Upon seeing this sentence, Vera immediately said, “Queens should be Queens, New York City. So, this photo was indeed taken in Queens. As for ‘Cole’, it seems the person in the photo with your father has the last name Cole, and he's of Oskian descent. It’s just that we don’t know his full name.”“You're right…” Charlie nodded gently as he continued furrowing his brows.He murmured, “I have a feeling that this man with the last name Cole seems familiar, but no matter how hard I try, I just can't remember where I've seen him before.”Vera hastened to say, “Don't worry, Young Master. The feeling of familiarity must come from somewhere in your memory. It's just that your memory of that person might not be very deep, or you may have only had a very brief encounter with him. So, don't worry. If you think carefully, you'll surely remember some clues.”With that said, she asked Charlie, “Apart from finding this person familiar, are there any other strange or familiar clues for you?”Charli
In the past, he thought that he was just purely fortunate to have obtained the Apocalyptic Book with a stroke of luck. Recently, however, his uncle had mentioned that his parents had once obtained the Preface to the Apocalyptic Book, and this led him to speculate that there might be a connection between the Preface to the Apocalyptic Book and the Apocalyptic Book itself, but he lacked concrete evidence. Now, he had suddenly discovered that the manager of Vintage Deluxe, named Raymond, was actually a good friend of his father from over twenty years ago. Moreover, it was Raymond himself who had delivered the jade vase to his father-in-law, Jacob.At that time, Charlie was waiting outside the VIP room while Raymond and Jacob were inside. Charlie hadn't witnessed what exactly had happened, but according to Jacob's account of the incident later, Raymond had taken the jade vase out of its exquisite packaging and handed it to Jacob. However, it had slipped from Jacob's hands and fell to th
With that said, Charlie asked again, “By the way, Jasmine, could you find some information about this person for me?”Jasmine replied, “I'll ask the current person in charge of Vintage Deluxe. The employee records from Vintage Deluxe are still stored in their computers. Vintage Deluxe wasn't initially registered under the Moore Group, so the employee records weren't merged into the Moore Group's personnel files, and management of the files isn’t as strict.”Charlie then said, “In that case, please ask for the information, and once you find it, send it to me as soon as possible.”“Okay, Master Wade!”After hanging up the phone, Charlie said to Vera, “When we get the information later, kindly send it to Mr. Sandsor and ask him to help check all the information relating to this person.”Vera replied without hesitation, “Rest assured, Young Master, I'll inform him right away.”Charlie nodded and anxiously waited with Vera for Jasmine's response.Jasmine was quite efficient. A few mi
Charlie felt like his brain had short-circuited at that moment. Now, it seemed highly likely that Raymond had been arranged to appear in Aurous Hill, and the person who arranged all this was probably his own father, who had passed away twenty years ago.This made Charlie feel a kind of inexplicable tension and pressure. What exactly had happened to his parents back then? Not only did it bring about fatal consequences, but it also involved such distant and extensive planning for him even before the incident occurred.When his parents met with the accident, Stephen immediately placed him in the welfare home. This was an arrangement his father had made long ago. Unexpectedly, his father had also arranged for Mr. Cole to go to Aurous Hill and set up a trap for him almost twenty years later.As Charlie thought about this, he picked up the phone again and called Jasmine. He had another question that he needed to confirm with her.After the call was connected, Jasmine respectfully asked,
Jasmine sensed that Charlie must be seeking confirmation about something, but upon seeing that Charlie didn't want to explain things clearly, she was very tactful and did not continue questioning him. Instead, she said respectfully, Master Wade, if you need anything or have any questions, feel free to call me anytime.”“Okay, sure.”Charlie thanked Jasmine and then hung up the phone. Vera, upon seeing his puzzled expression, couldn't help but ask, “Young Master, what's troubling you now?”Charlie calmly replied, “I suddenly thought of something just now. At the time, the Apocalyptic Book seemed like a book, but it didn't seem like one at the same time. When I picked it up, it quickly turned into powder on its own, yet the contents in it inexplicably imprinted themselves in my mind…”After pausing for a moment, Charlie continued, “So, does that mean that the Apocalyptic Book itself is only meant for one-time use, and it is destined that only one person can obtain its contents?”Ver
“But my father passed away twenty years ago. He wasn't a Feng Shui master such as yourself, so how could he have known twenty years ago that I would need to break through that predicament at twenty-seven years old?”Vera could not help but frown. After much thought, she said, “What you’re saying makes sense. While I don't mean to offend anyone, your father couldn't have predicted things so accurately twenty years ago.”Charlie added, “When I met Master Lennard on Mount Wintry, he said he came to Eastcliff to select Mount Wintry as geomantic treasure land for the Wades at the request of my grandfather. I've confirmed this with my grandfather and others. At that time, the Wades were in a bad situation, and my grandfather did indeed seek help everywhere before finally reaching out to Master Lennard. So, my father shouldn’t have been able to plan for me to break through my dragon stranding predicament in advance.” Vera asked further, "Did Master Lennard tell you exactly when you got
