“Class reunion?” Elaine said disdainfully, “You guys are already a bunch of dying old folks, why would you want to have a class reunion? Haven’t you heard, a class reunion is just an excuse for old lovers to go on dates!”“Oh my God, shut up!” Jacob blurted, “There will only be guys at the reunion, we didn’t invite any of our female classmates.”“Really?” Elaine frowned in disbelief.“Yes, honest! You should know best how our class was. There were only a handful of female students in our class, and all of them live overseas right now. So, there will only be us male students at the reunion.”“No, I don’t believe you! You can’t go!” Elaine shouted. “You must be going to see that old lover of yours! Do you think I don’t know!”Charlie was stunned. Did his father-in-law have some romantic love story in the past?“What old lover? It’s just a bunch of male friends!”Elaine snorted disdainfully. She turned her pouty face to the other side and ignored Jacob.Jacob anxiously tried again
Jacob was intimidated by Elaine’s loud growl, but he spruced himself up and said, “A straight foot has no fear of a crooked shoe!”Elaine glared at him and uttered, “Ah, I don’t want to talk to you anymore. Okay, I’m going out to play mahjong.”She then stood up and stretched out her hand at Jacob saying, “Give me your car key!”“What? Why would you need a car for your mahjong game? I want to use it later!”Elaine rolled her eyes and said contemptuously, “Why? Do you want to show off to your friends? No way! Give me the car key, quick!”Jacob sighed dejectedly and passed her the car key as he said, “Drive carefully, don’t scratch it.”“Argh, shut up! If you provoke me again, I’ll drive your car down the drain!”Jacob was extremely agitated, but Elaine felt as though she had gotten her revenge. She put on her jacket, a triumphant smile on her face, and walked out the door.After Elaine left, Jacob sighed again and said, “Charlie, go with me to the reunion later. Some of my frien
Hannah donned an apologetic expression and said, “Elaine, actually, I’m here to apologize to you…”She cleared her throat and continued, “Yes, I’ve always looked down on you in the past. Not only was I rude to you, but I also often badmouthed you in front of Mother. I know my mistakes now and I have deeply repented on it. So, I’m here to offer you my sincere apology.”Then, her face flushed as she bit her lips and bowed deeply to Elaine.Elaine was taken aback. She thought the lunatic was here to pick a fight with her, but unexpectedly, she had apologized and bowed to her!She had prepared herself for the verbal attacks, but she didn’t know what to do now that her enemy was being so humble instead of drawing a sword.When Hannah saw that Elaine had kept quiet, she put up her best dramatic disguise and knelt on the floor, crying and begging. “Oh, my dear Elaine, are you still angry at me? I’m very sorry! Over the past years, I had not figured out the truth. We are both sisters-in-l
A flash of light sparked through Elaine’s eyes!She had been worried that she wouldn’t be able to find an easy mark after Summer left the country, so she was thankful that Hannah had found one for her!Besides, she assumed that the easy mark was richer than Summer because she could only win several thousand from Summer, but this lady lost ten times the money in a day!She loved playing mahjong with people who had deep pockets but poor skills. She could make a mini fortune from the game!If she joined forces with Hannah and agreed on some secret codes, they could win for sure!With this thought in mind, she was overjoyed and excited!Money meant everything to her to the point she would definitely replace her parents with money!She was on the edge of her seat when she heard Hannah’s proposal!Seeing the excitement in Elaine’s eyes, Hannah hurriedly said in a low voice, “Let’s rehearse our little secret codes first. While we are at the table, we’ll look at each other’s gestures.
