"You're looking for someone?" Charlie raised his eyebrows upon hearing Julien's remarks and, with a faintly amused expression, curiously asked, "What kind of person would require an heir as wealthy as yourself to personally come to Oskia? Could it be that you're searching for a long-lost younger son of your family?" Julien chuckled and replied, "You must be kidding, Mr. Wade. Our family values bloodlines above all else—there's no way we could have any lost lineage out there." Lowering his voice intentionally, Julien spoke seriously, "You might have heard that when the American president travels, even a single strand of hair or a drop of saliva must be collected and taken away by designated personnel. The same goes for our family men—every bit of sperm, how it's used, and with whom we spend the night, must be accounted for. Even what's left in the condom is meticulously collected and taken away. Anyone daring to father an illegitimate child outside the family becomes a public enem
After saying that, Julien looked up at Charlie, his expression suddenly turning a bit uneasy. He quickly added, "Please don't misunderstand me. What I said has nothing to do with anyone here, especially not you." Charlie smirked and said, "Your words seem to have a hidden meaning. Are you implying that I've bullied your family?" "No!" Julien hurriedly replied. "Absolutely not!" Julien, taking advantage of the fact that they were already drinking, decided to pour himself a full glass, downed it in one gulp, and, emboldened by the alcohol, said with a grievance-filled tone, "Mr. Wade, there's no one else here, so let me speak from the heart. Your sending Helena back to New York to make a comeback really put me in a tough spot! I personally went to bring Helena over, and what you originally told me wasn't like this at all. You said that if I helped you, my father would be so shocked that I would be named the successor to the family head. But I never expected you to have Helena deliv
Charlie calmly said, "You and I have direct contact, but your father doesn't. Whether in theory or practice, you are closer to me. If it weren't for your lack of sincerity, why would I bypass you and have Helena establish an indirect connection with your father on my behalf?" "Think about it this way. If you were the owner of a supermarket and you noticed that the person living across the street chose not to shop at your store but instead went to a more distant one, you wouldn't blame the customer. Instead, you'd have to reflect on your own shortcomings. Either others offer something you don't, or you're overpriced compared to them, or you provide inferior service despite similar pricing. If you don't examine yourself, you can't simply block the customer and ask why they didn't shop with you, can you?" "You're absolutely right, Mr. Wade..." Julien nodded repeatedly in shame. "From now on, I'll be 100% honest with you without the slightest bit of concealment." "We'll see." Charlie
An hour later. Julien, who had finished his lunch and drunk a lot, was tipsy and dizzy. He had indeed drunk quite a bit, but fortunately, his alcohol tolerance was decent, and talking so much kept him relatively clear-headed. Seeing Julien leaning back in his chair with his stomach sticking out after eating, Charlie smiled and asked, "Julien, how are you feeling? Do we need to order a few more dishes?" Julien quickly waved his hand, slurring slightly with a bit of drunken cheer, "N-no... No, Mr. Wade. I'm already stuffed. It's been a long time since I've eaten and drunk so much." Charlie nodded and smiled. "Since you've had enough, let's get down to business. Let your men know you're catching up with us here and have them wait in the parking lot. We'll take you out the back door to the place I mentioned." Due to being somewhat intoxicated, Julien was no longer as cautious as he had been earlier. Otherwise, with his status, if Charlie wanted to separate him from his entourag
"Uh... Mr. Wade..." Julien couldn't help but be a bit taken aback and asked, "The car... Its privacy is a bit too much, isn't it?" Charlie chuckled and replied, "The place I'm taking you to is highly confidential. Naturally, we need to be cautious. But don't worry—your people know you entered the restaurant, so it's not like I can openly harm you. Wherever I'm taking you, just relax and follow me. Once everything's done, I'll return you safely without a scratch." Whatever concerns Julien had were instantly dispelled. He quickly put on a carefree expression and laughed loudly. "I trust you completely. Wherever you take me, I won't even bat an eye." - The van left through the back door, taking an alternate route that led directly to a street behind Heaven Springs, avoiding any contact with Julien's bodyguards. After leaving the city, the vehicle headed straight for the outskirts. Facilities like a dog training compound were typically located far from residential areas due to no
Albert chuckled and spoke up, "Mr. Rothschild, this is the dog kennel I run. We mainly breed dogs with strong attack capabilities. Before I met Mr. Wade, I used to make money by entering the dogs bred here into underground dog fighting competitions. After I started working for Mr. Wade, the purpose of this place has shifted, and it's no longer about making a profit." Hearing this, Julien relaxed a little and curiously asked, "Why keep so many dogs if it's not for profit? It seems like you really do love dogs." "Well, not exactly," Albert casually replied. "This place mainly handles some disobedient troublemakers. To cultivate the dogs' fighting spirit, I've always fed them raw meat. As you know, dogs aren't picky eaters. As long as it's meat, they'll eat whatever it is." "Oh..." Julien, who had just relaxed, felt a chill run down his spine at Albert's words. As the second-in-command of the Rothschild family, he had encountered his fair share of bloody affairs, but right now, he
But as they waited and waited, the anticipated rescue never came. Instead, Albert's dog kennel became more and more upgraded, more concealed, and more fortified. Eventually, Edmund and Salem gave up on their unrealistic hopes and resigned themselves to survive in this place. At this moment, Edmund had just finished his dialysis and was lying weakly on the bed, having eaten the porridge his father had fed him. Jiro, who worked here, was pushing a small cart over. He called out, "Hey, Whittakers, bring the dishes over after you're done eating!" Salem quickly took the dishes to the iron fence, and after Jiro came by, he threw the dishes into the plastic recycling bin. Just as Jiro was about to leave, Salem hastily said, "Wait a minute, Mr. Kobayashi!" Jiro glared at him. "What?" Salem pleaded, "Tomorrow is my son's birthday. Could you please ask the supervisor to bring a cake for him?" He then quickly added, "It doesn't have to be a big one, just an ordinary cupcake will do.
