She had underestimated Mr. Chardon for quite some time, always thinking that this old man was solely focused on cultivation. However, it was not until today that she realized that this old man actually harbored such a strong desire for slaughter!Just as she felt that Mr. Chardon was being excessively ruthless, a helicopter that was flying low in the sky appeared, swiftly approaching Willow Manor!At this moment, the Acker family members felt a lump in their throats when they heard the wails outside. They could not have anticipated that after their recent crisis in New York, the other party would quickly trace them back to Oskia.Charlie’s third uncle, Jaxson, nervously said, “Dad, Mom, I’m afraid that it will be a life-threatening situation this time. The two of you should leave through the back door first!” Christian also realized the situation and hastily said, “That’s right, Dad. You and Mom should leave first. We will stay and keep guard here!” Keith snorted coldly and sai
If this kind of Reiki persisted, staying and cultivating here would undoubtedly yield twice the result with half the effort! He was extremely excited and pointed his wooden sword at the crowd as he said coldly, “No one is answering me, right? Since no one is answering me, I’ll just randomly choose someone and behead them in front of you all to set an example!”After saying that, he noticed Lulu, who was well-dressed, and sneered, “This young lady must be Lulu Acker, the second young lady of the Ackers, right?” Lulu cautiously questioned, “What do you want?”Mr. Chardon sneered, “I want to teach your parents and brothers a lesson. The lesson is called ‘The Consequence of Non-cooperation.’”After saying that, he swung the wooden sword immediately, and the invisible blade instantly struck Lulu. Lulu felt a gust of wind coming toward her, and she seemed to be frozen in place, almost as if she was completely immobilized. At the critical moment, Merlin suddenly smashed a teacup on t
No one expected that amidst the scenario where the Ackers’ bodyguards were killed and their corpses scattered everywhere, someone would still dare to walk in through that door!Mr. Chardon, who was extremely arrogant, immediately exploded with rage upon hearing the mocking voice. He turned around, eager to see which audacious bastard actually dared to call him a mere lackey!Both Merlin and the Acker family members instantly recognized this familiar voice. Merlin knew it was Charlie who had arrived, and the Ackers knew it was their benefactor.Although they all recognized Charlie’s voice, their emotions were drastically different. Merlin had long expected that Charlie would show up, and he was even thinking to himself, ‘Charlie, oh Charlie, you’ve finally decided to show up! If you had come a few seconds later, I would have lost my life here…”As for the Acker family members, at this moment, they only thought that they were going to get saved at a critical moment and survive a cr
Lord Acker could not help but burst into tears as he looked at Charlie, whose figure had become completely blurred in his vision. He sobbed as he asked emotionally, “Charlie, is it really you?”His three uncles and aunt were also in tears by now. They would never have dreamt that Charlie, whom they had searched all over for twenty years, would voluntarily appear before them. What was even more unimaginable was that the Charlie they had been looking for over the past two decades turned out to be the benefactor who saved the Ackers some time ago!Charlie had extremely complex emotions when he saw the Acker family members who were in tears. He naturally thought of the Ackers as his relatives, and blood was thicker than water. This was the reason why he had saved the Ackers from peril repeatedly. However, Charlie harbored unforgivable resentment toward the Ackers, just like he did toward the Wades. He resented the Wades because the Wades had forced his parents to leave Eastcliff for
Mr. Chardon initially thought that Charlie was showing him the middle finger to provoke him, but his pupils suddenly contracted when he saw the ring.Although he had never seen this ring with his own eyes before, the British Lord had described it in great detail. According to the British Lord, the ring was entirely bronze in color with a delicate luster and no decorative patterns on it. The ring was approximately 0.66 centimeters wide, and the size of the ring was suitable for an average adult male finger. All these details matched the ring on Charlie’s finger perfectly. In addition, Merlin had taken the initiative to mention Vera and the ring, so Mr. Chardon concluded that this ring was the treasure that the British Lord had been longing for. The British Lord once mentioned that there was a great mystery hidden within the ring, and unlocking this mystery would not only enhance one’s cultivation but would also grant the person immortality as well. However, the British Lord migh
As he spoke, he sneered, “But it’s pointless for you to tell me this. All I want is the ring in your hand! I can give you a quick and painless death if you hand over the ring!” Charlie ignored him, chuckled, and said, “I've lived under the care of others in Aurous Hill for twenty years. Even if life was tough and exhausting, I’ve never gone to the Wades or the Ackers. Do you know why?” Mr. Chardon frowned and asked, “Why?”Charlie calmly replied, “It’s naturally because I hate them! Even now, I can't bring myself to forgive them for their betrayal and abandonment of my parents back then.”Mr. Chardon questioned, “Why did you save them time and time again if you hate them?” Charlie said with a smile, “Saving them was just a coincidence. You should know that it was Quinn Golding’s concert at the time in New York. The Ackers went to that concert, and that was how you had the opportunity to attack them.” Mr. Chardon squinted his eyes as he looked at Charlie. Although he was not