Jacob stared at the man standing in front of him for a while before he laughed and said in surprise, “Oh my God, is that you, Eric? Eric Shaw? Wow, we haven’t seen each other for about 30 years! Look at you, so smart and handsome! You must be doing very well, huh!”Eric shook his head. “Nah, I’m nothing compared to you, Jacob. You are, what the youngsters nowadays say, the rich kid on the block…”The Wilson family had been a noble family name back in the days.At that moment, Lord Wilson had been in his prime, earning his first pot of gold when he plunged into the business arena for the first time, subsequently earning himself an honored reputation too. Hence, Jacob was living a good life thanks to his father. His pocket money alone might be more than half of his classmates combined.Because of this, he had attracted the attention of Elaine from another class.Jacob chuckled bashfully at his friend’s remark, but before he could say anything, another middle-aged man and a young man
Charlie couldn’t help quenching his curiosity and asked, “Dad, who is this Matilda that everyone is talking about?”Jacob rolled his eyes and shushed him, “Shush! You don’t have to rub it in!”Charlie shrugged indifferently and kept quiet.Meanwhile, as more and more people surrounded them, Aaron spruced himself up proudly and introduced the young man standing next to him. “Guys, I would like all of you to meet my son-in-law, Jake Dunn. He owns a startup company in the internet service industry, and the company will soon be listed on the Growth Enterprise Market.”“Wow!” Eric exclaimed in shock. “How much will the company’s market be worth after listing? I bet it must be hundreds of millions, right?”“Hundreds of millions?” Aaron curled his lips pompously and blurted, “It starts with a billion, to say the least! Think about it, do you know how difficult it is for a company to be listed?! Without a certain foundation and stability, how could a company pass so many rounds of reviews
“High salary?” Aaron curled his lips into a smirk. “How high do you want? Is four to five thousand enough to hire you as a chef?”Jake wanted to please his father-in-law, so he said, “Dad, since he is your old friend’s son-in-law, I must give him some additional benefit. Okay then, I’ll give you ten thousand per month!”Charlie chuckled in amusement and said, “Pardon me, but I don’t want money.”Aaron frowned, confused. “You don’t want money, then what do you want?”“Whoever hires me has to marry his daughter to me. Let’s take my father-in-law as an example. He wanted to hire me to do household chores, so he married his darling daughter to me. So, Aaron, if you want to hire me, you must marry your daughter to me too!”Aaron’s face flushed in fury as he shouted, “You are so ungrateful! I’m being kind enough to offer you a job and this is how you repay me?!”The enraged Jake glared at Charlie and said, “Hey, buddy, my father-in-law has only one daughter, and she is my wife! Be care
In order to turn the tables, Jake recalled a name that Aaron had mocked Jacob with, Matilda. So, he pretended to be curious and asked, “Dad, what’s the issue with this Matilda that you talked about earlier? You guys seem to be very close to her, I’m rather curious…”Aaron threw a sideway glance at Jacob and said with a grin, “Matilda Hall was the most beautiful girl in our batch, and a lot of boys fell in love with her. In fact, if her admirers queued up, it would circle the university twice.”Then, Aaron deliberately raised his voice and laughed, “Eventually, Matilda must have been hypnotized or something, because she chose Jacob! Since he was in love with the most beautiful and popular girl in school, he had to avoid walking into people for fear that he would be ambushed and beaten.”“What happened later?”Again, Aaron looked at Jacob in amusement and giggled. “Then, Matilda dumped him and flew to the United States. She hasn’t come back since.”Then, he turned to Jacob and asked
Fleur had repeatedly mentioned the conspiracy theory of Ashley using a body double over the last twenty years.Tarlon had investigated from many different angles, but everything from the gender, age, dental records, to body figure pointed to the fact that the deceased was Ashley Acker.And yet, Fleur had never bought it, insisting that Curtis was prepared for them just because Curtis' son had gone missing soon after.There was no way Curtis would save his son but not his wife, and the disfigured corpse only added fuel to Fleur's suspicion.Thus, over the last twenty years, Fleur had kept a close eye on the Ackers, arranging for two 'scholars' to be embedded amongst their ranks as sleeper agents. She went that far all to determine if Ashley was dead or had faked her death.However, the scholars had since been killed in action, and they had no spies within the Ackers left.As for Tarlon, he still doubted Fleur's theory even now, but he remained respectful as he spoke, "Milady, I mu
