A middle-aged man in a green shirt then came in with a resounding pace. This man’s clothes and appearance were the same as in the portrait of Marcius, but he looked a little younger than Marcius was depicted in the portrait. Charlie could conclude that this person was Marcius. Marcius paused in front of the three paintings for a long time and then looked at the old self-portrait of Fumiko’s ancestor on the right before he sighed and said, “You’re already gone... Micah, if you could have waited for me for three more days, I would have been able to fulfill my promise to you, then. Now that you’re gone, I should give this opportunity to your son, but I’m extremely disappointed with his words and actions. So, I’m not going to pass on this opportunity to him.”After saying that, he stretched out his hand and tapped on his portrait gently as he murmured, “I’ll leave the memory of this matter behind in this painting. Your descendants will know the reason after your descendants blame me i
The subtle Reiki in the painting also disappeared as the image dissipated, but when Charlie looked at the painting again, he could not help but associate it with the image of Marcius. He suddenly felt that Marcius seemed to be even more lively and vivid in the portrait. He couldn't help but speculate what Marcius’s life had been like after leaving that mountain village. Although his lifespan had been extended, there seemed to be no important people in his life. His wife and son had passed away long ago, and his only disciple who was like his son had also passed away. He was the only person who remained alive. With his obsession with cultivation and struggle for longevity, perhaps he would still choose to return to his cave somewhere and continue living in seclusion to cultivate alone after leaving the mountain village. He probably only knew the sunrise and sunset from then on, but not about what year, month, or generation it was in the outside world.When his daily life was all
Although his family members also knew about the villa, since the upgraded door locks were now all based on facial and fingerprint recognition, he was the only one who could open them so he did not have to worry about his family finding out about it. When Isaac heard that he was going to Champs Elys hot spring villa, he hurriedly said, “I’ll send you there, then!”Charlie shook his head and said, “No need. You’ve worked hard all day, so you should go back and rest first. I can go there myself.”When Isaac saw Charlie’s insistence, he nodded immediately, beckoned his subordinates to give Charlie the key to one of the Rolls-Royce, and said respectfully, “Young Master, please contact me at any time if you need anything.”“Okay.” Charlie took the car key and said to him, “I’ll go there first, then.”After parting ways with Isac, Charlie drove to Champs Elys hot spring villa alone. After arriving at the villa, he put the painting into the safe on the first floor of the villa.Charlie
Since the relevant person in charge at Aurous University also knew that Marianne was in Hong Kong, he had specially scheduled Marianne’s interview to be at three o’clock in the afternoon. This way, Marianne would have more than enough time and would not be too rushed regardless of whether she chose to come to Aurous Hill the day before or on the day of the interview. Marianne also booked a return ticket to Hong Kong at half past nine according to this time. Under normal circumstances, the interview would definitely be done before six o’clock in the evening. Regardless of whether she could get the results she wanted or not, she intended to return to Hong Kong first so as not to be found out by Charlie. This was also why Marianne wore a mask and a pair of sunglasses throughout the flight.Ten minutes later, Marianne had already walked out of the airport and was prepared to take a taxi to Aurous University first. Although the interview was set in the afternoon, Marianne wanted to tak
Marianne was relieved when she heard Shawn’s words. She could not help but mutter, “Dad, why didn’t you tell me in advance that Mr. and Mrs. Carrick are here? That way, I could have prepared some gifts for them in advance. It’s inappropriate for me to visit them empty-handed now...”Shawn smiled and said, “As far as your personality is concerned, if I told you about it, you definitely would not want to go. You would surely say that you’re simply going for an interview and it’s better not to bother others. You would also instruct me not to tell anyone about this. I’m your father, so don’t I know you well enough?”Marianne was speechless for a moment. She felt that what her father had said was reasonable. It was usually difficult for her to get along with her father because of her personality, so if her father had told her about it, they would probably have ended up arguing.So, she said, “Okay, I’ll visit Mr. and Mrs. Carrick first, then.”Shawn said with a smile, “Good girl! Have
However, Marianne would always do what she had decided upon first before talking about it. It was not her style at all to talk about it without putting it into action.Still, Marianne was reluctant to tell the truth just yet, so she said to Madam Marilyn, “I’ve stayed in Hong Kong for long enough. The first-tier cities in Oskia are relatively fast-paced, so I chose Aurous Hill because I wanted to look for a relatively comfortable city.”Madam Marilyn nodded in agreement and said with a smile, “The pace of life in Aurous Hill is indeed slower compared to the first-tier cities, and the environment here is also relatively comfortable. I’ve been here for many years, and I’m only liking it more and more. I believe you will also feel the same when you stay here for a long time.”After saying that, Madam Marilyn added, “If you decide to stay in Aurous Hill for development in the future, feel free to contact me at any time if you need help with anything.”With that said, she handed a busin