Vera's question immediately shocked Charlie. Upon careful consideration, Vera seemed to be making a valid point. If this was indeed a grand plan that had been in the making for over twenty years, no one would rely on an unreliable man to execute such a crucial part of the plan.Jacob's unreliability was well-known, and Charlie probably understood it better than anyone else. Although Jacob was his father-in-law, Charlie could responsibly say that if the success or failure of a major event depended on him, the chances of success would likely be slim.So, he immediately picked up his phone and called his father-in-law, Jacob.At that moment, Jacob was fiddling with his phone as he lay in his room at Thompson First. Ever since Matilda had gotten together with Yolden, he had lost all sense of joy in his life. In addition, Elaine, whom he found irritating and detestable, was also at home. So, the best way for him to pass the time was to hide in his room and play on his phone without going
Jacob said unhappily, “Of course, I'm not clumsy. It’s not as if you don’t know about my financial situation. Elaine handles all the money at home, and I can barely save a few thousand dollars. So, no matter what antique I'm looking at, I'm always extremely cautious. I'm afraid of dropping, touching, or being accused by others that I was tampering with something…”At this point, Jacob continued speaking with frustration, “That day, that jade vase also seemed to be cursed as well. As soon as I touched it, it slipped out of my hand like it was greased. It fell to the ground and shattered to pieces. Perhaps Mr. Cole was the one who deliberately set me up.”Charlie wondered, “Dad, after the jade vase broke, I repaired it with egg whites. I don't remember it being greased, and I recall that its surface wasn't very smooth because it's from the Tang Dynasty. Its glaze was rather rough, and it had a certain sanding feel when held. How could it slip from your hand?”“Well…” Jacob, who was on
As it turned out, the bean counters of the Moore Group had been suggesting that Jasmine axe Deluxe Vintage and other antique-related businesses.After all, Aurous Hill was hardly the heart of the nation's antique business—not even a hub, and Vintage Deluxe wouldn't grow on such soil.Moreover, their revenue wasn't optimistic.While the business wasn't exactly falling off after Mick took charge, the lack of experience amongst the management team meant they were struggling to break even.And for the bean counters, keeping Vintage Deluxe meant no profits—even net losses in the immediate future. Right now, they might still be able to package it nicely and sell it off, and selling a fixed asset coupled with brand value would more or less turn a profit. But once Vintage Deluxe started incurring losses and the brand value diminished in turn, it would be reduced to zero completely.In other words, the value of Vintage Deluxe was on a springboard—sell it anytime now, and the value would be
The Mr. Crane from the other end of the call was Mick Crane—the current manager of Vintage Deluxe, and a man whom all of Antique Street fawned over.Mick was the assistant manager to Raymond back then, and his skill in the antique trade was at best moderate. However, thanks to his friendly personality, he had managed to secure himself many decent connections down Antique Street.As such, once Jasmine had fired Raymond, Mick had taken over his position as caretaker manager. She was also aware that Mick didn't have the skills to do well as a manager, and her plan had always been to keep him as a caretaker before she found someone better.As her ties with Charlie had strengthened and he had started helping her, her position in her family had skyrocketed. However, that also meant she couldn't watch over most of Vintage Deluxe's operations.Now that she was the head of the Moore family and the leader of a dynasty worth billions, a small business like Vintage Deluxe was even less signifi
Moreover, Raymond's old identity had various occupations connected to antiques. So, his plan now was to head over to Antique Street, find a place to rest his legs, and then get a shop of moderate scale and cheap rent to start a business in Aurous Hill.He headed to the precinct at Antique Street to register his face and other details into the database, reinforcing his legal certification. The precinct then issued him a visa so that he would have clearance to stay at a hotel for a while.Most of Antique Street's stalls were closing shop by the time he left the precinct, but he picked up his backpack and went for a stroll.It was not that different from before, though he thought he would never come back at the time…Still, he hadn't been there for long when a vendor recognized him and exclaimed in surprise, "Hey! Aren't you Mr. Cole? From Vintage Deluxe? When did you come back?"As things hadn't changed down the street for the businesses or the environment, Vintage Deluxe was stil
