Charlie instructed Shawn over the phone to arrange a private plane to take Janus to Aurous Hill at nine tonight and requested a convoy from Janus' house to take him to the airport. Though Shawn wasn't happy about it, he didn't dare to argue and reluctantly agreed with a smile.Later, Charlie and Vera bid farewell to Charlie’s grandfather, Jeremiah. On the plane, Vera asked Charlie, “Young Master, would it be a little too rushed if you’re going to New York tonight? You will only be able to spend a little more than ten hours in Aurous Hill, then.”Charlie shook his head and said, “Besides meeting my grandparents and briefing them on recent events, I want to see if they can think of any useful information. In addition, I want to greet my parents-in-law before departing.”Vera nodded and said softly, “I almost forgot that your wife is in the United States as well.”“Yes.” Charlie nodded and said, “I asked Miss Fox to invite her to the United States to help. She is in New York now.”
Charlie knew that Emmett had extraordinary influence in Eastcliff. With him involved, Vera's proposal was bound to succeed. Furthermore, the feasibility of Vera's method was very high. As long as the authorities endorsed it and showed enough concern for the Ackers, their safety in Oskia wouldn't be a problem anymore. Even if Fleur was extremely bold and courageous, she wouldn't dare to openly oppose a country unless she was really tired of living, having lived for four hundred years. However, according to what Charlie understood now, the longer a person lived, the more they treasured their life and feared death. Fleur, having lived for four hundred years, must be extremely afraid of death. Otherwise, she wouldn't have fled from the mountains in such a miserable state.When Vera saw that Charlie had no objections to the proposal, she called Emmett immediately and informed him of the situation. Emmett didn't hesitate and readily agreed as he started to communicate with his connectio
Charlie sighed and said, “I didn't find any concrete clues, and I was persuaded to turn back when I was halfway there.”Keith asked in surprise, “Persuaded? Who persuaded you to turn back?”Charlie replied, “Grandpa, it's a long story. Let's go inside and talk slowly.”Keith readily agreed. “Okay, let's go in and talk.”Charlie and the Acker family members entered the villa and settled in the dining room. Since there were no outsiders present, Charlie truthfully recounted his recent trip to Mount Tason and disclosed Stephen's situation.Upon hearing that Charlie was persuaded back by a fake abbess from Quiant Monastery, everyone was greatly shocked. They couldn't believe that someone had anticipated Charlie's actions and waited for him while he was on the way up Mount Tason. What was even more surprising was that Stephen, who had silently guarded Charlie for nearly twenty years, actually served another master.After Charlie was done speaking, his uncle, Christian, asked incredulo
In the afternoon, Keith, accompanied by his eldest son, Christian, and his second son, Kaeden, secretly went to Eastcliff with Emmett.Instead of immediately returning to his home at Thompson First, Charlie went to the adjacent villa, then called Caden, who was in charge of teaching martial arts there, and asked him to inform Isaac and Albert to meet him.Charlie was initially even a little worried that Isaac might suddenly disappear for no reason. After all, as the spokesperson of the Wades in Aurous Hill and as Stephen's direct subordinate, it was likely for someone to have deliberately arranged for Isaac to work in this position. Fortunately, Isaac was still at Champs Elys Resort.The moment Charlie saw Isaac, he felt slightly relieved. Frankly, knowing that Stephen was serving another master made him feel somewhat disappointed. On one hand, Stephen had been his father’s most loyal subordinate, and although Charlie couldn't demand Stephen’s unwavering loyalty to the Wades, his
Charlie was relieved when he heard this. He then said to Isaac, “Mr. Cameron, Mr. Thompson will temporarily leave the Wades for some time. During this time, the position of the Wades’ chief butler will be vacant. I want you to take over Mr. Thompson's position temporarily. I hope that Mr. Thompson will return in the future, and if he does, you can return the position to him and act as his deputy. If he doesn't return, you will continue to hold the position.”Isaac was surprised and quickly said, “Young Master, my work has always been limited to this province, and I've only just managed to understand my current tasks. Now, you’re asking me to take over Mr. Thompson's position. How… How can I be qualified for that?!” Charlie asked, “Didn't Mr. Thompson climb up step by step?”Isaac awkwardly said, “Well, Mr. Thompson climbed up to that position over ten to twenty years. My abilities are much inferior to his, and I might not be able to convince others with my qualifications.”Charlie
After leaving Champs Elys hot spring villa, Charlie immediately rushed back to Thompson First. He planned to quickly pack his bags and inform his father-in-law, Jacob, and his mother-in-law, Elaine, that he would be rushing to another city tonight to take a look at another client’s Feng Shui.The couple was used to Charlie's constant travels all the time, so they weren't surprised when they heard the news.What surprised Charlie was that Elaine was suddenly showing concern for him, saying with a worried expression, “My dear son-in-law, you're always on the road all day long without resting. What if you tire yourself out?”Being unexpectedly cared for by his mother-in-law made Charlie feel a rare sense of warmth. He smiled and replied, “Mom, you don't need to worry. Although I'm busy outside every day, I don't actually feel tired at all.”Jacob, who was standing aside, looked at Elaine and sneered, “What do you know? Our dear son-in-law is a Feng Shui master now. Although he's on th