Meanwhile, Ruby, who was secretly observing Willow Manor from the mountain opposite, saw a black figure rushing out of the villa, followed closely by Mr. Chardon, the leader of the four great earls. Unexpectedly, the leading black figure was sprinting in her direction, whereas Mr. Chardon was holding a wooden sword in one hand and the hem of his robe in the other as he pursued the black figure. She could even hear Mr. Chardon’s angry roar, “Young lad, hand over that ring now if you know any better! Besides, you should tell me where Vera Lavor is hiding as well! If I'm in a good mood, I might spare your life! Otherwise, I’ll make sure that you lose your head as soon as I catch up to you!”Charlie yelled without even turning around, “Lackey, stop spouting nonsense. You’re already so old but you still don’t know of your own ability and limitations? You dare to continue boasting here? If you want the ring, you will have to catch up to me first, lackey!” Ruby was instantly stunned. ‘Ri
The first thing Charlie did was to ask Isaac to help him retrieve the public surveillance footage from Willow Manor. Meanwhile, he sat in the helicopter, monitoring the situation at Willow Manor in real time.Flying from Champs Elys Resort to Willow Manor would only take two to three minutes. During this brief time, the security guards and caretakers could delay a portion of the threat. He would entrust the rest to Merlin along with the ‘life-saving mantra’ he had given Merlin.He believed that as long as Merlin uttered the life-saving mantra, it would undoubtedly buy some time, allowing him to arrive in time.Yet, Charlie was well aware that even if he arrived, he could not engage in a deadly confrontation with the adversary inside the villa. Acting within the villa would mean certain death for the Acker family members and Merlin. Therefore, he had to use the ring to divert the other party’s full attention, providing an opportunity for the Ackers and Merlin to evacuate.Albert’s t
Hearing Jacob's tone, Charlie could tell that Jacob must have already learned about Matilda's plans to marry Yolden. So, Charlie said, "I'm just around the corner. I'll head over now, and we can meet at the gate." Choking up, Jacob replied, "Alright, I won't drive then. I'll wait for you at the gate. Hurry!" "Okay," Charlie agreed, but after hanging up, he deliberately waited for a few minutes. It was because Yolden had just left moments ago to pick up Matilda at Senior University. If Charlie had gone there right now, all four of them could have run into each other at the gate, which would make things even more awkward. Charlie wasn't worried about feeling awkward himself—he was more concerned about Jacob being further hurt. After intentionally waiting a bit, Charlie finally drove to the university. Just as Charlie drove toward Senior University, Matilda was waiting for Yolden by the roadside at the entrance of Senior University. At this moment, Jacob stumbled out of th
Charlie asked, "There are too many new domestic energy brands now. Do you think they still have a shot in vehicle manufacturing?" "Of course," Yolden affirmed. "There are indeed many new energy brands now, and many of them are struggling on the edge of survival. A lot of them have already disappeared, but the automotive market is so vast, and new energy vehicles only account for a small portion of it, which proves that the future of new energy still has great potential. Now, if the focus is only on competing with other new energy brands, the scale is indeed a bit small. The scope should be broadened to compete with traditional gasoline vehicle manufacturers. If you can cut Toyota, Honda, and Hyundai's global sales in half, that would truly be a giant." Yolden paused for a moment, almost as if remembering something, and then said, "Actually, you could consider researching this field. You don't lack money or resources, and with Ito-Schulz Ocean Shipping Group as your logistics channe
When Jacob came to his senses, he was already in tears. The student presumed he was unwell and asked, "Mr. Wilson, do you want me to call your wife to pick you up?" Elaine's sarcastic face immediately popped up in his mind, and he trembled with fear. He quickly wiped away his tears and stammered, "D-don't bother... I... I just got something in my eyes..." The student obviously didn't believe him and asked worriedly, "Why don't you call your wife? Or I'll call a cab for you." "No, no." Jacob waved his hand and said, "I'll call my son-in-law to pick me up. He has just returned to Aurous Hill, so it shouldn't be a problem." After that, he quickly took out his phone and called Charlie. Just a few minutes ago, Charlie had left the cafe and was about to walk Yolden to his car. When he saw Yolden walking straight toward a domestic new energy vehicle, he asked curiously, "I don't think you were driving this model before, were you?" "I just bought it," Yolden replied with a smil
