As time went by, he had also gradually forgotten about a top-notch person such as Curtis.However, when Charlie suddenly mentioned this name today, all of his memories related to Curtis were suddenly awakened. He looked at Charlie in disbelief and said, “You... You’re Curtis’s son?! This... How is this possible?! I heard that everyone in their family is already dead!” Charlie said coldly, “I’m sorry to disappoint you, but I’m still alive.”Shawn shivered in fright, and he hurriedly waved his hand as he said, “Mr. Wade, I... I did not mean that...”Having said that, he thought of something and looked up at Charlie with his eyes wide open as he said, “You are Curtis’s son, so that means that you’re not from Ito-Schulz Ocean Shipping Group at all...”Charlie said indifferently, “Although I’m not an assistant of Ito-Schulz Ocean Shipping Group, I am the boss of Ito-Schulz Ocean Shipping Group, and Autumn works for me.”Shawn was extremely horrified, and he subconsciously said, “I
“Misunderstanding?”Charlie sneered and said, “Everyone in Hong Kong knows about this matter. Even Solomon as well as Mr. Lanyon is thinking of getting the bounty of thirty million Hong Kong dollars that you’re offering. Do you really think that I would believe you if you tell me now that this is all just a misunderstanding?”Shawn was extremely nervous at this moment. He only had one thought in his mind, and that was that he could never admit that he was indeed offering money in exchange for Janus’s life.He had seen Charlie’s methods before, and he knew that Charlie was ruthless and would never show mercy.Therefore, he could only clench his teeth and say, “Mr. Wade, you’re really mistaken! This matter is all rumors in the underground world. Many people only know how to spread this rumor indiscriminately and are simply irresponsible...”Charlie looked at him, nodded slightly, and said, “Since you refuse to admit it, I will find someone to confront you on the spot, then. What do
Charlie raised a hand to interrupt him and then said seriously, “Uncle Janus, I am asking for an explanation on my father’s behalf right now. I think that any decent person would have abided by the promise that he made to others even if the other party has already passed away!”Having said that, Charlie looked at Shawn and said coldly, “Although my father is no longer here, as his son, I will pay for what he owes others, and I will also collect what others owe him on his behalf!”When Shawn heard this, he was so flustered that he could not stop shaking violently. The reason why Shawn had not taken the agreement that he had made with Curtis into consideration at that time was mainly because he felt that Curtis and Ashley had already been abandoned by both the Wade and Acker family. Otherwise, both families would not have sat back and watched them both get killed. It was precisely because of this that he had not taken the promise that he made to Curtis to heart at all.Many people
Shawn was so frightened by Charlie’s words that he nearly fainted.He secretly thought to himself, ‘When that prodigal son, Rudy, provoked Charlie, Charlie extorted ten billion US dollars from him within a span of ten years. I offended Charlie’s father twenty years ago, and I even went back on my own word. According to this perspective, this crime of mine is even worse than Rudy’s...’As he thought of this, he almost cried as he pleaded repeatedly, “Mr. Wade, I’m to blame for not being trustworthy and reneging on my promise. I really know that I was wrong now. I am willing to fly overnight to repent and admit my mistakes in front of your father, Curtis’s grave. I’m also willing to grovel before Janus and apologize to him. As long as you can forgive me this time, I can assure you that I will never make things difficult for Janus again in the future. From now on, Janus will be my brother, and I will definitely do my best to do anything that you want me to do!” Charlie sneered and sai
Although he looked as though he was a happy person who was always smiling, this old man was, in fact, a downright miser.He knew about Rudy’s previous experience, yet he could still offer Charlie a price of merely two billion US dollars over twenty years. This showed that he clearly wanted money more than he cared about his life.However, Charlie did not really want his money.For him, he currently only had two demands. The first was to make Shawn pay for the breach of his promise to his father, and the second was to make Shawn come up with compensation to make it up to Janus. The second matter could be solved with money, but the first matter was never a question of money.Charlie would never use his father’s name so that he could go and wantonly make money out of Shawn. In Charlie’s opinion, Shawn should pay a price other than money for this matter, and this price should include but was not limited to personality, dignity, and also physical punishment. However, he did not wa