Jacob shrugged. "If Hannah's debt is cleared, then she's fine now, no?""Yeah," Elaine replied. "I heard from an old friend not two days ago, saying that the document of her non-arrest… non-prosecution or whatever was sent in. Once it's approved, she's free to go home.""Most likely non-prosecution," Charlie replied."Right, I think that's it!" Elaine nodded repeatedly and sighed unhappily. "She's really been let off easy. She should be arrested and jailed for at least ten years."Jacob couldn't help sighing. "Come on, dear—Mom and Chris were out of line, but things are terrible for them now as it is. There's no reason to hope for the worst for them since Harold and Chris are still too hurt to work. It's thanks to Wendy's income that they have a living, otherwise, they wouldn't be able to survive."Then, worried that Elaine would get upset that he might be siding with his brother and mother too much, he quickly added, "I'm not taking their side or trying to get their case reinvest
Charlie actually had to change his opinion of Elaine after seeing her ready to kill Jacob earlier but getting all clingy now.Despite her many flaws, Elaine was the one half of their marriage who was earnestly in love.As for Jacob, he didn't seem to have any genuine feelings for Elaine at all.The mere mention of his past with Elaine always left him grumbling and complaining, but now, it was clear that Elaine was his best choice. With his attitude and the way he did things, he and Matilda would have split up by now even if they had gone to the States together.In the end, Jacob simply had too many of the flaws common amongst men his age, but while others would have no more than five out of twenty of those flaws, he had eighteen.As such, from another perspective entirely, the only woman who could tolerate Jacob now was Elaine and only Elaine. Coincidentally, her straightforward personality and tendency to get violent was the perfect counter against all of Jacob's flaws, reducing
Elaine nodded, emotional as well. "Well, Claire's finally home after being in the States for so long. Let's stop being clowns already—let's go home!"Jacob nodded, utterly relieved and teary-eyed. "Yes! Let's go home!"Meanwhile, Claire was left dumbfounded even as she watched while Charlie was left wiping the sweat off his brow—they had really just snatched victory from the jaws of defeat there!And it looked like they had truly succeeded in clearing any suspicion Elaine had of Matilda, and she most likely would do her best to avoid running into Matilda as well.That way, all the nonsense he had said wouldn't be exposed.Still, as Claire came to her senses, she told Charlie, "Darling, that was amazing! You somehow managed to talk your way out of that!"Charlie chuckled in embarrassment. "I had no choice but to sacrifice my pride for the peace in the family."Claire hugged his arm and giggled happily, "There's no victory without sacrifice. You're the best, dear!"-Meanwhile,
Though Jacob had nothing going for him, he had always had a huge ego, and he had never once admitted that he would lose to anyone in the presence of his wife and daughter.That was why both Elaine and Claire were shocked when he suddenly openly admitted that he was a piece of shit in front of them. They had never heard such a thing from him in the decades they had lived with him!In fact, Jacob himself was reluctant to insult himself like that.However, Charlie told him repeatedly that he absolutely must say it before he came here—because Charlie was dead sure that this line was the key to getting over this impasse, and it truly did put this crisis to rest.Even as Jacob finished, his heart was bleeding as he felt like he had just put his pride on the floor and trampled all over it until it was crushed to oblivion. Even though it was to clear any suspicion Elaine held toward him, to call himself a piece of shit—to say it himself that his beloved woman would think him beneath her,
Before Elaine knew it, she was reading the website she had just read again, and she did indeed find Yolden's name on it.With that, everything Charlie had said snapped together into a perfect chain of logic.Seeing the troubled look on her face, Charlie quickly added, "I'm not going to lie—Dad told me right away when he was told Matilda was getting married. We even discussed if we should tell you, and now you know why." "Matilda is doing so well for herself and got such an amazing husband, and they've picked Shangri-La's Sky Garden—something an average Joe could never hope to reach. And since she invited our whole family and not just us, Dad had to really think about it.""Eventually, he told me to hide it from you or it'd leave you devastated, so none of us said anything. We just didn't think you'd find that invitation and then end up having a big fight about it."Sighing, Charlie then continued, "But if you really want to go, we can go together for their wedding to put your min
Bitterness swelled in Elaine's heart as she really didn't think that Matilda was doing so well for herself.The fact that Matilda was worth millions alone made her far superior.At the same time, she was also rejoicing that she had never actually met Matilda. If Matilda asked how she was doing directly, how would she respond?In the end, Matilda was no Hannah Queen.Elaine would actually feel accomplished if she compared herself to Hannah.On the other hand, Matilda eclipsed Elaine in every way—she was more beautiful, kind, smart, and knowledgeable. Even her figure left Elaine dead in the water!It was as pointless as comparing a hen to a peacock!Whenever she thought of her, she could comfort herself that she had stolen her man even if she couldn't measure up in any way.But now, Jacob was completely insignificant to Matilda while Elaine still treated Jacob like a trophy.Even as a sense of inferiority seized her, Charlie sighed. "Come on, you should understand where Jacob is