If Matilda still had feelings for Jacob, his nostalgic strategy would definitely have a strong impact. However, Matilda had already decided to move on, so Jacob's suggestion did not stir any emotions in her at all. With an apologetic smile, she said, "Sorry, Jacob, Yolden is downstairs waiting for me. We have something to discuss. How about another day? We can have dinner together, and I'll treat you." Jacob didn't expect the nostalgia strategy to fall flat. His original plan was to use nostalgia to get Matilda to go with him to eat near the school, then take the opportunity to revisit old places and subtly reignite their past memories. After all, revisiting old places was the best way to rekindle old feelings, no exceptions. It was like drinking the pasta water after cooking the pasta. However, he never imagined that Matilda's expression wouldn't change in the slightest. There was no shyness, no hesitation, no nervousness, and certainly no fluttering heart. She simply and
Matilda had been listening attentively before, but now, she was lowering her head, fiddling with her phone, and her expression even carried a hint of shyness and happiness, like that of a young girl. Jacob felt a pang of jealousy. While doing the presentation, he couldn't help but resentfully think to himself, "What has Matilda been chatting about with that Yolden guy? She's so happy..." At that moment, Matilda had just received a message from Yolden. In the message, Yolden informed her of the outcome of his conversation with Charlie and expressed his desire to have the wedding as soon as possible. Seeing how eager her beloved was to marry her, Matilda naturally felt very touched. At that moment, she had completely fallen into Yolden's love. For this man, who had a similar background, education, values, and even lifestyle to her own, she could find no fault with him. She felt that he was perfectly tailor-made for her by heaven itself, almost as if everything about him perfectly m
Charlie's worries were not unfounded. He had long known that Jacob had not completely given up on Matilda despite her relationship with Yolden. After returning from the cultural exchange in Korea, Jacob had been more dejected than ever before—something he hadn't even displayed when his family had gone bankrupt. If there was still a chance to salvage the relationship when one's beloved was merely dating someone else, their marriage was tantamount to a death sentence. Furthermore, considering the high intellectual backgrounds of Matilda and Yolden as well as their age and life experience, their decision to marry at this stage of life undoubtedly signaled their intention to build a long-term future together. This left Jacob with absolutely no chance at all. At this moment, Jacob was blissfully unaware of the devastating news and was busy conducting a calligraphy and painting workshop at Senior University. The so-called workshop was essentially a few slides showcasing classic
After that, Charlie asked with a bit of curiosity, "When did you and Matilda decide to get married?" Yolden smiled sheepishly and explained, "Remember when the city organized our cultural exchange trip to South Korea? I confessed to Matilda during that trip, and she accepted. After spending some time together, we both felt we were a great match. Considering our age, we didn't want to delay such an important decision any longer, so we decided to take the next step and build a family together." He continued, "Last month, we went to Lambonear for a few days. I bought a ring and proposed to her by the seaside, and she said yes. We also sought the opinion of our respective children—Autumn and Paul—and they were both very supportive. Both kids are exceptional and independent, so they urged us to have the wedding as soon as possible. I wanted to wait until you returned so I could check your schedule. For our wedding, we'd like to ask you to be our officiant." "What? Me as the officiant?
Charlie said without hesitation, "Sure. When is it convenient for you? Send me the address, and I'll go meet you." Charlie had always respected Yolden not only because he was a nice and talented man but also because he and his mother went way back and went to the same school. Yolden said hastily, "I've just come from Senior University. It's the weekend, and I don't have classes today. Why don't you send me the address and I'll meet you?" Charlie gave it some thought. It was a little past 3 p.m., so Yolden had likely already had lunch, and there were still a few hours until dinner. Inviting him to The Heaven Springs didn't seem ideal for a discussion. Considering that he had lived in the United States for many years and probably had a habit of having coffee in the afternoon, Charlie said, "How about this? There's a Starbucks not far south of the university. Let's meet there for a cup of coffee." "Perfect!" Yolden said with a smile. "I was just thinking you could give me an addre
On the way back to The Heaven Springs, Julien was in a much better mood than when he had arrived. Initially, he was filled with anxiety, unsure of what Charlie had planned. But now, everything had become clear. The troublesome matter of Salem and Edmund was no longer his concern. All he had to do was wait for the video from the ship to be released and then head back home. Charlie noticed his improved mood and smiled as he asked, "Julien, you've resolved the most critical matter right after landing in Aurous Hill. You must be feeling pretty happy, right?" Julien chuckled and said, "To be honest, before coming here, I was worried that I'd end up going back empty-handed and being secretly mocked by others. But now, it's different. Once your video is released, no one can blame me for not doing my job. If anything, they can only blame their family for missing their chance. After all, so much time has passed, and it's their fault Salem and Edmund were moved to the Middle East." As he