Jacob felt a mix of envy and jealousy when he heard that Charlie was giving Elaine a million dollars. Although he had some income from the Calligraphy and Painting Association, it wasn't nearly enough for his expenses. As the Vice President of the association, he often had to entertain guests, and his frequent trips in the luxurious car incurred substantial expenses. Despite his position, he was not as shameless as Elaine was, and he had always felt indebted to Charlie for his achievements and the opportunities he had, such as driving the luxury car and living in Thompson First. So, he didn't feel comfortable asking Charlie for money.But when he saw that Elaine was about to receive a million dollars simply by asking for it, he couldn't help but feel frustrated. He even contemplated asking Charlie for some financial assistance, but when he thought of how he had insulted Elaine earlier, he was embarrassed to ask Charlie for money.Meanwhile, Charlie wasted no time and transferred a
Jacob instantly blushed at her words, and he stuttered as he tried to defend himself, “Who said I was asking my dear son-in-law for money? Did I say that?! I have other reasons for talking to my dear son-in-law. Don't make false accusations against me!”Instead of arguing with Jacob, Elaine turned to Charlie and said, “My dear son-in-law, you heard what he said. No matter what he's scheming, don't give him a single penny!”Jacob was immediately furious, and he angrily exclaimed, “Elaine, why are you like this? Why are you always just talking about money?”Elaine playfully shook her head and grinned as she said, “What's wrong? Since you're not asking my dear son-in-law for money, why does it bother you if I tell him not to give you any?”Jacob was speechless. Elaine's strong defense had thwarted his intentions completely. With her words, he couldn't bring himself to ask Charlie for money anymore. How could he, after being put in such a situation?Jacob, who was at the losing end, w
Falling apart in both mind and spirit, Jacob was crying as he disembarked and took a cab to the hotel.Elaine, who had been lying around for 24 hours, was stunned speechless as she watched him enter, crying like a child.In contrast, Elaine looked like a mother to Jacob just then as he threw himself into her arms and bawled, "Darling… That prick Mr. Bay screwed me over… I have nothing left now…"Taken aback for a moment that Jacob would bawl in her arms like that, Elaine soon came to her senses and patted his back as she comforted him, "Oh, stop crying already. Who cares about some Calligraphy and Painting groupies? We certainly don't! Just hear me out and don't ever go there again!"Jacob kept sobbing, "But I care… I want to go…"Annoyed, Elaine's hand that had been patting Jacob a moment ago slid down to his hip and pinched him viciously before he noticed."Ow!" Jacob yelped in pain, and he demanded indignantly, "What was that for?!""Shut up!" Elaine snapped, glowering. "I wa
Jacob couldn't even be bothered by the looks others were giving him, and he called Mr. Bay immediately.Mr. Bay had already gone home and was seated on the couch with his wife, watching his phone and waiting for Jacob to call and demand an explanation.Mr. Bay knew that he had to answer for this and that if he avoided Jacob, it may well be a confession that he had screwed Jacob over.So, to avoid unnecessary trouble, he decided to come clean with Jacob.Naturally, by coming clean, he meant passing the buck as his wife had suggested.Hence, as he answered Jacob's call, he immediately sighed in embarrassment, "Hey, Jacob. I'm so sorry about that…"However, Jacob was so furious he immediately started bellowing, "Mr. Bay! Are you fucking with me here?! You said that the resignation letter was more of a formality, but you just made it public instead! So, all those things you said about helping me were just a trap, was it?! You're despicable! And to think I've been so good to you, even
The repeated flights had left Jacob tormented.Even before he actually had the time to enjoy Dubai, he had already gotten sick of the place and didn't want to ever return.And on the flight, he couldn't stop his thoughts from going astray.Now that he was not getting back the money he had lost, his only hope was Mr. Bay.Fortunately, Mr. Bay was serious about his promise that he would at least save him a job as department head. That was why, despite his thoughts running astray, he never considered the thought that he would be kicked out of the Calligraphy and Painting Association.As soon as his flight landed, he didn't wait to turn off his phone's flight mode, waiting for the internet connection to return so that he could ask Mr. Bay about the meeting.Once he did, he received a ton of messages from public accounts to acquaintances—many had already found out that he had resigned from the post of administrative vice-president and wanted to ask how he was doing.And Matilda was
