Harrison, beaming with joy and excitement, sat in the main chair in the meeting room. He then looked at the crowd around him and said with a smile, "Everyone, please sit down!" Everyone sat down one by one. Harrison smiled as he looked at the crowd and began, "It's the first time so many people have gathered in this meeting room. I see many of you don't have formal seats. Originally, I planned to convene everyone at the group headquarters so that it would be more comfortable for everyone. However, I haven't been to the company in the past few days, so I could only have you come here. I apologize for the inconvenience and the discomfort it may have caused. Please don't take offense." "N-None taken." The members of the branch families quickly waved their hands with humble expressions, not daring to show any signs of discomfort. Not even the slightest hint of fatigue could be seen on their faces. They didn't expect Harrison, who had always been very cold to them, to suddenly bec
But this time, Harrison's perspective on the matter had undergone a complete transformation compared to before. He came to understand one thing—what he truly needed to care about now was no longer the future of the Rothschild family, but his own future. As he grew older and remained unwilling to pass the position of family head to his sons, it was inevitable that discontent would arise among them. In the future, it was possible that one of his sons might attempt to overthrow or sideline him. Therefore, he decided to first extend goodwill to the collateral branches of the family, offering up a portion of the family's benefits in exchange for their absolute support, ensuring a safer future for himself. At this thought, he stood up amidst the crowd's applause, full of vigor, and said, "From today, remember that as long as you remain steadfastly united with us, we will never let you suffer losses or endure humiliation, because we are family!" The thunderous applause, like a wave o
Harrison's promise made Jennie so excited that she kept crying as she expressed her gratitude. "Thank you, Mr. Harrison! Thank you!" Jennie had long since run out of options and had no effective way to resolve her situation. Initially, she didn't dare seek help from the Rothschild family, fully aware that they looked down on distant relatives like her. But today, this was a stroke of luck! Harrison had suddenly extended an olive branch to the collateral families, and this immediately made Jennie realize that this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Seeing Harrison's sense of responsibility for the collateral families, the others were very grateful and excited. Harrison stood up and announced with a calm smile, "If anything similar happens in the future, do not hesitate to visit the Family Relations Office at any time. I will have my most trusted subordinates stationed there to help solve your problems." When Harrison said the word "subordinates", all his sons realized tha
It would be the easiest if they were dead. All that had to be done was to find their bodies and bring them home to Jennie. If it was the second or third possibility, the mission was to find Edmund and Salem, whether they were hiding voluntarily or involuntarily. It would be considered done when they were brought back to the United States. Hence, Harrison looked at the direct family members on either side of the table and asked, "Who among you wants to volunteer to go to Oskia and help Jennie locate her husband and son?" The crowd exchanged sheepish and uneasy glances. No one was willing to leave New York at a time like this. If something were to happen while they were in Oskia, they would lose their competitive edge completely. Seeing that no one was stepping up to respond, Harrison became irritated. His descendants, who usually acted confident and obedient, were now showing no initiative. He would die of embarrassment if no one took the lead. Just when Harrison was stari
Harrison believed that Helena's delivery of the elixir was a gesture of Julien's filial piety. So, naturally, Julien's voluntary offer to take on the task made him very pleased. He looked at everyone and loudly declared, "Additionally, I would like to announce something here today: effective immediately, Julien will officially become the next heir to the Rothschild family! After my retirement, he will be the one to lead the family forward!" Upon hearing this, the branch family members began to applaud, but Julien's brothers and nephews remained expressionless. They all knew that once Harrison made such an announcement in front of the family, it was unlikely to be changed. This also meant that after Harrison's passing and Julien's assumption of the title of the family head, they would slowly become part of the collateral branch. Their descendants would eventually end up in a position like those of the other collateral families—sitting on the sidelines, grateful for the smallest of
