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
Logan was overjoyed when he heard that Vera was willing to meet Marianne.He hurriedly said to Vera, “Miss, they will be arriving in another twenty minutes, so you can come down when they arrive.”Vera nodded and said with a smile, “Don’t forget my new identity in front of outsiders.”Logan said without hesitation, “Of course! Don’t worry, Miss.”After that, he got up slowly and said, “Miss, please continue enjoying your tea. I will not disturb you anymore.”Vera said, “Find a servant to help you down, lest you get tired.”Logan was flattered and said, “Thank you for your concern, Miss. I’ll have no problem going down on my own. It’s much easier to go down, after all.”When Vera saw his insistence, she did not say anything else, nodded, and spoke up, “You can go ahead, then. I’ll go down when the car arrives.”“Okay, Miss. I’ll take my leave, then.”After Logan was done speaking, he cupped his fists together, bowed slightly to Vera, then slowly retreated. Vera had never been
Marianne had just arrived at the main entrance of Scarlet Pinnacle Manor. She never expected that Logan would have such a magnificent manor in this kind of place.Although many wealthy people’s mansions were also built on the mountains in Hong Kong, no one could own a whole mountain by himself. The villas on Steerlain Island were nothing compared to his exclusive villa.The car drove into the manor and stopped outside the grand entrance of the main building of the one-story compound.This place was like a hotel, designed with a wide porch to park three cars side by side. Logan and his wife held hands as they walked out of the main hall to welcome her. As soon as Marianne got out of the car, she saw the elderly couple smiling brightly as they walked out. She hurried forward to greet them and said respectfully, “Grandpa, Grandma, it’s been a long time, but you two are still in such good health!”Logan smiled and said, “Marianne, we haven’t seen each other for so many years and yo
Vera walked over from the main hall with a light gait.Marianne only had one thought in her mind when she saw Vera. ‘How can there be such a beautiful girl?’It was not that Marianne was making a big fuss.In fact, Marianne had seen countless young beauties because of her father’s flirtatious nature. Hong Kong as well as more than half of Asia’s entertainment circle had been her father’s hunting ground back then. Which one of the female celebrities who were caught in the scandals and media reports were not beauties?What’s more, Hong Kong has always been the fashion and financial center of Asia over the past few decades. Many handsome men and beautiful women from all over the world were gathered in that narrow and cramped corner of the city, so Marianne’s aesthetics had long been tired and even a little numb. But even so, she was still shocked when she saw Vera for the first time.Vera was the type of beauty that she had almost never seen before.It was no longer perfect to t
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
Jacob zipped toward Raymond, his attitude immediately subservient, "I'm sure you've seen what Zachary Evans posted on his Twitter page, and to be honest, it's so terrible that my position in the Calligraphy and Painting Association has been affected too. I mean, you've made a lot of money, right?"Hell, even if you donated ten million, you'd still have another ten million and 970 thousand in net profits. So, all I'd like to ask is for you to post something to disclaim Zachary's post.Jacob's words left Raymond in thought.For Jacob, just being suspected of fraud would definitely be terrible. In fact, his position in the Calligraphy and Painting Association would definitely be threatened—if not dismissed altogether—if he wasn't cleared of suspicion.Since Jacob was Charlie Wade's father-in-law, Raymond had reason not to drive Jacob over the brink.But that also begged another question—it must be under Charlie's intention for Zachary to post his confession, and that meant Charlie in
Raymond couldn't help chuckling just as Jacob finished—he had honestly never heard of anyone who demanded a refund after donating to charity, but he was certainly seeing one now.Still, the receptionist was clearly experienced and slowly explained, "Sir, it's a legal clause of the country that all donations for philanthropy purposes can not be refunded under most circumstances—""It truly was a mistake," Jacob quickly said, cutting the receptionist off. "I was going to donate thirty thousand but pressed an extra zero by mistake. Please discuss this with your management—you just have to refund 27 thousand, see?""Sorry, sir," the receptionist apologized. "But it's a strict rule that we ourselves do not get to access the funds that have been donated into our accounts. Every donation will be screened extensively, and if you consider that there was a major oversight on your part, you may seek legal counsel to appeal for a refund. If the courts back your appeal, our organization will the
Nonetheless, Jacob darted into Treasure Measure and plucked off his mask, asking nervously, "Excuse me, Mr. Cole? It's me… Jacob Wilson…"Raymond looked up, pausing for a moment before acting as if he was actually curious, "Mr. Wilson! What brings you here? Don't tell me—you want that bronze sculpture back too?""No, no, no…" Jacob quickly shook his head. "I would never… I returned all the way from Dubai to apologize!""Apologize?" Raymond smiled faintly, and he did not play dumb this time as he asked bluntly, "Did you come back because of Zachary Evan's post?"Knowing he couldn't deny it any longer, Jacob nodded, "Yeah…"Raymond nodded and said calmly, "That's unnecessary. I was the one who benefited in the end."Jacob wasn't quite keeping up—thinking that Raymond was just trying to be nice by telling him he didn't have to apologize, he quickly pulled out his phone.Tapping on it and bringing up his transaction records, he handed it to Raymond reverently, "Mr. Cole, I understan
The cabbie chuckled. "You're a local yet you're heading to Antique Street right away as soon as you land instead of going home? And you're still saying you're not trying to pick up a killer bargain deal?"Come on, man—it's not just you, I want that too. We cabbies work ourselves to death only for ten thousand per month at best while our friend over there made twenty million in one night. I could keep driving cabs for the rest of my life and still not make that much money."Jacob knew that the cabbie must be talking about Raymond and became even more miserable then, grumbling unhappily, "I'm going to Antique Street for business—I'm not trying to pick up some missed bargain.""No? Then you didn't hear what happened yesterday?"The cabbie was immediately curious, and without waiting for Jacob's answer, he exclaimed happily, "Look, man—it was so ridiculous not even Hollywood would put it in their script. There were these fools who were trying to sell an antique trader a replica, but th
It was nighttime in Dubai as Jacob dragged his weary body from the hotel back to the airport.As he was flying economy this time, he was left sitting at the hard bench near the boarding terminal, waiting for it to open.While he waited, his heart was torn as he tapped into the website of the Aurous Hill Charity Fund, found their donation account, and wired the entire 300 thousand he had made over to them.He had picked the Aurous Hill Charity Fund because the circles of antique collectors in Aurous Hill were all discussing how Raymond had donated half of the 20 million he had made to that same charity fund.After Raymond skyrocketed to prominence in Antique Street and became a star, it could not be denied that people admired his profound ability.However, there were also people who envied his skill in turning the tables just as there were those who were jealous he had made twenty million in a single night.Still, Raymond moved fast—soon after word spread that he had made twenty m
Elaine quickly asked, "Well, what if you can't get it done?"Jacob was apprehensive even as he sighed. "If they really pressed the issue, guess I can't even stay at the Calligraphy and Painting Association now… We will see. If things get bad, I'll just resign. I won't ask for much right now, just as long as I don't have to go to jail."Elaine nodded. "Then you should try to reason things out with Raymond Cole or ask for Charlie's help if push comes to shove. Being humiliated is still better than prison.""Okay!"-It was nighttime at Aurous Hill by the time Elaine and Jacob arrived at their hotel.Charlie and Claire had just had dinner, and Claire pulled out her phone, saying, "I just checked my flight app, and it says my parents should have landed two hours ago. They are probably at the hotel, so I'll check in on them with a video call."She had yet to open her WhatsApp when Elaine called her on a video call.Jacob was planning to check in with Claire and Charlie to put their