In an instant, all the members of the Order of the Star throughout Hong Kong received a message that they were supposed to look for the whereabouts of Marianne, who was the eldest young lady of the Long family. However, the vast majority of people would not have imagined that Marianne was sitting in a nightclub operated by the Order of the Star at this time. The waitress brought up the set menu and drinks ordered by Charlie, and the manager of the nightclub also came forward and said respectfully, “Our most distinguished guests, my name is Waltor, and I’m the manager here. You can tell me directly if you have any needs or requests.”Charlie waved at him and said, “Okay. You can just go ahead and get busy.”The manager of the nightclub hurriedly nodded and said, “Okay, Sir. I’ll leave you alone, then.”Having said that, he turned around and returned to the bar. He suddenly received a text message from the Order of the Star on his cell phone.When he saw that Solomon, the leader
Meanwhile, in ClubWaves in Lan Kwai Fong.ClubWaves had stopped allowing any other casual customers from entering because of the news received. Many of the members of the Order of the Star who were in the vicinity also quickly rushed over to provide their support.They began guarding all the entrances and exits of the entire nightclub first in case Charlie and Marianne were to escape.Mr. Lanyon also brought his men with him as they quickly rushed over from Saffron Ridge.Charlie was sitting in the booth in the nightclub at this time. He picked up a bottle of Ace of Spades wine and asked Marianne, “Miss Marianne, would you like a drink?”Marianne shook her head nervously. “I never drink.”Charlie looked at her and smiled as he asked, “Are you afraid?” Marianne nodded. “A little...” Having said that, Marianne asked Charlie, “Should I ask my dad to come over?”“No.” Charlie smiled and said, “Someone will definitely call him later.”Marianne was helpless and said, “In the e
Marianne soon discovered a strange phenomenon. All the waitresses in the entire nightclub seemed to be whispering something to the guests at the other tables separately. Soon after, the guests who had communicated with the waitresses would then get up and leave immediately.She could not help but feel somewhat nervous, and she whispered to Charlie, “Are they already here? I think that there seems to be something wrong with these waitresses.”Charlie smiled slightly and said, “Don’t be nervous. The good show is just about to begin.”With that being said, Charlie poured himself another glass of wine and took a sip of it.Soon, almost all the other guests in the nightclub were gone, leaving only Charlie and Marianne at their booth. Immediately afterward, all the lights on the ceiling instantly lit up, illuminating the dim nightclub as bright as daylight. The loud and explosive music also came to an abrupt end, and the DJ and waitresses quickly left through the staff passageway.
Charlie sneered. “You’re not worthy enough to ask me about my origin. Aren’t you here to solve the problem? I’ll give you a solution to the problem now. As the leader of the Order of the Star, you condoned your subordinates’ actions and assisted the evildoers. I will take your old age into account and not pursue this matter if you bow and apologize to me here today.”After that, he pointed at Rudy, who was next to Solomon, and said coldly, “You’re Dillion’s father, right? Your son plotted against Miss Marianne today. As a father, you did not teach your son properly and so, you naturally cannot shirk this responsibility. I will not hold you accountable if you kneel and grovel three times before Miss Marianne now.”Charlie’s remarks made both Solomon and Rudy extremely furious.This was especially so for Solomon. He had been in the underground world for most of his life, but he had never met anyone as arrogant as Charlie before. So, Solomon said angrily to Mr. Lanyon, “Mr. Lanyon, I
At this time, Shawn, who had just eaten dinner at his mansion, was lounging by the pool with a bathrobe on and a cigar in his mouth.Jenna, who still had a beautiful figure, was wearing a bikini as she accompanied him.Jenna, who hadn’t worn a bikini in a long time, felt somewhat uncomfortable and said, “Shawn, we have a guest at our house. Wouldn’t it be inappropriate if he were to see me dressed like this?”Shawn grinned and said, “What are you afraid of? Charlie is having dinner with Marianne, so he won't be back too early.”Jenna was helpless and asked him, “Why do you want to swim at night? Why are you in such a good mood?”Shawn’s belly was bulging as he smoked his cigar, and he smiled and said to Jenna, “I heard that the United States will be deporting Janus back soon. If it’s quick, he might arrive as early as the day after tomorrow!”Jenna’s expression turned pale immediately as she said, “Shawn, you really cannot let him off?”Shawn glared at her and asked coldly, “Why
Shawn put on his bathrobe and said lightly, “Alright, then. You should just wait at home. I’ll go and see what’s going on.”Jenna asked him, “Do you want me to come with you?”“No need.” Shawn waved his hand and said, “It’ll be more troublesome if you come.”***Soon, a convoy of three Rolls-Royces drove out of Shawn’s mansion on Steerlain Island.The convoy drove speedily to Lan Kwai Fong as soon as it came out.Meanwhile, in ClubWaves, Solomon was sitting in front of Charlie and Marianne with a smile on his face.Solomon looked at Charlie and smiled as he said, “Kid, you’re really lucky. You’ve caused a lot of trouble, but there’s a beauty like Miss Long who is willing to protect you at all costs. You’re really fortunate. You really have to thank Miss Long if you can walk out of this place alive tonight.”Charlie said indifferently, “You should be the one thanking her. If she hadn’t stopped me, I’d have killed you long ago.”“F*ck!” The faces of several of Solomon’s subordin
When Shawn saw that Solomon was already acting like a thug, he knew that it would be impossible for him to reason with the other party regarding this matter.So, his expression gradually calmed down as he spoke up and asked, “Mr. Star, how do you want to solve this matter? Just tell me directly.”Solomon looked at Shawn and then at Marianne, and he snorted coldly as he said, “Mr. Long, don’t say that I’m not friendly or unreasonable. I know that your daughter did not make a move on any of my Order of the Star members, and I know that she did not do anything to hurt my god-grandson, Dillion. So, you just need to fork out ten million US dollars to bring her back.”“Ten million US dollars?!” Shawn blurted out as if someone had stepped on his tail. “Mr. Star, have you made a mistake? You were the one who said that my daughter did not do anything. Don’t you think that you’re asking for a little too much if you want to take ten million US dollars for nothing?!”Solomon sneered, “Why? Mr.
So, his expression softened a little, and he smiled as he said, “Mr. Long, you are truly courageous! I appreciate that!”Shawn snorted and said, “Mr. Star, why don’t you tell me what your final offer is directly, then?”Solomon nodded and said, “Mr. Long, I will not speak in circles. I will settle this matter with you for five million US dollars.”Shawn frowned and then pointed at both Marianne and Charlie as he said loudly, “I can give you five million US dollars, but I will have to take them both away.”Solomon laughed out loud. “Haha! Mr. Long, you might not understand the situation, but the reason why you’re here is to solve your daughter’s problem. The reason why you’re asked to solve your daughter’s problem is because your daughter is not the main culprit in this matter. So, I decided to give you a chance to resolve this conflict for your sake.”Having said that, Solomon pointed his finger at Charlie and said coldly, “As for this kid, you will not be able to take him away to
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