Meanwhile, on the edge of the South Pole, Tarlon Griffin rushed outside of Fleur Griffin's room, knocking the door gingerly as he announced, "I have news, my lady!"Fleur didn't respond, but the thick wooden door between them slowly opened as if pushed by an invisible force.Tarlon entered to find Fleur seated on the floor with her legs crossed at the ankles. Her eyes remained closed as she molded her Reiki, asking, "What is it?"Tarlon quickly answered, "News from Oskia. The Ackers are partnering with the Wades on a joint venture into electric-powered vehicles."Fleur slowly opened her eyes, asking quietly, "And you're telling me because?"Tarlon quickly explained, "It just came out of the blue, so I thought I should report it to you right away."Fleur sighed. "After I tried and failed to wipe out the Ackers so many times, they wouldn't dare set foot stateside. If anything, they must have decided to seek asylum in Oskia by offering a substantial investment, and it's a base whe
Silent for a while, Matilda then asked Yolden, "Do you think I can do it?""Yes!" Yolden nodded without hesitation. "You definitely won't have any problems!"Matilda sighed, shaking her head. "We traveled far abroad to study while we were young, but we didn't return to Oskia to help the country's development. It's been thirty years since, and now that we have returned to the country at the same time, I definitely wouldn't turn down such an opportunity to help."Pausing, she then said, "That said, major corporations make it a point to not hire family members. Forget spouses—employees aren't allowed to date, and one of the two will be asked to resign if necessary."Don't you think it's inappropriate since we are legally married, having gotten our certificate and all? And if we set these precedents, we would have trouble asking other employees to follow that policy. You are going to be a CEO, so you need a very clear answer on this issue."Yolden shrugged. "In the first place, that p
Yolden nodded slightly. "He does.""My gosh…" Matilda murmured. "That's too much… Ashley's son? A member of the Acker family and the Wades?!"Pausing, she then asked in confusion, "Wait, if Charlie has so much power and influence, why would he permanently reside in Aurous Hill… No, why would he be content as Jacob Wilson's son-in-law? Does Jacob know who he really is?""Definitely not," Yolden shook his head. "There were some compelling circumstances, and his identity is a sensitive one. That's why I'm asking you to tell no one except Paul—and even then, you should only tell him if he can keep the secret."Matilda was sharp enough to pick up on the reasoning, too. "Charlie's hiding because of his parents' accident, isn't he?""Yes," Yolden sighed. "He has his plans, but I didn't pry since I can only do that much, let alone help him on that.""Got it," Matilda nodded repeatedly. "Don't worry. My lips are sealed… And you just said you're resigning? Are you going to help with this e
"That would be Ashley Layna Acker," Matilda replied without hesitation. "She was our age, as well as a major investor in Silicon Valley, while we were only starting to get our first clients. It's no exaggeration to say that she's the shining example in many case studies when it comes to business."Pausing, she then continued, "And she used to be your classmate, right? I remember you mentioning that in our conversations before.""Yes," Yolden sighed emotionally. "She was a classmate and the star of our generation."Matilda nodded but soon shook her head, "Wait, weren't we talking about Charlie's car company? What does that have to do with Ashley Acker?" "Here's where I let you in on a secret," Yolden said. "But first, you have to promise me that you won't tell anyone except Paul."Matilda nodded without hesitation. "Don't worry—if it's a secret, I won't tell Paul either."Yolden scratched his head. "Actually, Paul should know. We are going to marry soon, and he's my stepson, lega
In fact, the legal department of major enterprises covered many responsibilities, the chief of which concerned intellectual property, which was why veterans were needed to lead.Additionally, Charlie trusted Matilda's accomplishments in the legal field, especially since she had worked in the United States for years.With Curtis Autos' intended expansion worldwide, that meant the legal department should also know the laws of countries abroad, ready to file or respond to lawsuits at any time. After all, competitors may use the law to impede their growth, along with the government applying unfair policies to impede their development and impact on local businesses.Moreover, Charlie considered Paul young and therefore lacking in experience, not to mention that it was not likely he would abandon his family's law firm. As such, the ideal solution was to poach Matilda for now.As for Matilda, she was still in the dark and had no idea what she was in for, asking Charlie in confusion, "Lega
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