a blunder and was merely following a staged act that Zachary had planned.From a certain point of view, he was implicating Zachary and Don Albertas as well, but he really had no choice but to bet everything on it.The human resource manager was actually frowning after seeing the chat records too, surprised that something like this had happened, with Don Albert's henchman being involved too.Eyeing Mick, he said, "Hold on. I'll make a call."Seeing that the human resource manager was taking him seriously, Mick felt hope once more as the
Considering how Elaine had had the guts to wire away twenty billion dollars, heaven knows how much worse she would be now if Charlie hadn't taught her a lesson to remember.-Just as Zachary was rushing to Antique Street, Mick finally appeared before the Moore Group human resources manager.The Moore Group human resource manager drew out a document envelope and slid it to him, cutting to the chase right away. "This is your termination notice as you have inflicted significant monetary losses and tarnished the reputation of the company. With those as our legal basis, we are unconditionally annulling your employment contract."Delegate any tasks you have and pack up all personal effects, and you can leave by the end of the day. Your remaining salary will be counted until today and wired to your account on the tenth of the next month as is customary for employees of the company."Mick was left thunderstruck, and he blurted, "That's against labor laws! I didn't cause any loss—all I did
Zachary nodded, exclaiming respectfully, "Yes, Master Wade! I understand now!"Charlie nodded in satisfaction. "Good. Then, I will see how you do."Remembering Jacob again, Zachary then said awkwardly, "There's something else, Master Wade. Mr. Wilson is on a flight heading to Dubai, and he warned me that he expects me to retrieve the bronze sculpture when he lands. He said he'd be asking for your help if I failed…""Doesn't matter," Charlie told him. "I'll get him to back off when the time comes. Also, toughen up when he comes to you again—don't yield to him for my sake, or in time, he'll forget his place and stray further."Pausing, Charlie then continued, "So, I'm telling you, Zachary—you're lucky no one lost anything this time. Or if Raymond really lost a few hundred thousand and pressed the issue, you'd both be going to jail!"Zachary was really traumatized then, and he promptly made himself clear, "Don't worry, Master Wade! I'll ignore Mr. Wilson if he comes to me again! No m
At this point, Zachary wasn't afraid of being exposed—he was afraid of Charlie and Don Albert kicking him to the curb.As such, when Charlie told him to expose his own wrongdoing and apologize personally to Raymond, he felt salvation.Sobbing, he said, "Thank you for forgiving me, Master Wade! From now on, I will keep myself grounded—no more cheeky tricks, I swear on my life!"Still, Charlie asked, "I told you to apologize—when did I say you're forgiven?""What…?" Zachary blurted. "B-But the way you put it, it was as if you were going to spare me…"Charlie sighed. "You are smart, Zachary—like I said, you should use that smartness in the right way. Understand?""Yes, yes, I understand!" Zachary promptly replied."Good," Charlie said quietly. "I can understand that such plots are normal for when you worked in Antique Street, what with defrauding and deception being the rules for survival. But you're no longer working there now, so your mistake is breaking the rules."While Raymon
Charlie was at the Champs Elys hot spring villa, and while surprised for a moment as to why Zachary was calling him, he soon had an inkling why.Answering his call, he chuckled, "To what do I owe the pleasure, Zachary?"Zachary's tone was at once fearful and remorseful. "Master Wade, I've called to apologize to you…""Apologize for what?" Charlie asked despite knowing the answer.Zachary sighed, his voice choking with tears, "Master Wade, I must have lost my mind… When I found out that Raymond Cole had returned, I remembered that he had hurt your father-in-law and that your father-in-law must still be holding a grudge. So, I reached out and tried to hatch a plot for revenge, but it all went south…."With that, Zachary told Charlie everything without missing a single detail.And Charlie listened, after which he asked, "So, Zachary—you never thought to tell me before, during, and after you succeeded in your plot, yet now you're telling me when everything has spiraled beyond your co
Zachary was already shaking with rage and promptly bellowed, "How fucking impressive, Cardensky! But let me give it to you straight: that bronze sculpture was sold for 300 thousand to Raymond Cole, so it's not just you—Mr. Montague wants it too!""If you want it back, ask Raymond Cole yourself—but don't blame me for not warning you, Vintage Deluxe's Mick Crane was already humiliated because of your so-called forgery and might be fired as we speak. Not only that, but he thinks it's all my fault and wants me out so that I will go down with him."But what a coincidence it is, because I think this is all your fault! So, if he rats me out, I'm ratting you out as well! We will all just die together!"Also, you know that I know where you work. If the cops get involved, I'm leading them right to you. So, don't blame me for being unreasonable—it's all your fault for being blind. If you actually had any skill, you'd have kept that bronze sculpture for yourself and gotten rich with it. But the