The Calligraphy and Painting Association was certainly efficient—soon after the meeting was dismissed, the news that the administrative vice-president had resigned was posted on their official page and social media.The notice was simple and never mentioned what Jacob had done, only that the administrative vice-president had asked to resign for personal reasons. The request had since been voted upon, and all members had agreed to it.And that was how a simple and short message kicked Jacob out of the Calligraphy and Painting Association entirely.In the city, other associations closely connected with the Calligraphy and Painting Association were the various cultural societies and circles of antique enthusiasts and the Senior University. In fact, most fans of the public page of the Calligraphy and Painting Association were from the Senior City, and every lecturer, student, and even guest lecturer were subscribed.As a matter of fact, that was entirely Jacob's doing. After his lect
There weren't that many members in the Calligraphy and Painting Association—just a handful over twenty.Hence, at Mr. Bay's request, everyone showed up at the conference at 1 pm.He chose the afternoon as there were a handful who were away on outreach, including Walker, who was subbing for Jacob's lectures.Once the entire Calligraphy and Painting Association save for Jacob was informed of the mandatory meeting, every member was there on the hour, seated primly and in attention in the huge conference room.Mr. Bay didn't waste his breath on the preamble either—as soon as he saw that everyone had arrived, he announced, "Everyone, I've gathered you here today because our administrative vice-president, Jacob Wilson, has been alleged to be involved in a certain malicious scheme."Last night, Mr. Wilson submitted his resignation to me, and after a discussion with my vice-presidents, we've all decided to hold a vote. It will be open to every member in the association as we will be decid
Having sent his resignation letter, Jacob had no idea that it would be the catalyst for his dismissal.He didn't sleep well at the rundown motel either and had dark circles under his eyes as he rushed to the airport early the next morning.Clearing the checkpoint and boarding his flight, everything went smoothly until his flight to Dubai lifted off at 10 am.-Meanwhile, the other vice-presidents of the Calligraphy and Painting Association had arrived at Mr. Bay's office.They all had the same goal—pressure Mr. Bay and get Jacob kicked out of the association no matter what it took.Naturally, they knew that Mr. Bay most definitely would have to help Jacob since Jacob was close with Don Albert. If Mr. Bay insisted on protecting Jacob, they shouldn't insist, or Jacob would hear about it, and the man would bear a grudge.Even so, as the vice-presidents entered Mr. Bay's office and closed the door behind them, one of them couldn't help asking, "So, Mr. Bay—how do you intend to deal
Hence, Mr. Bay sent a reply in under five minutes after Jacob sent his resignation letter.As Jacob tapped on it, he immediately saw Mr. Bay's reply: Mr. Wilson's resignation is a huge loss to the association. However, we should also respect his individual situation and opinion. As such, to discuss our direction forward, all vice-presidents are required to attend a meeting at 10am tomorrow to discuss this matter.Jacob was still perplexed as to why Mr. Bay would reply to his mail and even summon the other vice-presidents for a meeting, and when he had a closer look, he saw that Mr. Bay had forwarded his mail to everyone else.Seeing that, Jacob thought to himself that Mr. Bay could just stick to a discussion involving just Mr. Bay and the vice-presidents instead of the entire association.As such, he sent a voice message on WhatsApp: "Mr. Bay, did you make a mistake and forward my mail to everyone else?"Mr. Bay soon replied, "Everyone already knows about your situation, so there'
Mr. Bay was left pursing his lips awkwardly. "T-That's way too despicable, don't you think? I'm the one who asked him to write a resignation and give up his place as vice-president while I handle the other vice-presidents and resolve the entire matter internally. Everyone can take a step back from escalation, and it's a solution that could please everyone."If I take that resignation at face value, won't it be like a bank goading a client into taking a scam loan? Won't he hate me to the bone if he finds out I screwed him over?""What are you worried about?" Mrs. Bay shot back in annoyance. "Are you that scared of Jacob Wilson turning against you? Hell, my own sister hates me to the bone—but what did you think I told her? That I'm never lending her the money no matter how much she hates me!"What do you think would have happened if I were worried about her feelings and loaned her the money she asked for? She wouldn't have to use a single cent to get herself a new house! She would say
"Don Albert… is giving up on Jacob Wilson?!"Mr. Bay exclaimed in shock. "B-But he was so respectful toward Jacob just the other day when we had dinner at the Heaven Springs… He gave us the best private room and even offered his best wine, filling our glasses personally…"Mrs. Bay waved him off. "You've been stuck with the retirees of the Calligraphy and Painting Association for so long that you've lost your nose for danger! Just think about it—married couples who were just sharing a bed one night could pull a knife on their partner the very next day. And these are men with priorities we're talking about."Also, you should take into account that Zachary Evans is Don Albert's right-hand man, and Jacob somehow dragged him into a fraud scheme. So, do you think Don Albert would be happy with that?"And according to Zachary's public statement, all the money they got went straight into Jacob's pocket—and what does that mean? It means Zachary is an accessory to a crime—at worst, an accomp