Ruby smiled and said in agreement, “Miss Lavor, you’re right. Over the past couple of years, Fleur has been noticeably more anxious than she had been before. For decades, Fleur had never worried about aging, as her appearance remained unchanged for hundreds of years. However, over the past two years, she has even started paying attention to skincare. Sometimes when walking past her, you can even distinctly smell the scent of skincare products. It seems she's afraid of aging.”Vera chuckled, “What's to come will definitely come. What's the use of being afraid?”With that said, she brought her thoughts back to the painting in front of her and suddenly seemed to understand Charlie’s plan.So, she widened her eyes instantly and was filled with joy as she asked Charlie eagerly, “Young Master, could it be… could it be that you want to use Master Marcius to present a bold front and conceal your weakness?”Ruby, who was aside, listened in surprise as she could not yet grasp the key points.
“Fleur has been monitoring Aurous Hill closely, right? Once this painting appears, she will definitely pay attention to it. At that time, she will surely have many questions in her mind!”“She must want to know who brought out the portrait of her master, and she must be even more curious about the relationship between the person who brought out the painting and her master. Could it be someone her master accepted as a disciple before her? If so, that person might be over five hundred years old by now and may have obtained extraordinary strength from countless cultivations!”“She must also want to know why her master's portrait appeared out of nowhere in Aurous Hill the next day after two great earls under her command died and went missing. She would definitely want to know if the person who brought out this painting and the person who forced Mr. Chardon to blow himself up are the same person. If so, why didn't that person die from Mr. Chardon’s explosion? She must also want to underst
At this moment, on a remote uninhabited island covered in ice and snow in South America, Fleur was leading Tarlon through the vast underground structures of the island. The two of them made their way to the deepest part of the underground building where there was a space completely sealed within the rocks with only one ventilation shaft connecting it to the outside world.The three elders of the Qing Eliminating Society were currently cultivating in seclusion here. Interestingly, during the hundred years of their cultivation in seclusion, they had unknowingly traversed more than half the globe with the Qing Eliminating Society, from Oskia, through Oceania, and finally to South America. These three individuals had completely cut off all contact with the outside world and had tightly wrapped their bodies with Reiki, almost halting the metabolism of their bodies. They had no idea how much time had passed in the outside world and only instinctively circulated Reiki continuously, makin
Fleur was very pleased with the performance of the three at this moment. What she wanted was their unquestionable obedience. Otherwise, she wouldn't have taught them the technique to activate their pineal glands in the first place.Furthermore, the technique Fleur taught them was somewhat incomplete. Although they had been cultivating in seclusion for a hundred years, without Fleur’s external assistance over the last few years, the three of them would never have been able to activate their pineal glands no matter what it was. Even if their pineal glands were right in front of them and there was only the last layer of paper window separating them from activating it, without Fleur, they couldn't break through this final barrier. However, at this moment, the three of them had no way of knowing this.Therefore, in Fleur’s opinion, if the three of them valued their cultivation more than her commands now, she would have to restrict their final breakthrough to prevent them from becoming e
Meanwhile, Charlie was still in Champs Elys hot spring villa, having a long conversation with Vera and Ruby.Although he had decided to present a bold front and conceal his weakness in front of Fleur, there were still many details that needed to be clarified step by step.Vera said to Charlie, “Young Master, your idea to present a bold front and conceal your weakness is simply brilliant, but the only risk is how we should deal with the situation if the three elders come to Aurous Hill and Fleur hasn't paid attention to the painting of Master Marcius Stark? How should we deal with it?"Charlie laughed and said, “Don't worry. The most popular short video platform right now is owned by the Wades. I found a way to send this painting to the Calligraphy and Painting Association this morning. Within a few hours, we can naturally arrange for this painting to be on the trending topic. As long as Fleur is still paying attention to Aurous Hill, she will definitely see it.”Charlie then added,
Ruby nodded and said, “That's right.”Charlie asked again, “Have you ever used Reiki to explore its mysteries?”Ruby replied, “We tried, but the pineal gland is usually closed, and our Reiki can't enter it at all.”Charlie nodded, then sighed and said, “It seems that Fleur truly has formidable strength. I haven't even activated my own pineal gland. If I can't even activate my own, I don’t think I can activate other people’s pineal glands. Therefore, the self-destructive formation inside you probably can't be removed in the short term.”Ruby sighed lightly and said, “I never thought about removing the formation. I just hope it won't harm other innocent people. Besides, I don't have much time left to live. I will only be able to live for a little more than two years.” Charlie asked curiously, “Miss Chain, why do you say that?”Ruby explained, “I have a strange poison left by Fleur in my body. I have to take an antidote once every three years, or my meridians will be cut off, and m