Madam Marilyn said modestly, “What I know is just gossip. If ordinary people really want to know this, they can simply pay more attention. I’m really far behind compared to academic elites like you...”With that said, Madam Marilyn added, “If Aurous University recruits you, then as a student with a doctorate from Hong Kong University, you may be able to directly or indirectly bring some student resources from Hong Kong to Aurous University in the future, which is what Aurous University values the most. Based on a combination of these reasons, I dare say that you will certainly be able to pass this interview.”Marianne nodded in realization when she heard this. She had never been away from Hong Kong much, and she did not care much about things that did not concern her, so Marianne had never had much of an understanding of what Madam Marilyn was talking about.Marianne suddenly gained even more confidence after listening to her words. ***Meanwhile, at Scarlet Pinnacle Manor. V
He moved the bamboo stool first and then came to sit down in front of Vera as he said respectfully, “Miss, it’s like this. I... I have a granddaughter who happens to be coming to Aurous Hill to attend a job interview, so I invited her to be a guest at the manor so that she can enjoy a meal with us here. I only learned about it this morning, so I didn’t report it to you in advance. Please don’t hold it against me.”Vera took a new teacup, rinsed it with water, then said with a smile, “This is your manor, and you’re the host. Why would you need to report anything to me if you want to host a banquet? I’m just one of your guests.”Logan said without hesitation, “Miss, this is the second matter that I would like to discuss with you. It’s rare that you like this place, and I’m also getting older, so I’m afraid that I will not be able to come here again after this visit. So, I want to give Scarlet Pinnacle Manor to you, and I hope that you’ll accept it!”Vera was slightly taken aback. She
The lawyer then finished, "To be honest, cases of regretting a donation and seeking a lawsuit to get the money back? Law firms usually won't even get one per year, and that makes it especially newsworthy for the press."Also, court records are always public. That means anyone can access the verdict, and there's no hiding anything. So, if you want the lawsuit, you'd better be prepared."Jacob was already left in despair.All he wanted was to get his money back, but he didn't think that it would end up as public knowledge.And Mr. Bay had just told him over the phone that he would try to quell the scandal's pressure and try his best to protect Jacob's place as vice president.If Jacob's name was suddenly mentioned in a lawsuit attempting to reclaim an 'accidental' donation, even Mr. Bay couldn't save him at that point.Hence, after thinking long and hard about it, Jacob realized that he was not getting his 300 thousand back.The thought crushed him, and he burst into tears, "What
At this hour, most of the employees at Talbot Associates had already left.However, there were several lawyers who had just finished a meeting regarding a certain case, and they were just leaving when Jacob arrived.Seeing that they were packing up their bags and ready to leave, he asked, "Excuse me, are you still able to take cases?"The leader smiled, "Yes, but it's a little late now. Why don't you come again tomorrow morning?"Jacob shook his head impatiently. "This is very urgent—please help me and hear me out, then see if it will work. 300 thousand banks on this, so I'll give you twenty percent whether or not I get it back!"300 thousand was really neither here nor there.However, if it were an easy civil case, that twenty percent commission would still mean sixty thousand.The lawyer thought about it. "Fine. Tell us what your problem is, and we will assess the situation first. If it's easy, we can give you a general strategy right now. But if it proves difficult, we'll hav
The cabbie nodded. "Well, Talbot Associates, it is! They're said to be number two."-While Jacob was heading off to consult a law firm, Charlie was calling Julien Rothschild over the phone.The manchild had just had room service and was lounging on the couch, fiddling with his phone.After visiting the kennels with Charlie, he had been idling his days away at the hotel, waiting for Salem and his son to post that video of them being out at sea.Once that was done, Julien would return to the States, once more the heir apparent of the Rothschilds. Still, it was boring to simply lounge around in the hotel, and he would really like to strengthen his ties with Charlie.However, he was also afraid of being too forward as Charlie could be intimidating, and he could upset him—just like a fan eager to get close to their idol but was still worried about their idol getting disgusted with them.As such, he never expected Charlie to call him, and he immediately answered eagerly, "Good even
Pausing, Mr. Bay continued, "If they're not that upset with the idea, I'll bang my gavel and make the call so that you can at least stay as a vice president."If they keep refusing, I just have to promote Mr. Zonda to become a vice president while you take over his position of head-of-department as insurance. What do you think?"Jacob certainly wouldn't protest the idea of insurance, especially when he thought he would be forced to leave the Calligraphy and Painting Association altogether earlier. He quickly exclaimed gratefully, "Thank you so much, Mr. Bay!"Mr. Bay chuckled, clearly relieved as well. "Come on, Jacob—you don't have to be so formal. I'm like a brother to you! Don't you think that's what I should be doing?"Jacob laughed earnestly for once. "Well, brother, I'm honestly relieved…" He trailed off but soon pressed on, "But I have to ask, won't the other members have things to say even if you manage to persuade the other vice presidents? What if they remain unhappy?