As the golden sunlight bloomed on the eastern skyline in the early morning, the plane Charlie was on landed at Aurous Airport facing the rising sun. At that moment, Charlie had no idea that Julien, who was far away in the United States, was eagerly planning a trip to Oskia to meet him. Charlie instantly called Vera as soon as the plane landed. When the call was answered, Vera's gentle and delicate voice echoed into his ear. "Mr. Wade! Why did you call me so early?" Charlie said with a smile, "Good morning, Miss Lavor. I've just landed in Aurous Hill. I'm not sure if it's a convenient time for you, but if it is, I can go to Scarlet Pinnacle Manor to meet you." Vera responded with a bright, cheerful laugh, saying, "I've prepared some drinks and snacks and was just about to boil some water for tea. If you don't mind, would you like to join me for a bite?" "Give me half an hour," Charlie replied with a chuckle. In the hangar, Albert was standing beside a car and waiting patie
A query popped up in Charlie's mind once again as he spoke. Previously, he believed Stephen was loyal to his father. However, Stephen's sudden disappearance along with the likelihood that the photo album had been left behind by him suggested that Stephen might serve a different master. Judging by Stephen's character, consistent actions, and the clues in the photo album that led to Raymond, Charlie presumed that Stephen and the one he served were unlikely his enemies. In fact, they might even be allies. However, he couldn't understand. If they were indeed allies, why stay hidden in the shadows? Wouldn't it be better to meet face-to-face, have an open and honest conversation, and join forces against their common enemy? The traffic was smooth as they were traveling early in the morning. Their car sped off on the road and arrived at the gate of Scarlet Pinnacle Manor half an hour later. Seeing the grand plaque of the manor, Charlie collected his thoughts and said to Albert, "
"Sure, Mr. Wade!" Albert respectfully said, "I'll get everything done today." Charlie nodded slightly, saw him off, and then went into Scarlet Pinnacle Manor with Logan, Decan, and Sarah. When they reached the stone stairs leading to the top-floor courtyard, Charlie said, "Go ahead and get busy. I'll go alone." Logan asked, "May I know if you will stay for lunch? I can have the chef prepare it in advance." Thinking about meeting his grandmother after meeting Vera and going back to Thompson First afterward, Charlie declined his offer. "Thanks, but no thanks. I have something to do at noon, so I'll take my leave by then." Logan nodded and watched as Charlie walked toward the courtyard. Outside the courtyard gate, just as Charlie was about to knock, Vera's sweet and melodious voice resonated, "Just come right in, Mr. Wade. I didn't lock the door." Charlie's heart skipped a beat, like a tranquil lake rippled by a gentle spring breeze. He pushed open the gate to see Vera dress
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
Neither Charlie nor the Ackers expected Yolden's insight to cover all corners.In fact, it felt like the man had a blueprint ready and was only waiting for the time to put it to use.That was why everyone was immensely approving of Yolden and wanted no other man for the job of CEO.Kaeden smiled, "Well, since everyone has agreed, let's put this to rest as soon as possible—this will be a joint investment between our family and the Wades, and Professor Hart will take the post of CEO. Let's all do our best to make this a good one!"Yolden also made up his mind, deciding that he didn't want to let slip a chance to realize his ambitions. "I'll resign from the university after my honeymoon trip. It probably shouldn't be long, and I can get involved in early preparations via teleconference."Charlie nodded. "Then, we can have Uncle Kaeden stay on schedule while I'll ask the Wades to send a representative over to sign a memorandum for the investment."Keith smiled and nodded. "You should
Charlie hadn't been born and raised in Aurous Hill, but he still started living here at the age of eight and was more attached to this place than Eastcliff.If he was going to take part in this automotive investment with the Ackers, he naturally found Aurous Hill the ideal location.Not only would it create a huge number of jobs for Aurous Hill, but it would also rake in much economic flow for the region.Yolden also nodded at his suggestion. "If the first plant is meant to cover the demand of the entire local market, there's no reason for a coastal plant. Aurous Hill stands at an intersection between the north and the south, so transportation is convenient. It's also killing two birds with one stone, as Mr. Wade is fond of the city."Charlie couldn't help but agree. "I won't lie—Aurous Hill has been good to me, and I hope to give back. Nothing's better than succeeding in that respect."Yolden spread his hands, "Heavy industries are certainly ideal to contribute to Aurous Hill's e
Yolden had actually been researching new energy for a while—in fact, it was when Tesla's first car models were produced.He was passionate about the subject and had his own opinions as well as ambitions, but he was busy teaching, so he couldn't realize any of it.But was this not a golden opportunity tailor-made for him?Seeing that Yolden was clearly interested, Charlie turned toward Kaeden, "Actually, the professor is getting married soon. There's no way we'd split up newlyweds so soon after the wedding, right? So, is it possible to set up base in Aurous Hill instead?""Not a problem!" Kaeden replied without hesitation. "Our family is planning to return to Oskia anyway, and everyone knows about Ashley and Curtis. So, why don't we invest in this enterprise alongside the Wades and have the base set up in Aurous Hill? And then bring Godot under as a subsidiary?"Turning to Yolden, he continued, "By the way, Godot's plant is already in the province—barely 100 miles from Aurous Hill,