Jiro swiftly ran up from the descending staircase. When he saw Charlie and Albert, he was pleasantly surprised and greeted them enthusiastically, "Hello, Mr. Wade, Don Albert, and Mr. Cameron!" Next, he saw the unfamiliar face of Julien and, noticing his foreign face, couldn't help but feel curious about his identity. Despite his curiosity, Jiro was well-mannered and knew his place. Given his current status, it was not appropriate for him to ask unnecessary questions. So, he courteously greeted Julien, "Hello, sir." Julien, recognizing the name as Japanese, also felt curious about his identity and was even more curious about what exactly this place was. Seeing Jiro's vibrant face, Charlie smiled and asked, "Jiro, how is your life here these days?" "Very good!" Jiro answered with a beaming smile. "Everyone is very nice to me. Everything is fine." Currently, Jiro was considered a semi-free man at the dog kennel. Aside from not being allowed to leave the place, he had qui
Having lost it all, Jacob really looked like he wouldn't be getting back up.But fortunately, he had a pillar in the form of Elaine.In fact, Elaine would serve to be a container, whipping Jacob into shape if he got too full of himself.But on the other hand, now that Jacob was utterly despondent, she would be forcing him to smile and function in general.Elaine's attitude to the entire issue was clear as well. Even though Jacob had just lost his job, she would make him go shopping with her in Dubai even if he fell into a coma. Even if he was dead, she'd just cremate him and bring his ashes along.Hence, with Elaine's firm grip around Jacob's leash, he went on strolls, going shopping and taking selfies with Elaine everyday, eventually easing the toll on his mood and spirit.-Back at Aurous Hill, Charlie was preparing for Yolden Hart and Matilda Hall's wedding as it approached.Yolden was a schoolmate of his mother, Ashley Layna Acker, as well as Charlie's elder.And while Cha
"See you." As soon as Charlie hung up on Matilda, Don Albert's call came right after.He sounded nervous as Charlie answered the phone, saying, "Master Wade, I think I might have gone too far…""Wait, what's this about?" Charlie asked."Your father-in-law, of course…" Don Albert sighed. "You asked me to leave him hanging for a while, so I did. I even refused when he asked to book a room in Heaven Springs.""Well, that's not a problem, is it?" Charlie shrugged. "He and Zachary ganged up for some real mischief. As you are Zachary's boss, it's right that you refused him because you didn't appreciate what he did.""That's just it. I thought that approach was just right as well," Don Albert quickly said. "I wasn't playing nice when Mr. Bay of the Calligraphy and Painting Association called me either. That's when he said he'd try to save Jacob's position as vice-president, but I told him it's none of my business."I then hung up on him without much thought, only for Zachary to tell m
Meanwhile, Charlie was downstairs in Claire's office, waiting to pick her up and head home.That was when Matilda called him, asking as soon as he answered, "Charlie, do you know how Jacob is doing? He never answered any of my texts—is he going to be alright?""I wouldn't know," Charlie replied. "Both he and Elaine are in Dubai on a trip… What's wrong?""He resigned," Matilda sighed. "I only saw the public statement that the Calligraphy and Painting Association posted this afternoon. It says that he tendered the resignation himself, but it doesn't really feel that way. I wonder if he's at odds with other members of the association…"Charlie was actually surprised to hear that Jacob had resigned.He had told Zachary to expose the truth of the bronze sculpture fraud case to teach Jacob a lesson so that Jacob would understand the meaning of true pain.However, he anticipated that Mr. Bay would at least keep Jacob around with an unimportant job even if Jacob did lose some money and e
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