There were times when making a person despair to some extent could be a people-strategy.For example, when your distant acquaintance asked for a ten grand loan but you could only lend him one, you couldn't tell him directly that. It would make them think you were being insincere.The better option would be to tell them how you were worse off than they were and had a debt yourself, or that some other friend had borrowed money for three years and never repaid it.And when that mere acquaintance was in despair, you could tell them that if it was really important, you could lend them one thousand with a credit card loan.That way, while the mere acquaintance wouldn't exactly be awash with gratitude, they at least wouldn't complain about your lack of sincerity.That was exactly what Mr. Bay was doing.He had no intention of offending Jacob, but he also couldn't directly tell him to give up on claiming the position as president of the Calligraphy and Painting Association. Otherwise, Ja
Jacob felt absolutely horrible just then, and he certainly did not expect Don Albert to give him the cold shoulder.If he had known, he would have just stayed content with the 200 thousand he had made and enjoyed his trip to Dubai! If he had, the Calligraphy and Painting Association wouldn't have found out about the bronze sculpture plot, and Don Albert would still be on friendly terms with him.Absolutely regretting everything, Jacob got in the backseat of the cab, tears of grief almost welling up and out of his eyes.Then, noticing that the cabbie was quietly watching him from the rearview mirror, he turned his face aside, whipped out his phone, and called Mr. Bay.As soon as Mr. Bay answered, he asked, "How did things go over there? Have you sorted out Zachary Evans yet?"He was waiting for Jacob to ask Don Albert for help so that the latter would pressure Zachary into posting a statement retracting his previous claims.However, Jacob knew full well that there was no hope for
Ramond replied, "I'm not planning on getting my name out there—I was just thinking I could start slow from one shop, but now, I'm suddenly so popular everyone's consulting me for appraisals, so I guess that's the short end of this."Either way, I'm planning to let things cool off by opening the shop late and closing early. That way, I'd receive fewer customers, and the hype will die down in a month."Once it does, I'll lead a slow life, which is perfect in Aurous Hill since it's how things are here. I'm not aiming to get rich or expand my business, and it's a comfortable life, so I plan to retire here."Charlie nodded. "The Rothschilds are relatively manageable, but I'm not sure if the Qing Eliminating Society is still looking for you and the Four-Sided Treasure Tower. You'll be completely free once they are wiped out.""And I'm sure with your abilities, Mr. Wade, that day will soon arrive." Raymond smiled and soon remembered. "By the way, you probably haven't had dinner yet, right
Charlie was never one who covered up misdeeds, and what Jacob had done reflected his corrupted character and clear refusal to feel remorse.As such, Charlie naturally refused to offer any help, completely giving up and allowing Jacob to keep going off on his own tangent, tearing himself apart in the process.Still, Raymond did put a good word in for Jacob. "Actually, one can understand Mr. Wilson's motives from a certain point of view. I was the one who set him up so that he broke that vase, and had him beaten up so that we didn't arouse suspicion. He has every reason to bear a grudge."Charlie sighed, nodding. "There's no issue with holding a grudge or getting revenge—in fact, I have no problem with him trying to salvage some pride. However, what he did was unseemly, and he doesn't know when to stop."He didn't lose anything before Zachary exposed everything. Even if he had missed a killer deal, he bought it off someone's hand in the first place and made two hundred grand in clean
With those words, Jacob didn't wait any further as he turned and left Antique Street, intent on seeking legal counsel.Raymond watched him leave before returning to Treasure Measure.He wasn't going to leave, but he had said so because he didn't want to waste much time with Jacob.Still, to avoid any trouble, he turned the sign outside to 'closed' before locking the door from the inside.That was when a man suddenly arrived, asking through the glass door, "Can I still take a look inside, sir?"Raymond was ready to refuse without even turning around when he realized that it was Charlie.He turned around and saw him standing outside just as expected.Smiling, he hurried over to open the door for him. "It's been a while, Mr. Wade!"Charlie was aware that Raymond was sticking to his identity of 'Raymond Cole' who had not been in touch since Raymond had been fired from Vintage Deluxe.Charlie chuckled in turn. "It has indeed. And you're a business owner yourself now, too.""It's j