Charlie had no immediate solution to Ruby's poison and the formation inside her pineal gland. This made him realize the significant gap between himself and Fleur.Although he had narrowly escaped the explosion thanks to the ring that Vera had given him, if Fleur sent three experts who were about to activate their pineal glands to Aurous Hill, Charlie probably wouldn't have any chance to survive. Even with Vera’s ring, he would only end up endangering her when the time comes. As for Fleur, she had activated her pineal gland over a hundred years ago, and her current cultivation must be unfathomable. She was ahead of Charlie by at least a hundred or even two to three hundred years. So, if Fleur was to come personally, Charlie probably had even less chance of survival.As Charlie thought of this, he couldn't help but feel grateful. If he hadn't saved the distressed Madam Jenson and her son in Mexico by chance, how would he have had the opportunity to obtain Master Marcius Stark’s paint
Charlie reached out his hands and helped her up. He had a solemn expression as he said loudly, “My goal is to kill Fleur with my own hands and avenge my parents. If you're willing to follow me, you'll have to be enemies with Fleur. Can you do it?”Ruby clenched her teeth and said, “Mr. Wade, you can rest assured. Fleur is treacherous and ruthless. Not only has she used poison to control me for decades, but she even turned me into a human bomb. I have an irreconcilable hatred with her!”Charlie nodded gently and said, “Great! If I can help you remove the poison from your body in two years and if I’m fortunate enough to activate my pineal gland in the future, I will do my best to help you remove the formation inside your pineal gland. After Fleur’s death, you will be completely free. I will not interfere with where you want to go or what you want to do. This is my promise to you today!”Ruby clasped her hands together gratefully and said, “Thank you for your graciousness, Mr. Wade!”
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
Hearing what Jacob had said, Elaine became anxious and pressed him as he hung up, "What's going on? You're leaving? But we just got here! My shoes have just caught Dubai dirt, so why are we leaving so soon—"However, Jacob was wiping the sweat off his brow as he mumbled quietly, "Well, at this point, I have to leave or I won't be vice president anymore."Elaine immediately fumed. "We've been married for half our lives, and this is supposed to be our honeymoon, yet we're just leaving? I've posted about this on social media too—there are plenty of people who're waiting for more posts on our trip!"And don't forget—we spent a lot on our flight tickets and our hotels! The hotel bookings can't be refunded either!"Jacob scowled dolefully. "Well, what can we do? Why don't you stay? I'll go home and get this sorted out first….""Well, how long would that take?" Elaine asked."How should I know?" Jacob sighed, uneasy and annoyed. "Don Albert is saying I have to go back and donate the 300
"But I spent 98 thousand on that bronze sculpture!" Jacob exclaimed in agitation before he knew it. "I made 300 thousand from it, and that means my profit was 200 thousand at best, but I'm supposed to return that to him as well?! That means I'd have lost my own capital too!""I can't help you if you can't bear to part with that money, Mr. Wilson," Don Albert said quietly. "In that case, you'll just have to handle it yourself.""Wait, wait, wait!" Jacob immediately became antsy and cried out right then, "Please, Don Albert! I'll return the money! I'll return it, alright?! The entirety of my profits—202 thousand, okay? At least let me keep the money I spent, okay?""By that reasoning, Mr. Wilson, when a phone scammer is told by the cops to return the money they've made from defrauding, should he be allowed to keep the money he spent on telco charges? ""Oh, I…" Jacob was left stumped and could not come up with an answer.Don Albert then pressed on, "Mr. Wilson, I've offered a prom
"Mr. Wilson, what you boys did was truly heinous!" Don Arnold growled. "I scolded Zachary myself when I found out, and I was the one who told him to post that statement!"Jacob was shocked. "But why, Don Arnold? Are you friends with Raymond Cole?""Never met the guy," Don Arnold replied.That left Jacob even more confused. "Then why are you taking his side?""I've been doing my best to clean up my image over the past couple of years," Don Albert replied coolly. "I rarely get involved in mob business or anything illicit, and everyone in Aurous Hill knows that Zachary is my right-hand man, yet he confessed to committing such a heinous crime behind my back. What is that if not sullying my reputation?"Jacob was left reeling as he didn't expect Don Albert to be so serious, but he quickly explained, "I'm sorry. I didn't expect it to affect you so terribly… It's all Zachary's fault! I wouldn't have been aware that Raymond had returned at all, but he just had to tell me and come up with