Pausing, Yolden continued, "Moreover, the greatest advantage of AI is that it is self-conscious and has the processing power to analyze astronomical proportions of data. As car sales grow, every car owner's driving data will add precious new data to our data vault, and it will be processed by AI for even greater space of imagination."For example, kst's say I experienced a bumpiness along a certain road, and when the sensors pick up on that anomaly, the data will be uploaded to the servers along with images of the road condition in real time. The processing AI module would determine in no time at all that there was damage and label said location on the map, and then forward the data to other vehicles close to that location, sending notifications when they are close enough and providing the appropriate advice for countermeasures."Naturally, the AI can even be refined further so that it immediately warns us to slow down while uploading the data to the servers and informing any cars cl
Yolden's mind short-circuited at those words. "The most advanced AI module?!"He had been working on Wall Street for years, having invested in substantial startup tech companies as well as assisting plenty of Nasdaq tech enterprises with their IPO. That was why he especially had a sharp six sense for cutting-edge technology.It had been a while since he had gotten up the saddle, and AI had just become the trend recently, but he still paid close attention. He was well aware what applications were possible for AI modules, but he was shocked that Charlie already possessed what all the online giants were coveting!Thrilled, he quickly asked Charlie, "Can the Rothschilds resolve all the hardware and software issues? High-processing power display cards are a dime a dozen these days, and local enterprises are all planning to sell them one by one. The demand is just that high!"Charlie chuckled. "Don't worry—the Rothschilds will handle both issues for me, even the data centers. We bought i
Keith, who had been silent throughout, waved him off as he said solemnly, "Please don't sell yourself short, Professor Hart. I'm sure you can do well in this position, but it's still a matter of will."If your heart is truly set on educating future generations, then I'm sure you'd reject our offer no matter what we say."However, if you felt the slightest interest, even anticipation, for such a major project, then you really should consider our offer."We've already invested in Godot Autos for 3 billion USD and over 10 billion if we're counting in Ricebolt. But we still have 30 billion more in capital available—and that means it's 40 billion USD at play."I doubt any other global car maker can afford that much, let alone a new car maker. So, I dare say that this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!"Keith's words spoke to Yolden's very soul—a startup capital of forty billion US dollars was certainly unprecedented for electric-powered vehicles. Even Ricebolt had barely garnered ove
Charlie smiled. "Who, me? You'd laugh at me, but it was only after Steven found me that I learned to drive. I never bought my own car either and only had the two supercars gifted to me, and I only drove those a handful of times at best. Even now, I'm driving the BMW 5-series I bought for my father-in-law."Then, he remembered Marianne Long and said, "I did drive a friend's Tesla back to Hong Kong, but it was only for a short time, and I didn't manage to look into their so-called assisted driving system."Yolden thought about it and smiled, "But y'know… how would I describe the car, specifically? Have you heard of Mario Balotelli, the soccer player?"Every man present aside from Keith nodded—Mario had been a philosopher on the soccer field, and even those who didn't watch soccer were familiar with his name.Nodding, Yolden continued, "The way I see it, Mario has been a player with top-class hardware but third-rate software. Give him Messi or Ronaldinho's intelligence, and he'd be a
Kaeden then asked, "Well, professor, how do you suppose we overtake the competition at turning points? Or indeed, what qualifies as succeeding in that respect?"Yolden thought about it, formulating his words before explaining, "My personal understanding of the matter isn't simply to aim for turning points. Instead, it's things like staying on the inner lane of the race track and reaching the finish line faster by going where no other race car had gone before—or indeed where people never thought to go before."That's the case for new energy cars. Our fossil fuel energies have constantly lost to other countries and would always come up short. But with new energy cars, we can change the rules altogether."We can't catch up to their engine tech? Then we won't—there's no way they are masters in electric-powered engines, are they? They've spent decades on internal combustion engines and haven't the first clue about electric-powered engines."So, while everyone hasn't turned all their foc