Charlie’s words frightened Shawn so much that he fainted directly. Jenna, who was beside him, hurriedly reached out her hands to hold him and support his head. She shook him as she shouted in his ear, “What’s wrong with you, Shawn?! Wake up, Shawn! Don’t scare me like this...”Thanks to Jenna’s screams, Shawn woke up with a start. The first thing he did when he woke up was to look at Charlie as he cried and said, “Mr. Wade, you’re killing me! How can I possibly afford to give you twenty billion US dollars in ten years?!”As Shawn said that, he cried bitterly and said, “It’s true that I was not trustworthy and went back on my word, but you cannot take advantage of this matter to ask me for so much money! You might as well kill me directly if you want so much money from me! Why don’t you kill me? If you kill me, my inheritance can still be left to Marianne and all my other children. However, if I make you that promise, I will be left with nothing, and their futures will also be penni
“It’s okay.” Charlie waved his hand. “You can go ahead and buy it first. Get an invoice for the amount that you spend, and I will reimburse you for it. If you don’t have money to pay in advance, you can call me when you have decided, and I will arrange for someone to go over to settle the bill.”Shawn became even more and more frightened. He knelt down and said with an expression full of remorse, “Mr. Wade, I am sincerely repentant now. Please give me another chance, and we can discuss the specific amount...”Charlie smiled slightly, “Mr. Long, there is no need for us to continue discussing such matters. I don’t want your money. You can just go ahead and die, and you won’t have to worry about anything else.”Shawn was so frightened at this point that he instantly burst into tears. He felt that if Charlie really wanted to take his life, he would not have any way to survive at all. Even if he was a billionaire, Porter would have ten thousand ways to kill him in one day.As Shawn thou
Charlie did not continue covering up in the face of Marianne’s questioning. He asked Marianne, “Miss Long, do you know that your father once made a promise to a man named Curtis Wade more than twenty years ago, saying that he would not continue causing trouble for a young man named Janus Campbell? However, Curtis Wade passed away due to an accident not long after that, and your father then broke his promise immediately, causing Janus Campbell to live in hiding in Oskiatown for more than twenty years.”Marianne’s eyes widened as she stared at Charlie in disbelief and asked him, “What... What is your relationship with these two people?”Charlie said indifferently, “Curtis Wade is my father, and Janus Campbell is my father’s good friend.”When Marianne heard this news, she was instantly shocked. She stared at Charlie, choked up, and said, “So, that means that you did not come to Hong Kong and stay in our house to discuss a collaboration with my father at all. You were deliberately appr
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
Charlie shook his head. "It's alright, Dad. You can go ahead if you're busy—I can pick up Claire on my own.""No way!" Elaine promptly snapped. "It's been so long since she came back. We are all going to the airport!"Jacob sighed in exasperation. "Well, I'm sticking to my schedule—first the Calligraphy and Painting Association, then I'll be back an hour before to pick you guys up before going together to the airport."Elaine was left fuming. "Is there no getting through to you? You really have to go to that stupid association, don't you? Okay, fine. If you must go, I will be going with you!""You're their honored vice president who will be promoted to president soon, no? As Mrs. Vice President and the future Mrs. President, is there an issue if I went for a look?"Jacob shuddered at the thought of Elaine going to the Calligraphy and Painting Association as he absolutely didn't want her to humiliate him with her antics. People would talk, asking how a proper gentleman like him c
Jacob yawned, stretching his arms and smacking his cheeks, before finally retorting in contempt, "For Pete's sake, woman—don't make dissing me a habit. Or does it please you so much?"Elaine pursed her lips. "You call that dissing? It's all facts—do you think I don't know you? Tell me, what qualifications do you have? Your knowledge about calligraphy is skin-deep, and even the frauds working on Antique Street could beat you.""Only you would have the audacity to take the role of vice president at the Calligraphy and Painting Association—heaven's above, how blind is the president to appoint you as his second fiddle? Still, you'll be packing your things as soon as he realizes the truth.""Oh, Elaine, poor Elaine…" Jacob grinned smugly at her right then. "I'm afraid things won't go the way you want. Mr. Bay's been chasing a promotion lately, and once he gets it, I will take his place as president. That means I'll be the top dog instead of second fiddle!""Bullshit!" Elaine snapped in